The Secret Prophecy

Gr 7–10—When Edward Michael (Em for short) loses his professor father unexpectedly and suspiciously, the teen is left reeling. After the funeral, his dad's home office is burglarized yet nothing appears to be missing. Em is whisked off to France by a family friend and his daughter, lovely and intimidating Charlotte, and the teens spot a stranger with a gun stalking them through the streets of Paris. Finally, when Em returns home, he is shocked to learn that his mother has been committed to a psychiatric facility and when he goes to visit her, she slurs a warning in her drugged state: run. Now Em cannot seem to find a safe place to hide from an omniscient group of pursuers. He connects with Victor, an oddly helpful vagrant who turns out to be a government secret service officer. Victor, Charlotte, and Em plot, scheme, and uncover clues left by the deceased professor, which leads them down a path of intrigue complete with international travel, deadly epidemics, and large-scale conspiracies. Brennan serves up a fun read with guy appeal, a Dan Brown-like thriller about Nostradamus, meandering into an international environmental statement, with betrayals and lies so pervasive that it's hard to decipher the actual truth. Recommended for those who love an adventurous tale and are willing to suspend disbelief.—Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ