THE BLACK DRAGON, by Julian Sedgwick

The story: When Danny's aunt is abducted in Hong Kong, it's up to Danny to find her. Little does he realize that hunting for a kidnapper will open up dark secrets in his own past, including the deaths of his circus-performer parents in a fire a year ago. Danny must use his own "magic" skills and his ability to think a problem through in order to figure out what's going on and who he can trust--and he'd better do it fast before the Black Dragon hunts him down and consumes him, too.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic and the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (being orphaned; kidnapping; organized crime) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This is a fast-moving thriller with an unusual setting and more than a little information about magicians and escape artists. Danny learns to trust his own instincts, but also that he'll need to trust those around him. Because the mystery of what his father was up to (working with Interpol and Inspector Ricard as a sort of expert specialist, but still unknown as to what or why) remains unexplained, there's clearly a set-up for at least book 2.