Latitude Zero
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
When a bicycle racing champion dies suddenly, a teen sleuth travels to Ecuador to solve the mystery.
“I have to run,” said Juan Carlos. “You will call? Please? It is very important.”
“Yes. I will call. Definitely. At two.”
That’s what Tessa promises. But by two o’clock, young Ecuadorian cycling superstar Juan Carlos is dead, and Tessa, one of the last people ever to speak to him, is left with nothing but questions. The media deems Juan Carlos’s death a tragic accident at a charity bike ride, but Tessa, an aspiring investigative journalist herself, knows that something more is going on. While she grapples with her own grief and guilt, she is being stalked by spies with an insidious connection to the dead cycling champion. Tessa’s pursuit of an explanation for Juan Carlos’s untimely death leads her from the quiet New England backwoods to bustling bike shops and ultimately to Ecuador itself, Juan Carlos’s homeland. As the ride grows bumpy, Tessa no longer knows who’s a suspect and who is an ally. The only thing she knows for sure is that she must uncover the truth of why Juan Carlos has died and race to find the real villain—before the trail goes cold.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Renn (Tokyo Heist) delves into the world of competitive cycling to produce this twisty thriller, starring Tessa Taylor, teenage host of the show KidVision, who is discredited and fired after she's caught illicitly riding in a charity race. Her disgrace is overshadowed by the tragic death of biking sensation Juan Carlos during that same race, and Tessa is determined to get to the bottom of the incident. Her search takes her to Ecuador, where she's embroiled in a deadly conspiracy undermining the cycling community and the rest of the sporting world. As Tessa learns just what's so important that people will blackmail, cheat, smuggle and kill for, she also falls under the sway of a cunning mastermind. Renn steeps her story in thorough detail, bringing the cycling world and Ecuador to life with an air of verisimilitude. The story gets a little convoluted as it evolves from murder mystery to globe-trotting intrigue, with plenty of false leads and red herrings to keep readers guessing, but it satisfies and entertains. Ages 12 up.
