Dark Eden II: Eve of Destruction by Patrick Carman

REVENGE IS THE CURE

The dark story continues until the twisted end…

“Will Besting and the other teens whose phobias were “cured” at Fort Eden have been summoned back by Mrs. Goring. Her dying wish is to see them together one last time. Or is it?

Ensnared in a dangerous, ever-deepening mystery, Will must lead his friends through a perilous underground trap masterminded by two devious souls at war with each other. It’s a game of cat and mouse, and not everyone will be alive when it’s over. Can Will outwit both Rainsford and Goring, ending their reign of fear forever?

Patrick Carman’s Dark Eden: Eve of Destruction offers a harrowing journey into the depths of fear, love, revenge, and ultimately… redemption.”

Enter Dark Eden – what are you afraid of?

Patrick Carman has broken the mold on storytelling with his innovative multimedia approach in the Skeleton Creek series, 3:15 short stories and Trackers, but now, he has created a frightening mystery adventure that can be experienced in two entirely different ways: The Dark Eden app where you virtually step into Fort Eden via online maps, videos, audio diaries and journal entries, and, of course, the classic, beloved book. The book is awesome but to feel it come alive in the audio and video clips gave me chills. Dark Eden and Eve of Destruction are light years beyond traditional storytelling… not only movies, not only a book, not only a game, but waking up the brain in multiple areas at once. Sick! Welcome to the 21 Century, folks! One step closer to the Holodeck for the wired world. 🙂

Seven strangers. One isolated location.
No escape.

Dark Eden book 1 story synopsis:
“Will Besting, along with six other teenagers, all suffer from crippling secrets and phobias. Together they are sent to Fort Eden, an old, eerie and mysterious place that holds the promise of a cure for each of them. Not knowing what to expect but eager to be cured, they take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night’s experience, but each person soon discovers something strange and unexplainable has happened to them.”

Join Dark Eden on Facebook…

The DARK EDEN app is available on the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and all Android enabled devices. To get started, download THE ARRIVAL, the first free episode, available through the DARK EDEN mobile app in the Apple/iOS App Store and the Android Market.

Click here to read a great Eve of Destruction review…

And here to read the Publisher’s Weekly Review…

And here for the Los Angeles Times article… awesome!

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The 39 Clues Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman & Jude Watson

See, so not over! The 39 Clues adventure series lives on in Book 11, Vespers Rising (author team Riordan, Lerangis, Korman & Watson) where we are immediately launched into the past (Dude WAY back, try 1507) to the deep roots of the original Cahill family and their heartless mortal enemy, Lord Vesper himself.

We step right into the heartbreaking story where fragile family ties are torn to shreds in spite of major sacrifices by the devoted, determined father Gideon Cahill and selfless, loving mother Oliva. The four Cahill children, Luke, Thomas, Jane and Katherine flee their island home as their father is killed in a lab fire that keeps Lord Vesper from acquiring lethal power. But will Oliva survive? What secrets does she keep?

Next, we fast forward to 1526 to finally get more acquainted with the infamous Madeline Cahill, founder of the Madrigals. But as a child, was she the fearless and cunning leader of the most covert branch of the Cahill family? Hum, you decide, but just remember sometimes when we are at our most vulnerable, our inner strength takes over and we learn who we really are. Madeline lives by three rules: 1) keep her father’s ring safe 2) never let anyone abuse the power of the 39 Clues and 3) unite the Cahill family when the time is right. And of course, stay alive. Don’t look back. And wow, does she EVER evolve into a total bad ass ninja woman. Go girl!

Monaco 1942… we get to meet, Grace Cahill? Dan and Amy’s grandmother? But haven’t we’ve met her before? And re-lived her adventures in numerous flash backs? Trust me, not like this. You’re going to love experiencing Grace at age 12, with brother Fiske in diapers, how she flees to Casablanca to deliver a life or death message, only to uncover even darker secrets. Maybe you’ll agree with me that 12 year old Grace at times reminds you of our Amy…

Suddenly, we’re back to the present, in a major way, as in, Dan vegging in social studies class, bored out of his wits. Yes, he and Amy are living happily with Fiske, Nellie and even salmon loving Saladin, but after their perilous yet victorious adventures around the globe, they are forever changed. The clue hunt burns inside of them… how can they go back to being just regular kids again? Well, it appears that is not even an option, as the clue won’t let them go either! Amy will now have to step up and be the keeper of the Cahill family ring, but first, she must locate where Grace carefully hid it, and then hide it AGAIN, safe from the Vespers. Not an easy task, especially if YOU are now being hunted. But we know from the previous ten 39 Clues stories how Dan and Amy are by far the most clever and resourceful clue hunters… not only do they outsmart the Vespers, but make a decision about their futures which would make Madeline and Grace Cahill incredibly proud.

Vespers Rising is a collection of important back stories in which the reader experiences first hand the phoenix rising from the ashes of the horrible lab fire so long ago, even if it takes several centuries. And as we know, The 39 Clues is a multimedia story, so I also logged on to The 39 Clues website and continued my adventure with online card collecting, new missions, secret agent messages, games and more!

Next up… Book One of Cahills vs Vespers – The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman and Card Pack One.

Unlock your top secret online mission!

See you on the clue hunt!

P~

Previous 39 Clues book reviews by William Wu Books:
Book One: The Maze of Bones
Book Two: One False Note
Book Three: The Sword Thief
Book Four: Beyond the Grave
Book Five: The Black Circle
Book Six: In Too Deep
Book Seven: The Viper’s Nest
Book Eight: The Emperor’s Code
Book Nine: Storm Warning
Book Ten: Into the Gauntlet
The Black Book of Buried Secrets

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Dark Eden

Seven strangers. One isolated location.
No escape.

Not only has Patrick Carman broken the mold on storytelling with his innovative multimedia approach in the Skeleton Creek series, 3:15 short stories and Trackers, but now, he has created a frightening mystery adventure that can be experienced in two entirely different ways: The Dark Eden app where you virtually step into Fort Eden via online maps, videos, audio diaries and journal entries, and, of course, the classic, beloved book. Personally, I’m so doing both! The book is awesome (I read the proof but my lips are sealed until its release in November 2011) but to feel it come alive in the audio and video clips gave me chills. The app is available now, but much like having to wait for the next episode of your favorite TV show, the sections are released one at a time. Dark Eden is light years beyond traditional storytelling… not just a movie, not just a book, not just a game, but waking up the brain in multiple areas at once. Wicked. Cool. Welcome to the 21 Century, folks! One step closer to the Holodeck for the wired world. 🙂

Dark Eden is not only eerie (my favorite) but wraps with some disturbing twists. I thought I was all smart when I figured out one of them, but when they kept coming, catching me completely off guard, I realized I was in great hands and just enjoyed the messed up *wink* ending. Sick! Loved it. This app is guaranteed to entice the reluctant reader into a story that isn’t only another War of Whatever game. Like 3:15 and Skeleton Creek, part of the Dark Eden story, however small or large, requires some actual reading. Go Carman!

Story synopsis:
Will Besting, along with six other teenagers, all suffer from crippling secrets and phobias. Together they are sent to Fort Eden, an old, eerie and mysterious place that holds the promise of a cure for each of them. Not knowing what to expect but eager to be cured, they take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night’s experience, but each person soon discovers something strange and unexplainable has happened to them.

FEAR IS THE CURE

Join Dark Eden on Facebook… SO happ’n!

The DARK EDEN app is available now on the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and all Android enabled devices. Download THE ARRIVAL, the first free episode, available through the DARK EDEN mobile app in the Apple/iOS App Store and the Android Market.

Click here to read the Publisher’s Weekly Review!

And here for the Los Angeles Times article… awesome!

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The Raven – Skeleton Creek Book IV by Patrick Carman

At last! I dove into the fourth and final book in the Skeleton Creek Series to find Ryan and Sarah where they left off at the end of The Crossbones, book III… Sarah wrapping up film school camp at UCLA while Ryan continues to write and hide secrets from his parents in the now gold wealthy small town of Skeleton Creek.

But since discovering the famous lost Thomas Jefferson books hidden under the town library floor boards, Ryan not only has to dodge his protective probing parents, he must also shake off persistent news reporters and the annoyingly ambitious town mayor himself. A major nuisance since the Ghost of Old Joe Bush slipped him what comes to be known as The Raven puzzle, he and Sarah are on the sleuth hunt again, planning another Ghost Haunted Road trip as she travels home cross country back to Boston from Los Angeles. Will the long deceased Apostle leave them valuable clues this round or will they be on their own? And what about The Raven himself, sworn to keep the Crossbones secrets and eliminate the enemy? Are Sarah and Ryan now considered the enemy? Is Joe’s Ghost friend or foe?

Piece of the Raven Puzzle – can you solve it?

Sarah embarks on her now east bound journey across America, sleeping in haunted rooms (boo!), digging up old film canisters and glass vials which may contain deadly poison (oy!), all without her parents realizing the extreme risks she takes. But poor Ryan knows all too well, so he gets to worry about her reckless clue hunt while fearing for his own neck. Deep in the dark misty woods, he knows someone is watching him, always. Because of past perils these best friends have gotten themselves into, their parents still forbid contact, but unwisely drop their guard since the teens now live in separate states. But Dude, in this wired world, they are more connected than ever! Ryan and Sarah do a good job, mostly, of deleting every email, text, phone call and electronic traces of their constant communication. But when events turn ugly, Ryan questions if their secrecy is worth another possible buried treasure. Seriously, if their lives are at stake, should he just come clean, tell his dad everything, before it’s too late?

In pure multimedia style, this amazing book/video hybrid unfolds as did the previous three, with Ryan recording everything in his secret journals while Sarah films, edits and posts videos on her website at SarahFincher.com. If you like strange and macabre history, she also posts her documentaries of the haunted locations as well as their frightening encounters with the paranormal. Here’s your label warning… some of the videos are pretty scary!

Just a fun note about Sarah’s website, the Easter eggs (website eggs) are always changing. 🙂 I can’t figure out if it’s because they change continuously or because new eggs get “triggered” by the password I just entered/video I just viewed. Don’t know, but I love going in at different times and see what new nuggets are embedded. There’s some bizarre stuff in there!

Is the spooky story of Skeleton Creek really over? The readers/viewers can decide after riding the edge as the fourth and final mystery of Skeleton Creek draws to a close with a surprise (!!!) ending.

I would say a hopeful… no? Yes, Mr. Carman and PC Studios tie up all loose ends nicely, however, Ryan has a hold of something that actually has a hold of him, and will keep him busy the rest of his life. Maybe we will see more of Ryan’s journals, but this time, inspired by the master of horror himself? Maybe something that will show up on 3:15? Bwaa-haaa. At The Future of Books, we sure hope so!

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Get your Skeleton Creek Series Skeleton Creek – book I, Ghost In The Machine – Book II, The Crossbones – Book III, and The Raven – Book IV from Amazon!

3:15 Short Stories for a Wired Wired World

BEWARE! It’s 3:15 AM!

Patrick Carman and PC Studios present scary short stories for a wired world. The first story (FREE!) is called Buried Treasure. Gives the ‘ol hooked man in the woods a nasty new twist. Click on the story image and you’ll see this screen:

First, click the LISTEN button to hear a short intro (Narrator Paul Chandler’s voice has a dark, spooky “Vincent Price” quality to it). Then go back and hit the READ button. As promised, it’s a super short story you read on the screen… but it’s a cliff hanger folks! To hear the end, go back and click the WATCH button for the final video. But be warned, the video was pretty scary! I totally jumped and my heart raced, just like at the movies.

The first story “hooked” me 🙂 and more stories (every two weeks) are only 99 cents each, so hey, I’m in! 3:15 has the feel of the old radio shows, but a WAY high tech version, of course! Nothing like an all new multimedia storytelling experience. Very nice, Mr. Carman!

After you listen, read and watch an episode, you can join the chat room and share your thoughts with other fans. I read a few comments and was happy to learn I was not the only one who thought the final video was scary! And… is there a secret message embedded in the story text? Hum….

LISTEN READ WATCH

Download the FREE 3:15 App from the Apple store or Android Marketplace (keyword 3:15)

Apple: http://tiny.cc/y1tcj
Android: http://tiny.cc/z6b7y

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The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi …with WondLa Vision!

Join the Search for WondLa and enter the fantastic imagination of Tony DiTerlizzi!

Like most 12 year old girls, Eva Nine adores her mother but needs to test the boundaries. But unlike most girls, Eva Nine’s mother is a robot… a kind, lovely robot called “Muthr”. Also unlike most girls, Eva Nine lives and trains in an underground sanctuary and has never seen another human being. (Yikes!) One horrible day, a bloodthirsty huntsman breaks into their sanctuary, destroying it, and Eva Nine is running for her life on the surface with carnivorous plants and bizarre wildlife her faithful Omnipod can’t even identify. Alone in a hostile world, Eva Nine must rely on years of Muthr’s training, and her great big heart, to survive. The real question: is the surface ready for Eva Nine? 🙂

The multimedia book is absolutely beautiful. Mr. DiTerlizzi’s illos are breathtaking. And after reading this wonderful story, which ends in a cliff hanger, I am completely in love with Otto the water bear. Just thinking about his sweet face and darling little personality melts my heart in a big ol’ puddle. Squeeee.

Multimedia? Oh yes. Although this is brand new territory for The Future of Books. Not videos, not phone numbers or chat rooms per se, but a mind bloggling Augmented Reality called WondLa Vision. Seriously! I couldn’t believe it worked. Check this out:

WondLa Vision

I fired up our webcam, followed Tony’s instructions exactly and suddenly, WHAM! I was IN the 3D interactive map. Like, Otto trotted right by me. It was just too awesome, my lil pea brain couldn’t handle it! One awkward thing is that WondLa is a big book. Um, heavy. That’s a good thing but… you have to hold the “key” on the different pages up to the webcam eye to maneuver the map and explore. So, Dude, my arms got tired. Just say’n. Maybe next time they’ll have a card or Omnipod shaped pop out thing that’s lightweight for wimps like me. But the fun technology is soooo futuristic!! Is this opening a whole new universe of storytelling? We’re ready Tony!

But wait there’s more… amazing WondLa games!! YAY!!

(Can you even believe how cool that night sky is? And, on the bottom left, that’s Otto. Cute.)

The search is just the beginning…

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Get your copy of The Search for WondLa from Amazon!

TRACKERS Book 2: Shantorian by Patrick Carman

Click on the image to see the awesome trailer!

Who is the notorious Shantorian 0_o? What is the GlyphMONSTER? Click here if this is your first visit to the high tech spy world of TRACKERS.

National banks have been breached… billions of dollars are missing, and no one is talking. No one, that is, except for the brilliant Adam Henderson, tech and gadget wizard with a photographic memory, who under the bright lights and two way mirror of an FBI interrogation room is revealing the whole story, but only on his terms. Demands include anything from a laptop with wireless internet access to Red Bulls and Snicker bars.

As book one ends, we learn that Adam and his tracker (not hacker) friends Finn, Emily and Lewis have passed the high tech spy test and have been accepted into the secret ISD – Internet Security Directive. In their possession is the most dangerous but critical tool – the urban legendary Raymond disk – with its red button that can shut down the entire internet, permanently. In the second and final TRACKERS book, the ISD means to flush out the infamous Shantorian, the world’s most devious hacker, and stop him, permanently. But can Lazlo and Zara, with their fake summer camp “TechBase10” and four teenage trackers really outsmart a criminal mastermind? Will lone wolf Adam bail on his friends in order to claim the überprize?

Discover the answers for yourself as this “YA Burn Notice-like” story unfolds, both in the book as Adam is interviewed by Federal Agent Ganz (but who is interviewing who?) and the online extreme action videos in The TRACKERS Interface.

You guessed it! TRACKERS is yet another multimedia storytelling adventure by Patrick Carman! The story itself is intertwined between the reading and the viewing, plus the passwords to unlock the videos are found in the book. Not only are there vids on the web, directed by Jeffrey Townsend, but TRACKERS includes an alternate reality game (ARG) the Glyphmaster!

ALL SYSTEMS GO!

Hey, I just completed Mission 4 and helped catch a bad guy, Baby! The games are fun, but I’m too slow. Grrr. But look for me in the hub… I’m WrightSister. (Orville, get it?) 😉

Join TRACKERS on Facebook!

TRACKERS mobile is live!

Read the book. Watch the videos. Break the codes.

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Get your copy of Trackers Book 2: Shantorian and Trackers Book 1 from Amazon!

TRACKERS Book 2 – Shantorian coming soon!

Click on the image above to experience the awesome trailer for this teen spy adventure!

Not much longer to wait now for the high tech gadget filled sequel to TRACKERS. A multimedia digital challenge, you can join the TRACKERS Missions in addition to reading the books and watching the online videos.

In book one we learn that the Trackers (not hackers) can find almost anyone, anywhere, even the most skilled cyber criminals. That is until the frightening day when Adam realizes… someone is tracking THEM. Before long, they are in over their own heads, being blackmailed for Adam’s prized inventions by the world’s most notorious hacker. Can the Trackers out-track the evil Shantorian before it’s too late? Nothing is quite what it seems in this virtual reality story!

To see more, visit Trackers creator Patrick Carman‘s website.

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Pre-order Trackers Book 2: Shantorian and order Trackers Book 1 from Amazon!

The 39 Clues – The Black Book of Buried Secrets

It was extremely risky arranging a secret meeting of the seven true agents, the operatives actually behind the hunt for The 39 Clues (presented as fiction), but Agent Riordan, with copious amounts of pepper spray and concealed body armor, managed to pull it off. Why? It was necessary for these agents to meet and agree to share all their secrets from The 39 Clues research or the entire Cahill family might have be annihilated by a new enemy… “publish or perish”. The result: The Black Book of Buried Secrets. Nothing is held back. It contains the top secret locations of all the branches’ strong holds around the globe as well as the identities of key operatives, their founders, weaponry, communications techniques, tools and strategies. This includes the history and secrets of mysterious Madrigals – revealed at last!

And clue hunters know that The 39 Clues adventure series is multimedia… the story continues on line with Mission 10 and hunting down the last of the clues.

Besides the cool spy intel, what else does the black book reveal? I personally enjoyed finding out what happened next in the lives of some of the main characters like Dan and Amy Cahill, and Dan’s not so smooth adjustment into a structured educational environment, new found family life for Nellie, Uncle Fiske and the kids… Does Alistair finally face his demons? And Jonah’s recovery… just how bad was his leg injured in the Madrigal strong hold… will he ever walk again, let alone entertain his multitude of fans? Will Hamilton take a leading role in the Tomas branch and finally admit he’s one of the good guys? My heart goes out to Ian and Natalie, who’s entire lives have to be rebuilt from the ashes of their mother Isabel’s dark sins… and more!!

Watch your back clue hunters! A new and dangerous enemy is on the horizon!

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Click here to see ALL the 39 Clues authors reveal secrets!

Purchase The 39 Clues: Vespers Rising and The Black Book of Buried Secrets from Amazon!

Previous 39 Clues book reviews by William Wu Books:
Book One: The Maze of Bones
Book Two: One False Note
Book Three: The Sword Thief
Book Four: Beyond the Grave
Book Five: The Black Circle
Book Six: In Too Deep
Book Seven: The Viper’s Nest
Book Eight: The Emperor’s Code
Book Nine: Storm Warning
Book Ten: Into the Gauntlet

The 39 Clues Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix

At last! Book 10 of 10! But, could this really be the end of The 39 Clues story? Will all secrets be revealed? Well, not here… (heh heh) you’ll have to read this last book in The 39 Clues Adventures Series to discover them for yourself. 🙂 And don’t forget in a few weeks Rick Riordan’s Black Book of Buried Secrets will be in our hands! (Click here if this is your first visit to The 39 Clues.)

But what’s happening with orphaned clue hunters Dan and Amy Cahill? Their (final?) clue hunt begins in London, where they are devastated over Lester’s untimely death at the end of book 9 Storm Warning. But no rest for the weary. The other Cahill clue hunters have figured out the quickest way to get ahead is to follow Dan and Amy. Well, okay, bug, stalk, kidnap, torture, manipulate, lie to, and steal from, Dan and Amy. Sure enough, new little bugs are discovered all over their London hotel room. Like, give it a rest Cahills! But the most important bug, buried deep in the wall where even hunters D&A can’t detect it belongs to their newly discovered Uncle Fiske, brother of their beloved deceased grandmother Grace Cahill and her attorney and friend, William McIntyre. A bug? From their allies? RUDE! Well, things are never what they seem in the clue hunt. There’s that whole “greater good thing” going on… what Grace, and the Madrigals, are really all about (and sometimes die for). So “deal” with a little rudeness.

Right away Dan, Amy, their au pair Nellie and “attack cat” Egyptian Mau Saladin are given a clue, and much to Dan’s dismay and the ladies’ delight, he must endure an evening of culture at the theatre and sit through a sappy romantic Shakespearean play. Although the finale is anything but romantic… more like a clumsy Cahill dog pile on top of a shredded up clue. Class-ee. This still divided Cahill family has a long way to go and time is running out. But are those Madrigal seeds planted deeper than the eye can see?

Humm… seems Ian and Natalie are beyond merely having doubts about their cold hearted mother Isabel, and are now sneaking behind her back to uncover the truth. How will Ian feel when he learns not only his mother murdered D&A’s parents, but that Amy knew this while saving his life on Mount Everest? Hammer Holt has been BFF’s with the orphans for a while now, but would he turn on his own family to save them? What price will Alistair pay to finally have a genuine, loving family? And poor Jonah Wizard, who just wants to, yo, be a rock star and out of the deadly race… will he still try to win his wicked mother Coral’s approval? And what surprise Cahills will rejoin the hunt on this final round?

Between snacking on Crispy Bacon Frazzles and Nellie driving on the wrong side of the road, our clue hunters rush to investigate The Church of the Holy Trinity, the burial place of William Shakespeare. What mysterious message waits in his grave? Unfortunately, ALL the “poisonous bunch-backed toad” Cahills show up again, but this time they don’t tangle into an undignified rumble. Purrr-ogress. Dan makes gravestone rubbings for each of them to study… kinda sounds like team work, eh?

Our heroes Dan and Amy learn in order to find the clue, they must travel to the Madrigal stronghold, having been to all the others (Lucian, Ekat, Tomas and Janus) during the hunt. They discover this is a secret location not found on any map or accessible by car (given Nellie’s driving this is probably a good thing). But D&A are in such a rush, they forget (this time) to carefully cover their tracks. So by various ingenious methods, all the Cahills eventually arrive on this mysterious island to fight for the clue. Together. Again. It would seem that “together” is the ONLY way to solve the puzzle and end the brutal race.

Before it’s all over, the entire Cahill family witnesses some true evil as well as willing sacrifice, wisdom and even love. Will Isabel pay for her crimes in the end? Young Dan and Amy Cahill can finally have a family of their own and be able to get on with their lives, for a while at least, before they will be hit with… a new outside threat to the Cahill family?

The 39 Clues is a multimedia storytelling experience. Which means I jumped online to The 39 Clues website and entered my 6 new cards (yay) from the inside cover, completed the last mission, and now I need to combine my cards to get more clues, and use my replicators to get more “rare cards”. What? The rare ones are, you know, rare. I need more. 😉 And Mission 9 was awesome – rock climbing in Morocco BABY!

Clearly, the Cahill story is far from over. Be on the look out for The Black Book of Buried Secrets, and I’ll see you on the hunt!

P~

Click here to see ALL the 39 Clues authors reveal secrets!

Purchase The 39 Clues Into the Gauntlet and The Black Book of Buried Secrets from Amazon!

Previous 39 Clues book reviews by William Wu Books:
Book One: The Maze of Bones
Book Two: One False Note
Book Three: The Sword Thief
Book Four: Beyond the Grave
Book Five: The Black Circle
Book Six: In Too Deep
Book Seven: The Viper’s Nest
Book Eight: The Emperor’s Code
Book Nine: Storm Warning