200 Minutes of Mystery

200 Minutes of Mystery by Jack Heath (Scholastic) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9781760660840

Reviewed by Nikki M Heath

Jack Heath is one of Australia’s best-known authors for a reason. This latest book follows on from his four-part Minutes of Danger series with 10 short mysteries counting down 20 minutes of tightly woven action.  All the protagonists are young, smart, and in the wrong place at the wrong time, leaving the reader on edge wondering how they’ll extricate themselves from their precarious positions. 

The concept will be familiar to those of us old experienced enough to remember the TV drama 24, and accordingly should come with a content warning for the sensitive at heart. Although suitable for the mid to upper-primary target market, the frighteningly realistic description of waking up buried alive in a coffin, six feet underground, is probably enough to cause nightmares for the most blasé reader. There’s also the girl who comes to consciousness paralysed and confused in a hospital bed, and the boy who narrowly escapes being swallowed by an inferno.

There’s a wonderful diversity in gender, ethnicity and geographical setting across the stories, so there’s a feeling of travelling the world (or at least its underbelly) and even, in a couple of cases, time. While ostensibly separate stories, there are ‘Easter eggs’ for the observant to discover subtle links connecting the tales. Description is finely observed, starting with the first line’s spittle in a beard and the ‘spongy’ air experienced by a skydiver later in the same opening story.

The snappy format catapults readers directly into the shoes of the protagonists and gives the satisfaction of resolution before we realise we’re holding our breath.

Ideal for reluctant readers, this book is a treat for anyone aged 10 and up who enjoys an intense dose of suspense.  Fans of previous Minutes of Danger instalments will probably have flown through the pages already, but the uninitiated can easily pick this book up without having read any others.

The Fail Safe

The Fail Safe by Jack Heath (Allen and Unwin) PB RRP $16.99

ISBN 9781925266078

Reviewed by Daniela Andrews

Fero and Cormanenko are back! Bestselling author, Jack Heath, has delivered an exhilarating sequel to The Cut Out. Readers of the first book will be expecting another page turner, another late night … and they won’t be disappointed.

The novel begins with Fero helping his ‘parents’ move boxes of potassium iodide into an underground bunker. He has had a bit of time to process Cormanenko’s startling revelation at the end of The Cut Out. Though it pains him to play the role of an unsuspecting son who is loyal to Kamau, his feigned ignorance is keeping him alive.

The pace of the novel is a bit different to the prequel, in that the action scenes are interspersed with Fero’s sudden flashbacks to life as Troy Maschenov. The author cleverly keeps the reader in suspense but uses the scenes from the past to drive the story forward, often in a different direction.

Repelled at some of his memories, Fero’s loyalty to Besmar and to Vartaniev quickly deteriorates. He turns to Cormanenko, an equally disillusioned agent working on a powerful plan of her own. ‘I need you to be my fail safe’, she tells him, and though Fero thinks he understands what she means, it is not until the end of the story that he truly learns.

Fero’s character development in this novel is completely plausible. I was impressed with the way Jack Heath allowed Fero to find himself without the narrative ever lagging in action.

This novel will appeal to readers aged 10 and up. Its themes of war (and its senselessness), border control, immigration, government deception and the power of social media make it an interesting novel for class discussion. Though the beginning of the novel briefly summarises what happened in the prequel, I would definitely recommend reading The Cut Out before starting this one. (Better to lose yourself in the story without trying to piece together what has already taken place!)

Countdown to Danger #2: Shockwave

Countdown to Danger #2: Shockwave by Jack Heath (Scholastic Australia) PB RRP $12.99 ISBN 978-1-76015-963-4

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

What would you do if you found out a bomb had been planted somewhere on the island you were staying on? Or if you were out surfing and a giant shark headed towards you? Or if a stranger told you they were FBI and you should follow them? Would you save yourself from mercenaries or take a riskier path to try to save your friends as well?

Shockwave is the second book written by Heath in the style of ‘Choose Your Own Adventures’. The reader becomes the main character in plot and faces a series of decisions during a 30 minute high-stakes, high-adrenaline fight for survival. Take control of your own destiny as you navigate 30 different pathways leading to 30 different endings; which ones lead to a happy ending?

Jack Heath is the author of several edge-of-the-seat adventures, including 300 Minutes of Danger and the Scream series, popular with young readers in search of spine-chilling and adrenalin-pumped adventures.

This is a thrilling read for those from eight years and up.

Count Down to Danger: Bullet Train Disaster

Count Down to Danger: Bullet Train Disaster by Jack Heath (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 978-1-76015-962-7

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

On the platform ahead of you is a shining new bullet train. It is about to take its first journey carrying passengers up the side of Mt Grave, the second tallest mountain peak in the world. The rails lead straight up, the train will be climbing almost vertically, and you will be aboard. When disaster hits, you have 30 minutes to escape. Hang on for the adventure of a lifetime ...if you survive!

This is a heart-pumping thrill ride which leaves no time for breath. Be prepared to meet bears, bandits and royalty. You never know where your journey is taking you.

Choose-Your-Own adventure books put the reader in control of the main characters’ decisions. As there are many different paths that may be taken, these books can be read over and over again, while still retaining a sense of anticipation. Of the 30 paths, only some lead to survival and only a handful to glory.

This is a must for arm-chair adrenaline junkies and will entertain middle school and early teen aged audiences alike. Look out for the next in the series Shock Wave.

Jack Heath is an Australian author who writes popular action-packed stories for young teens including the recent Scream series.

The Cut Out

The Cut Out by Jack Heath (Allen & Unwin, 2015)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN: 9781760111984

Reviewed by Jade Harmer

The Cut Out reminded me of a packet Tim Tams: once I started it I couldn’t stop!

Canberra author Jack Heath has constructed a clever and captivating plot, and an engaging protagonist in Kamauan teenager, Fero Dremovich.

As tensions build in the cold war between Kamau and Besmar, Fero’s instincts tell him to keep a low profile, but when a peaceful protest turns into a riot, his ordinary life is turned upside down.

Fero soon discovers that he’s the spitting image of notorious Besmari spy, Troy Maschenov, and before he knows it, he’s one of the Kamau Intelligence Organisation’s most useful assets.

The notion of a fourteen year old boy becoming a spy overnight sounds implausible, but Heath builds the reader’s trust in Fero, providing insight into his thoughts and feelings and giving credence to the reality of his situation.

It’s clear that no one is more surprised by his circumstances than Fero himself. 

With a laughable amount of preparation and some James Bond-style gadgetry, Fero, posing as Maschenov, is sent across the dead zone to Besmar, under instructions to bring home a missing double agent with the power to save countless Kamauans from a looming Besmari terrorist attack.

Fero is quick to cut through bureaucracy and propaganda and realise that everything is not what it seems in a plot that twists, turns and never fails to deliver in the action, suspense and humour departments.

The ultimate question: who can Fero really trust?

I’d recommend this book for ages twelve and up. It has all the right ingredients to attract broad appeal plus the anticipation of a sequel with Fero set to return in The Fail Safe in 2016.