When his dad’s book turns out to contain deadly secrets, twelve-year-old Furious Jones is thrust into a web of mystery and danger in this gripping page-turner.

Furious Jones, the twelve-year-old son of a famous thriller writer, lives with his grandfather after his mother was mysteriously gunned down right in front of him a year ago. Curious to know more about his estranged dad, he goes to see him speak about his upcoming novel to a packed audience—and to his shock and horror, he witnesses his father get shot as well.

When Furious discovers that his dad’s upcoming novel contains dangerous and fiercely protected secrets, he sets out to discover who killed his father, and what exactly they were trying to cover up.

Ideal for fans of Alex Rider and Theodore Boone, the action-packed exploits of Furious Jones are as thrilling as they are intriguing. Can Furious unravel this literary mystery before the death toll rises? **

From Booklist

Back in the day, there was an unwritten rule—nobody got murdered in a middle-grade mystery. Kehoe takes that trope and stomps it to death in the first of the Furious Jones series. By 50 pages in, pretty much everyone Furious (don’t ask) loves is gone, and the 12-year-old (who looks 16) is on the run to Galena, Illinois, where his mother was murdered. Having learned she was a CIA assassin (!), Furious is determined to find the mob family and CIA turncoat responsible for her death and . . . then what? Furious has little money and no friends, and he is hazy about his endgame. Nevertheless, he knows how to make things happen. Kehoe has read his Lee Child et al. and is bringing their genre to a young audience. A bit is silly, particularly the end where a presidential candidate plays a role, and the reproduced chapters written by Furious’ father, a best-selling author, are just bad writing. Fans of nonstop action and clever kids will adore this, though, and readers looking for explosive adventure won’t be disappointed. Grades 6-9. --Ilene Cooper

Review

FURIOUS JONES AND THE ASSASSIN'S SECRET

Author: Tim Kehoe

Review Issue Date: February 1, 2014

Online Publish Date: January 15, 2014

Publisher:Simon & Schuster

Pages: 336

Price (Hardcover ): $16.99

Publication Date: April 8, 2014

ISBN (Hardcover ): 978-1-4424-7337-9

Category: Fiction

The teenage years are usually a time of self-exploration, but for Furious Jones, it’s a time to explore his family history.

Furious (yes, that’s his real name) has been living with his chief-of-police grandfather in peaceful Connecticut since his mother’s recent shooting death. When he hears that his father, a famous author of best-selling spy novels, is giving a speech in New York City, Furious slips away to be there. Hoping to reconnect with the only parent he has left, he instead witnesses his father’s murder, in a manner uncannily like his mother’s. It turns out his mother had been an assassin for the CIA, and Furious’ father’s books were based on his mother’s exploits. Now the family has been targeted by the mob, and it appears the CIA may not have their best interests at heart, either. Furious has no choice but to go on the run when his grandfather too is murdered: It’s clear that Furious is next. Working from clues planted in his father’s last book, the 12-year-old heads to the small town in the Midwest where his mother was gunned down, there to begin his quest for revenge. Credibility and questions of morality take a back seat to action as Furious dashes from one plot twist to the next, sparing little time for introspection.

Readers caught up in the action will not mind the gaps. (Thriller. 8-12) (Kirkus Reviews)

In this exciting, rapid-fire mystery, Kehoe (the Vincent Shadow books) introduces the ludicrously named Furious Jones (“Man, I hated my name,” he thinks), whose father, a bestselling author of spy thrillers, is murdered before Furious’s eyes at an event for his new book. Furious goes on the run, hiding from the CIA and assassins alike, while he unravels his family’s secrets. It turns out that his mother was a killer for the government before her untimely death, his father was writing an exposé on a powerful criminal organization, and all clues lead to a small Ohio town. Twelve-year-old Furious goes undercover in high school (on top of being remarkably resourceful, he’s also 6’4”) to locate the one person who knows everything. Right from the start, Kehoe ratchets up the paranoiac tension and adrenaline, while keeping Furious’s successes at least vaguely realistic. While the book-within-a-book plot device doesn’t exactly read like Clancy or Grisham, this adventure works very well as an over-the-top thriller, one that leaves room for sequels. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sloan Harris, ICM. (Apr.) (Publishers Weekly, 2/17/14)

"[An] exciting, rapid-rire mystery . . . Right from the start, Kehoe ratchets up the paranoiac tension and adrenaline . . . [T]his adventure works very well as a over-the-top thriller, one that leaves room for sequels." (Publishers Weekly)

Back in the day, there was an unwritten rule—nobody got murdered in a youth mystery. Kehoe takes that
trope and stomps it to death in the first of the Furious Jones series. By 50 pages in, pretty much everyone
Furious (don’t ask) loves is gone, and the 12-year-old (who looks 16) is on the run to Galena, Illinois,
where his mother was murdered. Having learned she was a CIA assassin (!), Furious is determined to find
the mob family and CIA turncoat responsible for her death and . . . then what? Furious has little money and
no friends, and he is hazy about his endgame. Nevertheless, he knows how to make things happen. Kehoe
has read his Lee Child et al. and is bringing their genre to a young audience. A bit is silly, particularly the
end where a presidential candidate plays a role, and the reproduced chapters written by Furious’ father, a
best-selling author, are just bad writing. Fans of nonstop action and clever kids will adore this, though, and
readers looking for explosive adventure won’t be disappointed. (May 1, 2014 Booklist)