Fifteen year old Luke Sheldon is thrilled when he hears he’s won a place at Camp Hope, an American summer camp for smart kids. A couple of days into the camp, Luke and his new friend Matt find a piece of paper on their cabin floor with a coded message written on it. Along with some of the other campers, including Luke’s old school friend, Natalie, and an American girl, Star (who Luke is instantly attracted to), they decode the message – an invitation to a treasure hunt. As they discuss who might have sent the message, one of the American campers tells them a story he heard about kids that went missing from the camp a few years ago, and were never seen again.
Nobody really believes the rumour, and as more coded clues turn up, the excitement of the treasure hunt banishes Luke’s fears – until things take a more sinister turn when one of the campers disappears.
Luke and the others don’t know who to trust. The camp leader, Captain Bud, had been there when the first kids went missing, plus he seems to be good friends with the sheriff investigating the new disappearance – could they be in it together? Then there is Luke’s cabin counsellor, Drew – a mean and sadistic character who always carries a hunting knife, it wouldn’t take much imagination to cast him in the role of kidnapper – or even worse. Even the other campers start to make Luke feel suspicious – Mark the bully enjoys taunting Luke, but would he go so far as to kidnap someone?
The hunt ends up in a terrifying cat and mouse game that takes place in underground caves beneath the camp, where Luke has to ask himself: who will come out of it alive?
Check out this awesome alternate cover design sent in by Chris from Bangor Academy, Northern Ireland. I love the way you can instantly recognise the three main characters, and he even has the blurb and the bar-code on the back!
Sarah Wray Writer 