AustLit

'It's a beautiful day in paradise. The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. And Dom Silvagni, eldest brother, indifferent student and elite middle distance runner, is turning fifteen.

'But instead of cake and candles, Dom receives the most unlikely gift. An ancient family debt from an organisation so secretive and powerful, they are only known as The Debt. And The Debt have made it clear -- Dom must perform six Herculean tasks or lose a pound of flesh.

'The Debt has ways of making Dom believe and before long he has his first instalment. He must catch The Zolt -- the 17-year-old Facebook Bandit who has stolen light planes, boats and cars from 'deserving' homes on nearby Reverie Island. But getting close to the Zolt means persuading his neighbour, the smug self-obsessed Tristan, to invite him to his sumptuous holiday home. And it seems Tristan has an angle too ... and it involves Imogen, the only girl close to Dom's heart.

'Caught between a rock and a hard place, Dom has to honour his family. But the more he discovers about his father, the less he seems to know. Meanwhile The Debt wants its payment ... now!' (From the publisher's website.)

'The Debt was the worst thing to have come into my life. It had almost killed me about a dozen times in a dozen different ways. But here I was wanting, willing, it to contact me. To give me the next instalment.

'After Rome, Dom has quit running. He's still training, though. Swimming lap after lap of the pool. And waiting.

'Until Dom receives another threatening message. In Latin. He doesn't know who is after him now, but he hopes it's The Debt. He's pieced together the puzzle of the previous instalments, and he knows that the fifth one must be the search for Yamashita's Gold - the legendary treasure looted during the Second World War that might have ended up in the waters of Diablo Bay.

'But for months he's heard nothing from The Debt. Just silence and more silence from this shadowy organisation. Could this message be it?

'But if Dom goes out searching, he won't be the only one looking for gold. And The Debt won't be the only organisation looking for Dom. It might be desperate times, desperate measures, but there's only one person looking out for Dom Silvagni - himself.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I had never been so utterly, terribly alone. Who could I talk to? My parents? Sure. I wasn't even sure who they were anymore.

'Who could I ask whether killing another human being is ever justified?

'Dom's almost there. It's the sixth instalment and the end is in sight, but he's about to face the biggest hurdle. The Debt wants proof. Proof that Dom has the mettle to become one of them. Proof he can kill.

'Dom is desperate to be rid of this debt but at what cost? Could he put a friend out of their misery? Or defend himself to the bitter end? And if he does flush out who is behind this monstrous organisation, is he ready for the truth?

'This time it is not just a life at stake, it's humanity. Dom's humanity. And if Dom crosses the line, is there any coming back?

'The chilling conclusion to the edge-of-the-seat action thriller from a masterful storyteller.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.