Book Review- Max Cassidy, Escape from Shadow Island

By Paul Adam

Published by Harper Collins Childrens Books

Released on March 1st, 2010

Source- The Publisher

4 Stars- I really liked it.

Max Cassidy can escape from anything.

Only fourteen years old, Max is the world's foremost escape artist. Chaines, handcuffed, lockined in a airtight water tank, there's nothing he can't get himself out of. He learned the art from his father- a man who just two years ago was murdered, and Max's mother went to jail for the crime.

Now a mysterious man has shown up backstage after one of Max's shows, telling Max that only is his mother innocent, but his father is still alive. He can provide only one clue: a slip of paper with eight digits written on it. It is this clue that will lead Max from his home in London to the exotic and deadly Central American country of Santo Domino and the impenetrable fortress on the sinister Isla de Sombra.

Max Cassidy can escape from anything-but given the chance to finally know the truth about what has torn his family apart, escape from Shadow Island is the last thing on his mind. (taken from the books cover).

Max Cassidy is a great murder, mystery read, as 14 yr old Max is out to prove that his Mum didn't kill his father, a world famous escape artist who was killed two years ago Santo Domingo. Now Max has followed in his father's shoes and can escape from most anything, even the unescapable Shadow Island.

In his quest to prove his Mum's innocence, Max travels from England to Santo Domingo to find answers. Max soon learns that finding his answers will be anything but easy, as those who know what happened to his father were either murdered or won't talk about it. Max isn't one to give up easily and as one event after another unfolds, Max realizes he's in a much more sinister game than he realized.

In a country where those with money and powerful ties control everything, even his Mum's fate, Max doesn't stand a chance. Max won't give up, even when he's in over his head. Knowing that his Mum is innocent and his father isn't dead, Max will stop at nothing to find out what happened.

This is a great read that I think both teens and tweens will enjoy. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next, as Max Cassidy ends on a good cliff hanger. You can find more out about Max Cassidy and read an excerpt here http://tinyurl.com/23gqv7y