The Rising
by Heather Graham and Jon Land
Synopsis:
Alex Chin has the world on a plate. A football hero and homecoming king with plenty of scholarship offers, his future looks bright. His tutor, Samantha Dixon, is preparing to graduate high school at the top of her class. She plans to turn her NASA internship into a career.
When a football accident lands Alex in the hospital, his world is turned upside down. His doctor is murdered. Then, his parents. Death seems to follow him wherever he goes, and now it’s after him.
Alex flees. He tells Samantha not to follow, but she became involved the moment she walked through his door and found Mr. and Mrs. Chin as they lay dying in their home. She cannot abandon the young man she loves. The two race desperately to stay ahead of Alex’s attackers long enough to figure out why they are hunting him in the first place. The answer lies with a secret buried deep in his past, a secret his parents died to protect. Alex always knew he was adopted, but he never knew the real reason his birth parents abandoned him. He never knew where he truly came from. Until now.
Review:
Alex is a football star with a bright future. And his tutor, Samantha, is a smart young woman with her heart set on NASA. The two become involved in a heart-pounding adventure, when Sam witnesses Alex’s parents being tortured. And Alex finds his doctor murdered after he ordered additional tests. There is a huge conspiracy with Alex at its core. And Sam is willing to give up everything to help him.
The Rising is a science fiction thriller with plenty of mystery, intrigue, drama, and suspense. The excitement builds quickly and leads to a complex story behind Alex’s origin. As enemies and a mysterious ally close in, Alex and Sam will need to rely on their wits to guide them. This was a fast-paced and fun action-packed novel. The suspense and converging story-lines definitely outweigh the character development. But it’s definitely a fun adventure (heavy on the science fiction – reminding me of the book/tv series Roswell) with the potential for sequels.