cover image Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities

Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities

Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, . . Bantam Spectra, $12 (370pp) ISBN 978-0-553-38469-7

Dark fantasists Golden (The Myth Hunters ) and Lebbon (Dawn ) pair up for the first time in this macabre tale that recalls Holly Black’s acclaimed Valiant . As wary teenager Jasmine Towne runs from the mysterious Uncles who killed her mother, an impulsive dash into an Underground tunnel takes her to Deep Level Shelter 7-K, where she falls in with a group of homeless thieves led by the raggedly elegant Harold Pilkington Fowler. Jazz knows to fear the Uncles, who are stalking her for some magical purpose, but she never expected to see ghosts or hear “the restless spirit of the old city” wailing in the tunnels. With the help of enigmatic burglar Terence, Jazz investigates her mother’s murder and her own mysterious origins and powers. Occasional gaps in the story logic are easy to miss amid the super-fast pacing and creepy touches that give this teen adventure plenty of character. (May)