Dare Ya!

Magyar and Sibley’s testosterone-fueled debut tacks back and forth between the Mississippi State Penitentiary (aka Parchman Farm) in 2008 and a bloody slaughter that occurs at a water tower near a college campus in Nebraska five years later. Best buds Evan Masters, a former member of the Air Force’s elite Combat Control unit, and Matthew Cassidy, a former member of the Marine Corps’ Force Recon, not only survive Parchman but emerge with a plan to create Dare Ya, a website based on stunts that they and their followers concoct. An infusion of capital from the Weisenstein Institute makes them millionaires. Meanwhile, their mysterious enemy, known only as the Director and aided by his deadly associate, Constance, plots Dare Ya’s downfall. Outrageous and humorous dares abound. For example, on TV’s Conan O’Brian Show, Evan agrees to jump off a ladder into a pool of Jell-O wearing only a G-string. Readers should be prepared for a lack of subtlety and plenty of macho posturing. (Dec.)