Marah Chase and the Fountain of Youth

Unburdened by logic or character development, Stringer’s brisk sequel to 2019’s Marah Chase and the Conqueror’s Tomb finds relic runner Marah Chase’s enthusiasm for her illicit trade beginning to wane. “I’m done,” she says. “The longer you stay in the game, the shorter the odds get on getting hurt, imprisoned, or killed.” Then sexy, red-haired Lauren Stanford, whose wealthy family owns a soft drink company, offers Chase $5,000 for an hour of her time to listen to a request: find the Fountain of Youth. Lauren wants to control and sell the healing powers of the waters. Chase soon gets on the trail of the elusive fountain, as does her longtime nemesis and fellow relic runner, August Nash, and their paths cross as they hop from New York to London and on to Glasgow. Chase and Nash eventually land in an exotic clime crawling with giant crocodiles, death clouds, menacing cherubim, zombies, and Nazi legends. The nonstop action goes hand in hand with the breezy style. Indiana Jones fans may enjoy this mishmash of tall tales and derring-do. [em]Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (July) [/em]