A young boy in a dangerous city has been playing dead for three years, hoping no one would find him. But now its time to come out of hiding. Enter Blade.

The story starts in a crowded police building. A young boy about 14 is being interrogated by the police. But somehow this boy escapes. The boy's name is not clear and he tells you that he has had many nicknames over time. The author does drop hints that his most common name is Blade. Blade talks about how he is not like all the other street children he sees. He is fierce, and most of all smart. Instead of living in the streets, Blade resides in style. He breaks into people's houses when they go away and sleeps there. Blade has a sixth sense, something that lets him watch the city all the time and see everything that goes on. He leaves no trace of where he is and most of all always stays invisible. But soon trouble arises and Blade's comfortable existence is threatened.

One day he is mugged and assaulted by a girl gang. On the streets, girl gangs are just as strong as boy gangs and many times more ruthless. After he is beaten, an old woman named Mary comes to help him and offers him clothes and a meal. Blade's sixth sense kicks in and he realizes that something is not right, but before he can confront Mary, her window is smashed and a bunch of crooks come in and kill her and her dog. Blade, however, escapes. He is grief- stricken for Mary but very scared that someone from his shady past has found him. He then hides in a house for the night. He almost gets caught and is utterly miserable. The only thing there to comfort him is hundreds of books. One of Blade's only true passions is reading. But Blade cannot hide for long. He must come out to face the crooks.

Blade then goes back to Mary's house. What he discovers there is shocking. Members of the girl gang dead, and the same crooks he met the day before standing right over him. He then must team up with one of the gang members, a girl named Becky. But trouble faces them as the plot thickens and, unfortunately, things only unravel further.

Blade was a fantastic book. It has a thick plot. It is a short, sharp, suspenseful thriller. It packs a lot if details into its 230 pages. The author Tim Bowler has won numerous awards for many of his other books. Blade, however, is one of his best yet. I give it 9 out of 10.

Bowler does something unusual in this book. He talks in the second person. Blade talks to a person named Bigeyes through the entire book. Bigeyes in fact appears to be the reader. Through most of the suspenseful scenes you are transported right there. Although the detail can be a little tedious at times, it helps create great suspense and when something big does happen, it is very rewarding indeed.

Unfortunately, you never learn about Blade's cloudy past. He drops numerous hints but always leaves the reader hanging. In most instances this would be annoying but in this book it makes me desperately want to read the sequel. Hopefully the reader will know more as the series progresses.

This book is appropriate for ages 11 and up because of some cursing and adult material. However, it is definitely a kid's book and a very good one at that.

Blade is a great book. It will keep impatient readers focused while engaging more sophisticated ones. Blade is rumored to be the first in a 6-8 book series. I cannot wait for what Bowler has planned next.