Jimmy
Coates is a regular 11-year old boy who is suddenly forced to realize that life
with his family in the ‘neo Democratic State of Great Britain’ must come to an
abrupt end. Jimmy himself has also changed: he develops sensations that start at
the pit of his stomach forcing him to think and do things out of his control; He
can sense things more acutely, his reflexes are magnified, he can run and swim faster
than he ever could before, he is stronger, able to execute perfect martial arts
moves he never even knew he possessed and he can even fly a helicopter. The bad
news though is that he is now on the run from people who he believes are out to
harm him, his parents have been kidnapped, he’s not sure where his sister is
and every time he asks for anyone’s help, he puts their life in danger too. And
worst of all? He can’t trust anyone.
This
is a fantastic, fast-paced book that is gripping from its first pages when things
quickly begin to kick off as soon as a group of suited men arrive at Jimmy’s
house one evening demanding to see him. His mum shouts ‘run Jimmy’ and that is
exactly what he does, but not before he sees his parents placed into a black
van with a green stripe and driven away. Everything about Jimmy’s old life is
officially over. Along the way Jimmy meets an interesting character called
Mitchell and gets a private audience with Ares Hollande, the British Prime
Minister. In a horrific twist of events Jimmy is ordered to assassinate a
certain Christopher Viggo if he is to save his family.
Thankfully,
Jimmy is not alone. With the help of a few loyal and very brave friends like FelixMuzbeke
(who is a smart and very funny character), Eva and others he meets along the
way, Jimmy not only gets the help he needs but also manages to uncover a whole
web of intricate lies, intrigue, suspense, and spies to boot. Ultimately Jimmy has
to deal with the biggest revelation of all: who he really is and how that will
affect not only the outcome of the mission he has been tasked with but with
making sure his family and friends remain safe in the process.
‘Jimmy
Coates: Killer’ is an adventurous, thought-provoking thriller that is also
about friendship, family, loyalty, humanity and the
decision to do the right thing when all that is expected of you is to do
otherwise. It was written in 2005 by British writer Joe Craig and is the first
book in the Jimmy Coates’ series. In the US it is published under the title
‘Jimmy Coates: Assassin’. It was a finalist for the 2006 Manchester Book Award, and won the Bolton
Children's Book Award 2006.