TAG, YOU'RE DEAD

In a technology-infused game of tag to the death, six teenagers must use every resource at their disposal to stay alive.

Coming home from a night of babysitting, Laura Wingfield is whisked off by a stranger who explains that her life is in danger. Apparently someone has paid a great deal of money to play "hunt tag" with Laura, though this game is to the death. Laura’s outfitted with a specialized watch that tracks her every move and transmits her location to her “It” every half hour. Laura is shocked. She’s never been in trouble and can’t think of anyone who would want to harm her. She doesn’t have long to think about it, though, because the game begins quickly and she has to concentrate on making her way to home base alive. Two other “Runners,” Tyrese Broadstreet and Amanda Paniagua, have different reactions to the similar instructions they receive. Tyrese is an all-star basketball player whose street smarts make his game of tag a challenge for his It. Amanda, on the other hand, is a geeky gamer girl who doesn’t take the referee’s threat seriously until her It finds a way to raise the stakes. The Its, Brandy Inkrott, Charles Akida, and Robert Matthews, all have specific reasons for chasing their individual runners. Everyone has something to gain by winning the game—especially the Runners, who’ll forfeit their lives if they lose.

A veteran of several genres, Lane (aka Judy Clemens, Till the Cows Come Home, 2004, etc.) talks tough tech. Though the sci-fi aspects of the plot may not have enough detail for true junkies, she still takes readers on a fun ride.