The Murder Complex: A Great Fall and Halloween Read for Teens - Hardcover

Cummings, Lindsay

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062220004 ISBN 13: 9780062220004

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2014

Synopsis

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller--set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate--that Booklist called "carefully crafted . . . chilling." "Legend meets La Femme Nikita in this dark and dangerous bloody thriller. The nonstop action of The Murder Complex kept us guessing at every twist and turn. It's a must for fans of action-packed dystopians like The Hunger Games and Divergent."--Justine Magazine

Meadow Woodson, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in the futuristic Florida Everglades. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, a secret organization that tracks the population with precision. The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is--although he doesn't know it--one of the MC's programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family? Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

About this title

About the Author

Lindsay Cummings is 23 years old. She writes both YA and MG books for Harpercollins, and believes writing books is the coolest job out there. Lindsay can be found online at lindsaycummingsbooks.com

From the Back Cover

Close your eyes and feel your enemy's weakness.
Mind over body.
Mind over body.
Mind over body.
Breathe.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.

Now survive.

Welcome to the Murder Complex.
You cannot see us. You cannot feel us.
But we are here.
And we control your every move.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—A cure for human disease has been found, and overpopulation sets in, causing the society in this bleak dystopian novel to create an official murder compound. Cummings builds an intense, distinct world full of rogue pirates and government commandments. Meadow's main concern is taking care of her family, and her father has trained her to survive in any situation, making her a tough fighter. Zephyr is an unhappy ward assigned to carry out the Initiative's violent commands. After a chance encounter brings the two together, they form an immediate bond, though the reasons for their desire are not set up beforehand, which leads to a forced romance. The point of view alternates between the teens, but it is difficult to distinguish between their narrative voices. This dismal look at the darker side of humanity raises interesting questions of wealth, power, and privacy, yet none of them is fully explored. An additional purchase for those still looking to bolster their dystopian collections.—Carrie Shaurette, Dwight-Englewood School, Englewood, NJ

In the Shallows, once known as the Everglades, hard-to-earn Creds are traded like old-fashioned money, kindness is punishable, and the mantra is kill or be killed. Everything is controlled by the omnipotent Initiative, and life matters little since overpopulation was facilitated by the Cure. Meadow, on the verge of 16, murders to secure a job in the rations department, while Zephyr, a 17-year-old ward, spends his mornings cleaning the streets of the dead. Through a chance meeting, they find they are made for each other despite the fact that he is programmed to kill, and she is trained to survive. Nevertheless, they join forces to find out who Meadow’s mother was and who Zephyr really is. Chapters alternate between the duo’s points of view, dovetailing into an explosive, mind-bending quest to stop the oppression. This debut is a carefully crafted, chilling look at how unbridled control over citizens’ lives leads to fear, anger, and blind trust, while raising many important questions about playing God and its long-term consequences. Grades 9-12. --Jeanne Fredriksen

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062220004
• ISBN 13: 9780062220004
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 416