Nineteen-year-old Adam lives in London with his parents and loveable dog. His older sister, Charlie, is taking a year off from school to tour around the world. She and Adam have finally become friends, as opposed to fighting siblings, yet even Adam rarely hears from her. Once in a while, a postcard arrives letting the family know that she and her travel buddy, Alice, are in Vietnam or Australia or New Zealand, and occasionally Charlie emails Adam, though never taking the time to spell check or punctuate.

This is how he learned that Charlie and Alice planned to visit Tokyo. Charlie asked Adam to keep it a secret from their parents; she didn't want them to know that she'd had her money stolen. According to Alice's boyfriend, British gals can make lots of money being hostesses in Japanese bars. Adam doesn't think it's a good idea, though he knows Charlie can take care of herself. But then the phone rings in the middle of the night.

Alice calls from Tokyo. Obviously upset, she reports that she hasn't seen Charlie since Saturday. In the back of everyone's minds is the recent kidnapping and murder of another girl visiting Tokyo. Did Charlie meet a similar fate? They call the police and contact the embassy, but what else can they do? Adam's grandparents are failing in health, so his parents are torn: Do they take care of their parents or go to Japan to look for their daughter? They end up doing nothing but worry.

Adam is tired of doing nothing. So he "borrows" his father's charge card, buys a ticket to Tokyo, and sneaks off to find his sister himself. The only clue he has is Charlie's last email stating where she and Alice had worked. But it's a start --- and Adam is totally unprepared for where he's heading.

Readers may be familiar with Graham Marks's other works, including 2005's ZOO. Once again Marks has displayed his talent in presenting realistic teenage characters, and his action-packed novel will keep the pages turning. A bit of caution to younger readers, though, as some mature topics are visited, including sex and alcohol.

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