The Murder Mystery Race takes place in the year 2054, aboard a luxury cruiseliner where 16 adolescents compete in a lethal challenge to track down a murderer. The competitors must show themselves as courageous and clever while exhibiting excellent weaponry skills.
SYNOPSIS:
While aboard a luxury cruise liner, sixteen adolescents compete in a lethal challenge to track down a murderer.
Eleven-year-old Andrew Mikaelson lives in Wayveryln, New Jersey with his caring mother, annoying kiss-up stepfather, and lazy, but fun step-uncle. But when a brutal serial killer, known as “The Knife Thrower,” begins killing residents, the town of Wayveryln is rocked. The Knife Thrower is cunning, quick, and can stab someone by throwing his knife—from any distance.
Andrew and fifteen other adolescents have been selected to participate in the annual Murder Mystery Race that can occur anywhere around the world. The competitors must go on a cruise that the Knife Thrower is on. The first person to capture the Knife Thrower receives the coveted award of one million dollars. Andrew makes friends and enemies, and alongside the other contestants, goes through many obstacles. For Andrew to identify the Knife Thrower, he must show ambition, resilience, and bravery.
Five facts: 5 things that make my book special:
- It was written by me, a 13 year old.
- The setting is a cruise, which is supposed to be fun, but the characters are fighting for their lives against a murderer.
- There is a lot of action between characters because they fight with knives, bow and arrows, axes, and more.
- Characters receive extremely mysterious and threatening letters throughout the book.
- My book received an endorsement from Raymond Benson.
Excerpt:
Where am I? How did I end up here?
I stand on the sidewalk next to a familiar road. I notice a bakery and a parking lot to my left. It is pitch-black outside, and I inexplicably get an eerie feeling. I am tired, befuddled, and I feel paralyzed. I watch as cars whiz by; their headlights flash into my eyes.
I feel drowsy, as if I could just drop down to the ground and fall asleep. I turn my head. I see the Knife Thrower, armed to the teeth with knives. He is wearing jeans and a black leather jacket. He is staring at his next target…me. I widen my eyes in alarm.
Behind me is a parking lot where I see several people. The Knife Thrower takes his eyes off me and throws his first knife at a woman in the parking lot. Fear consumes her face as the blade is buried in her chest. The woman sinks to the ground, and her agonizing cries turn to silence. The Knife Thrower throws the next knife at a man, slicing his forehead, and decides to finish him off with another to the temple.
The Knife Thrower throws numerous knives into peoples’ shoulders and stomachs. I start to run away, but that’s when the Knife Thrower brings his attention back to me. I quicken my pace in terror. The first knife comes flying in on my right side; fortunately, it misses, but by less than an inch. The Knife Thrower keeps going after me. When I turn my head, I see a knife coming toward my face. Adrenaline shoots through me, and as I sling my body back, the knife soars over my head. The Knife Thrower seems to give up and return back to the massacre at the parking lot to find his next victim.
I keep running. I can feel the sweat running down my body. Tears trickle down my cheeks in apprehension. I turn my head back to make sure I am far away from that parking lot, but as I do, something trips me. I try to lift up my body, but the Knife Thrower has somehow appeared in front of me. He kicks me in the chest, and I fall to the ground helplessly.
“Please don’t!” I beg desperately.
The Knife Thrower draws his knife and goes for a stab, but I miracu- lously grab his wrist. I twist it and grab the knife, then kick him in the stomach while spinning him around, and then I stab him through the back. I don’t stay to watch the gory scene. Instead, I run home, but when I get to my driveway a figure appears in front of me.
“It’s not safe to be out late at night by yourself,” the Knife Thrower says with a smirk.
I gasp in horror.
The Knife Thrower shoves me against my mailbox and has his hand pressed on my chest. “Surprise. You stabbed me in my back, Andrew! It hurt!” Then he draws a knife and swings it down to my head….
I wake up with sweat covering my body, my heart pounding, and my eyes widen in horror. It was just a dream, I think, but it can easily happen today.
