The morning after a rough night at sea in the Caribbean, 12-year-old twins Jess and Jude are stunned to discover that Gabe, a shipwright and their guardian, has disappeared from their small yacht. After his body is recovered, authorities take charge of the orphans until a British media mogul and his wife, who live on the ancestral English estate where the twins' father once worked, take them in. Seemingly altruistic, these increasingly intimidating people send Jude and Jess off to separate boarding schools. The twins do their best to solve the mystery surrounding their parents' stories while struggling to unearth the wealthy couple's motives and to regain control of their lives. From the first suggestion of foul play, St John creates a strong undercurrent of menace that heightens the drama throughout the novel as the children struggle through perilous situations and make new allies along the way. From the sympathetic depiction of the twins to their dangerous deeds on land and at sea, here's a page-turner for adventure and mystery fans.

Twelve-year-old twins Jess and Jude find their world tipped upside down after their guardian disappears.All Jess and Jude know about their parents is that their father died in an accident before they were born, and their mother died in childbirth. They were raised by their guardian, Gabe, a boatyard worker, and the waitstaff of the Castaway Diner, where their mother worked after arriving alone with fake identification in their small Florida town. When Gabe abruptly decides to take them on a yearlong trip in a 37-foot sailboat, Jude is thrilled, loving the sailing life, but bookish Jess is less so. In the Caribbean, a rogue wave tosses the anchored boat, and Jess wakes to find Jude and their dog, Sam, asleep in the cockpit-and Gabe missing. They search for him but turn up nothing. When the twins find a printout of a mysterious email in Gabe's belongings, they begin to suspect foul play and decide to sail away. After their boat is wrecked on a reef, they are rescued, and the story gets in the news. When a wealthy English family offers to foster them, the twins are at first thrilled, but it doesn't take long for them to realize something is not right. The plot twists, tension, and intrigue of this well-plotted, well-written adventure story will keep readers on the edges of their seats. Primary characters present White.A thrilling, thumping good read. (author's note, letter to readers) (Mystery. 9-13)