Undercurrent

In Undercurrent, Paul Blackwell's fast-paced teen thriller, sixteen-year-old Callum Harris survives a plummet over a waterfall but wakes to find himself in a life that's totally different from the one he knew.

His parents were separated. Now they're together. His brother, Cole, was a sports star. Now he's paralyzed. And Callum, who used to be quiet and sort of unpopular, is suddenly a jock with two hot girls after him. But there's one difference that matters more than all the others combined: His former best friend wants Callum dead. And he isn't the only one.

Tense and original, Undercurrent is a psychological thrill ride with sci-fi elements that will appeal to fans of Neal Shusterman. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books said, "the riveting opening and intense final scene will keep genre fans satisfied and breathless," while ALA Booklist called it "a menacing, suspenseful thriller."

In a world he doesn’t recognize, where every memory is a lie, who can Callum trust when his own mind is the enemy?

• Unreliable Narrator: With his memory shattered after the accident, Callum can’t tell if he’s losing his mind or if the world has genuinely changed around him.
• Friendship and Betrayal: His best friend Bryce is no longer a friend but a would-be murderer, leaving Callum desperately trying to understand what he could have done to deserve a death sentence.
• High-Stakes Mystery: As the last person seen with the missing Neil Parson, Callum becomes the prime suspect in a dark teen mystery where everyone seems to have a secret.
• Paranormal Thriller: Blurring the lines between psychological suspense and science fiction, this story features a terrifying world where nothing is as it seems and danger lurks behind every familiar face.

A shadowy figure.
An intense roar.
The sensation of falling—fast.

That's all Callum Harris remembers from his tumble over the waterfall. But when he wakes up in a hospital bed and finds his best friend trying to kill him, Callum knows something is seriously wrong. Unfortunately for him, the mysteries are just getting started.

Why are his parents acting like he's some big sports star all of a sudden? And why are all the buildings in town more run-down than Callum remembers? Worst of all . . . what happened to Callum's brother? Either Callum has gone seriously crazy or something happened when he went over the edge of the falls. Something impossible. Callum needs answers, and now. Because in this twisted new version of the life Callum knew, his former best friend isn't the only one who wants to see him dead.

“Blackwell writes with a crisp, clean style, keeping up suspense and providing nicely off-kilter elements in character and detail.” - Toronto Star

“A menacing, suspenseful thriller. Hand this to fans of Mary Pearson’s The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2008), Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate’s Eve and Adam (2012), and the novels of Neal Shusterman.” - Booklist

“A pure concept thriller…the riveting opening and intense final scene will keep genre fans satisfied and breathless.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Thoroughly enjoyable. A page-turner.” - VOYA