The Good Bad Guys Series by H.D. Smith

Yesterday 12-year-old Charlie Parker would have given almost anything to see Keegan’s Point, the island estate built by the reclusive billionaire Marcus Keegan. Keegan died the same year Charlie was born. His body and twenty passports were the only things removed from the island—leaving a mystery and the unanswered question, who was Marcus Keegan?But that was yesterday. Charlie’s biggest problem this morning was his presentation in fourth period... moreYesterday 12-year-old Charlie Parker would have given almost anything to see Keegan’s Point, the island estate built by the reclusive billionaire Marcus Keegan. Keegan died the same year Charlie was born. His body and twenty passports were the only things removed from the island—leaving a mystery and the unanswered question, who was Marcus Keegan?But that was yesterday. Charlie’s biggest problem this morning was his presentation in fourth period. Since then he’s been beaten up by a bully, he’s lied to his mother, and he’s been kidnapped by three total strangers. And, as if the day couldn’t get any worse, no one even knows he’s missing.Nick, one of the strangers, is one job away from finding the lost treasure he’s searched for his entire life. The plan is simple: go into Keegan’s mansion and follow the cryptic clues to the prize. There’s plenty of time, and his team is resourceful. He never expected that Charlie would overhear his plans or that he’d have to kidnap him to keep him quiet. Now there’s only one way forward, and that means risking everything. Soon, Nick realizes that Charlie’s involvement in his mission is the key to whether he’ll succeed or fail—because there’s much more at stake than a lost treasure.From the author of the Devil’s Assistant books, Keegan’s Point is the start of a new adventure series where not all the bad guys are bad, where you just might find yourself rooting for both the bad guys and the good guys as they work together to survive. less

Fourteen-year-old Matty Dunmore and his gang live in Nowhere, NJ, and their world of mobsters and crooked cops is about to be turned on its head. When Matty—a runner for the local Mob boss, Mr. Hill—is attacked and robbed during a delivery, he soon discovers the package he was carrying wasn’t the only one taken. The boys are told to keep watch for anything suspicious, but after the death of a higher up in the organization, their surveillance is discovered by one of the traitors... moreFourteen-year-old Matty Dunmore and his gang live in Nowhere, NJ, and their world of mobsters and crooked cops is about to be turned on its head. When Matty—a runner for the local Mob boss, Mr. Hill—is attacked and robbed during a delivery, he soon discovers the package he was carrying wasn’t the only one taken. The boys are told to keep watch for anything suspicious, but after the death of a higher up in the organization, their surveillance is discovered by one of the traitors. Now the friends must make a choice—tell Mr. Hill and risk the safety of their families, or keep quiet and live.Flash forward to the present. Matthew Larson is now a legitimate businessman in Florida, but his past is about to catch up with him. No one—not even his wife and son—know the truth about who he was. The Matt Larson they know is a loving husband and father, not a ghost named Matty Dunmore with a secret so big it could get Matt and everyone he loves killed. Matty needs to stay buried in the past if Matt has any hope of surviving in the present.When his former gang of friends, still tied to the Mob, discover he’s alive, Matt’s world comes crashing down around him. His son, Pete, is kidnapped by the new Mob boss in Nowhere—his former friend Lenny. Matt has no clue why Lenny would do this, but for some reason Lenny’s determined to make Matt pay. The stakes are high, life and death decisions are made at every turn, and the sins of Matt’s father threaten to doom him to a similar fate. Is there anyone left he can trust? less