But the digging wasn’t easy – the ice was thick and hard – and I needed some help along the way, so I’d like to thank Barry and Rachel L for all their priceless advice, and for listening to all my strange ideas about what might be lurking beneath our feet. I’d also like to thank Claire for her most excellent editorial support. We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we do (tut tut!), so huge thanks to Rachel H who has been very patient and done an amazing job with the cover, and to Steve who has also worked hard on making Below Zero look extra cool. Thanks also to all the other brilliant Chickens who have had a hand in bringing this book to life – Kesia, Elinor, Esther, Jazz, Laura, and Sarah; you’re all awesome and it’s a joy to work with you!
One more thing. I’d like to take a quick moment to acknowledge my former agent Carolyn Whitaker, who died in June last year. Carolyn was an old-school agent and a formidable woman. I had never met anyone quite like her before, and probably never will again. She was honest, direct, protective, sometimes brutal, and always fun to be with. I will be ever grateful to Carolyn for everything she did to develop my career as an author, and for all the advice and support she gave me. It took me a while to find someone to take over where Carolyn left off, but I now have a new agent, Ella Kahn, who has already proved to be more than I had hoped for. Now I’m thinking about my next book, and I’m looking forward to working with the dream team of Ella and Chicken House.
That’s all.
ALSO BY DAN SMITH
BIG GAME by DAN SMITH
Armed only with a bow and arrow, thirteen-year-old Oskari reluctantly sets out into the freezing wilderness of his Finnish homeland as part of an ancient trial of manhood. But instead of finding animals to hunt, he stumbles on an escape pod from a burning aeroplane: Air Force One.
Terrorists have shot down the President of the United States, and they’re on their way to capture him. Even if the boy and the world’s most powerful man can evade them, how can they possibly survive in the wild?
‘Everything about this book is excellent. The story is fast-paced, extremely well written and is packed with unrelenting action.’
BOY X by DAN SMITH
Kidnapped, Ash McCarthy wakes up on a remote tropical island. Why is he there? And how can he get home? Ash needs answers.
To escape, he must take risks. But what’s more dangerous: the jungle, his captors, or the chemical injected in his veins?
‘Boy X is a breathless adventure where nothing and no-one is expected. Dan Smith’s pacey prose gallops along, capturing the reader and entangling us in the puzzle plot.’
MY BROTHER’S SECRET by DAN SMITH
Twelve-year-old Karl is a good German boy. He wants his country to win the war – after all, his father has gone away to fight. But when tragedy strikes and his older brother Stefan gets into trouble, he begins to lose his faith in Hitler. Before long, he’s caught up in a deadly rebellion.
‘Rich in detail, this is a thought-provoking story.’
MY FRIEND THE ENEMY by DAN SMITH
1941. It’s wartime and when a German plane crashes in flames near Peter’s home, he rushes over hoping to find something exciting to keep.
But what he finds instead is an injured young airman. He needs help, but can either of them trust the enemy?
‘…an exciting, thought-provoking book.’
PRAISE FOR DAN SMITH’S BOOKS
Dan Smith’s pacey prose gallops along, capturing the reader and entangling us in the puzzle plot.
Intense, captivating, and distinctive.
…opens with a bang and keeps up the breathless pace until the very end.
…full of action and adventure with plenty of hair-raising moments. There are times you are almost too worried to read on!
Filled with action and tense situations, this story will keep readers engaged from its explosive beginning to its dramatic ending…
The story is fast-paced, extremely well written and is packed with unrelenting action.
…an intense, thought-provoking, and deeply satisfying read.
Copyright
Text © Dan Smith 2018
First paperback edition published in Great Britain in 2018
This electronic edition published in 2018
Chicken House
2 Palmer Street
Frome, Somerset BA11 1DS
United Kingdom
Dan Smith has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
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Produced in the UK by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
Cover and interior design by Steve Wells
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data available.
PB ISBN 978-1-910655-92-4
eISBN 978-1-911077-55-8