Rat Runners

If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear . . . Four young thieves, one simple mission: Steal a black-leather box from the daughter of a murdered scientist without anyone noticing. But WatchWorld controls London now, and the organization knows everything. Every major street is monitored with heat-sensitive and X-ray cameras. Microphones record voices from hundreds of feet away, and drones watch from the sky. Patrolling the streets are Safe-Guards-part human and part robot, they can see through walls, hear your heartbeat, and analyze your sweat. But staying hidden is what Nimmo, Scope, Manikin, and FX do best. Using the city's blind spots, they navigate the criminal underworld until they're caught in a rat run of murder and deceit that might not let them out alive. "High-velocity . . . It's all about suspense and action." -Kirkus Reviews "A tense, entertaining story." -Publishers Weekly "Fast-moving and punchy, this well-written novel should hold the attention of young teenagers used to the cut and thrust of video gaming. With a clever and exciting plot and strong and endearing characters, this is an Oliver Twist for the 21st century." -The Sunday Business Post "If you like a high-octane, dystopian thriller with plenty of kick ass action, Rat Runners will be right up your alley." -The Bookbag "Rat Runners is a superb, fast-paced hi-tech crime thriller set in an all-too-believable future Britain." -The Book Zone (for Boys) "McGann has created a complex, intriguing and believable world for his readers. . . . He sucks the reader in and carries them breathless through the twisted alleyways and underground lairs of the city, making them part of the crew of rat runners hurtling headlong towards the climax that will decide their fate. A must-read for anyone who enjoys action-packed, well-written and exciting new YA." -Inis magazine "The action is fast and, occasionally, violent; the language is, in places, earthy, and the characters, especially the one with the Northern Irish accent, colourful." -The Irish Times "There were masses of action from the very first chapter. . . . This story is suitable for any age that loves action, adventure and can keep up with this fast paced plot!" -The Guardian "Blade Runner meets 1984 with edgy characters and a pulse-racing plot, this has got to be one of the coolest young [adult] fiction books for 2013!" -Primary Times Oisin McGann was born and raised in Dublin and Drogheda, County Louth, in Ireland. He studied art at Senior College Ballyfermot and Dun Laoghaire School of Art, Design & Technology. Before becoming an author, he worked as a freelance illustrator, serving time along the way as a pizza chef, security guard, background artist for an animation company, and art director and copywriter in an advertising agency. In 2003 McGann published his first two books in the Mad Grandad series for young readers, followed by his first novel, The Gods and Their Machines. Since then, he has written several novels for young adults, including the Wildenstern Saga, a steampunk series set in nineteenth-century Ireland, and the thrillers Strangled Silence and Rat Runners. A full-time writer and illustrator, McGann is married, has three children, and lives somewhere in the Irish countryside.