Surface Tension

Nobody believes Jake. Except the terrorists.

After witnessing an act of domestic terrorism while training on his bike, Jake is found near death, with a serious head injury and unable to remember the plane crash or the aftermath that landed him in the hospital.

A terrorist leader’s teenage daughter, Betsy, is sent to kill Jake and eliminate him as a possible witness. When Jake’s mother blames his head injury for his tales of attempted murder, he has to rely on his girlfriend, Laurissa, to help him escape the killers and the law enforcement agents convinced that Jake himself had a role in the crash.

Young Adult | Ages 13 & up
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-939100-16-0 | 424 pages | $17.99
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-939100-29-0 | 424 pages | $10.99
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-939100-27-6 | $7.99
Lexile Level: 720 | Guided Reading Level: Z+ | Grade Level Equivalent: HS – Adult | Interest Level by Grade: 8 – Up

Meet Author Mike Mullin

Mike Mullin first discovered he could make money writing in sixth grade. His teacher, Mrs. Brannon, occasionally paid students for using unusual words. Mike’s first sale as a writer earned 10 cents for one word: tenacious.

Since then, Mike has always been involved with literature. One of his early jobs was shelving books at Central Library in Indianapolis. Later, he paid his way through graduate school in part by serving as a reference assistant for Indiana University’s library. Mike has worked in his mother’s business, Kids Ink Children’s Bookstore, for more than twenty years, serving at various times as a store manager, buyer, school and library salesperson, and marketing consultant.

Mike wrote his first novel in elementary school—Captain Poopy’s Sewer Adventures. He’s been writing more or less non-stop ever since, but fortunately for his readers, Ashfall will be his first published novel.

Surface Tension Reviews

 “[A] fast-paced thriller…there is something of Hitchcock in the narrative, with a blend between The Man Who Knew Too MuchNorth by Northwest, and Rear Window, and the story…is gripping and frightening.”

VOYA

 “[A] popcorn action flick.”

Kirkus Reviews

 “Mullin’s premise is riveting and timely…a strong action story that touches lightly on topics of grave complexity.”

Publishers Weekly

 “With a gripping contemporary story line….Short chapters increase the tension and readers’ interest in solving the mystery of Jake’s connection. A vivid thriller that entertains and excites.”

School Library Journal

 “Mullin (best known for his Ashfall series) succeeds in creating an engaging and suspenseful novel that will hook readers almost immediately. This heart-pounding, high-stakes thriller engages with race relations in an all-too-relevant exploration of terrorism, xenophobia, and corruption at the highest levels.”

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