Everyone's favorite PI of the future is back on the beat in this third installment of the Nuclear Bombshell mystery series.After a chance encounter at a Kabuki theater, Zach Johnson has reluctantly agreed to lend a hand to Sexy Sprockets, 2060's most fabulously famous pop-singer. Sexy has received a slew of death threats from an obsessive fan intent on making sure her ascendant career is cut short. In the guise of Sexy's bodyguard, Zach enters the dizzying world of show biz to uncover Sexy's stalker before he can make good on his threats.Together with his sentient super-computer, HARV, and his psionic assistant, Carol, Zach must use all his PI wisdom to ensnare the would-be killer. At the same time, world famous media mogul Rupert Roundtree has positioned Zach as the unwilling star of his next great reality series, entitled "Let's Kill Zach." Zach will need to stay one step ahead of the murderous mogul if he's going to save the imperiled pop singer.This digital...

Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last private eye on Earth, is back in action in the second book in the Nuclear Bombshell series, and this time the mystery is four times more dangerous.The wise-cracking PI and his AI super computer sidekick, HARV, are hired by Ona Thompson, one of four genetically-engineered super women known collectively as the Thompson Quads. Her sister has been murdered, and she needs Zach to locate the killer. The list of suspects is long—including a butler, security experts, a giant monkey—and the list of motives is even longer. Vengeance, envy, wealth, and fun could all be at play. And in true Zach Johnson fashion, it isn't long before his fedora's filled to the brim with danger and destruction.But the biggest question facing Zach is what happens if the real killer turns out to be his client...

Zachary Nixon Johnson and his super-computer sidekick, HARV, are back in action in this rollicking Nuclear Bombshell mystery short from Zach's early career.A mad bomber has begun destroying the wind-turbines of energy producer Big Blow Inc., and Zach is hired to track down this elusive eco-terrorist. Unfortunately, all the evidence points toward the bomber being the troubled granddaughter of the company's owner. Zach's never been much of an explosives expert or family therapist, but it's now his job is to catch the culprit, save the company, heal a troubled family, and trickiest of all, keep himself alive.

Two ambassador ships have gone missing, and it’s up to Baxter Moon, Galactic Scout Second Class, to find them. His first thought is “Holy bloop!” but his second is “Let’s go!” After all, he is one of the best pilots at the Galactic Academy, and it’s not like he’s ever killed his whole crew in real life... only in simulations. But traveling through deep space with a large-but-dim mechanic, her genius twin, and a talking chimp isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It will take all the good old fashioned instincts Baxter’s got to navigate deep space, rescue the beautiful blue Aquarian princess, and save the world from a dangerous techno-race gone awry. It might be a lot to do in one day for the average teenager, but Baxter Moon isn’t average. **From School Library Journal Grade 5–8—In this humorous science-fiction adventure, Baxter Moon is in training to become a deep-space shuttle pilot. Many of his fellow scouts have been bionically enhanced to see great distances or have superhuman strength, and others are genetically enhanced animals, but Baxter is an ordinary teen who seems to have the unerring ability (well, most of the time) to do the right thing at the right time. He's there when a robotic alien force overpowers a sensitive diplomatic mission, and he and his teammates must conquer it—without using any weapons. This silly space adventure won't give "Star Wars" or the X-Men much competition, but its simply written, easy-to-follow narrative will appeal to adventure fans, particularly reluctant readers.—Walter Minkel, Austin Public Library, TX Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist An sf tale with a satiric twist, this novel pits a hotshot student pilot and his genetically modified crew against an invasion force of robot TVs. When a diplomatic mission to the blue-skinned Aquarians of Sirius D goes missing, Baxter and another crew are dispatched to investigate. The mission, as it turns out, has been captured by TVTrons, who fiendishly hypnotize victims into watching television until they starve. With plenty of help from supergeek crewmate Elvin; Zenna, Elvin’s simple-minded, muscular twin sister; and GiS, their chimpanzee commander, the mission is saved, the invasion repulsed, and Baxter makes a connection with a hot Aquarian princess. Zakour’s grasp of astronomy and physics seems a little shaky, but the gags fly thick and fast (the author writes them for a living), and his ever-cocky protagonist repeatedly saves the day—usually in a spectacularly destructive way. Fans of Kathy Mackel’s tongue-in-cheek romps will happily tune in to this one. Grades 4-7. --John Peters