[Conspiracy 365 01] • January

On New Year's Eve, Cal is chased down the street by a crazed man with a deadly warning: They killed your father. They'll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days! Forced into a life on the run, Cal finds himself hunted by ruthless criminals and the police. Somehow he must uncover the truth about his father's mysterious death and solve the Ormond Singularity, a secret from the past, before the year is up. But who can he turn to when the whole world seems to want him dead? The clock is ticking. Any second could be his last. Callum Ormond has been warned. He has 365 days.

January is book 1 of a 12 book series. On New Year's Eve, Cal is chased down the street by a staggering, sick man with a deadly warning... "They killed your father. They'll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days." Hurled into a life on the run the 15-year-old fugitive is isolated and alone. Hunted by the law and ruthless criminals, Cal must somehow uncover the truth about his father's mysterious death and a history changing secret. Who can he turn to, who can he trust, when the whole world seems to want him dead? The clock is ticking. Any second could be his last. Callum Ormond has been warned. He has 365 days. The countdown has begun... 12 books. 12 months.

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From BooklistAs gimmicks go, it’s a good one: each month of 2010, one title in the 12-book Conspiracy 365 series will be released. The ticking clock (or calendar, in this case) is introduced immediately when a strange man accosts 15-year-old Callum Ormond on the street, shouting, “Get away! Hide and lay low until midnight December 31st of next year.” It’s good advice, because the following day, January 1st, includes a boat wreck, shark attack, and helicopter rescue—and that’s just for starters. Soon Callum is fleeing unknown assailants who are framing him for the attack of his little sister and uncle Rafe (a shady character himself). It all has to do with something called the Ormond Singularity and a group of sketches Callum’s father gave him before dying of a mysterious illness. This is the kind of stuff that stretches credibility with every page, but continual time updates (“12:00 a.m.,” “12:13 a.m.,” etc.) at least create a sense of continual motion. The conclusion offers no answers, just the requisite cliff-hanger. Grades 4-6. --Daniel Kraus