Conspiracy 365: May

(Conspiracy 365: Book Five)

by
Gabrielle Lord

Kane Miller, May 2010, 184 pp.
ISBN: 978-1-935279-54-9

Genre: Young Reader
Subgenres: Thriller
Reviewed: 6/5/2010

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Excerpt

9 May

Leechwood Lodge Asylum

4:17 pm

I pounded along the corridor, barreling past the curious staff members who had stepped out of their offices. A couple of them tried to grab me, but I wretched myself free. I ducked another orderly who suddenly appeared through the double doors and tried to seize me. But I pushed him away, throwing him off balance, then I rocketed away past him.

I was almost at the double doors! Behind me, I could hear the pounding of several staff members, and by now a siren was blaring, and red lights along the corridor ceiling were flashing.

I reached the doors and threw myself against them.

They opened! I was outside!

I leaped down the stairs and took off along the garden path that I'd noticed from my window. I knew this lead to the main entrance; I'd seen visitors entering and leaving the site through it. I hammered along the cement path, head down, legs pumping. The blaring sound of the alarm fueled my adrenaline surge, adding speed and recklessness to my race. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the male nurses appear and try to crash-tackle me, but that just gave me an extra burst of speed. He grunted as he missed me and hit the deck, shouting.

I raced around a curve in the path, and ahead of me I saw the dark green gates, solid iron with spikes along the top, but supported on either side by stone pillars.

Behind me, my pursuers were gaining ground. I threw myself at the gap between the gates and one of the pillars, my scrabbling fingers finding a handhold on the top hinges while my bare feet clawed a foothold on the stone. I heaved myself forward and up, grasping the top of the pillar.

I had done it! I gave a shriek of triumph!

I barely noticed that I'd grazed my shins as I hauled myself up and over, dropping to the ground on the other side of the Leechwood Lodge

4:20 pm

I took off down the road. I didn't care where I was going--I didn't know where I was going! But I was out of there! I'd contact Boges, do whatever I had to do to get back the drawings and the Riddle, and then I'd get out of the city and away to my great-uncle's at Mount Helicon.

I kept running and running, head down, arms pumping.

4:27 pm

The screeching brakes of the vehicle were the first I heard of its approach. The van pulled up beside me, jumped the sidewalk and slewed sideways, so that I nearly crashed into it. I almost screamed with frustration!

Musclehead and another orderly jumped out. I tried running around the back of the van, but they pounced on me, pinning me on both sides, slamming me hard against the side of the vehicle.

Musclehead twisted my right arm painfully behind me.

"Nice try, sunshine," he hissed into my ear. "Move and I'll break your arm!"

Synopsis

After someone had stuck a hypodermic needle in his neck to knock him out, Callum "Cal" Ormond awakens and finds himself locked away in Leechwood Lodge Asylum. Dr. Snudgeglasser calls Cal by the name of Benjamin Galloway because that is what Sligo told the doctor his name was when he had Cal admitted.

Cal tries to convince Dr. Snudgeglasser that Sligo is a bad man and that his name is not Benjamin Galloway, but the doctor does not believe him. Sligo has asked the doctor to learn the whereabouts of some papers, but Cal is unable to do so because the papers were taken from the boathouse by persons unknown.

About a week later, Cal attempts to escape, makes it outside the gate, but is recaptured. Then, after another week, Cal sees on the television that his mother was attacked in her house. When a patient goes crazy and grabs a knife, Cal uses this opportunity to break into the asylum office and fire off an email to Boges telling him where he is and what name they know him as.

A few days later, Boges and Winter pay "Ben" a visit. They inform Cal that his mother is okay and then Winter shows Cal the disguise they brought for him. Cal is able to escape from the asylum with Boges and makes a beeline for his Great-uncle Bartholomew's place in Mount Helicon.

Cal finds himself near Melba Snipe's house and spends the night on her couch. The next day, he is able to pick up a ride from a guy named Brian who is also heading to Mount Helicon. Cal tells Brian that he is heading to a place called Kilkenny to look for a job. Kilkenny is the name of his great-uncle's ranch. Brian knows Bartholomew and tells Cal that he always greats people who come invited to his house with a shotgun blast.

Once Cal arrives at Kilkenny, and he convinces his great-uncle as to who he is, Cal finds Bartholomew to be a great source of information. He learns of a necklace called the Ormond Jewel, which is pictured in the image of Ormond Angel. His great-uncle say that he had a packet of information about the jewel and the original owner, Black Tom Butler, one of their ancestors from hundreds of years ago, but he doesn't have it anymore. Bartholomew explains that his ex-wife took their wedding photo album, which is where he had hidden the packet of information. The good news is that this ex-wife lives next door with his neighbor. The bad news is that the house is guarded by the trigger-happy neighbor and two vicious dogs names Skull and Crossbones.

Cal realizes that he must retrieve the packet and heads over to the neighbor's house with his great-uncle watching as a lookout. With Kelvin and Sumo outside his great-uncle's house and a shotgun-toting neighbor with attack dogs guarding the papers, Cal realizes that he must move quickly. The only question is whether he will be able to move fast enough not to be caught.

Conspiracy 365: May is the fifth thrilling book of twelve in the Conspiracy 365 series written by Gabrielle Lord. This book is intended for young readers 10 and up.

Review

Conspiracy 365: May is another jam-packed book of action and adventure staring Cal Ormond. Unfortunately for Cal, he is stuck in a mental institution for about half of the book. I got very frustrated with Dr. Snudgeglasser and his inability to believe Cal about his identity. Sligo had done a good job of changing Cal's identity and convincing the doctor that Cal has something he wants. When Cal was captured after escaping the first time, I was frustrated and disappointed. I really wanted Cal to escape from the mental hospital.

Gabrielle Lord caused me to become quite anxious for Cal during the time he was locked up in the asylum. This is what a good writer does. She draws the reader in, gets them highly involved in the story, form a bond between the reader and the main character, and creates an atmosphere wherein the reader feels a great amount of emotion when things don't go the right way for the main character. Gabrielle Lord is a writer that does this with precision.

As Cal gathers more information about the Ormond Riddle, some of the puzzle pieces start to fit together. Yet, even with the extra information, he is nowhere close to solving the mystery. At least he is able to figure out how Oriana de la Force's men have always been able to track him down. Maybe now he can do some research without always being on the run.

The first five books in the twelve book Conspiracy 365 series by Gabrielle Lord are wonderful. Young readers don't have to wait long for the next book to be published because one comes out every month until the series ends in December. The storyline is very exciting and young readers, especially boys, will find themselves engrossed in this story about an Australian boy on the run for his life.

Overall, Conspiracy 365: May is another great story with a lot of action that kept me reading until I finished the book. I started the book on a Friday night, woke up Saturday morning, and read the rest of it until I reached the final page, which is another cliffhanger. I just couldn't put the book down. It is a real page-turner. I cannot wait to see how Cal gets out of his latest situation in Conspiracy 365: June.

I rated this book an 8½ out of 10.