Nathaniel Coldhardt’s children, four talented misfits, break seventeen year-old Jonah Wish out of a Young Offender’s Institution. They need his computer skills to help them crack a Spartan cipher code that will lead them to the substance, Amrita, said to grant eternal life (65). Jonah is swept up in one dangerous assignment after another in different locations, including a museum break-in in Cairo to steal an ancient jar. But the jar is shattered in a fight with acolytes of Coldhardt’s rival. They are left with fragments that eventually lead them to Macedonia where, in an underground tomb, they find nightmarish secrets . hc

Originally published by Bloomsbury Great Britain, in 2006.

Jonah Wish, a brilliant computer hacker, is the newest addition to an elite group of teen outlaws all hired by the same mysterious benefactor, Nathaniel Coldhardt. Each of them offers a unique talent: Patch is a one-eyed locksmith; Motti can dismantle any electrical system; Con's charm is truly mesmerizing; and Tye can detect a lie with more precision than a polygraph. Under Coldhart's watchful eye, this motley crew races from a high-tech underground conference centre to exotic locations where they hunt for priceless ancient artefacts that may bring riches . . . or the secret to eternal life.