Furious Jones and the Assassin's Secret by Tim Kehoe is a thriller.

Furious learns his father will be in New York, and Furious hasn't seen him in seven months. Seven months ago his mother was murdered; Furious was sent to live with his grandfather to keep him safe. Sneaking into NYC, Furious meets the Attorney General who gets him into the ticket-only event to see his father. His father is clearly upset to see him. While walking out, Furious hears gunshots. Turning, he sees his father fall to the floor, dead. Furious runs back to his grandfather who realizes that life has become very dangerous. Furious is the only one left. When attacked, Grandpa is killed and Furious takes off.

Furious takes a bus and heads west to find the truth about his family's deaths. Although he says that he knows he's in danger, you really don't feel the danger. He's not terribly smart, but he is a really good fighter. He can stand up for himself, which allows him to survive long enough to do what he needs to do.

If you like Boy Nobody or if Boy Noboey a little too violent for you, you'll like this simpler story. It's a pretty good page-turner. ( )