The Medusa Project: Hunted

Dylan is a misfit among misfits.  Fourteen years ago she was one of four babies implanted by her father with the ‘Medusa gene’, which conferred on each child a unique psychic talent. The teenagers now work as a crime-fighting unit on the government’s secret Medusa Project. But Dylan’s anger and confusion make her estranged from the rest of the group. When she unearths a clue about her father’s death, Dylan leads the Medusa teens into a life-threatening quest for the truth.

Hunted is the second book in the Medusa Project series. While the plot and action are enough to turn the page, it’s much more than a thriller. The characters are complex, flawed and convincing, facing huge internal as well as external conflict. Dylan’s extraordinary ability (she can generate a force field to protect herself from physical harm) is a vehicle for exploring issues often associated with adolescence such as alienation, independence and selfishness.  Often rude and aggressive, Dylan draws us into her mind so powerfully that she never loses our sympathy. She may express her anger in an objectionable way, but we never forget that it’s born of grief and rejection.

Our empathy is enhanced by Ed, the Medusa teen who can mind-read but never oversteps the ethical line laid down by his gift. Catching glimpses of Dylan’s inner turmoil, he retreats from her mind with compassion and respect.

Dylan’s struggle to trust others plays itself out in the plot – who can the team depend on? – although the villain is perhaps a little too obvious from the start. 

This quibble aside, Hunted works brilliantly as both a gripping adventure story and a sympathetic portrayal of adolescent challenges.