Simon & Schuster Launches New Mystery Aimed at Latino Teen Readers

DESERT BLOOD 10PM / 9C introduces teen sleuth Gus González, a fourteen-year-old with an unusual problem. Raised in foster care, Gus’s fortune unexpectedly changes for the better when he is adopted by one of television’s hottest young stars, actor Nicholas Hernandez. With their relationship in the media spotlight, Gus and Nick find themselves the target of outrageous tabloid stories and dangerous stalkers. When Gus narrowly escapes a knife-wielding intruder and people close to him begin to disappear, it’s up to him and his best friend Lalo to figure out who is behind the attacks—and why.

Drawing on his real-life relationships with several popular Hollywood stars, including Latino actors Eva Longoria and Nicholas Gonzalez, author Ronald Cree has written a fast-paced mystery sure to appeal to the most reluctant of readers. “I wanted to write a page-turner with a Latino male protagonist,” Cree explains. “The Latino population in this country is exploding, and the time seemed right to create an Hispanic hero—a brave, adventurous kid, like Harry Potter. Gus González is it.”

DESERT BLOOD 10PM / 9C is in stores February 28.

Author: Ronald Cree
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s
Audience: Ages 12+
ISBN: 1-4169-1156-1