Have you been out today?

Aha!

Word arrives from West Africa that friend of this blog, Mr Stephen Davies, has a new book for young adults out. Outlaw was published yesterday by Andersen Press.

According to the blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Jake Knight is an explorer and adventurer at heart but this often gets him into trouble. When a stuffy English boarding school suspends him for rule-breaking, Jake flies out to Burkina Faso where his parents are living. He is expecting a long, adventure-filled vacation under a smiling African sun. But what awaits him there is kidnapping, terrorism and Yakuuba Sor – the most wanted outlaw in the Sahara desert.

... which to be honest sounds all a bit ho hum to me. But have faith, gentle reader. Trust in the author and not in the publisher's blurb. I've yet to obtain a copy myself but if previous outings (and this glowing review on Bookwitch) are anything to go by then it will be original, proper exciting and with a brilliantly evoked sense of place.

I'll report back as soon as I know for sure.