Commanded by the magical artifact known as the Dragon's Eye, junior con artist Callan and his friends are eagerly reaching the end of the epic quest that will finally free him from the Eye's sinister hold. But their final task is their most ambitious: sneaking into the emperor's private island prison and rescuing a man from a jail cell that has been locked tight for nearly a century. This impossible heist will strain the gang's unique abilities to thieve and deceive everyone from the guards, the city elite, the warden, and even the nefarious local crime boss who warns them to stay away.

As the friends plan out their last and most difficult con job, Callan begins to question what they're helping the Eye to achieve. Aided by magical hints and fitful dreams, Callan slowly uncovers the Eye's true desires. To his horror, he realizes that he may be the one being conned all this time … and his mistake could cost the world's entire existence. (From Puffin Canada)

Kevin Sands is a Toronto-based author of numerous books including the Blackthorn Key series. The Blackthorn Key, the series' first book, received the John Spray Mystery Award and was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Best YA Crime Novel Award. Sands has also written Children of the Fox and Seekers of the Fox, which were the first two books of the middle-grade fantasy series Thieves of Shadow.