A tragic accident. An opportunistic CEO. A shocking announcement at the opening of a bizarre new stock market.

Seven year-old Ryan Tyler, Jr. has just been adopted. By a corporation.

Ticker symbol RTJ is the initial public offering on James Prescott’s Avillage Exchange, a market that trades in the financial futures of exceptionally gifted orphans.

Before the brilliant first-grader has even had a chance to catch his breath, he is whisked off to live with seemingly perfect new parents he’s not sure he can trust. And he’s got a sinking feeling that the only ally he has from his previous life is somehow conspiring with the corporation.

With Prescott and a board of directors pulling strings behind the scenes, Ryan’s only chance at freeing himself from his shareholders may be to team up with his fellow Avillage orphans: an embittered computer-programming savant, a once-in-a-generation NBA prospect, and a show-stopping Latin American model.

Koontz’s fast-paced yet introspective writing style is sure to keep your mind whirring and the pages turning, right to the explosive final page.