Nicki Haddon Mystery

Born in China, Nicki was abandoned to an orphanage before being adopted by a wealthy North American family. Now 16, Nicki divides her time between Hawaii and Ontario and is all set to train with a king-fu grand master. When she reports to his studio, she finds him stabbed and near death. As he lapses into a coma, he begs her to find a priceless Ming dynasty vase that she discovers has once belonged to Pu Yi, the Boy Emperor. Part detective story, part spy thriller, the novel takes place over seven days of danger and deception as Nicki relies on her wits and her martial arts training to uncover the criminal mastermind behind the plot to steal the vase. Along the way, she begins to wonder about the mystery of her own past and the family she left behind in China.

Immediately upon her arrival in London to train as a spy, sixteen-year-old Nicki Haddon is assigned to help the British Secret Service infiltrate a drug cartel that is smuggling large amounts of heroin into the country. Placing herself in the midst of a tough East End street gang, she uncovers a plot to create a super-potent opiate and also discovers a royal connection — one that goes back to Queen Victoria herself. Nicki puts her life at risk as she goes after the kingpin of the cartel. Her kung fu skills are severely tested in this action-packed thriller, as the teen spy-in-training tries to unravel not only "the secret of the golden flower," but the ever-present mystery of her own past.