The Barracuda Gang

By Malcolm J Bosse

Twelve high school essay finalists have embarked on a trip to the Caribbean, competing against each other to win college scholarships…

At first strangers, the group soon finds themselves in trying situations, testing all angles of their personalities, forming unexpected friendships.

Ava, Parker and Justin form an immediate bond, becoming the ‘Barracuda Gang’, but when they made their pact on the beach, the three never imagined that Ava’s fortune teller, who saw deep trouble ahead, could possibly be right…

On a secret snorkelling expedition away from the others, the three find themselves trapped in an underwater cave behind a deceptive light-illumining coral reef.

A story of beauty and great suspense is unravelled, as the three accept death in the cave, whilst a search party continues outside.

As the storm calms, they feel they’ve been given a second chance, returning wiser, but marred, from their shared ordeal.

Everyone’s future is on the line but sun-filled activities and night-time discos distract everyone from the daunting question of who will win?

The Barracuda Gang deftly reflects the shifting relationships of young people amidst the high stakes of competition and survival.
Malcolm Joseph Bosse (1926-2002) was an American author of both young adult and adult novels. He was born in Detriot, Michigan, and is a graduate of Yale University. He served in the US Navy and was also an English teacher in City College of New York in Manhattan. His novels are often set in Asia, and have been praised for their cultural and historical information relating to the character’s adventures. Bosse mostly wrote historical fiction after the publication of The Warlord, which quickly became a bestseller. He also won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1983.