The Secret Series (5 vols), Pseudonymous Bosch

I don’t know about you, but I love silliness. This series, which I discovered in 2010, grabbed me with the titles, and then held me with the stories.

They’re all about an evil society whose members wish to live forever, and they are constantly on the hunt for The Secret — i.e., the secret to eternal life. It seems to have something to do with chocolate.

It may be dangerous for me to reveal any of the plot, but I’ll risk this much: the heroes Cass and Max-Ernest (although those are probably aliases) — with the aid of several on-again, off-again partners and assistants who are masters of such things as computers, codes, and disguises — engage in some time travel …

Wha?  How did you get in here?  I swear, I’m not doing anything!  GET … OFF … ME … NOW!!!

(Insert the sound of a body crashing through a window and falling five stories to the gum-encrusted NYC pavement. Obviously, not mine.)

Whew, that was close! Check out the author’s blog for some fun stuff. But read these books only if you dare!

The titles: The Name of This Book Is Secret (2007),  If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late (2008), This Book Is Not Good for You (2009), This Isn’t What It Looks Like (2010), You Have to Stop This (2011)