The Door of No Return

by Sarah Mussi

A young man reconnects with his African heritage as he fights to recover a treasure lost in the days of the slave trade in this action-packed young adult novel.

Zac Baxter’s grandfather has always told him that he’s the descendant of African kings, whose treasure was stolen when his ancestors were sold into slavery. Of course, Zac brushes this off as a tall tale—until his grandfather is murdered and their apartment is completely ransacked. Clearly somebody is after something.

Heeding his grandfather’s dying words, Zac is off to Ghana to track down his family’s history. But what did his grandfather mean when he said that Zac had the map to the treasure? Following every clue he can find, Zac begins to suspect that the treasure is real, and hidden in one of Ghana’s old slave forts. Too bad the killers always seem to be one step ahead of him.

With no one he can trust and with everything to lose, Zac races against time as he tries to uncover the truth about the past—and a fortune in gold.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Adventure, Action, Fiction, Africa, Thriller

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Sarah Mussi was born in Gloucestershire. After her education at a girl’s school in Cheltenham, she completed a post graduate degree at the Royal College of Art before leaving the UK for West Africa. She lived in Ghana, West Africa for over eighteen years, marrying a Ghanaian and teaching in Accra. Sarah now lives in Brixton and teaches in Lewisham, splitting her holidays between England and Ghana.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

At about 100 pages in, I realized I didn't give a damn. What sounded like an amazing premise was slow and bogged down by some just downright stupid decisions on the part of the main character (the bad guys try to frame you for stealing by planting a mobile phone on your person--what should you do? Well, if you're the main character of this book, you stash the phone until later and then begin freely using it to text and call other people. As if they wouldn't be tracing your use of the phone . . . ) and plot holes big enough to drive a jumbo jet through.

[Ryland Salad · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS:



Sarah Mussi’s The Door of No Return is a thrilling story about revenge and redemption. However, with poor execution, annoying cliches, and at times awkward writing, not even the story’s excitement can save it from losing my interest.

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but just looking at the copy I read, it kind of looked like a straight to video ripoff Jason Bourne, which made me iffy before I even read the book. Then I flipped to the back, and the summary it provided for the reader seemed to completely push me off the imaginary “cliff of interest”. The idea of the main protagonist, Zac Baxter, being a descendant of African kings whose treasure has been stolen already seems a little bit outrageous. To make things even more ludicrous, his grandfather (who tells Zac these stories) gets MURDERED. There is enough cheese in this brief summary to be used for nacho dip for a Super Bowl party. Even with all this, I still read the book because well, I had to for my English class.

One big problem I found were the surprising amount of characters I liked, and I don’t mean it in a good way. There was barely anyone I found to be likable, and they unfortunately weren’t in the story much. Although the story is told from Zac’s point of view, I wished the author expanded more on characters like Wisdom and YY. The two were characters I really enjoyed, but served no purpose other than driving Zac to his destination in Ghana, and showing up at the end to help a poor ol’ Zac Baxter who probably would’ve been killed if it weren’t for them.

The writing in this story was sometimes painfully awkward, and cringe-worthy. The character Ashley made me groan every time he said some stupid phrase that always had to rhyme. Was he supposed to be the “comic relief”? I don’t understand his personality really. The texts through Zac’s Nokia were also very painful to sit through, and read. I’m no genius, but I’m pretty sure normal people (including a “lawyer”) don’t text laughably embarrassing stuff like, “cuz i got da cheez dip 4 da soop bowl.” By the way, they don’t really say that specifically in the story. The story also features repetitive language that gets annoying after you read it multiple times. “Hissed” is unnecessarily used a lot between characters, and in one instance, a particular profanity has been multiple times to express the protagonist’s emotions, but I felt there was a better way to express emotions than substantially using the s-word in anger. The funny thing was that the word wasn’t even used in dialogue, which made it even more pointless.

However, even with all this criticism, there are some things I like about the story. I love the simple idea of risking everything to do the right thing pursued by Zac. Zac is also a brave, heroic, and responsible character who has the courage to go on a very dangerous journey just to seek vengeance on those who killed his grandfather and sold his ancestors into slavery.

Overall, The Door of No Return is a novel with so much potential I tried to enjoy, but ultimately let me down with its cliches, and awkwardness.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

A 16 year old boy named Zac Baxter discovers that his ancestors hid gold in an old slave fort in Ghana, he must go out and find the gold. Door of No Return by Sarah Mussi is a realistic fiction adventure story About a boy who must avenge his grandfather, and go seek out treasure from his ancestors. This book was not so great, the story was way too cliche and predictable, the characters are extremely bland and boring, the book was very slow at times, and many parts of this story made absolutely no sense.
First of all, the story of a kid discovering that their family has a big secret, and the kid must go find it is a theme that has been used throughout all sorts of media. It was very predictable what was going to happen. Second of all the characters were just way too boring and average no one had much personality. Thirdly, the book was extremely slow in the beginning. It took half of the book for Zac to get to Ghana. At no point in the book was I excited
In conclusion this book was pretty mediocre with not much personality. I wouldn’t recommend this book.

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize this book was going to end up being about reparations for slavery. I think the reparations debate is completely silly (especially given the state of the economy these days, where is the government going to find the money to pay all the Black descendants of slaves in their country? AND how do you know if some of your ancestors were slaves, not everyone can afford to have their family history traced....) so that put a slight damper on my enjoyment of the book because I kept rolling my eyes. Aside from that I didn't like how this book was ALL ABOUT Zac. It was all in his head for the most part and the few dialogues in the book turned into monologues between characters. At times the dialogue/slang sounded stiff, thrown in just to sound 'cool' or something because otherwise it didn't make much sense (granted there was a lot of British slang I presume). The secondary characters provided background noise and help when needed (or violence) but little else, including the few people Zac decided to trust. And why did Zac take his friends on a shopping spree? T.hey were BARELY mentioned! Speaking of whom to trust, Zac goes on and on about how growing up in the streets he knows not to trust many people, especially after what happens to his grandfather and his home but then he trusts someone that it seemed (to me anyway) quite clear he shouldn't. He was extra careful about everyone except the one person he needed to be which made it seem too obvious as to who was going to betray Zac. I was even more disappointed in the long history of Ghana (provided in a monologue by a chauffeur) it should have been presented in a more interesting, varied way. Furthermore, Ghana wasn't described in great detail. In the end Zac talks about how Ghana is the best country in the world, I wanted to love it too but I didn't get a real sense of Ghana from this book. I hated how Zac kept saying "I regretted this" or "I shouldn't have done" that, to me that takes away an element of surprise.

Some elements of the story were well done. The history of Portuguese explorers, the British & Ghanaians was fascinating to read about, even if it was described in a long conversation. A small part of the story that I loved was the location of the treasure map. It was unrealistic definitely but a cool concept. While I did not get a strong feel for Ghana, I did get a through description of Gloucester, England, that city was one I could imagine as well as the hamlet of Syde (which might be fictional?). Since the story was all about Zac and his thoughts, the emotional intensity of the story was there. I was terrified for Zac, it would be very scary not being able to trust anyone because your life depends on it. He goes through a lot for a sixteen year old (seeing his grandfather murdered before his eyes, community home, court apperances) and I could literally taste the fear sometimes especially when he was in Ghana. I don't want to give too much away but Zac goes to Ghana on the ruse of doing community service and the place he ends up at would scare me to death. I was amazed that he kept it together. There was another quote that really resonated with me, "He [Pops] had a way of telling things; his voice pulled you into that mysterious place where the past burnt brighter than any pale present, and you hungered to be there, where 'brave deeds and terrible sacrifices' made life worth living" (pg. 60).I can totally relate to that, wanting to be swept up in a cause that's bigger than yourself, that you believe in so passionately (ending slavery, women's suffrage, civil rights). I think my (American) generation is looking for our 'big' cause but maybe that's a lot of 'little' causes (although I think it might be immigration).

The Door of No Return is not a peachy keen read which I appreciated, there are some really dark moments. I did not appreciate Zac's sloppy narration because while I liked how random it could be (after all I think most teenagers' thoughts are pretty random), the slang and his dramatics annoyed me. I really didn't like how Zac didn't interact much with other characters, basically the author used them for what they could give Zac (or hurt him for) and then disregarded them, bringing them up again when convenient. Certain parts of the story were well done such as the descriptions of Gloucester (not that I've been there), Black life in Gloucester, and the treasure map along with the story behind the treasure. At the same time, the pacing is incredibly uneven (fast moving-sloooowwwwwww-fastfast) and I wasn't completely satisfied with how convenient the mystery was solved. Ultimately it worked out that I ended up waiting two years to read this book, I didn't miss out on much.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main characters of this book were Ashley, Raphael,and Zac. Ashley was Zac’s friend who he met when they were going through orphanages. Raphael was a long time friend that Zac knew from his childhood. The story is about Zac being the last living descendant of an African prince. The prince was sold into slavery but when the people who were loyal to the prince paid ransom to Great Britain they just took the money and ran leaving the prince to die. Now Zac is living proof that the British broke a promise of setting the prince free. Now the British spies are hunting Zac down so they won’t be found out about their lie about stealing the gold that the prince gave them. Zac has to go all the way to where everything started in a large slave base and pass through the door of no return to get the missing gold. So then he can pay back all the losses that the British have caused. “I turned. No. It was not the heavens. It was not the earth aflame. It was the guns of the English. They were firing upon me and my brothers!” (p. 197) This shows how the British betrayed the prince and took the gold for themselves.
The moral behind this book is “no matter what don’t give up in what you believe is right”. “Here I was, the last true descendant of King Baktu, about to step back through the door of no return.” (p.339) This is showing that after all this time Zac finally accomplished all of his goals. I think the author did a very good job with this book because when I was reading it I could not put it down. While reading this book I learned that if you lie about something it will eventually come back and be found out and cause more damage than just telling the truth. I believe anyone who likes a good story and likes reading should pick up this book because it is a suspenseful story that keeps you guessing why things are happening.
I give this book 5/5 stars because it achieves everything that you would want in a book, like suspense, emotion, and a happy ending. I like history so the history in this book is enjoyable and interesting to me.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

16-year-old Zac Baxter has never really believed his grandfather's claim that they are descended from African royalty illegally forced into slavery by the British and that they own a treasure hidden in Ghana. But when his grandfather is murdered and everything except the carpet is stolen from their apartment, Zac begins to wonder. Add to this the fact that everyone now seems out to get Zac, and things start to seem suspicious. It is downright scary at parts; Zac is now an orphan with no one to turn to, and is being followed everywhere and implicated for crimes he didn't commit. And the worst bit is that it is impossible to figure out who to trust, first because anyone could be involved in the conspiracy, and second because people Zac tells suddenly become targets as well. The conspiracy goes all the way up to members of the government, because if Zac can find proof of his grandfather's claim, he and many other descendants of African slaves will have a case against the British government (and the gov't certainly doesn't want that!) So Zac has to find a few friends he can trust and find the treasure and the documentation before his pursuers do. (The only bit I had trouble understanding was the occasional slang, but I am not British, Black, or a teenage boy, so I guess that is to be expected.)This novel was amazing and believable and frightening and enjoyable. Recommended!

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating historical plot with fast-paced action adventure. Zac is a 16-year-old African-British kid who doesn’t believe his grandfather’s stories. But when Pops is murdered in the street, Zac is thrown into a world of secrets which cover a shocking and long-hidden past.

Zac learns he is the descendent of a Cormantin Prince captured as a slave in 1700. This broke a bond and ransom exchanged between the British and the Cormantin King, something for which Zac could sue the British Government, and which, therefore, the British police are desperate to conceal. Zac must avoid sinister figures who lurk in the shadows.

The first-person narrative offers us the random thoughts of an adolescent mind which tends to exaggerate or underestimate danger. But this perspective allows us to empathise with an otherwise long-distant historical tale. The language is not sophisticated but is relatively refined and, thankfully, often implies without saying. We learn of the brutality of slavery, but descriptions are not gratuitous. Sadly, Christianity only turns up as a false cover for the baddies, but at least the guise is easy to see through.

And evil doesn’t win: a harrowing past with cowardly and selfish people is transformed through courage and friendship into a heroic and ultimately successful struggle.

[Anthonytaylorganglacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really good. It was about this boy name zac and on day him and his grandpa where on there way to a group meeting and his graFndpa was attacked and they stole his poems and diarys. On the way to the hospital he ends up dying. So zacs grandpa had a bunch of stuff about a lost king and he was related to him. So he was out to get the gold that the lost king had lost. His Uncle Fedelis was out to try to steal the map and the diaries that told you where to go so that he can have the gold. Zac gets adopted and after that people where trying to set him up and one day somebody tried to attack zak and put a cell phone in his pocket and when he got home the cops where waiting on zac. He went to the gloucester jouvenile jail. Soon after that he was visiting his grandpas grave and soon after that someone dug him up, and the cops came to zac and arrested him for vandalism. After that they sentenced zac to 180 hrs of community service in a town in africa. When he got there he was steadily trying to find the lost treasures of his ancestor. And if you wanna know if he found it or not you gotta read the door of no return.

[Annie Oosterwyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific middle grade interweaving of historical fiction and thriller. Zach is descended from a Ghanaian prince who was betrayed by his brother and enslaved by the British. Bartolomeu Dias (yes, the explorer) tries unsuccessfully to ransom the young prince. 300 years later, Zach is caught in a governmental cover-up of a broken treaty that could lead to a lawsuit and political embarassment for those in power. He has some of the pieces of the puzzle he needs to solve the mystery and find the ransom treasure, but who can he trust?
This would be a good book to use with a history unit for exploration and slavery or to generate discussion about reparations for enslaved peoples.

[Xaviera · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book with very good tension and mystery. I like how determined Zac is to honor his grandpas wishes of funding the gold.I also like how he keeps going even though nothing is going his way. A thing I didn’t like was how it changed or skipped time after every chapter because that threw me off sometimes.

[Mesphina Kudowor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating

[Shaylin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good book I definitely recommend it.

[Fern · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sarah mussi’s The Door of No Return is an adventure novel with a decent storyline and characters.In this book a boy named zac baxter is getting targeted by a government group for his belongings and to kill him. His grandpa is killed but gives zac a final mission, to retrieve the gold of the Baktus in ghana. Zac goes off on this mission but finds many obstacles in his way. I would recommend it to another person because of how the story unfolds. One thing that I find interesting in the book is what the author does to try and paint an image for it’s readers to see while reading the book. Like the little details that is put in between actions or phrasings. Another thing i find that adds more detail is how the tone of the setting is set, which changes depending on the use of words during a scenario. The author takes time during each scene playing out the events while keeping certain emotions going throughout the story. Another thing that I found is the character placements in the story. Each character has their role and their appearances in the story can benefit their spots as protagonists or antagonists. Like the CIA members attacking zac and framing him of multiple crimes without directly showing their identities or purpose.Throughout half of the story the main character just being set up, getting to the rising action part of the plot. And then reaching its climax at a point in the book where it seems appropriate. And from there on the plot slowly follows with the falling action but not at once as the main characters soon progress towards the finale of the story. I think that anyone that likes a book with mystery and adventure would like this book and would find it interesting.

[Maya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Omfg, I read this my freshman year of highschool (age 14) & I am now 26 (almost my birthday is tomorrow) & I remember how bad it was!!! It was in English class we got assigned to do like form a group & agree on a book & read it as a group & do the review for the class.

The book really does entice you to read it, I mean a secret map carved on to skin to preserve a treasure from the pre colonial days in Ghana!!!! Plus the fact that Ghana also does have a very famous “door of no return” that many of the East African slaves were forced to walk thru.
Unfortunately, she bungles up the story. No joke, probably 40 or 50% of the book is her describing the most boring car ride of this young man actual reaching his destination to start looking for the treasure.
And it’s all down hill from there. The ending 30% of the book is written as if she had spent like Tolkien level of detail on the first part & then realized oh shit it’s due tomorrow!!!! & the action bits of the book were as disappointing as szn 8 of Game Of Thrones.

I do not recommend.

[Madison Rathbun · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give this book a ⅖ stars. This book wasn’t really a good one because it seemed too jumpy. Each chapter skipped around a lot, so it got confusing when I was trying to follow it because the chapter wasn't straightforward and on one topic, it was on multiple instead. The story was about a boy named Zac Baxter and how he lived in Ghana. I wish the author didn’t skip around so much, and stayed on one topic multiple chapters. 80 pages in I was already bored and was forced to read the rest. Usually I don’t have to force myself to finish a book but I had to for this. I would recommend this for someone that likes mystery, and a book that gets boring after 80 or so pages. To actually understand the book you have to closely read and have some background about slavery. The ending takes about slavery and historical moments, so if you don’t have any background, you won’t understand. If the plot was more enjoyable then I would of maybe gave it a ⅗ stars or a ⅘ stars.

[Nate Pegas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Door Of No Return is a book with a decent plot but an
odd execution. It is about a boy who loses his father and his
father passes down a secret about how his family was related
to an old king. Throughout the story the main character goes
down a path to find the lost gold his ancestors lost. The plot is
pretty basic but it kept flip flopping back and forth and going
off of useless evidence. This book was a decent read but I
wished the plot and pacing was fixed.

[Cortney Mere · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a really great idea for a story, but it wasn’t told very well. It didn’t feel believable. That was the worst part. I also had trouble connecting to the characters. I think this might have had to do with the fact that it was told in the past tense making the action feel removed. That being said, I’ve had a student or two read this book and like it. So maybe others will like it as well.

[Betty B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book and the way it ended.
However the writing and plot were simple and straightforward. There are probably people out there that love that type of book, but that is not the way it is for me.

[Dragonslayer Ornstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Any book a teacher forces a class to read will always be terrible, there is no exception. Even if it's a great book, It. Will. Be. Ruined

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT! I love so much about this book. Great story, great characters, funny, sad, infuriating, thrilling, and educational.

[Janaye Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential historically. It contains very real and important content. Unfortunately, it just drug on for both me and my 75+ seventh graders.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a unique story with mystery, suspense, and good characters but from the beginning of the book, I had to force myself to keep reading (anytime I "force myself" that means a two-star book). I also did a bit of "scan reading"--skimming through parts of the book to get to other parts. These are always signs that I will rate the book more in the two-star range. Despite this, I kept reading because I wanted to know how the story turned out but I had a couple of issues with the story.

First, for about the first third of the book, maybe more, I kept thinking the story was going to break into a completely different story than I thought I was reading. In the descriptions of the people shadowing and attacking Zac, something made me think of the paranormal--that aliens were behind all the problems Zac was facing. I kept bracing myself for it and it never came.

Second, and probably the biggest hurdle to happy reading came because I am law-trained (albeit not in the law of England or of Ghana). I just did not buy the whole law suit angle--the whole bond and remuneration angle. It seemed so contrived to me.

Normally things like forcing myself to read, scan reading, and having the book be other than I expected would mean a flat two-star rating. However, I felt like there were good things about this book (mystery, suspense, good characters), and so I gave it three stars.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compensation for all Black people in England that were part of King Baktu’s tribe. That is what Pop’s wanted. He wanted it so much that the government killed him for it. Zac Baxter is descended from a line of African Kings. From the youngest son of King Baktu, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Two things have been passed down from that day the prince was kidnapped. Tribal tattoos given at the age of 7 and the journals of those family members that go all the way back to the kidnapped prince (written in Portuguese). When his grandfather (pops) dies the government is out to stop Zac from discovering the truth that Pops was trying to uncover. Zac has to find the Gold and the document that could put a stop to all the death by the governments hands before he ends up next to pops in the cemetery. Who can he trust? Will he make it to Africa and find the hidden gold?

FANTASTIC! This mystery kept me on my seat.

[Eric Lele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Zac Baxter. His father is a man who believes that he and Zac are descendants of African kings, and their are diaries that Mr. Baxter wants to show Zac. Before he gets a chance to do so, though, he gets mugged and is killed. Now, with no one to take care of him, Zac gets shipped off to a family who is willing to take up Zac into their arms. Little does Zac know that the stories of him being a descendant is true, but there is much more to it than that. There are people of the British government trying to take the treasure that was rightfully inherited by Zac, but it is hidden.
I really like this book because it is humorous and full of descriptive details that capture your interest. This book would be best suited for those who like action, suspense, and/or mystery.

[Lonna Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zac Baxter has tribal scars on his back, and his grandfather tells him he is the descendant of a line of kings in Ghana, West Africa. Not only that, but written 300 years ago, a secret diary reveals the British reneged on a bond to free his ancestor, an enslaved young prince, killing his family despite a massive gold dust ransom paid. When his "Pops" is murdered on their Gloucester, Britain street & Zac is framed, betrayed, and sent to Africa to do "community service" in a Ghanian leprosarium, Zac suspects a government cover-up. Missing gold treasure can change anyone, and history appears to repeat itself through Zac's sufferings. A riveting adventure story about long-standing racial conflict & colonialism, this audio book, read by Dominic Hoffman, will keep you in suspense. It will also make you examine greed and the legal conscience of slave descendents' compensation.

[Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This okay, but Might-Have-Been-Terrific, novel about a contemporary teen's investigation into the slave trade in Ghana depends too much on a cell phone--a main character in this book. If you can believe that Zac can easily text London from the dungeons of an isolated leper colony in Ghana any time he wants, or that he's not smart enough to guess why he came by the cell phone or why the bad guys continually let him keep it (I didn't-he's smart), then you're a more patient reader than I am. Or maybe you have a better mobile phone. I can't even get my cell to work consistently in nearby Burlington or from the lower (concrete) level of the Dean Smith Center. Otherwise a fascinating subject, good characters, though flabby at the end.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, I wasn't sure what to expect from The Door of No Return. I knew the barest of details and perhaps that's best. It didn't spoil anything for me and it kept it interesting.

Zac's Pops gets murdered for the secret of his family's hidden gold in Ghana. Orphaned, he goes to a foster home of a family that loves him only to be arrested for something he didn't do. Events snowball and the next thing he knows, he's being sent to Ghana. Which is where he wasnts to be to solve the mystery of his family's gold.

It was incredibly interesting, especially once he gets to Ghana. There's a wide range of characters you can never tell if you can trust or not. I was beginning to be as paranoid as Zac.

I seriously recommend this book to everyone!

[Ashley N · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that I read was The Door of no Return by Sarah Mussi. The Door of no Return is about a boy named, Zac Baxter is the last descendant of African Kings from Ghana. His grandpa has been telling Zac that their treasure was lost when they were sold into slavery. At first Zac didn’t believe him but when his grandfather was murdered he told Zac that he had the map to the treasure and he had to finish the search for it. His grandpa’s dying words sent Zac on a mad journey to Ghana to find the lost treasure. While looking for the treasure, with no one to trust, and has no idea where the treasure is, this should be impossible, right? You will have to read and find out what happens to Zac when he is in Ghana with the murders always a step ahead of him.

[Reita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought of the British government dealing in slaves. I always think of our slavery here in the USA. But this is the story of a boy who is decended from a King in Ghana. He is looking for clues to find the chest of gold dust that his ancestor hid. But the British govt. doesn't want it found. If it is found with the treaty that declared the Ghanians safe from slavery, they may have to compensate the decendants of those slaves. Intrigue, murder, friendship, and twists make this a good story.

[mbbnda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zac lives with his grandfather. His grandfather tells him tales about being a descendant of an African king. The king was kidnapped into slavery from the slave castle in Ghana. A ransom of gold dust was paid for his return along with an agreement with the government to stop the slave trade. Zac's grandfather is murdered. Is it because of what he knows about the gold? Is Zac next because of what he might know about the gold and the bond? Find out how Zac ends up in Ghana with the map to the treasure.