“The loss of her husband had had a profound effect on Angeline Fowl.”

From Eion Colfer’s Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident.

Young Artemis Fowl is still the brilliant criminal mastermind that he’s always been, but when he finds out that his missing father is being held by the Russian Mafia, Artemis focuses all his energy on finding a way to fund his father’s release. After finding and blackmailing the secret underground world of fairies, goblins, and other magical creatures, Artemis would have learned how untrusting the magical world is of him, but he has nowhere else to turn with the current state of his family’s financials. With the help of his faithful bodyguard (Butler), Artemis tries to convince fairy police captain Holly Short to assist him, but she is initially focused only on connecting him to human contraband that is being sold on the fairy black market. Artemis and Butler are cleared with help from centaur technology developer (Foaly), but then Holly’s boss (Julius Root) asks Artemis for help in finding the real human supplier. While their joint investigation takes them across the globe, Holly and Artemis must learn to trust each other when Foaly and the rest of Haven is threatened by the evil pixie Opal Koboi and they (and the dwarf thief Mulch) are the only ones with any chance of stopping Opal… and maybe saving Artemis’ father.

The second book in Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series is a solid addition to the series with action, magic, and mystery that easily carries the reader through the story.  The characters, both human and mythical, and likable and constantly-developing; this book does an especially good job of helping the reader connect with the snobby title character.  Readers will finish The Arctic Incident excited not only for the adventure they have just finished, but also for the books to come in the series.