Chase Books in Order

The Chase books are fast, kid-friendly thrillers that imagine what would happen if a lonely twelve-year-old boy teamed up with a secret-agent dog on the run from the people who built him.

Chipper is not an ordinary mutt. He is the product of a top-secret program at a shadowy organization known only as the Institute, where scientists have turned him into a cyber-enhanced spy dog packed with surveillance tech. For years he has known nothing but labs and training rooms. When the experiment is deemed a failure, the plan is to quietly dispose of him. Chipper has other ideas.

Across the state, Jeff Conway is working at his aunt’s run-down lakeside cabins, still grieving the loss of his parents and missing the dog he had to give up. Jeff is smart, stubborn, and stuck, with no real sense that his life could change. That changes the day Chipper escapes the Institute and crosses his path.

In Chase, their worlds collide. Jeff quickly realizes that the strange dog who seems to understand everything is being hunted by ruthless agents with unlimited resources. Protecting Chipper means running, hiding, and figuring out who to trust in a world where adults are as likely to be enemies as allies.

Escape picks up the story with Jeff and Chipper still on the move. The Institute is closing in, its leaders more determined than ever to retrieve or eliminate their rogue creation. The sequel keeps the action brisk – secret facilities, high-tech gadgets, and narrow getaways – while developing the bond between boy and dog and the question of what it means to be free when you were literally built to be controlled.

Throughout the series, Barclay brings the pacing and cliff-hanger chapters of his adult thrillers to a younger audience, but keeps the violence and language age-appropriate. The focus stays on courage, loyalty, and using your wits when the adults in charge cannot be trusted. It is a good fit for confident middle-grade readers who enjoy adventure, science-fiction elements, and, of course, heroic dogs.