Keeper Chance and the Conundrum of Chaos (Evil Villains International League) by Alex Evanovich; 2024. Hardcover. (Ch-FIC)

If you’ve ever lost a sock in the dryer, it might have been the work of the Evil Villains International League, EVIL. And if your feet smell so bad, they keep you from making friends, good news! You might be invited to join.

After growing up in the care of his nagging grandmother and coasting through school with a mediocre GPA, Keeper Chance gets invited to try out for a spot in his local chapter of EVIL. Keeper’s not sure his unremarkable life makes him villain material, but things get more remarkable, and fast, when Keeper and another new recruit, Toby, face the chapter’s first test—and disasters begin to snowball. As cookies and members of EVIL go missing, a mysterious girl named Y who doesn’t miss anything joins Keeper and Toby’s efforts.

Despite the urgency of his mission, Keeper still can’t shake the question of why he was chosen for the league when he’s nothing special. As Keeper races against the clock to save his new friends, nothing is easy, and nothing is ever as it seems. Can he uncover his true nature in time to ensure the survival of villainy—or does his true destiny follow a different path?