Double You

August 15, 2014
Seventeen-year-old Adam travels to Jamaica, home of legendary James Bond author Ian Fleming, to investigate a real-life spy mystery involving his grandfather. After finding a cache of incriminating objects hidden in their grandfather's cabin, Adam and his six cousins divvy up the task of following the mysterious leads. Adam, armed with an envelope with a Jamaican return address and a Walther PPK pistol, visits a man who he initially is convinced is his grandfather raised from the dead. But the doppelganger, who insists everyone call him Mr. Know, wants Adam dead. Following classic James Bond tradition, the villain has Adam locked in a steel room with walls that literally start closing in on him. Thankfully, Mr. Know's beautiful ward, Angel, helps him escape. The two begin a wild chase for the truth while attempting to evade the ruthless killers. Posh hotels, buried treasure, dangerous secrets and uncertain alliances all add up to a rip-roaring mystery. Adam, who fancies himself something of a Daniel Craig Bond, is both a dangerous opponent and a conflicted hero. While this fast-paced romantic mystery is a volume in a seven-piece set, it clearly shines in its own right. A romantic spy thriller with a heart. (Mystery. 10-14)

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September 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-This unusual series features seven books that are connected but can stand alone as individual adventures. Building upon a plot line first laid out in the "Seven" series (Orca, 2012), each entry follows one of David McLean's seven grandsons as he embarks on a dangerous mission in a far flung locale, as per instructions in Grandpa McLean's oddball will. In From the Dead, Rennie is tasked with finding out if their dear grandfather was a Nazi supporter and sympathizer. In Double You, Adam discovers that Grandpa hid a loaded pistol and sets out to prove that the old man was not a traitorous spy. Bunny is kidnapped in The Wolf and Me, and his captors are fixated on what he might know about his deceased granddad. Coda features Spencer, Bunny's brother, on a race to save his sibling. Steve's vacation is nearly ruined when Grandpa McLean's legacy implicates him in an international spy ring. This thrill-a-minute series will hook reluctant readers as well as fans of James Bond and Jason Bourne. (Ed. note: Read the full review of Tin Soldier [the first book in this series], p. 140.)

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