Review: Double crossed
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
New York's charity balls mean boredom for Macey, daughter of a senator. At the latest one however, while she's staving off tedium by putting her security training to work, she spots an unknown young man pickpocketing the Mayor. Intrigued, she follows him and learns that he's also wealthy.... so why did he steal a cellphone?DOUBLE CROSSED is in the 'Spies and Thieves' series about teenagers with special security training. The charity ball is crashed by gunmen who herd the dancers together and force them to surrender their phones and portable wealth. Macey and her curious new acquaintance Hale watch - but Hale is in secret communication with someone outside, Kat. Managing to leave the hostages, the pair hurry down empty corridors and eavesdrop on a few of the terrorists who aim to bypass an apartment security system. Kat has been used in the thieving game many times in her fifteen years, and when Macey's security teacher makes contact with her they swap information. Mrs. Calloway's yellow diamond is the main target, and the intruders don't care that blowing the safe open will rupture gas lines and endanger everyone.The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a school in which genius girls are allowed to develop unusual talents and encouraged to work to good purpose. With lessons in advanced encryption and fourteen languages, the girls are being pushed towards being spies. I did think that Macey could do with a lesson in staying unnoticed, as she shows off both verbally and physically to an unknown young man the minute she meets him. But it is hard for teenagers not to demonstrate their abilities. Certainly it's extremely positive to see young adult books in which intelligence and learning self-defence are supported, not just field sporting ability or beauty enhancements.