Goldstrike: A Thriller

by Matt Whyman

Overview

Teenage computer hacker Carl Hobbes may have managed to break out of Camp Twilight, the most secure military prison in the northern hemisphere, in Icecore, but the troubles are not over for him in this high-octane sequel. Carl has managed to stay a step ahead of the CIA with Beth, his mysterious and reluctant partner in crime. However, the CIA inches closer with each passing day, and with a no-holds-barred assassin (or two) following their trail, Carl and Beth had better learn to run even faster.

Back in his home turf of London, Carl takes a job as night guard of a high security warehouse housing priceless artifacts and jewels. To Carl, however, the most valuable item housed in the facility is Cleopatra, state-of-the-art super computer extraordinaire. Carl knows if it protects the most priceless works of art, it can certainly protect two fugitives on the run. But is the machine strong enough to outwit both the CIA and Al-Qaeda?

Carl Hobbes is back an an even bigger, more fast-paced adventure from British superstar Matt Whyman. Basically 24 for teens, it's another book that should find a rabid audience with the same audience who made Anthony Horowitz and James Patterson's teen spy novels massive hits.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416995111
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	02/08/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	262
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Matt Whyman is a distinctive contemporary voice in children’s and adult writing. After graduating from the University of East Anglia’s MA in Creative Writing, Matt’s career as a writer has taken him from Agony Uncle columns (Bliss magazine and AOL) and teen self-help guides to the cutting edge of both adult and children’s fiction. His critically acclaimed young adult novel Boy Kills Man was short-listed for several awards, including the 2004 Teenage Book Prize, and praised by Melvin Burgess: ‘Bold, chilling and beautifully written’. It is currently in development as a feature film with the producers of the cult film Kidulthood. Matt is married with four children (and an enormous dog) and lives in West Sussex, England.

Editorial Reviews

In Whyman’s solid follow-up to Icecore, British hacker Carl Hobbes and American thief Beth Nelson are on the run from both the CIA and al-Qaeda, hiding off the grid in London. Hobbes hacks his way into a job at Sphinx Cargo, a security company with an advanced supercomputer named Cleopatra. His plan is to reprogram Cleopatra to regard Carl and Beth as cargo that needs to be protected, too. Even as Carl initiates his plan, the CIA and al-Qaeda track them to London, and an inevitable showdown looms. Whyman keeps the action moving at a brisk pace, but glosses over the relationship between Carl and Beth, leaving the tension between them feeling unnatural, even as it moves the plot forward. Although Cleopatra’s computing capabilities often border on science fiction, the action sequences are believable and often realistically brutal, and the climactic battle is intense and entertaining. Readers looking for a fast-moving thriller should be willing to overlook the flaws, and new readers will find enough exposition to jump right into the action. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Find galloping suspense and action here in the first sequel to Whyman's Icecore (2007), wherein falsely accused young British superhacker Carl Hobbes escaped from an arctic American prison camp for terrorists. Here, the Americans are still after him, but Carl still has those computer skills, too. The author manages to hold readers' interest even while setting up his new plot. Carl gets a job in a storage facility for ritzy items, run by a supercomputer. It's that computer that Carl wants to get his talented fingers on so he can continue to elude the CIA. They've set a brutal bounty hunter on his tail to bring him in, but, alas, so has al-Qaeda, and their sexy female assassin intends to kill him. All may be well if Carl's girlfriend Beth can restrain herself from selling the gold bullion she stole from Fort Knox, but can she? With a narrative pitched to action- and computer-oriented teens, this may well find a wide audience. Learn some hacking and enjoy explosions in this one. It almost seems realistic. (Thriller. YA)

Kirkus Reviews