Every Second Counts

by Sophie McKenzie

Overview

Charlie and Nat must expose a public official for who he truly is before he is elected prime minister in the riveting and romantic sequel to the explosive thriller, In a Split Second.

Nat and Charlie are on the run and in more danger than ever before. Nowhere is safe and they can’t trust anyone but each other. Roman Riley’s networks could discover them at any time, so Charlie believes their only option is to go undercover in Riley’s team, but Nat doesn’t agree. So Charlie sneaks away to pursue her plan alone. Nat is desperate to find Charlie, but his family is relying on him, and he can’t leave them behind. Even if Nat and Charlie can find each other again, could being together be even more dangerous than being apart?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534463134
Publisher:	Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/22/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Sophie McKenzie was born and brought up in London, where she still lives with her teenage son. She has worked as a journalist and a magazine editor, and now writes full time. She has tallied up numerous award wins and has twice been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—For those who enjoy their political thrillers with a dash of romance, there is this companion to In a Split Second (S. & S., 2015). The first book followed the dual perspectives of Charlie and Nat, two teens whose lives are forever changed by a bombing in a busy London marketplace. The teens join together to try and determine the identity of the person or persons responsible for the attack. This entry opens with Charlie and Nat on the run since the evil Roman Riley, who might win the election for the next prime minister, has framed them for terrorism. Can they prove their innocence while stopping Riley from obtaining even more power?

School Library Journal

2015-12-08
Two teens framed as terrorists need to save England from a terrorist attack and political takeover. Charlie and Nat have been on the run since they were tricked into aiding a kidnapping and bombing (In a Split Second, 2015). Charlie, furious after the attack that killed her mother and left Nat's older brother in a coma, tried to do good by training as a soldier for the vigilante English Freedom Army. Nat and Charlie were told the EFA existed to fight terrorists like the racist League of Iron, but it turns out they were terrorists, fomenting chaos to support the political aspirations of charismatic politician Roman Riley. Now the teens, distracted by both their romance and Charlie's family secrets, must stop Riley from creating a far worse atrocity. Their single-minded focus on each other even as they learn of potentially horrific casualties can be read as either romantic or utterly lacking in empathy, but at least they prioritize the mission. Chapters that alternate their perspectives, most only about three pages, maintain endless urgency in the style of the television series 24. Though some lulls might have improved the flow, the nonstop action distracts from plot holes and flat secondary characters. U.S. readers may be bemused at the U.K. revolutionaries' discussions of bombings but shock at the use of guns. This breathless political thriller isn't always coherent, but it keeps the adrenaline pumping. (Thriller. 13-15)

Kirkus Reviews