Conspiracy 365 Black Ops #2: Hunted

Conspiracy 365 Black Ops #2: Hunted by Gabrielle Lord (Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN 978-1-74283-519-8
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Cal is still undercover on Shadow Island. Beneath the surface of this tropical paradise is a labyrinth of tunnels and caves, strange machinery, advanced robotic gadgets and many secrets to be unwrapped. Whatever Damian and his crew of teen leaders have planned for the world, it doesn’t look good.

Cal, Ryan and Sophie need to locate a group of captured runaways, free the prisoner on rock island and work out what is being planned for the elite teams of kids who have been trained inside the mountain. And they are running out of time. Even more pressing than the ninety-day deadline they seem to be working to, the volcano on the island is making some serious rumblings. Will Cal be able to get everyone off the island in time?

Written in short bites of time and action, Hunted is a book which keeps readers engaged, on the edge of their seat, and wanting more. Like the first in the series, Missing, the story ends on a heart-stopping cliffhanger.

But it is not only the action which will keep readers coming back for more. The plot is full of intrigue, riddles, codes and other puzzles to keep the mind racing along with the heart. It is lucky that the trilogy’s conclusion End Game, is not far behind.

Gabrielle Lord, an Australian author, is well known for her gripping adult crime novels. She has written 17 books in the Conspiracy 365 series for young adults.