Missing by Gabrielle Lord
Conspiracy 365: Black ops. Scholastic, 2013 ISBN 9781742835181.
Having a holographic cover depicting a teen landing a parasail in an
electrical storm, this book will appeal to young adolescents from
the moment they see it on the shelf. Another quirky element is page
numbers which run backwards, giving a tense countdown towards the
conclusion .
As book one of the Black ops trilogy, this book tends to assume a
lot of prior knowledge from the popular Conspiracy 365 series, in
terms of knowing the background and prior exploits of the
characters. The first few pages are clumsy, yet readers unfamiliar
with the previous works will quickly accept the framework and move
with the story which delivers action and adventure in abundance.
Callum Ormond is recruited by Benedict Bellamy, head of security
agency SI6 to investigate the disappearance of youths on Shadow
Island, a resort set up to give troubled teens a chance to rest and
recuperate before re-joining society. Whilst Callum has been charged
with discovering the whereabouts of a girl known to SI6, by
coincidence, his twin brother Ryan appears to have been taken to the
island too.
Callum is parachuted on to the island in secret where he commences
hidden surveillance and whilst he is initially puzzled by the
peculiar controls and intense security measures applied by those
running the 'resort', he gradually unravels the mystery.
The author effectively maintains a sense of tension and excitement
as teenagers struggle to outwit those controlling the island. The
characters have to evade capture and break into secure zones,
however there are no concepts or events which would be inappropriate
for a twelve year old to read. Violence does not feature beyond
scuffles and restraint, usually in testing and training.
Young adolescents, particularly boys will enjoy this story which
emphasises the value of intelligence, technology, physical fitness
and good friendships. A strong female character is also central to
the narrative.
My only criticism is that the novel concludes abruptly, without any
resolution to the story and with the clear implication that readers
will have to access the next book in the series which presumably
will finish the same way. The current trend in writing an overall
series rather than novels within a series probably engages many
readers, however I personally find this disappointing and unappealing.
Rob Welsh