SURE FIRE
Jack Higgins, with Justin Richards
Speak/Penguin Young Readers Group
Thriller
Hardcover: 9780399247842
Paperback: 9780142412138
272 pages

A life can be changed in a split second. For 15-year-old twins Rich and Jade, the death of their mother in a tragic car accident has uncovered a surprising secret. On the day of her funeral, a professional-looking man named John Chance introduces himself and claims to be their father. The twins are skeptical about how much Chance is willing to be a family man and wonder if they ever will have a proper family again.

Shortly after moving into Chance’s flat, Rich and Jade discover --- as they predicted --- that Chance isn’t really ready to look after his children and seems quite content being a bachelor. He announces that he is sending them to separate boarding schools for at least one term. Rich (bookish and laid-back) and Jade (willful and health-conscious) are also taken aback by Chance’s living situation, his habits and his secretive manner when asked about his career. Nothing is what it seems, however, when the siblings witness their father being kidnapped after following him one evening.

As they try to determine where and for what reason their dad was taken, Rich and Jade learn that he has been involved in espionage, working undercover to figure out the plan of a Russian baron named Vishinsky and put a stop to his greed. However, the twins don’t know who to trust and may have been made the next target in the dangerous game that is rapidly unfolding around them.

SURE FIRE is the first young adult novel from bestselling author Jack Higgins, in collaboration with Justin Richards. Unfortunately, I figured out the prized item that was being sought after within the first few chapters, so I wasn’t at all surprised by the plot twist. However, I was glad that I continued reading the book, because even if a few of the bad guys’ personas seem a bit stereotypical, there are characters like Halford who are interesting and great action scenes, including a few explosions, along with some comedic moments.

Will there be another novel with the Chance family and their associates? I would like to think so. All in all, SURE FIRE is a quick read that will no doubt interest fans of thrillers and mysteries.

    --- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

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