Recommended Book: Ally Carter’s All Spies and Thieves Story

It’s weekend again and one more week before I’m going on leave for two weeks. Yay, let’s count down.

However, before that what you are going to read this weekend? Hmm… my suggestion is Ally Carter’s.

I always love reading books about espionage, world-class criminal and thief, detective and similar to that. I fall in love to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes since Study in Scarlet and then all Robert Ludlum’s Bourne, Dan Brown’s though my favorite is Digital Fortress instead of The Da Vinci Code, and recently I’ve been reading Stieg Larson’s and I love it because it combines the power of a journalist and a genius hacker since hacking always becomes my interest.

So why Ally Carter’s? I know, you will think that Carter is much more like Cabot instead of Brown. It’s true but sometimes you need to relax your head. Reading Larson’s is thrilling and you really need good brain to read Brown and good memory to read Ludlum and specific interest to basic sleuthing to read Sherlock Holmes because the setting of time taken when DNA is still out of reach. That’s why if you want to refresh your head after a busy week; well at least here (Indonesia) is busy week because next week is holiday season for Idul Fitri. That’s why instead of reading heavy and thicky book, I suggest Ally Carter’s is the best.

Funny story; when the first time I know about Ally Carter I was in a bookstore in Jogja looking for M.G.Harris’ Ice Shock (The Second book of Joshua’s File series after Invisible City), and the book is there with the word “Spy” attracted my attention. So, I pull out Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy from the shelf and in instant I was charmed with the cover; I think the cover is cute even the Indonesia version without knowing that it is actually the second book. Honestly, I haven’t read the first book  until now (I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You) but I will soon because I’ve ordered the book from Periplus.com yesterday. However, I’ve read the rest of the series except for United We Spy, which hasn’t been published yet.

Gallagher Girls Series

Why I suggest her book is because the plot is very interesting. Let’s start with one of her series The Gallagher Girls; so far there are six books for this series though the last book, United We Spy, hasn’t come out yet.
Here the list of the series:
I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You (2006)
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (2007)
Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover (2009)
Only the Good Spy Young(2010)
Out of Sight, Out of Time (2012)
United We Spy (2013)

So, what Gallagher Girl series is about? It is about a school for girls. Well, from outside, you will see Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Woman as a regular private school for girl but if you enter the school you will see that they are not like any regular girls (read: normal girl); because they are not learning about knitting or table manner but they are trained as spies. In other words, once you leave that school your career choice is not working in Google or being the apprentice of Donald Trump but whether you prefer being the part of CIA or MI6 (if you’re British of course).

The main character in Gallagher Girls is Cameron “Cammie” Ann Morgan; Cammie is a fifteen years old teenager and the only daughter of Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Woman’s headmistress. Her codename is “Chameleon” because she is really good in being invisible and disappear is her specialty. Cammie has three best friends; they are Rebecca “Bex” Baxter; a daughter of MI6’s active agents and her codename is The Duchess, and then Elizabeth “Liz” Sutton; she’s clumsy for a spy but her brain is unbelievable that’s why her codename is Bookworm, the last but not least is Macey McHenry; she is the newest member with codename Peacock; beside being a descendent of the founder, Macey is also a daughter of famous senator and her mother owns a cosmetic company.

Well, unlike the others serious espionage novels, Gallagher Girls offers you a fresh story about a group of young spies who is not only care about their mission but also about how their hair look for the next class and which boy they should date this weekend. Definitely recommended to read.

Heist Society Series
The second series from Ally Carter you should read is Heist Society series.

This series has three books, though I’m not sure whether Ally Carter will continue the series or not, but there is one mysterious character in that series ‘Visily Romani’ is still mysterious up to the last series, so I guess there is more for the series; fingers crossed.

Here the list of the series:
Heist Society (2010)
Uncommon Criminals (2011)
Perfect Scoundrels (2013)

I just finished reading Perfect Scoundrels last night that’s why I’m really exciting to write about Ally Carter and her books.

So, what is the different of Heist Society series and Gallagher Girls series? Well, if fifteen years old Cameron “Cammie” Ann Morgan is a professional spy, fifteen years old Katarina Bishop is a professional thief. Her interest is in artistic stuff from famous painting up to valuable artifact. She becomes a thief is simply because it is family business. Her father is Bobby Bishop is the number one Interpol’s most wanted guy and her uncle Eddie is the thief master who ever live. Just like Cammie and her best friends, Kat has some people who always work with her; like her stunning cousin Gabrielle who always takes role as distractor because of her stunning look, the Bagshaw brothers Angus and Hamish who really good in explosive stuff, Simon the computer guy and his advance hacking ability, and the last but not least, the sixteen year old billionaire W.W.Hale the fifth who has private jet and private butler who always ready to transport them as long as they are still on earth. So, what is the role of Katarina Bishop? Well, she is the brain and the planner of the operation.

Actually there is one more character who occasionally helps Kat because he has connection in Interpol since his mother is an Interpol Liaison to the EU; he is Nick Bennett. One more thing, I don’t know, it’s actually just a thought you know, when it comes to Nick’s mother who always eager to catch Bobby Bishop, I guess one day there will be something between them. Well, once again, I just don’t know, it’s just a thought.

Moreover, according to Wikipedia (though I still need do more research) Heist Society will be brought to motion picture with Drew Barrymore will takes place as a producer along with Warner Bros. Well, my life is getting better and better.

A Spies and Thieves Story
Well, those are two series you should read from Ally Carter but there is one more a must read book from Ally Carter you should know; it is a book entitled Double-Crossed which also well known as A Spies and Thieves Story. Why this book is special? Because this book combines two characters from Gallagher Girls and Heist Society; Macey McHenry and W.W.Hale the fifth. Yeah, I also finished reading the book last night, so it is true that I read two books in a row yesterday. Both Macey and W.W.Hale the fifth are two teenagers who occasionally attend boring party hosted by Upper East Side family type (read: ultra-rich family). Unluckily for them or perhaps for the party crashers because both of them are in that party, there is a person who intended to steal Calloway Canary. So, there they are to stop the robbery,  with the help of Special Agent Abby Cameron; Macey’s private bodyguard and Cammie’s favorite aunt and of course Katarina Bishop; W.W.Hale the fifth’s reason why he’s not flirting with Macey McHenry. I personally cannot wait for the next Spies and Thieves Story, if any.

So, now you have a very long list of book to read this weekend.

Happy Reading

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