In Whyman’s solid follow-up to Icecore
, British hacker Carl Hobbes and American thief Beth Nelson are on the run from both the CIA and al-Qaeda, hiding off the grid in London. Hobbes hacks his way into a job at Sphinx Cargo, a security company with an advanced supercomputer named Cleopatra. His plan is to reprogram Cleopatra to regard Carl and Beth as cargo that needs to be protected, too. Even as Carl initiates his plan, the CIA and al-Qaeda track them to London, and an inevitable showdown looms. Whyman keeps the action moving at a brisk pace, but glosses over the relationship between Carl and Beth, leaving the tension between them feeling unnatural, even as it moves the plot forward. Although Cleopatra’s computing capabilities often border on science fiction, the action sequences are believable and often realistically brutal, and the climactic battle is intense and entertaining. Readers looking for a fast-moving thriller should be willing to overlook the flaws, and new readers will find enough exposition to jump right into the action. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)
