by Stuart Gibbs
Part of Spy School, book 14
First published 2026
Ben Ripley faces his most distant mission yet when the entire Hale family vanishes during a covert operation in China. The experienced adult operatives have gone silent, leaving no trace of their whereabouts or the nature of their assignment. Ben and his classmates from spy school must cross continents to uncover what happened to their missing colleagues. Their investigation pulls them into a conspiracy that spans China's most iconic locations. They navigate the towering cityscape of Shanghai, scale the ancient fortifications of the Great Wall, and venture into the harsh wilderness of the Gobi desert. Each location brings new dangers and deeper mysteries about the fate of the Hale family. Ben discovers that saving his fellow spies will require more than his usual cleverness and luck. The fourteenth adventure in Stuart Gibbs's bestselling series tests Ben's abilities against unfamiliar terrain and unknown enemies, where the stakes involve not just completing a mission but rescuing the people who taught him everything about being a spy.
Genres: adventure, mystery, action, espionage
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: China, Gobi Desert, Great Wall, Shanghai
Period: 21st-century
320 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers