by Stuart Gibbs
Part of Spy School, book 8
First published 2020
Ben Ripley thinks his worst problems are behind him. SPYDER has fallen, and spy school life might finally settle into something resembling normal. Then a bomb explodes in the CIA conference room next door. The attacker turns out to be Erica Hale, the most skilled spy trainee Ben knows and the person he trusts most. Now the agency wants Ben to investigate whether Erica has turned double agent against the United States. Ben refuses to believe it, but the evidence keeps mounting. His new mission requires him to track down the Croatoan, a shadowy organization so secret that only Revolutionary War documents prove it ever existed. This colonial insurgent group has somehow survived centuries in hiding and now holds leverage over Erica. Ben must uncover their modern conspiracy while navigating the most dangerous obstacle he has ever faced. His own friends and classmates have turned against him. Every ally becomes a potential enemy when Ben cannot determine who deserves his trust.
Genres: adventure, mystery, thriller, action, espionage
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: CIA, United States
Period: Contemporary
342 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers