Customer Reviews

March

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Red herrings or not? That's the thing--I don't know. Gabrielle Lord has plopped red herrings galore in the first three out of the 12 books in her series, "Conspiracy 365." You see, Callum Ormond is warned by a mysterious man on December 31 to hide the entire next year or he would die and maybe his family would die.

His dad is already dead. He died of a strange malady, leaving a set of mystifying drawings and a request to solve the Ormond Riddle. The problem is that he doesn't have the riddle. In "January" someone tries to kill him by sabotaging his sailboat, then his sister is beaten and left in a comma. Cal is blamed even though everyone knows how much he loves his sister.

Without intending to follow the mysterious man's advice and hide for 365 days, he is forced to do just that--well, at least I can say that it's now April (in my reading) and he moves from one hide-out to another. In each book he faces death in wildly unrealistic (yet possible) ways. In January he is dumped in an oil drum that is rapidly filling. In February he is mauled by a lion and almost run over by a train. In March he is bitten by a death adder. The boy is having one bad day after another. He's been kidnapped, lead astray, terrorized, and sought by private detectives, newspaper reporters, thugs, sumo wrestlers, random thieves, plus other awful things.

The worse part about hiding out is not being able to see his sister. Plus who is the dude who could be his very own twin? However, one great thing about his situation is the reliability of his best friend Boges, who brings him food, money, information, and most importantly, support and encouragement.

I've said enough now so I'll leave it at this: Those red herrings--or are they the real deal?--are really making me turn those pages! Who is helping Cal's enemies? Who really is the enemy? Or is there really an enemy? Are "plants" just innocent things or do they have potential roles in the stories? Who's involved in the conspiracy, or is there a conspiracy?

Gabrielle Lord has turned out a brilliant series intended for ages 10-16, depending on maturity as a reader. There is no profanity or sex--Cal is a sophomore in high school. The books lack detailed description and any kind of character development. Some of the plot is unrealistic. But what the series has is suspense, surprises, and secrets. Each book is a page-turner, although I found "March" the most evolved.

And, yeah, don't forget those red herrings. Or not red herrings.

Great series! The books are action packed & there are twists & turns throughout the book. They start with January but if you pick up a later book they do go over what has happened before the story begins. My 10 yr old son doesn't like to read but he started these & he is enjoying them. We are both reading them so I can talk to him about the story & that encourages him to keep reading. I'd recommend this series to others.

Okay, book three of the series. By now those who have read the first two know that to expect: suspense, mystery, betrayal, desperate situations, and cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, and that's why we're still reading. Cal's still on the run, of course, running into new characters and finding more information on the mysterious pictures his dad left to him. If you enjoyed the first two, you'll love this one as well. If you read the first two books, you're going to read this one; after all, you want to know what happens next right?

Review by R.C.; 16 yrs old, [...].