When Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.
As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe?
Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth..
Ally Carter brings her popular Gallagher Series to a whole new level of spying and excitement when Cammie Morgan almost gets kidnapped along with her roommate Macey McHenry as Macey's dad campaigns to be the next Vice President. Finding herself in real danger, Cammie knows it's not just a test being pulled by her teachers. When they get back to school, Cammie's Aunt Abby, who she hasn't seen for a long time, is there on duty as a Secret Service agent to protect Macey.
And yes, there are boys, including Zach, the spy who maybe loves Cammie...or maybe is out to get her. He appears at the most unlikely of times, but Cammie's sixth sense susses him out, even though she can't quite figure out what he's doing at rallies and on trains (and Carter never fully explains his mysterious presence, either). That he might be a good guy or a bad guy doesn't stop Cammie from thinking about him. Another potential romance is brewing between Macey and the possible future first son, yet the girls have much more to worry about as ancient Gallagher Girl secrets are unlocked, and proven to be very relevant in the here and now.
History comes to life, vividly and literally, in Carter's prose, and she once again manages to get a "girls can do anything, even foil dangerous kidnapping plots and rescue lost girls" message in while providing the same humor as she did in the first two novels. The level of danger is ratcheted up a notch here, and she leaves us guessing right to the end as to just how much damage has been done.
There's a wistfulness and maturity to Cammie here; she loves being a Gallagher Girl but also recognizes the limitations of it by seeing her mom and aunt, as well as by facing her enemies head on. There's still the same gossip, sneaking out, and having the student spies outwit their adult counterparts as in the first two books, but there's something more brewing. My only complaint is that there's not another Gallagher Girl novel to read ASAP, because while Carter ties up most of the loose ends and kept me guessing, she also made me want more Cammie and co. immediately.
