A long silence stretched between them.
'OK,' said Jesse. 'You have a question on your face that isn't making it to your lips. What is it?'
'I heard you attacked another agent. Is that true?'
'Attacked?' She glared at Liam. 'If somebody grabs you around the throat and you fight back, would you call that attacking?'

Jesse Sharpe, child prodigy and secret agent, is back in the third book in the Spy Girl series. Once again she is on a secret mission - this time in a camp for gifted children.

Jesse must identify a threat in the camp, but it isn't easy. The 'threat' is one of the other children, a child who has unspecified 'unusual skills'. Jesse is glad of the chance to meet other children and act normal for a few days, but the opportunity doesn't last long. She is soon caught up in a terrifying chain of events which threaten her life.

Each new Spy Girl mystery deals not only with a new case, but also uncovers more of Jesse's past and of the workings of C2. In this episode Jesse learns more about the fate of her friend and fellow child prodigy, Rohan, who disappeared from C2 some time ago.

The series is aimed at young lovers of the mystery and thriller genre and has a science fiction element which creates intrigue and also a dark side. Jesse is a scientifically engineered genius, trapped in the control of C2. An orphan, every facet of her life is monitored and orchestrated by C2.

Nightmare is likely to appeal to 10 to 14 year old readers.

Spy Girl #3: Nightmare, by Christine Harris
Scholastic, 2005

Other Spygirl Titles

Fugitive (Book 2, 2004)
Secrets (Book 1, 2004)