SWEET TOOTH

by Ian McEwan

I thought by the cover and the blurb I would love this book; particularly with my fetish for spy movies, the ABC drama 'Spooks', the inviting cover and all the good reviews, but I was very disappointed. It's not very often that I discard a book and don't read right to the end, even if I don't like it much, but I did with this one, after being 1/3 of the way through.

The story is about Serena, a young attractive girl, who finds herself being groomed for the intelligence services and eventually is entrusted with her first 'secret mission' for MI5, named 'Sweet Tooth'. She is well read and loves the literary world, which is why she is requested to participate in this mission, which is to befriend a promising writer, Tom Harley. 

This book is about cold war, espionage, politics and love... but I got too bogged down in the politics of it all. I made the decision that if I hadn't liked it by my first 100 pages then I had plenty of other books to pursue, on my bed side table, that were beaconing me to dive into their pages.... so I gave up. Sorry Ian McEwan!

THE MESSENGER BIRD

by Ruth Eastham

I love a good spy read and this book beckoned me to read it after seeing the cover, reading the blurb and having previously read The Memory Cage, Ruth's first novel.

Nathan's father is arrested for breaking the Official Secrets Act and he must prove his father's innocent. To save his father he must follow the secret clues his father has left for him and follow the trail of Lilly, someone from the past who was also accused like his father. This book takes you on an interesting and dangerous ride as Nathan and his friends must solve the puzzles and codes before his father's enemies do. His father has warned him to trust no one and not to tell his mother or sister what he is doing. Time is running out for Nathan to solve the Enigma code.

This book is quick and easy to read, covering historical events. I think boys would love it.