Smash & Grab

August 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-When rich girl Lexi jumps off the roof of a skyscraper, her latest in a series of thrilling risks, she lands on the hood of a stolen car driven by bad boy Christian. He is being coerced into robbing banks by the Mexican mafia; he wants to take advantage of his full scholarship to UCLA, but the mob doesn't want to let him, and his bank-robbing skills, go. Lexi's father is arrested for extortion and fraud, and Lexi is convinced that her father's business partner is behind it. She goes undercover at her father's job to find evidence against Harrison, the partner, and unexpectedly runs into Christian again-as he's robbing a bank. Both teens realize that they need-and can use-the other as they begin working together to scope out the bank for the mafia's robbery and to gather evidence against Harrison. Complicating things is the undeniable attraction Lexi and Christian feel for each other: Can they trust each other? Fans of Julia Durango's The Leveller and Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Fixer will flock to this novel for its cool Ocean's 11 references and strong, layered main characters. VERDICT Purchase where spy thrillers fly off the shelves.-Amanda C. Buschmann, Atascocita Middle School, Humble, TX

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