Hidden Agendas

January 1, 2000
YA-High drama unfolds in this high-tech thriller. The year is 2010 and virtually everything is run by computers. Someone with access to classified information is leaking secrets and posting it on the Internet for the entire world to see. Congress has created a security agency within the FBI called the Net Force to enforce the Net Laws. It is the job of Commander Alexander Michaels and his team to track down the ruthless hacker, whose illicit postings have caused a multitude of deaths. Readers are introduced to many different characters at the beginning of the book, and it takes several chapters for their relationship to become evident. Numerous acronyms are used for computer terminology and futuristic high-tech weaponry. Although they are spelled out the first time they appear, thereafter just the abbreviations are used. Still, teens will enjoy the prospect of future "virtual reality" and its impact on everyday life as well as the intriguing examination of America's intelligence and defense systems of the future. Although the story line tends to slow down in places, this novel offers international intrigue, murder, romance, treachery, and the limitless possibilities of the new millennium.-Anita Short, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.