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Returning from Paris, (see A SECRET LIFE) Sydney Bristow is on a high. Not only has she just undertaken her first real mission, but she also got to snog Noah Hicks. Okay, so it was just a way of hiding from their pursuers, but still...

But while Syd thinks something might develop between her and Agent Hicks, his attitude to her suggests otherwise and neither is he convinced that she can handle a mission on her own.

Like the TV series, the ALIAS prequel novels show Syd balancing college life and her work for SD-6. Here that aspect of the series involves a classmate trying to set her up with a potential new guy and getting dragged along to a party by Francie.

These strands soon come together after Syd is forced into doing a runner from the party. At first, this section of the book seemed like padding until the mission side of things kicked in, but there are a couple of neat continuity references - the whole incident seems to be the one she tells Will about in PARITY and a subsequent late-night film discussion ties in with TRUTH BE TOLD.

Unfortunately, when we finally got round to the mission, it was easy to see why the first third of the book had been devoted to Syd's other life.

Syd's mission is to go undercover at a conference on a remote Scottish island where various crime syndicates are discussing the political situation in a Balkan state.

Yes, you guessed it, it's the old TEN LITTLE INDIANS idea, with an isolated setting and the death count rising steadily. The problem with this sort of thing is that it invariably revolves around a victim who's not really dead or an unseen accomplice to bump everyone off.

When written for the sort of age range that the ALIAS novels are (sadly) aimed at, this sort of plot rarely makes for a gripping read, and the fact that we know that Syd has to survive (and also isn't the killer) also reduces the number of potential victims and suspects.

So in a way it's just as well that we had all the college life stuff beforehand, as there's no way that this mission would have sustained the book on its own.

Overall, this is probably the most disappointing ALIAS novel so far. It would be nice to see the publishers aiming for an older age range, with longer and more complex novels, rather than the all-too teen-friendly stuff we're getting at present. BACK TO THE TOP

DISAPPEARED

Written by LYNN MASON

BANTAM BOOKS

$5.99


RATING: 6/10


NEXT RELEASE:
SISTER ACT

PREVIOUS RELEASE:
A SECRET LIFE