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The ALIAS prequel novels continue, with Sydney Bristow's latest mission combining the investigation into the death of SD-6 operative Jen Williams and the recovery of a WWII nuclear prototype that's been resting at the bottom of Pearl Harbor for over fifty years.

This mission sees Syd being forced to join snobbish sorority Alpha Kappa Chi because not only was Jen an AKX sister, but they just happen to have a trip to Hawaii coming up.

Her first task is to get in, which might not be easy since AKX doesn't normally normally accept pledges in the middle of term. Fortunately, however, there's an open event coming up, and there's just a chance that they might accept bids. Naturally Syd takes Francie along with her, and not only is she accepted, but so is her friend, even if it took a bit of persuasion on Syd's part.

Once they're on Oahu, Syd has plenty of things to juggle - finding out who the rival spy is, recovering the prototype and trying to avoid arousing Francie's suspicions with all her strange behaviour and disappearing acts.

Like the previous novels, this is a rather more straightforward story than the television series. Of course, there's none of the double agent aspect, and the only recurring characters are Syd and Francie, plus a cameo from Noah Hicks.

This does mean that although the novel is always readable, it's rather undemanding stuff. For example, Syd quickly deduces the identity of the other spy in the sorority, and it's so obvious that you're just waiting for the twist to occur. But since only two of the AKX girls are given much to do, it's hardly rocket science to work it out.

Similarly, you do have to wonder why Syd insisted on dragging Francie along with her. Admittedly, there's a strong friendship between the pair, but she is supposed to be a CIA agent (well, she thinks she is anyway), and having Francie with her only causes extra hassle. It's to be hoped that subsequent novels will see Syd learning from this so that these prequel novels can develop a sense of continuity rather than being a just a collection of standalone stories.

Overall SISTER SPY is a readable book, although the "twist" is rather easy to spot. There are a couple of continuity links to the TV series, which are nice and not overdone, but even for a TV spin-off, it's hardly the most taxing of reads. BACK TO THE TOP

SISTER ACT

Written by LAURA PEYTON ROBERTS

BANTAM BOOKS

$5.99


RATING: 6/10


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