SCAMMED

Brynn’s life as a young con intensifies in this Norse mythology–themed sequel to The Deceivers (2018).

After successfully surviving her first big mission, senior Brynn Hilder begins to relax at secretive Vale Hall, giving in to her feelings for swoony classmate Caleb Matsuki and enjoying her new friendships with fellow trained con artists. When controlling school founder Dr. Odin announces that her former mark, the corrupt senator’s troubled son Grayson Sterling, is moving into Vale Hall and is again her primary assignment, Brynn’s short-lived sense of peace begins to crumble. Simmons keeps the pace taut and the romantic tension high, but readers may quibble at how often Brynn second-guesses what’s truth and what’s deception in every comment, gesture, or action—even a kiss. As her doubts mount, Brynn holds on to one constant: She cannot allow her single mother (or herself) to go back to a life of poverty (or, in her mom's case, a controlling relationship). Despite posing more questions than it answers, this installment delves deeper into the compelling main characters and sets the stage for what’s likely to be a chaotic, life-or-death next volume. Most characters are white, but there’s scattered inclusion in the story: Brynn is Colombian and white American, Caleb is Japanese American, and there is some racial and sexual orientation diversity in minor characters.

This twisty, fast-paced sequel will leave readers hungering for more.