ICECORE

Another action thriller from Britain follows a young computer hacker who falls prey to the American rendition scheme and must escape from a top-security prison camp located in a frozen Arctic wasteland. Seventeen-year-old Carl Hobbes breaks into Fort Knox in virtual fashion, operating from his home computer. Although Carl pledges to tell the Americans how he did it, he’s essentially kidnapped from England and flown to a remote prison along with bona-fide terrorists. Characterizations tend toward the extreme, if shallow, side, but add some nice color to the narrative. However, the good cop/bad cop personalities of the Americans are nothing compared to the actual terrorist who takes over the camp. Even in this males-only outpost, Whyman manages to include the obligatory hot babe. In the same entertainment-only vein of the Alex Rider series, but with a bit more depth and maturity. Great for action fans. (Fiction. YA)