Young adult spy drama, Adam and Angel make a good team
Seven books by seven authors. Apparently, this one by Shane Peacock is the 7th book and the only one I have read. That said, it does well as a stand-alone and that is how I will review it. Seven cousins, minus two who are too far away, have gathered in the family McLean cottage in Ontario one wintry day in late December when something completely unexpected comes to light. Their Grandfather was no longer living. In the process of preparing the fireplace with logs set nearby to heat the cabin, the final log appeared to be stuck to the floor and with a sudden heave, up came the floorboard exposing a secret hidey-hole. What is this all about? Obviously, their grandfather had something to hide. This book mostly follows grandson Adam and the rest of the story features mostly grandfather and grandson...or is it.

Wait, secret compartment? backpack? gun? 007? money? Who and what was their grandfather? Following clues included within, Adam takes on the task of trying to fit the pieces together. After all, he is the Bond fan, the one who read all the super spy books. Who better to check out where the clues will lead? Too bad his alter ego, Bad Adam, tags along. He has fought with Bad Adam for years and now seems to be mostly in control of him. Strange things happen in this book. Armed with his grandfather's gun, a Walther PPK like James Bond uses, his share of the money found (as well as many passports with different names) Adam goes in search of his grandfather David McLean's history, his first stop Bermuda where things get off to a bad and crazy start.

Sometimes I felt like I was reading a James Bond story and others that I was in a very confusing nightmare as Adam's grandfather who was dead turns out to be alive and ready to kill his grandson. Bring on a bizarre rescue by Angel Dahl, an orphan who was raised here. This story gets pretty weird at times, but humorous in its weirdness. A spy or not a spy? A double agent or not a double agent? That appears to be the question. But if the man Adam believes to be his grandfather isn't, is he Angel Dahl's adoptive father? There are complications to every step or flight they take, but the very end will surprise you. As a young adult book, young people will certainly enjoy it. The protaganist is 17 and with Angel, who is 18, they make a good team. ( )

Double You will be a hit with it's target audience, young 5th - 7th grade boys and some girls who are looking for spy thrillers, and although they won't admit it, a bit of romance. Adam Murphy's grandfather has just died and left behind passports with fake identities, lots of foreign money and a letter with an address in Bermuda. Adam goes down to Bermuda to find out who exactly his grandfather had been and naively walks into a, for him, very bad situation where he has to rely on a mousy female to save him.

This is a cozy. The plot isn't too tight, and isn't embroiled in complicated political intrigue. At times it seems like it's a travelogue being written while a thug is after the author. Pretty easy reading and easy concepts suited to the reluctant reader. ( )

This is a LibraryThing Early review. I enjoyed reading this novel. The plot was easy to follow, fast paced, with lots of action. As a parent of fourteen-year-old sons, I appreciated the author's development of the main character, Adam. More specifically, the author's use of how Adam's conscious is described as a "good/bad" Adam. I believe the moral choices and behaviors that Adam encounters will help other teenage boys be aware of the type of choices that they may encounter in their own lives. Overall, this was a well written novel that readers of action/adventure will love. ( )

Double You by Shane Peacock is part of a series of seven books, each following a different grandson of David McLean. When the grandsons meet at their deceased grandfather's cottage, they discover a bag full of cash, a Walther PPK (James Bond's weapon of choice), and several fake passports. They each decide to take a direction and look for clues about what their grandfather was involved in.

Double You follows grandson Adam as he tracks down clues in Bermuda and Jamaica to prove his grandfather is not a traitor. From a previous series, Adam's life was turned around by his grandfather, so it is important to him that he show that his grandfather is not a traitor. The pacing is pretty good and the book gives the feel of a James Bond adventure as he runs from one location to another. Along the way he meets Angel Dahl, who does not appear to be your typical James Bond girl as she favors grey sweats and is somewhat clumsy.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I found it a bit hard to believe how easy it would be for him to travel around with a gun, even with his father's pilot papers, but aside from that, it is an interesting adventure full of suspense, suspicion, and spy history. I enjoyed learning new facts about spies and the Bond movies and would recommend this book to older kids and teens interested in adventure fiction. ( )

Double You is written for young adults and is a sequel from The Last Message. This is also a series written about seven cousins by seven different authors. The book says that you can read them in any sequence, it is your choice. I thought the premise of the series was interesting and wondered how it could be carried out. No to fear the others were only mentioned and no details given about their place in the story line. Double you had a great plot after it was all given to you in the end, but was very confusing to me as the story progressed. I may of needed to read the first book to understand the main character better, but then to me all the character descriptions were somewhat vague as though they did not matter. I do think more time spent on building the characters would of made this a lot better book. The sections describing in detail what they were eating seemed total out of place and the scene with the two girls could of been cut and we would never of missed it.
Since this was the second outing of this character I would of hoped it would of been better presented. I could tell the author was from Canada trying to write about an American which did not always come across as accurate in the sense of how those raised in the USA feel about using the word America.
The concept is great I just hope it continues to improve. ( )