Spies Like Me
Author: Doug Solter
Series: The Gems, #1
Publication date: October 4th 2016
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult
They offered Emma revenge…
When she discovers her father’s plane crash wasn’t an accident, sixteen-year-old Emma wants to punish those responsible. Even if it means becoming a spy for a mysterious organization known as The Authority. They want Emma to join the Gems…four teenage girls with unique skills…who know how to handle dangerous spy missions around the world…like storming a mountain stronghold to stop terrorists from incinerating the world’s food supply.
The Authority thinks Emma is the missing link to make this team work.
Emma thinks The Authority is her only chance for revenge.
Spies Like Me is the first novel in The Gems Young Adult spy thriller series, although all books in the Gems world can be read as standalone adventures. This is a fast-paced action story with diverse characters, cool spy gadgets, girl-power bonding, deep family secrets, ruthless villains, twists and turns, and a romance with a complex boy to figure out.
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an excerpt
Emma drove back across the bridge to San Francisco instead. Once again, she handed her keys over to the valet and pushed open the doors to the San Francisco Centre. The smells from the food court reminded Emma’s stomach that she only had a piece of fish for lunch. At Salad Island, there was a tasty mandarin orange salad that would be good for her. But Emma gave into her sadness and bought a small Blizzard with gobs of cookie-dough chunks and vanilla ice cream.
Emma found a nice empty booth and nibbled on her treat as her thoughts and feelings drifted back to her father.
She zoned out for a while.
Until the bald man sat down next to her.
Emma tensed up immediately.
The man surveyed the food court with an eerie calmness that made Emma want to bolt and scream her head off.
He said nothing.
Emma’s muscles tightened as she prepared herself to dash off like a rabbit.
“May I join you?” a kind, but firm woman’s voice asked in a British accent.
Emma noted an old white woman leaning on her cane. She wore a modern, yet age-appropriate dress with a certain flare. Emma tossed another look at the bald man.
“Don’t mind him. He’s with me. May I sit?”
Emma nodded.
“Thank you.” The old woman eased into her chair with confidence and grace. “Good afternoon. May I introduce myself? My name is Mrs. B.”
Emma was at a loss for words. What was going on here?
The woman continued. “Your name is Emma. Am I correct?”
“Yes,” Emma whispered.
“Let us see here.” The woman put on her reading glasses and licked her thumb before opening a pad of paper. “Emma Rothchild. Now living in Berkeley, California, but a recent transfer from New York City. You are sixteen years old. You drive a white Mercedes AMG Coupe. You dropped out of ballet class when you were twelve because you told your father that dancing hurt your feet. You were a straight A student at Van Dorn Hall, taking the usual college preparatory curriculum. However, you did take multiple electives in theater and performed smaller parts in off-Broadway productions. Very interesting.”
The old woman took off her glasses.
“I watched your performance in the Van Dorn Hall’s production of Romeo and Juliet on YouTube. You played Juliet a bit over the top I must say. And I did detect some nuances you stole from Miss Natalie Potter’s Oscar-winning performance in that interesting film Black Water. If your drama teacher knew anything about acting, she would have spotted these errors and corrected you during the rehearsals. But I digress.”
“I wasn’t copying Natalie Potter. She inspires my acting. And what do you mean by…over-the-top performance?”
Mrs. B addressed the bald man. “I’m feeling a bit dry. Do purchase me some root beer, if you please.”
The large bald man nodded and left.
“I would like to compliment you on rescuing and paying for the treatment of that injured dog. A very selfless act. Dr. Leslie Vanders does good work. Her record as a veterinarian is impeccable.”
How did she know about the dog? Emma was sure she’d lost her bald friend at that traffic light. Or had she?
“Did you follow me yesterday?” Emma asked.
“My associate did.”
“Why? Why was he following me?”
Mrs. B put on her glasses again and went through her notebook. “Your father’s name was Kenneth Rothchild, owner of Rothchild Industries, a conglomerate composed of numerous companies. A few tech firms in Silicon Valley, a prestigious New York law firm, two professional sports teams, a German toy company, and the crown jewel of the conglomerate—AirTech—a company specializing in climate control systems for commercial buildings worldwide.”
“What’s going on here?”
Mrs. B ignored Emma. “The French concluded their investigation into your father’s crash. Based on their report, they believe it was a ground crew error complicated by pilot error.”
The bald man placed a drink in front of Mrs. B, who pulled out the straw and removed the top before sipping. “Thank you,” she said to the man before continuing. “Have the French told you anything else?”
Emma shook her head.
“Would it interest you to know that when they examined the wreckage of your father’s jet, the French discovered a few other disturbing facts? Facts that are being kept classified?”
“Classified? What? Like, CIA classified?”
“All I can say here is…it wasn’t pilot error.”
“So what happened?”
Mrs. B didn’t answer. She removed a phone from her small purse and pressed a few buttons.
Emma’s phone chirped with a new message.
“Be at that address tonight at eight o’clock. I’ll answer all your questions then.”
Doug Solter has worked behind the scenes in television for over twenty-five years. He began writing screenplays, then made the switch to young adult fiction. Doug respects cats, loves the mountains, and one time walked the streets of Barcelona with a smile. Doug is a member of SCBWI, IBPA, and Pennwriters.
If you would like to know when his next book will come out, please follow him on Amazon or visit his website at dougsolter.com and sign up to receive emails about new releases and special giveaways.
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