Shatterproof

The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers #4

by Roland Smith

After pulling some spectacular heists, Amy and Dan have become two of Interpol's most wanted criminals. So when Vesper One orders them to steal the world's largest diamond, they know they're facing life in prison...or worse. But with the Cahill hostages still in peril, Amy and Dan have no choice but to launch a mission that leads them to an ancient city full of dangerous secrets. With a Vesper mole sabotaging the Madrigals from inside, Amy and Dan have to fulfill their enemy's request before it's too late. Vesper One has developed a taste for killing Cahills, and Amy and Dan aren't going to wait to see who's next.

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Audiobook

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Roland Smith is an American author of young adult fiction as well as nonfiction books for children.
Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996.
In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999
s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak, the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.

Reviews

[Bookworm007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG OMG OMG OMG COVER OUT OMG OMG OMG OMG

DANG IT I HAVEN'T READ The Dead of Night YET THE LIBRARY IS TAKING FOREVER TO BUY IT AND THEY HAD NO TROUBLE BUYING Mockingjay THE DAY AFTER IT CAME OUT OH WHEN OH WHEN WILL THE REST OF THE WORLD FINALLY REALIZE THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SERIES IN THE WORLD!!!!

**hyperventilating like crazy!!!**


edit on Dec 20, 2012

Damn y'all libraries, taking forever to buy Trust No One D:<

[Percyjacksonrox!!! · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow, these books just keep getting better and better, i cant wait!!!!
and i love how these dont take a year to come out- (glares at rick riordan)

[Charissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was shocked of what happened in the end.
I can’t believe it. I already have suspicion on him that he might be the spy but I just ignored it for he was one of my favorite characters, 3rd to be exact.
Goodness…
How can he do such a thing? I still can’t believe it and am now starting to hope it isn’t true.

EDIT: It isn't true! *throws confetti around in happiness*


Plot Summary:

Amy and Dan Cahill, still accompanied by Jake and Atticus Rosenbloom, went to Germany to steal one of the most heavily guarded jewels in the world- the Jubilee. They made a plan of ten minute intervals starting with Dan, Atticus and lastly Amy. Jake shall be inside the car.

After a series of suspense events with Dan getting arrested by Milos Vanek, Amy getting caught on the metal detector and getting recognized by the machine, Atticus changing the password of the security and turning off the electrical system, and Jake disguised as an Interpol police officer, they got back to the car safely.

Amy realized her watch was missing and remembered that she had left it on the tray where metals were put. She nearly gone mad but everyone got her to calm down.

She then got it when Milos Vanek appeared at the doorstep exchanging the wallet to his own (which Dan stole). Dan also promised Milos Vanek Luna Amato and advised him to follow where Jonah Wizard was for he was tracking her down. Barter was made and they escaped the hotel safely.

While on Hamilton, Jonah and Erasmus, they were on Mumbai, India still following Luna. While they were looking around, Jonah saw a snake charmer and danced on the tune. Before he knew it, he was being video recorded and got post into YouTube. That’s how Milos Vanek caught up.

After a wild goose chase with Luna inside a taxi, Erasmus with his motorcycle catching up with Luna, Hamilton driving the motorcycle while Jonah clings his life to him and got raided by fans, they reached one of the Vesper strongholds.

After planning, Luna walked out of the house and Erasmus told Jonah and Hamilton to follow her. They did.

They kept following her but then the fans recognized Jonah once again and the two realized it was just a person who wore Luna’s clothes. They quickly got on a boat and rowed hard. The only thing they then heard were the fans’ shouting and the fisherman’s grumbling.

On the hostages, they got a way out. Knocking two guards unconscious they then escaped. Nellie and Reagan stayed behind to stop their pursuers but they got caught.

The other remaining five were walking and Phoenix fell hundred feet below to the rapid rivers. Everyone was sad and thought he was dead. They then met a mountain climber named Martin Holds. He told them they were on the Black Forest in Germany and the only way out is to get up and get a signal to call for help.

They went back up and saw the Vesper guards. They got caught once again and killed Martin. They were captives once again.

They rode on a vehicle and after hours of travelling got on an airship. The guards made them go inside a wide room with floor to ceiling glass windows with toilet and ready to eat meals.

They were about to eat when Nellie suggested that they should have a moment of peace and silence for what happened to Phoenix. Everyone stopped and bowed their heads in prayer.

While on Erasmus, he broke inside the house through another exit, by the window. He knew that it was a decoy. He just wanted to make Luna think her plan worked. While looking around, he heard a voice and saw it was Milos Vanek holding a flashlight.

He stayed there frozen for one click on the light switch he was done. But then, there was a loud sound on the third floor and the Interpol agent decided to check it out.

Erasmus took this opportunity to hide. After a few minutes, he heard someone dragging a person. He saw it was Luna dragging poor Vanek who was tied on a chair. They talked, unaware of Erasmus’s presence. Luna will kill Vanek, Erasmus was sure of it.

He kept chanting on himself that he shall not interfere for this is for Interpol only. Before Luna could kill Vanek, he got out of his hiding place and attacked Luna with a shuriken. Luna got it and after a few exchanges of words, threw it on Erasmus, going into his chest straight to the heart. He never thought that the thing he’ll see before he dies was his murderer.

Jonah came and saw what happened. Holding a pistol, he shot her. The shot was accurate thanks to Gangsta Kronikles but this was no fiction. It was real. Jonah got shaken up for what he did as he saw Luna fell on the floor lifeless. He wasn’t Jonah the popular singer with a platinum album he was now Jonah the Murderer.

With the help of Hamilton they carried Milos Vanek, chair and all into a safe place and left him. He offered them his help but they declined. What they were doing was top secret and no one would be able to help them. They just left him there wondering what the kids were up too.

Amy, Dan, Atticus and Jake then got to Timbuktu, the center of knowledge of Africa where they could find dozens and dozens of manuscripts. They were looking for the manuscript with the word ‘apologize’.

After a lot of events with Jake and Amy kissed in a few seconds (which I demand should’ve been longer), Dan and Atticus travelling around with no chaperone and meeting a painter who helped them realized what the manuscript was, the two Cahills and Rosenbloom went to the place where they found a manuscript written in a salt tablet.

There they found the manuscript with ‘apologize’ and they decided to engrave it on a piece of paper to see what it contains and why Vesper One wanted it before giving it to the Wyomings.

They then went back to Jonah’s private jet.

Phoenix was desperate to survive. When he saw a branch hanging, he got it and went back to the surface. He then waited for the others but they didn’t come. Assuming they either think he was dead and got into the next village, Phoenix proceeds on his journey. He caught real fish and ate it, thinking it was sushi for he was hungry. He then realized one thing: he was alone on the wilderness.

Evan was exhausted. He was trying to reconnect with Amy on Skype 24/7 but it didn’t work. He got another cup of coffee and was about to continue reconnecting when he heard a scream.

He got to the living room and saw Ian, the side of his face bleeding. He got another wound thanks to Saladin. Ian got a first aid kit and mended it himself. Evan then received a text from Hamilton saying Erasmus was dead.

Ian said to Evan that he had made progress in thinking of a way and Evan just ran away from him and directly went to Sinead. He told her everything.

It was almost five in the morning when Amy, Dan, Atticus and Jake arrived at the Timbuktu airport. They were exhausted but pleased. Amy told Mr. Tannous, the pilot of Jonah’s private jet to go to Morocco.
Dan was staring at his cellphone when he got a text. It was from Sinead.

Erasmus dead. Luna Amato dead. I have proof that Ian is the traitor. Have Amy call me or Skype me ASAP.

Dan was in a shock, he couldn’t believe Erasmus was dead.
He then approached Amy who was busy booting up her laptop and showed her the text.

It took Amy to read several times before the information was fully computed in her mind. She cried, thinking it was her fault.

Then, a Skype call came, it was from Ian. Here’s the scene:

“Hi, Amy,” he said cheerfully. “Where are you?”

“You know exactly where I am,” Amy answered, a storm of raw fury building in her chest.

“Actually, I don’t,” Ian said. “The reason I’m calling is to tell I’ve made some progress. My mother is-“

“How could you do this?” Amy screamed. “How could you do this to your own sister?”

“What are you talking about? I’m trying to find where Natalie is, just like you-“

“Erasmus is dead!”

“Erasmus is what?”

“I hate you, Ian Kabra!” Amy slammed the laptop closed so hard that the screen shattered.

Depressing, I know.

Then the Vesper phone rang and nearly smashed it too. She then pushed the button. A photo appeared with the hostages looking terrible. They then realized they were only six and Phoenix was missing.

The Vesper phone chimed again. A text message appeared:

Phoenix Wizard sat on a wall. Phoenix Wizard had a great fall. All the Vespers’ horses and all the Vespers’ men couldn’t put Phoenix together again. You didn’t really think that I would reward you for your failure with the Jubilee? And as you can see, the others paid a price, too. I suggest you get to the United States in the next 24 hours or another Cahill will fall.
Vesper One.


What I Love:

[_] The suspense scenes. I love how it makes me get curious and read faster than before to know what will happen next.

[_] Jake/Amy scenes. I’m a Jamy fan and that few seconds kiss made me squeal, but not too long. They deserved to have a minute! explaining why I love it. I love how we are the witness of their blooming love unlike Evan whom we don’t even have that much idea how they ended up together.

[_] Writing style. Mr. Roland knows when to be blunt, when to describe things, when to use figures of speech and when to describe the mood of the story. And the ideas he got with Phoenix falling, the salt tablet, and Jubilee scene? Just pure amazing.

[_] The cover. It is seriously gorgeous. Now we have an idea what the Jubilee looks like!

[_] The three-chapter bonus from the next book. I love how they didn’t leave us hanging. Sure, the ending is cliffhanger, but at least, at least, we have an idea what’s going to happen on the next book. And three chapters? One is good enough. Two is better. Three is best! I want to thank the authors of 39 Clues because of this!

I also love the fact that I only have to wait at least a month before the next book will get published. Great! I love you 39 Clues!


What I Dislike:

[_] The sudden upturn of events. With my introduction, I think you can already tell that I’m referring to Ian. If you have read the full of spoiler-y Plot Summary I made, you’ll also see the reason why I said that. To be vague as much as possible, all I can say is that I refuse to believe it until I have seen the so called proof they have. EDIT: It isn't real!

[_] Can I include a character? I seriously dislike Evan. He kept on thinking ways in finding fault on Ian. Isn’t it enough that he was Amy’s boyfriend and not Ian? Seriously?


Conclusion:

Shatterproof by Roland Smith is just as awesome as Vespers Rising, The Medusa Plot, A King's Ransom and The Dead of Night. Though I must say, this is quite shorter than the others, if I’m not mistaken.

I love the cover, the suspense moments and a scene which made me squeal which gave this book an instant three stars and another one for the three chapter bonus on the end and the next book Trust No One being published within a month.

Despite of the bonus, I didn’t give this book another star for I dislike the sudden upturn of events and what they did to my third
favorite character (which isn't real btw. I mean what they accused him of is sham).

But even with that reason, I still give this book 4 stars.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tension building is too much!

Why do the Vespers need that huge diamond? Why did they really need Medusa, at that? Why such hatred toward Cahills and insistence on punishing the children? Honestly, the tension and switching the point of views in the museums made it impossible for me to read sitting down in peace.

There is also the mole among the Cahills. But who is it? Everything points to Ian, and rightfully so, as his cold outward demeanour makes him the most likely suspect. But I knew he couldn't be the one. It is too obvious. And if I learned anything reading these series, it is never the obvious one.

[Mugdha Keskar]

After pulling some spectacular heists, Amy and Dan have become two of Interpol's most wanted criminals. So when Vesper One orders them to steal the world's largest diamond, they know they're facing life in prison...or worse. But with the Cahill hostages still in peril, Amy and Dan have no choice but to launch a mission that leads them to an ancient city full of dangerous secrets. With a Vesper mole sabotaging the Madrigals from inside, Amy and Dan have to fulfill their enemy's request before it's too late. Vesper One has developed a taste for killing Cahills, and Amy and Dan aren't going to wait to see who's next.

[Anastasia Antonova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Даже не заметила того факта, что проглотила две книги залпом. Дошло только когда всплыла мысль: нужно написать отзыв. Отменное чтиво, захватывает и не отпускает пока не перевернешь последнюю страницу. И то, потом бежишь за продолжением сломя голову.
Столько событий происходит, что уследить за всем просто нереально. Аж голова иногда пухнет. Впрочем, в этом и есть вся прелесть этих книг. Захватывает, черт подери. Намечается новая любовная линия. Причем я на нее ставлю больше чем на старую. Вообще, их тут три, но одна скучная, вторая, которая прорисовывалась в первой серии, вряд ли выплывет (но в принципе, все возможно), и третья неимоверно крутая. Я на нее молюсь тут. Такая химия.
Новые персонажи крайне радуют. Так же в плюсы идет реализм. Здесь умирают персонажи. Действительно умирают. Героям нужно делать просто неимоверные выборы, от которых зависят чужие жизни. Это ужасный груз, о котором авторы не забывают упоминать, и описывают психологические изменения в персонажах. А ты сидишь и кусаешь локти, задаваясь мыслями что из этого всего выплывет в итоге.
Осталось две книги до конца серии. Меня аж трясет от напряжения, и мне нужно прилагать огромные усилия чтобы не убить на прочтение всю ночь. Я-то могу, но на работе меня явно не простят.
Кусаю локти.

Итог: 11 из 10

[Suzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this and now have some suspicions about Evan! I think he may be a Vesper! I'm loving how Amy is drawn to Jake as I like him a lot more then Evan and think he's a better match for her. I'm also worried about Dan and hope he can be pulled back from the brink cause he does seem to going to a very dark place and he needs to remember who he is and not lose himself. Couple of deaths that made me sad although I suspect that one of the deaths didn't actually occur. I also don't believe that Ian is a traitor and actually feel sorry for the treatment he's getting from the others, I think Amy should have listened to him at the end instead of blowing up and slamming the laptop shut on him. Poor Ian doesn't know what he's done. I think evidence is being planted against him if Sinead has found anything cause considering her triplet is being held and hurt I don't believe Sinead is the traitor either. Evan is very good with technology and would probably be able to plant evidence to the degree Sinead wouldn't realise it was planted. We'll see in future books though, I may be wrong!

[Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I were fighting over this library book yesterday. Good thing my husband is behind on this series or he would have fought us off and read it all night (he's on c vs. v #2). This is such a good series because I feel many ages would like it, although you'd have to make sure your children are old enough to deal with prisoners, violence, guns, etc. before giving it to them. I know my 1st grader wouldn't be ready for this and it would be too scary for her. I just wish the whole series would be in one book so I wouldn't have to keep waiting for the story. It is a great money making scheme. Too bad for them we only check them out at the library!


I can't really talk about the book because no matter what I say, it would give something away either in this series or the previous one.

[Mith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inexplicable plot. Unnecessary deaths. Contrived love-triangles. Baseless plot-twists. Zero progress.

Self-inflicted, and I knew better.

[Lynette ~ Talia's Tomes ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. Un-put-down-able.

I can't really say much more, but it's definitely my favorite 39 clues/cahills vs. vespers book EVER.

I'm 14, and I HIGHLY recommend this book.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must admit that I'm growing weary of this series. There seems to be little to no movement or growth in the individual books, which makes them a bit of a pointless read.

[Christian Schultheiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I’m correct, this might just be the shortest and fastest paced of the Cahill spinoff series and maybe the entire series as a whole so far. Even with it being kept quite short, it more than packs a few hard tense punches. I believe this book also holds the tightly for the most influential characters being the closest they’ve yet to come to actually being murdered by the vespers. Although it kind of felt like the Cahill clan didn’t make too much actual ground in this one, I did enjoy getting the curtain pulled back just a bit towards what the secret grand plan of vesper 1 is.

[Megan Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is good for readers who like action, history and a good evil vs young chase for valuable and rare items. I found I was lost most of the time because of the lack of interest in geography and history each book presented, and the cohesive storyline was spread across so many locations I found it hard to ground myself in the story most of the time. It is interesting that the story continues to be written by different authors and yet still feels like a connected story, much like episodes of a TV series.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like an old-school television serial, this series is always full of exciting action and suspense. Can't wait to see what happens next!

[Anne D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uh, feels like a lot more folks are dying or almost dying these days.

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one really jumped up a notch, that got out of hand fast (and I'm here for every minute of it lolll)

[Dylan.E 8S]

This was an amazing book

[Kcatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

:I
Maybe they need to take the tone as in the actual 39 clues series: minimum romance, less power-accessing, more resourcefulness. No pictures of people. Please.
Mayhaps they will change back. We who are old enough to analyze the series as we go, and in the process ruin it for ourselves, understand good writing strategies that lytling middle schoolers don't. We see the patterns, tropes and fails of series, as well as its quirks, individualisms and successes.
*
The thing that is going wrong with this series is a culmination of many things:
1 The lack of a competition element. In the first ten books, there was a haphazard element, an unknowing of what other people were doing. Nobody could really trust each other, and these shifting alliances, tricks, double-crosses and traps were key to the series. No change-of-side came as a surprise, and up until book nine, there was no back-up, no money or tech support. We older people LIKE that. It's fun, exiting and ever-changing - an individualism that the setup of the series provides perfectly.
But then people got older, Madrigals forced all other Cahills together, and our two protagonists got money and teams of people to do their research. Sure, they still have to think on the fly, but there is no brother-sister-nanny element we objectively loved.
2 The motivation. Let's face it, the motivation was half-get-away-from-great-aunt, half-get-the-money, and half-WTF-is-going-on! (And, yes, I know my math. However, my calculus teacher once added up 1+1 and got three. I am excused.) There was no greater good! It was curiosity, greed and panic, and we NEVER SEE THAT ANYMORE. Now they're playing for people's lives, and we have an unseen, all-knowing, no-human-element antagonist who might be [*muffles mouth because this is just a ridiculous plotline that we all want resolved nicely, but know there's almost no way it'll happen*] !!! But in the original books, antagonists weren't always bad guys, never purposefully, horribly hurt each other, and had petty emotions, all the same as our protagonists. WHAT THE HELL ARE THE VESPERS UP TO??? This series is not built for multi-book suspense. Hostages are not hostages for more than two days.
3 a.The legalities b.Miscellaneous. A. Technically, our protagonists were running from the social services department of Boston, Massachusetts. Now, they're running from INTERPOL. Why is this a problem? Because the Boston police weren't everywhere, and you'd have random sightings in Beijing, Venice and the Bermudas! (Did they ever go to the Bermudas? Need to check.) The only authorities to really worry about were local ones. Again, we had no long-running plotlines except the big ones. But with INTERPOL on their heels, our protagonists have no time to rest, are always on edge, and CAN'T TRUST ANYBODY. No, not like the wary distrust in previous books; this is a paranoid, knife-edge temper manipulated and enlarged by other people (cough cough, you know who you are...).
And as for B. I really don't like this putting-a-face to characters thing. It restricts the personas readers build of characters. Plus, they use actors we recognize. Gah!
*
I think the supreme irony is that, despite all my complaining, I gave it a three. Ah, books. We hate to love the bad ones, and love to hate some of the best ones.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I had basically given up on this series. There are too many books, the plot rambles too much, and each book is too short for it to be worth the money spent on it. Nevertheless, I read this one because I have gotten slightly interested in the plot, and it is against my nature to stop reading a series once it is started. (I got it from the library which solves most of my problems with this series.)
This book was just as short as the others. I am ready for the characters just to go ahead and win but apparently that is not an option. All in all, it was an engaging book which I would not say I liked or didn't like.
My main issue with this series is that each book does not help solve the main issues AT ALL! They ended the book basically where they started off. Maybe the issue is alternating writers... I'm not sure.
This book is exactly like all the rest of the books in this series (Not a rewarding/satisfying book, but not bad either).
Here's a note. Do NOT trust the page numbers in Shatterproof. It probably has to do with this series's stupid codes. But I get angry when after a half hour of reading, I look down to see I'm on page "5" instead of the page 40 that I'm really on. When I read a book there is a pledge taken by both the publisher and I. I tell them I will read it all the way through and they tell me the story isn't complete trash and it has correct page numbers. They failed at one of those things.
I would recommend reading it if you've made it this far in the series. Yet, if you haven't started the series yet, I would suggest to read it only if you are commited to the twenty or so books already made and the hundred or so more to come.

[Melissa Sodano · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I could ever dislike a 39 Clues book, but this part of the story was definitely on the slow side of things. Amy and Dan have drawn in the Rosenblum brothers into their circle of infinite madness, but they boys don't shy away from adventure at all. The story opens up with the crew in Germany, not knowing what they're trying to do, and once they figure it out, finding out that it was only a ruse for Vesper One's true intentions. Then they have to go to go to the desert to find some sort of apology, again, with no idea what they should be looking for. In the meantime, the Cahill prisoners escape only to find they are in the Black Forest of Germany, but inevitably get captured again with the exception of Phoenix. The other Wizard and Hamilton are on their own mission with Erasmus to follow Luna from Interpol, leading to a very bad scene in which Luna kills Erasmus, with Jonah turning around killing her. Some very dark stuff is happening here...also evidenced by the confirmation that Vesper Three has infiltrated Attleboro. The end of the book has Sinead telling Amy that Ian is a Vesper, but I suspect that it's actually Sinead.

[Anmol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it was a quick read- took around 3 hours to finish with short breaks in between. I think now the series is lacking that adventure, that suspense that kept us all tied throughout the 39 clues. Cahills vs. Vespers isn't as good, as thrilling as the books from 39 clues. The story isn't taking a very good shape- the suspense factor- nah! it just doesn't feel right. I know its a kids' book but since I have read the rest of the series, I thought of continuing it(even when I am 17). Dan seems to be the sweet Dan but all of a sudden, he is back to the dark side where he is thinking of making the potion. Amy isn't a good leader but she is made to act as one by the author- her character is no longer that of "the strong elder sister" one. It was okay to read. I am looking forward to reading more of it, may be the story would take a better direction in the next book.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*sigh*

Not as good as the original series. For one, I'm not overly fond of how the characters keep changing. I suppose this is unavoidable, given that there are different authors for each book, but I still don't think it's excusable. I don't like who they've turned Ian Kabra into. He USED to be a mysterious, slightly creepy, handsome dude that smelled like cloves (according to Amy), and a pretty good villain/sort of good guy. Now he has morphed into a wimp that screams at the sight of a cat. Pathetic. And Amy and Jake's "thing," whatever you call it, is stupid. She has a boyfriend, and even if the boyfriend is not the greatest character ever (possibly my least favorite, actually), it's still not excusable to cheat on him.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fast and easy read (it was a children's book, so I knew it wouldn't take long). It kept moving pretty quickly but the series is starting to lag a bit. They keep killing off characters so that the story goes somewhere, and they are continuing to search and find with clues. I think for me, the series is starting to feel a little old news, same old same old. Hopefully the next book will get better, since this is the spin-off to the first series and really just the start of it.. It might just be that spin-offs have to be really well written to keep the readers attention, and this one is causing me to start to wander and drift when reading..

[Lisa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book four in the Cayhills vs. Vespers series, this book finds Amy and Dan, along with Atticus and Jake, attempting to steal the world's largest diamond in order to save the life of one of the hostages. Meanwhile, the hostages are trying everything they can to save themselves, which may lead to unforseen tragedy.

And with all of this going on, Interpole is still hot on their heels, while they are still wondering if they can trust Ian Cabra anymore, since it is apparent that there is a mole in their organization feeding info to the Vespers.

A fun read, better than the last book. Can't wait to see what happens next in the series.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book of the Cahill's vs. Vespers series: Amy and Dan have to travel around in Timbuktu to collect what Vesper 1 requires as continual payment for the hostages.

I loved this book! It has many different storylines going at the same to allow you to keep up with what all the characters are doing to help or hinder the current situations. This book will definitely keep you thinking about what will happen next.

I think that the team of authors that keeps writing these series is very talented to be able to put out more and more books for all the fans of the books so quickly, and with more series on the way.

[Arem · Rating 4 out of 5]

When all seams lost it gets worse. When Amy and Dan created the formula they thout that they where the most powerful family in the world,THEY WERE WRONG. A group called the vesprs kidnapped 7 of there family and sent them around the world to colect things. phinix wizard dies and so dose there uncle Oh so in the face of all this they have to stay shatterproof with all of this

[Simon P · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think the book it self is very good and awesome
it has a a lot of details good action and great tha vocab t the author did i think 39 clues makes really interesting stories about crime and missions shatterproof is my fav 39 clues book out of all of the other 39 clues books also i really like how the author made a lot of detail about his book and vocab

[Been · Rating 3 out of 5]

OMG I just finished reading in the dead of the night and loved it, and now I cant wait to read Shatter proof, I kinda feel bad that Ian and Amy don't have that spark anymore but LOVE Amy and Jake's budding romance and cant wait to see more plus I hate Evan hopefully Amy doesn't choose him

[Cher Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was much much too short!!! Still has the same sense of adventure and fast-paced action that makes for an exciting read. Again, too many questions raised by recent events plus, a mole is finally revealed. I can't wait for the next book.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy, Dan, Atticus, and Jake continue the quest to fulfill Vesper 1's demands so that the hostages will be freed. This time, they must steal a diamond from a German museum. But what will happen when they are not successful? Which of the hostages will die?