Creeping with the Enemy

Langdon Prep #2

by Kimberly Reid

Using skills learned from her mom, an undercover cop, Chanti Evans has already exposed lies and made enemies at her posh new school, so she's no stranger to the games people play. But she's learning the hard way that at Langdon Prep, friends can play more dangerous games than any enemy.There's nothing like having someone in your corner when you're the new girl in school, but Chanti can't help suspecting that everything about her new friend, Bethanie, is a lie--especially once she starts skipping classes and blowing Chanti off for her mysterious crush, Cole. Chanti really doesn't need the trouble of finding out the truth. She's busy enough trying to convince her hot almost-boyfriend Marco that her amateur sleuthing won't come between them again. But when Bethanie disappears with Cole, Chanti has only one chance to find her--even as her investigation puts her love life, and everything else, at risk. . ..

"Watch out Nancy Drew. . .Chanti Evans from the 'hood is the hot new sleuth in town!" --Simone Elkeles, "New York Times " bestselling author

"Chanti will show why you keep your friends close and your frenemies closer." --Ni-Ni Simone on "My Own Worst Frenemy

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller

ebook

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Reving]

Spenser
Lucas
Jonathan
Jesse
Peter and Rina
Alex
Scudder
Steve
Sunny
and now...Chanti
I have a new detective hero! As you can see she is one of the few female detectives on the list. Reid has created a solid, likable, real, smart detective in Chanti Evans.
Creeping with the Enemy is the second in Kimberly Reid's Langdon Prep series which is so much more than a prep school series.
I loved My Own Worst Frenemy and even wrote Ms. Reid to tell her so. She kindly replied and told me the series would continue to be centered around mysteries! I thought it was super cool of her to write back, as I would imagine she gets a million emails. Even though her writing me back made me super fond of her for being so cool, it is without a bit of bias that I saw that this second book is even better than the first as Chanti has another mystery to solve, this time involving her friend Bethanie and a guy who has been kinda, sorta dating her. LOVED it! Can't wait for the next!

review with links: http://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2012/...

[Susan Ashcraft]

Creeping With the Enemy by Kimberly Reid Review

When you combine the sleuthing ability of Nancy Drew, the nosiness of Donna Parker and add in a undercover cop for a mom, a friend who is definitely not what she seems and the ongoing daily strife of being a poor scholarship student at prestigious Langdon Prep, you come up with Chanti, the heroine of Creeping with the Enemy.
Chanti's only been in Langdon Prep for a short time but trouble has already found her more than once. The guy she likes, Marco, has been told in no uncertain terms that he is NOT to date or just plain not to have anything to do with Chanti, and it wasn't even her fault! They text each other and try to spend some time at school together but it seems there is always someone watching. Bethanie, whose parents are very strange and of all things call her E for short, is her only friend at Langdon Prep but Chanti already knows she's not who she says she is. Chanti can't help but snoop when she is in Bethanie's room and there are some things there that just don't add up.
As if this and the new school aren't enough, the new guy, Cole, with no last name, suddenly shows up and saves Bethanie not once but twice. Chanti's sure there is something not right with this guy but can't get anyone to listen. Is he just a nice guy like Bethanie claims or is there something more sinister going on.
With Marco angry at her, her mom questioning her every move and ,Chanti's sure, lying about the phone calls, problems at school and in her low income neighborhood maybe she should back off on Cole, trust Bethanie's judgement and let it go.
With things heating up and people disappearing, its up to Chanti to dig deep and find out whats going on before someone gets hurt!
I enjoyed this novel a lot. I was a big fan of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Donna Parker etc. growing up and its great to see a new generation of teen sleuths come along to draw in the young readers. Now I am reviewing this for the young 10 - 16 age range, not for adults. The characters were terrific, varied and definitely 3 dimensional. Good kids who try hard but sometimes they do the wrong thing, but they take responsibility for it. A storyline that has a good flow, some twists and turns and a few surprises. Its nice that some of the characters from the first in the series are also in this novel. Very real situations but nothing graphic. I would definitely recommend this one to any young readers I know.
I won my copy on GoodReads FirstReads and my review was unsolicited.

[Jaime K]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway for My Own Worst Frenemy.

Strange calls from Atlanta, Lana on a super hush-hush case, Bethanie being more secretive than ever...oh yes, and preppy white boy Cole conveniently hanging out in a bodega the day it gets robbed.

Chanti's detective skills are needed again! But how will they affect her relationship with Marco, Bethanie, and/or MJ? Will Lana trust her? Seriously- what is up with Bethanie's family?!?!

I am so glad we find out about the latter because it was eating at me too. As with the previous book, I kind of solved the case before Chanti did. Reid does a great job of giving the reader clues that Chanti notices in passing, but doesn't hone in on until later. It's like how an outsider can sometimes get more of a story than someone involved.

It was a bit odd that even though it's a Langdon Prep novel, very little of the plot takes place at school (Chanti is there for about half the book, but it's only mentioned as part of her routine). There was only one mention of her job, which makes me wonder if she [and Marco] even still work for the Mitchells. This is really what made me give it 3/5 instead of 4/5.

Reading more of Reid's bio makes the crime aspect even more interesting than before. I love that this is fairly realistic in that regard. I know nothing (which is probably best :P) and it's usually fun for me to learn more in such stories.

First read: March 20, 2013

[Ayanna Ray]

This was a really good book! It was mainly about mystery. Chanti is a really smart girl and when she has to go to Langdon Prep so that she is safe, she isn't happy. Her mom is an undercover cop, and nobody can know that. She seems like one of those cool moms that you would love to have. She was really nice to Chanti like she was her friend, not her mom. Chanti was my favorite character because she was really smart and when she wanted to do something, she really got it done. Marco seemed like a cool guy; he was kind of sketchy though. He was really romantic too! I can't believe that Bethanie would go anywhere with Cole; that wasn't a smart thing to do. When she disappeared, everybody was panicking and of course Chanti knew where to find her. Eventually they found her though, and everything turned out good.

[Excalibur Snape]

This book is quite humorous.
The main character can't seem to stay out of trouble.
Trouble always seems to find her and her friends or sort of friends.
Everyone has secrets and some secrets are deadlier then others.
It is one of the main character's BFF who has a secret that almost gets are home girl killed.
Through in crazy MJ and undercover FBI agents and Vegas baby and you are in for quite a ride.
The relationship between all these characters are quite explosive.
Even the bad guys are quite lovable.
The ending is surprising I wasn't expecting it.
This book just keeps you guessing right up to the very end.

[Jamie]

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. First, I loved that it was signed - that's still pretty cool to me. The book was a bit frustrating to me. There were parts that were a bit slow and other facts were so crystal clear that I had to keep myself from screaming how do you not see it? I understand that the audience is young adult but even teenagers catch on faster. I never read the first book but this was good as a standalone. I did like the dynamic of Chanti, her mom and MJ and am curious to see how it goes. I think Ms. Reid shows promise, I just don't think it was for me.

[Stacey]

I cannot figure out why I like these books so much. Perhaps the setting of this series is just so different from all of the other books I read that it feels refreshing. And Chanti is so delightfully nosy, I would absolutely hate her if I knew her, but I love to read about her. There is enough foreshadowing that I know the reveals before they come, BUT she comes to the correct conclusions without being an idiot, so I never have to put the book down to roll my eyes.

[Pebbles Good]

I loved this 2nd book in the series. I thought it was even better than the first. I love how the author draws in new characters but still keeps the focus on Chanti. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

[Jennise Conley]

I just received my free copy as a First Reads winner. The first book, "My Own Worst Frenemy," in the set was also included. I am very excited to get started reading these books. I skimmed through them a bit and they look fantastic!

[Kim]

Very disappointing. The book blurb sounded so good. I did make it through a few chapters.

[Monica]

I read this book and fell in love with the character. So in love I bought this for for 'god-daughter.'

[Winter Sophia Rose]

Fast-Paced & Engaging!

[Miss Kelly]

I really enjoy these books! Fun mysteries, great relatable characters.