Spy Agency Puzzle Book–The Hidden Hacker: Solve puzzles, crack codes and take on a top secret mission

by Collins

160 pages, Paperback

Published July 29, 2025

Reviews

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A puzzle book themed around spy life, that really doesn't get round to including any story for a mighty long time. The first chunk is 'observation', so we're finding matching keys, doing word searches, etc. Then it's codes, and we have tasks such as numerical Wordle-equivalents, Morse code transcripts to decipher and so on, followed by more word-based tasks (words sans vowels, or in random-seeming chunks) and finally more traditional logical, IQ-styled puzzles.

All this is fine, although each segment in turn can get fairly repetitive. And once we've seen the instruction for a certain type of puzzle, we could have had two of them next time round rather than seeing the same directions all over again. But the biggest issue is that this is 100pp of puzzles, 30pp of story-based puzzles, and 30pp of answers for everything. That balance really felt off early on, and only remained that way throughout. If this aims to be part of a series, it ought to have developed a way to bypass the training, or make that part of the narrative – and frankly offer a greater story in the first place. Yes, a puzzle fan will want to do more such books in the future, but the way the majority of the thing is 'dry' and minus any narrative will not help the appeal of returning. I've seen similar books with a lot more finesse and variety to them, even if the working on these puzzles would really help brain-training in a young puzzling hobbyist.

Four stars or more for the tasks, not even two for their dressing.

[Bzz Kolla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Collins for this eCopy to review

As someone who loves puzzles and thrilling adventures, I enjoyed the new title in the Spy Agency Puzzle Book series – The Hidden Hacker. This interactive book is a brilliant blend of brain-teasing challenges and an engaging storyline. The premise is simple yet exciting: you are a secret agent tasked with unmasking a hacker threatening to shut down the internet. The stakes couldn't be higher, and the book immerses you in its world with a variety of puzzles, from code-breaking to logic and observation challenges.

What I loved most was how the puzzles were seamlessly integrated into the narrative. Each challenge felt like a step closer to solving the mystery, making it impossible to put the book down. The illustrations and layout added to the immersive experience, making me feel like a real spy on a mission.

The book is perfect for kids and adults alike, offering a fun and educational way to sharpen problem-solving skills.

[A Bookworm Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Spy Agency Puzzle Book - The Hidden Hacker starts by inviting readers to solve puzzles as part of their spy training course. There are four areas: Surveillance (maze, wordsearch, spot the difference, etc), Codebreaking (alphabet code, morse code, safe code, etc.), Hidden Words (wordsearch, folded paper, anagram connect, etc), and Logic & Patterns (magic square, sudoku, shape pattern, etc.). . Once they have completed the training course, they move on to their mission where they have to solve interconnected puzzles to reveal the answer to the mystery. The back of the book contains the solutions to all the puzzles.

This is a fun book to keep kids entertained on holiday. I'd recommend it for ages 6-8 as it was a little hard for my just-turned-5-year-old and a little easy for my 10-year-old).

Thank you to NetGalley and Collins Reference for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Colette Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spy Agency Puzzle Book – The Hidden Hacker

Research has shown that the attention spans of young people have decreased since the introduction of mobile phones. Parents and teachers need to help young people develop their concentration. This book contains a comprehensive set of puzzles, including Sodoku, Logic, Maze and Code Breaking , to name a few. By completing at least two puzzles a day, this can help a young people to improve skills and focus.

This is the perfect puzzle book to pop into hand luggage to keep young people occupied on flights and long car journeys. Each puzzle is a learning experience, disguised as fun. Cut out the answers and get involved helping them solve the puzzles. Have fun!

[I Read, Therefore I Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entertaining puzzle book for readers aged 8+ works imagines that the reader is a secret agent who has to complete their training at Spy HQ before they go out in the field. It has a good mix of logic and graphic puzzles - certainly something for everyone - and is a good way of introducing young readers to puzzle solving techniques but the black and white illustrations prevent some of the visual puzzles from working quite as well as they should.

[Tim Roast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this for my 10-year-old son who devoured it. He gives it 5-stars because it has "good puzzles". The book is made to write in and has over 100 puzzles in it, with plenty of variety. My son is good at school, good at maths and loves problem-solving so it suited him but may not suit everyone. He reckons it took him half-an-hour to finish the book, missing a few of the harder puzzles, but I reckon it took him longer, maybe an hour. He loved it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My students love puzzles. This book divides the puzzles up into 4 sections: surveillance, code breaking, hidden words, and logic and patterns. Sometimes the demarcation between the sections are not that cut and dry. The puzzles are very engaging though. Would have preferred the answers to come with a bit of explanation.