February

Conspiracy 365 #2

by Gabrielle Lord

On New Year's Eve, Callum Ormond is chased down the street by a crazed man with a deadly warning: They killed your father. They'll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days!

Now he's on the run. The people who killed his father want him dead, and the police are chasing him for a crime he didn't commit. A month has gone by and he's still no nearer to solving the Ormond Riddle, the family secret that has turned his life into a nightmare. Can he trust the mysterious Winter Frey, or will she lead him further into danger?

He has 334 days. The clock is ticking...

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Action, Thriller, Conspiracy Theories

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Gabrielle Craig Lord is an Australian writer who has been described as Australia's first lady of crime.

She survived being ‘razed’ by the nuns, acquired an education despite this, and after working in many different areas, sales, teaching, brick-cleaning, peach-picking and packing, and in the Public Service as an employment officer, started writing seriously aged 30.

Her first two manuscripts ended up composting the tomatoes at her market garden – another attempt to make a living – but the third one FORTRESS was picked up internationally and made into a feature film starring Rachel Ward. A later novel WHIPPING BOY was made into a telemovie starring Sigrid Thornton. The film rights money, coinciding with her daughter leaving school, allowed Gabrielle to resign and instead of getting up at 4.30am and writing for several hours before heading off for work, she could write full-time and lead a more ‘normal’ writer’s life – hanging around with scientists and detectives, badgering forensic anthropologists (she studied some Anatomy at Sydney university) and doing work experience with a busy private security business and of course, writing.

Research is everything, she says. ‘Out of my contacts with experts (who are always far too modest to describe themselves that way) I get not only the fine-tuning necessary for today’s savvy readers, but also wonderful incidents and images that enrich and enlarge my books.’

Gabrielle’s interests are very simple. ‘After a misspent youth, I don’t have many brain cells left so I enjoy walking, meditation, singing, gardening, chatting with close friends, being with my family and grandkids, feeding my goldfish and keeping up to date with bodywork and enlightened psychotherapy.’

Gabrielle has now written fourteen adult novels and a novel for young adults. Once the 12 books of Conspiracy 365 are completed, this tally will be a tad bigger! Following this mammoth endeavour she already has plans for another three adult novels and two more YAs.
2013

Reviews

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover ☘️☘️☘️

[Marieke | Marieke's Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dit boek was leuk om even tussendoor te lezen. Niet bijzonder vernieuwend, maar soms wel een beetje spannend, waardoor ik toch door ging met lezen.

[shannon✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik heb dit boek gelezen met m'n leesclubje Books Ever After, we lezen elke maand een boek van de twaalf boeken in de serie.

Ik vond dit boek duidelijker spannender dan het eerste boek, er was iets meer actie en minder verhalen over het verleden en de rest van zijn familie. Geen vijf sterren, omdat sommige dingen nog steeds hartstikke onrealistisch zijn, maar dat zal wel zo blijven.

Ik wil nu echt zo graag weten hoe heel het verhaal afloopt, maar dat zal ik pas in december te weten komen (als ik het volhoud :p). Voor nu zal ik moeten wachten totdat het maart is, pas dan kan ik verder lezen.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

February was a fast read, one and a half hours and it was done, in the read pile so quickly. I was actually planning to read this in February, because I read January in January, but it was at the library glaring at me so I finally gave in and finished it off.

Cal, a teen fugitive is on the run like never before, getting saved by a mysterious (typical much) girl, Winter from the rapidly raising oil tank, he unravels clues of his father's drawings...

If you haven't read my January review, I suggest you read that as it pretty much covers my thoughts of this sequel. There still wasn't enough depth, everything was rushed and had no emotions to wring out of it. Also, as a recent discovery I have found the excessive use of exclamation marks (!) There were at least 1 on every page, I mean come on, not everything was that exciting to opt in (!) every minute.

What I really enjoyed about February was the action, mystery and suspense. I loved the concept of the 'Ormond Singularity' as it was so confusing yet original.

February was slightly better than January and I totally recommend this book to lovers of suspense and quick reads.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is fantastic! After reading book one, which left me on a horrible cliffhanger, I immediately picked up book two, and dived into the action, suspense, and mystery!

I wish there were more development on the puzzling enigmas that confront Cal, but that part of the story moves very slowly with very few clues to the mystery of the Ormond Singularity popping up in each book.
The action and danger and adventure, however, moves very quickly! So I guess each book in the series focuses mostly on Cal surviving through a ton of dangerous scenes and bad guys chasing him, and then we get one little clue, one bit of forward motion, with the big picture mystery. That, of course, is a very good way to keep the suspense going in a mystery/adventure series, but the suspense is killing me! I want to know the answers now! Which just shows how great this series is, because I care so much about the outcome.

In this second book, Cal is on his own more, on the run as a fugitive, and he's learning to be more self-sufficient out on the streets. I'm so interested to see his character changing and developing, especially since he goes through times of hope and depression. I love his relationship with his best friend, Boges, and how the two of them joke around and rely on each other. That friendship is such a bright spot in this book!

The mysterious girl, Winter, plays a large role in this book, and it was so interesting getting to know her character, and figuring out what makes her tick. She's another big puzzle for Cal to solve, and we as the reader have to make up our minds too, whether she is trustworthy or hiding something.

I am loving this series, and I can't wait to dive into the next book!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

[ღ suus ღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ster (Goodreads het wordt toch echt tijd dat jullie met halve sterren gaan werken) .. Callum brengt zichzelf weer in spannende zenuwslopende situaties. Gelukkig leest het boek heel simpel en snel dus je hoeft steeds niet lang te wachten om te weten het af gaat lopen. Het boek eindigt weer met een cliffhanger dus het vervolg ook al begonnen :)

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover

Ik had januari gedownload, om te kijken hoe het nou is zo'n digitaal boek....dit was erg kort, maar wel zo spannend dat ik februari ook wilde lezen.....
Het is meer een jeugdboek/young adult. Een zogenaamde cross-over.
Lekker om zo tussendoor te lezen... Ik ben nu bezig met maart, maar ga deze serie zeker tot het laatste boek lezen

[Sha Mohamed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku kedua ini memang mendebarkan.. Bahagian akhir paling dasyat.. Tak tahulah sama ada watak utamanya berjaya melepaskan diri atau digilis keretapi..

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deel 2 van de complot 365 serie. Na het uitlezen van deel 1 hoefde ik gelukkig niet zo lang te wachten tot ik verder kon lezen in deze serie, aangezien het al weer februari werd. Verbazingwekkend genoeg ben ik er ook direct in begonnen, dat ken ik helemaal niet van mezelf, want meestal ben ik heel slecht in het doorlezen in series. Waarschijnlijk heeft de minieme hoeveelheid bladzijdes (110 op mijn e-reader) er ook wel iets mee te maken.

Dit boekje stelde me weer niet teleur! Het had wat minder spanning als in het eerste boekje, maar beetje bij beetje kom je meer te weten over het Ormundraadsel, al blijft het minimale informatie. Helaas heb ik het boek nu dus al weer uitgelezen en moet ik nog een hele maand wachten voordat ik in deel 3 kan en mag beginnen en dat met zo'n giga cliffhanger.. Fijn!

[Joyce Kleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

wat een clifhanger weer

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the book opens Cal is in a bad place with the threat eminent, the oil tank he is in is filling fast and he has not escape. At the last minute he the oil is shut off and the escape hatch is opened. As Cal climbs out he sees the person who saved his life, Winter, a girl around his age. As they talk Cal discovers her dubious link to the man that placed him in the tank and isn't real sure about her.

Cal is also having a hard time with life on the run. The daily fight of where to sleep and what to eat takes up much of his time, leaving little for him to research the info his dad left him. If it wasn't for his friend, Boges things would be harder. Boges is automatically suspicious of Winter, but Cal seems to trust her. It is through Winter that Cal finds more clues to the riddle. He is also called again by the mystery woman who was with his dad in his last days. He wants to know what she can tell him, but every time he sets up a time to speak with her something very bad happens, this time is no different.

Cal is still on the run and this time he may not find a way out.

[Deepthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptionally good book!!!

I actually happened to stumble on this book in my library... I couldn't find the 1st book, hence decided to give this try. And guess what? You could get the main gist of the story and everything (but yeah, I'm not asking you read this without the first book!!!)

You can totally give these series a try!!!

(P.S - can anyone comment down where I can get the rest of the books???)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to pick up book #2 in this series as soon as I finished reading book #2. Fifteen year-old Callum Ormond continues to hide out in February following the slim clues his father left him and avoiding the people who are trying to capture him. Plenty of danger and action in this book again! I went out to my local library this afternoon and picked up the next 4 books. Stay tuned....

[Aaron Bower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Callum still really doesn't know what is going on and why people are after him. Now he is on the run and can't live with his family anymore be cause the police and other people are after him. These are pretty good books. I think sixth graders would really like them.

[Annika Brands · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread this one from a while back. Good book but I can definitely understand why middle schoolers enjoy this series the most.

[Ashleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the fast paced, suspenseful series Conspiracy 360 by Gabrielle Lord teenager Callum Ormond is stopped by a crazy man on New Year’s Eve who told Callum “They killed your father. They'll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days!” So far Callum has survived a boating accident in shark-infested waters, him getting kidnapped and interrogated twice along while trying to decode the Ormond Riddle, a secret left by his father for him to figure out. Now he is in February and has just been saved by a girl from drowning in a filling pit of oil while on the run from the police, accused of brutally attacking his sister and uncle. Callum still has to solve the Ormond Riddle, a huge secret of his father’s that is connected to his family. The second installment of the series is an enjoyable, short read for teens. Gabrielle Lord does a fantastic job relaying her tone to transition into the mood to the readers. Although Lord does many things right, there are a few things that could use some improving. For example Lord could have developed the characters and relationships more. Overall, the book is an engaging short read for teens who prefer suspense series but there are a few things that could be improved upon.
There are many elements that Gabrielle Lord did right in her writing of the Conspiracy 360 book series. For example Lord did an amazing job using imagery to not only develop the setting but to also develop mood. Lord writes “I struggled to keep my mouth above the rising tide as I bashed my slippery fists against the manhole cover over my head.” This detail helps you imagine the situation Callum is in by using words such as “manhole cover over me” but also conveys a tense mood to the reader by use of the words “struggled” and “rising tide”. Lord also writes “It had been a warm, summer night, but now a cold wind had blown in, lifting the dead leaves, making them skitter in an eerie little whirl”, which gives you a sense that the setting is spooky. Even though Lord did not develop the character’s too deeply the characterization she did include clued you into the person’s personality. For example Lord through dialogue writes “ Who’s a clever boy?” she said in a mocking way. This reveals that the character Winter is a witty or in a way sarcastic person. Gabrielle Lord did an amazing job developing the setting with imagery and did a decent job with what characterization she did include.
In addition to what Lord did right she also can improve her writing by developing the characters and the relationships in the book. For example Lord writes, “ Green-gold flecks in her dark eyes”. While that could be considered good characterization by itself, this is one of the only times Lord describes a character’s appearance. She could have at the least used a simile to help with visualization especially if she was going to be that brief on characterization. Lord also did not develop the apparent relationship Callum and Winter. Lord had them meet in person with each other maybe 3 times out of the whole book and had cell phone conversations twice. Lord did not give the time for the development of essential relationships that would have made the book better if time was dedicated to it. Lord without a doubt could have spent just another half a chapter developing essential characteristics and relationships that would have made the book much more engaging to the readers.
I would say that Gabrielle Lord wrote a good, short read for teens to not get super engaged in but enough for the readers to understand the story. Lord took time on imagery that paid off in the end because this imagery helped the readers visualize the setting in their heads like a movie. On the other hand, Lord did not spend as much time characterizing crucial characters in the book that would have made her book a better read. Overall I would score Conspiracy 365: February a generous 6 out of 10 because of the imagery if you are a teen interested in short reads.

[old account (rl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Some unavoidable spoilers for January contain in this review.

The secret to writing a good mystery novel is obviously debatable. Is it the suspenseful and cryptic clue-hunting? The wise-cracking detectives and their plucky sidekicks? Or the actual mysterious mystery itself? Honestly, I think the best answer is a blend of all three, which is what makes the Conspiracy 365 series such a disappointment. It doesn't include many aspects needed to make this as gripping as it could be.

In January, we saw Cal become a fugitive and in February we see him begin to live his life as one. He desperately begins the slow and laborious progress of solving the rather few and cryptic puzzle pieces of what Boges has nicknamed the DMO - the Dangerous Mystery of the Ormonds. The Ormond Singularity, the Ormond Riddle, the Ormond Angel... I think you get the picture.

A lot of emphasis is placed on the action scenes in February. The very unrealistic, over-dramatized action scenes. Look everyone can over look a certain amount of unrealistic scenes in novels otherwise who would ever read an urban fantasy book or anything with vampires, werewolves, faeries or other mythical creatures. Anyone that read a Alex Rider series book can tell you that in real life Alex would be dead several times over, but what the point of a teen spy book without a little drama? The problem with the Conspiracy 365 series is that we have already seen half of these "death defying" action-packed scenes before. They aren't exciting anymore. They don't make me grip the pages with anticipation and terror... will Cal survive? Honestly, I knew he would so it didn't really bother me.

Cal and Boges are also a little dense at times. They keep trusting people that they should not and they seem to think that they are going to be able to hide forever. They are fifteen-year-old boys. And they start a blog for Cal to rally some supporters or something. Have they never had a school computing lesson or watched a crime television show? They can track you! Yes, your a tech whiz Boges, but really?

The DMO keeps you reading though. It makes you grip the pages a little harder, wondering, waiting, thinking... What's the angel got to do with anything? What do the drawings stand for? What does the red-headed lady have to do with anything? And how is Sligo involved? And this time we got some answers! Bless, Winter Frey and her "sadness spot". I won't say anymore though. You'll have to find out for yourself.

What ruins this book is the writing. Its so simple and bland. There is no life to it whatsoever. It doesn't provoke any sort of feelings, good or bad, within me and it barely contains any sort of imaginative descriptions, let alone beautiful imageries and prose. which I know probably wouldn't suit the genre of this book, but it needs something, anything! Gabrielle Lord also seems to enjoy adding a exclamation mark to every second sentence of hers. Its annoying. Really annoying.

On some positive note, while it earned a lower rating from me, it was a far more enjoyable book plot-wise than January.
This book is fun. A little clichéd, a little bland, but fun. A short and easy read for fans of mystery and suspense.

[Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I am reviewing is called Conspiracy 365 February and it’s by Gabrielle Lord. It is a twelve book series called Conspiracy 365. The lexile level of this book is 790. This book is about an Australian boy named Callum Ormond who is fifteen years old and who is a hunted fugitive. So far he’s been attacked by sharks, blamed for a vicious assault on his family, kidnapped by two criminal gangs, and was left to drown in a fast-filling oil tank. Callum gets stuck in a lot more situations and has to find a way to get out of them.

The theme of this book is to trust your family members and to stick with them all your life because they are the only people who you truly have. When Callums mom found out what happened to Rafe and Gabbi, and thinking that Callum was the one who hurt them, she goes nuts. Callums mom keeps telling Callum to come home but he never listens because if he goes home, he will get thrown in jail for a crime he never did. The more Callum doesn’t listen to her, the crazier she gets. She never lets up. Which if I were her, I wouldn't either. One of my favorite parts in the book was when it said ‘I froze and so did he, stopping dead in his tracks, raising his huge head higher to stare at me with merciless yellow eyes - a massive lion, golden brown with a black mane’. It got my heart going a little bit. This book is told in both first and third point of views. It switches back and forth quite a bit. That’s one reason I like this book is because you know all of the characters feelings and emotions.

I would recommend this book to kids who like action, adventure, and crime. I liked this book because it was a pretty easy to read book and because I like action. It was a very predictable book. I guessed a few times about what was going to probably happen, but I was wrong. The same type of bad things that happen to Callum, happened to the Baudelaire children in the Series of the Unfortunate Events. Not the exact same events, but similar. The setting of the book is in Australian so the author used a lot of the words like “mum” for mom. The ending was one of my favorite parts in the book. It said “In slow motion, I watched the train come closer, my body frozen in horror. Time seemed to stop.” That was another part of the book that got my heart going faster then usual. My favorite part of the book was when Callum got stuck in the animal cage with a lion and also the ending.

[Ethan Goman]

The action doesn’t let up in the second volume of Conspiracy 365: February. Fifteen year old Callum Ormond is still on the run for attacking his uncle Rafe and leaving his younger sister in a coma. And he’s still not any closer to solving the riddle of the “Ormond Singularity.” He’s still being aided by Boges, perhaps his last friend left in the world as police forces throughout Australia are on the watch for him.

I personally liked reading the book because of all the action and the riddles and puzzles it leaves at a cliff hangar and makes me want to read the next book. I just loved the action in the book and all the the times Callum Ormond had to fight of the gangs and the bad guys and run away from the cops.

I recommend this book to kids in 7th grade and older mostly because the violence and the action in the book. I give this book at least 5 stars because of all the mystery and action in the book.

[MIlo Alleyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik geef dit boek een vier sterren rating.

Ik heb het boek gekozen wegens de veele spanning dieerin voorkomt.Het hoofdpersonage is Callum Ormond,Hij werd gezocht door de politie omdat ze denken datCallum poging tot moord probeerde op zijn zusje,wat heelemaalniet zo was het zit namelijk zo:Er zijn twee ontvoerders inbetrokken
en die dwingen Callum dingen te doen of ze vermoorden zijn zusjeen schuiven de moord in zijn handen.De komende 11 maanden zalhet dus nog rennen voor zijn leven worden.

Nu wat ik er van vind.

Vanaf de eerste 10 pagina's denk je van hmm wil ik dit wel lezen?Maar dan als je nog verder en verder leest blijf je maar lezen want hetleuke hieraan is je begin sneller te lezen je leert nieuwe woorden bijmaar ook je amuseert je er rot in.Dit is momenteel het tweede boek van deze.Hiervoor had ik Januari gelezen nu heb ik februari gelezen en binnenkort denk ikdat ik voor Mei zal gaan.Als je van spanning houd lees dan zeker deze reeks!

[Christina Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My local library challenged me to read a YA book, so I picked up February, the 2nd in the Conspiracy 365 series. I had previewed the first in the series (January) but hadn't taken time to read it so I wasn't sure quite what to expect when I opened up this one. To my surprise, I ended up enjoying it! I am eager to get my hands on the entire set, now.

The setting is Australia, although in my ego-centric way, I thought it was anywhere USA. The story is quick-paced, yet still creates images for the reader. It's an easy book for times of frequent interruptions, due the the layout. But one really doesn't want to have to stop reading until they've finished the entire book, nay series (I'm guessing!), what with the triple excitement at the end.


Disclaimer: I also happen to sell books from this publisher

[Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a boy that had his dad killed over a reason that is unknown but he knows he was murdered. The book starts off with him being stuck in an oil container that was being filled up. This scared me because this is what I believe to be the worst way to die. I would hate to die by drowning in anything. I also would hate to have my dad die. This would change someone's life drastically. I'm not sure if I would try as hard as he is to catch the people that killed him because I think I would be more sad then mad. This boy keeps finding more and more things that happened to his dad and this I think would be terrible knowing your dad did so much but never told you. This boy doesn't have a mom either she died earlier in his life. I can't imagine what it would be like to have no parents.

[Tyler Lester · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Conspiracy 365 February" by Gabrielle Lord is a book about a 15 year old kid that has been blamed for shooting his little sister and uncle. As he runs from the police he is also chased by two rival gangs that are trying to kill him, so he has to hid out for the rest of his life.

In my opinion I think that this book was not as good a the first one "Conspiracy 365 January" but it did have tones of more action in the story with the gangs and cops trying to find and capture or kill him.

I would recommend this book to kids ages 12 all the way to 15 or from like seventh grade to freshman year of high school. I recommend it the these kids because it is in the reading level of them and with the word choice this book has.

[Kaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is even better than the first one! Callum is trying to figure out the riddles his father left him before he died. Something I noticed this time reading is that the page numbers don't start from 0 and go up they're the opposite they start with how many pages there is and goes down, I think that's really cool. In the end I give this book 5 stars because it's an awesome and thrilling series.

[Jay Slayton-Joslin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really for me, but I'm not sure it was meant to be. Came free with some textbooks my school ordered and I hadn't read the first one.

Still, you know what the premise is pretty quickly. Motivation is easily established. I just guess I never felt like the stakes were too high or anything. I also don't read much YA so not really sure on it as a bench mark. Not for me but definitely for others.

[Niels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heb dit boek in het tweede jaar HAVO, 4 keer uitgelezen tijdens het verplicht half uur lezen elke dag. Ik dacht toen, “waarom de moeite nemen om een nieuw boek te pakken, als ik ook deze nog een keer lezen”. Het moest haast wel een goed boek zijn om het niet me neus uit te komen naar ronde 3. Top, trouwens ook het enige boek in de reeks die ik had gelezen. Januari was toen niet beschikbaar en het schooljaar erop was er ook geen lees half uur meer.

[eloise (2026 winter volleyball version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thrilling. I was always on the edge of my seat, just watching all the bad things happening to Cal, and praying he'd somehow pull through. You know he will, he always does, but it still is that fear-factor that evil is lurking around every corner. Sligo's goons were WAY too close for comfort to catching him, and I expected something bad to happen at the zoo, but not what happened. A very good story, and I'm eagerly awaiting the third book!

[Eliza Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's on the run.The people who killed his father want him dead and the police are chasing him for a crime he didn't commit. A mouth has gone by and he's still no nearer to slving he Ormond Riddle the family secret that has turned his life into a nightmare. Can he trust the mysterious Winter Frey or will she lead him further into danger?

[Nienke · Rating 3 out of 5]

In dit boek kom je weer iets meer te weten over het raadsel, maar nog lang niet genoeg om er iets van te snappen. Wat wel leuk is dat er een nieuwe personages geïntroduceerd wordt, hierdoor blijft het niet teveel van hetzelfde.
Ook dit deel eindigt weer met een cliffhanger waardoor ik te nieuwsgierig ben naar het volgende deel en ik die ook zeker ga lezen!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun series this is turning out to be. I like that it is not set in the USA and that it gives a bit of a different perspective on the world. I enjoy the main character and hope to see him continue to grow. I do enjoy his sidekick, Bogues. I am interested to see where this series goes over the next 10-months.