Carter, Ally. See How They Run. (Embassy Row)

Carter, Ally.  See How They Run.  (Embassy Row)  Scholastic Press  2016  323p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-65484-5  ms/hs      Conflict  VG     

This book has been eagerly awaited by readers who were left on the brink of discovery in the first book of the Embassy Row series. For readers new to the series, the large cast of characters and past relationships that are not reprised will be confusing.  Grace, an insecure girl who believes she shot her mother, reunites with her friends on Embassy Row in a fictional seaside country. Once again, she gets involved in a mystery, this time regarding the murder of her brother’s visiting classmate from West Point.  The Embassy Row teens (of various nationalities) become the sleuths who attempt to solve his murder and clear a Russian teen’s name.  The mystery of Grace’s mother continues to escalate, as more is revealed about the society in which she was involved.  But there are no solid answers, only more tantalizing questions.  How many of the teens’ mothers have been part of the society, what is their purpose, and why has Grace’s family become assassination targets?  Hints of a potential romance take away from the political intrigue, action, and sense of mystery established in the first novel, but true to form, there is a shocker at the end that makes readers wonder what else is in store for Grace.  This is good beach reading, but the style is a little jerky, alternating between romance and action, with unsatisfying hints but no answers to questions that were raised in the first book.              

Summary: This is the sequel to All Fall Down that doesn’t work well as a stand-alone.  More questions arise than answers are given, which implies that a third in the Embassy Row series must be on the way.  The series is full of action and mystery involving political intrigue that fans in grades 7-12 will eagerly devour.

Mystery, Romance-Fiction, Political Intrigue               --Lois McNicol