In the first book, remember how twins Tess and Theo and friend Jaime solved the first part of the Morningstarr's cipher and their entire apartment building was swallowed by the city?
Expect something equally as earth-shaking, but in a slightly twisted way, as they solve the second part to the cipher. (I won't spoil it, I promise!)
Jaime's living in Hoboken, New Jersey, in a shiny new apartment building with a "bug" infestation, and Cricket, the amazing 6-year-old who plays a significant role in this caper. The twins now live with their Aunt Esther and Nine, the genetically engineered cat who helps Tess deal with her anxiety and nightmares, out in Queens.
There's a bad guy, "Duke," who employs blonde women in red dresses to track down the children and learn what they know of the cipher, but watch out for his second-in-command.
The first cipher is unmistakably a Rubik's cube but the kids have to find the missing jewels for each square's face in order to solve it. Think of solving a Rubik's cube without the colored stickers -- pointless, right?
The second is a series of letters which the kids use a Vigenere table to try and solve and get a cryptic message: "Do not be afraid of the spiders."
A series of leads reveals the entrance to a tunnel that runs under the city, probably dug for the Underground Railroad, and spits them out in a dress shop. Across the street, in a display case in a bank, is a dress that holds a secret in its.... Nah, I said I won't spoil it, and I won't.
This is a great romp, a fantastic sequel and we can't wait for the final book. The twist at the end is especially good!
