Book Review: Codename Firefly by C. J. Daugherty

Gray Langtry is on the run. As the only child of the British Prime Minister, Gray’s life has been in turmoil ever since her mother was chosen to lead the country.

Both she and her mother are targets of a Russian assassination plot. And what’s worse, members of her mother’s own cabinet are involved. A team of bodyguards never leaves her side. The press attention is relentless. And then there are the death threats.

Now, after an attempt on Gray’s life, she has been moved to an elite boarding school in the British countryside. Shielded by high walls and locked gates, Gray finally feels safe, but the plotters are still hunting, and soon they will find her.

Gray’s personal bodyguard, Julia, and the school’s young headmistress are determined to protect her. They both know how dangerous things are. The assassins searching for Gray are highly trained. And when they arrive they will aim to kill. Dylan, a mysterious American student, seems to know more than he should – but he’s always there when Gray needs him. Can she trust him? Can she trust anyone?

As winter closes in and darkness falls, Gray will have to think fast.

The hunters are coming.

*****

After an attempt on her life, the UK Prime Minister’s daughter, Gray has been sent to a special boarding school with elevated security. It’s somewhere she should be safe. However, her attackers are not finished with her and are back to finish what they started.

As a guy in his (cough) forties, I am not the target audience for this novel. However, that’s not to say that I didn’t find it enjoyable. This is the sequel to Number 10 (which I hadn’t read prior to starting Codename Firefly) but it’s not a problem, this can be read first or as a standalone. Enough is explained so that you can keep up with what has happened to Gray.

Gray herself was a little bit of a mystery to me but I can see her being relatable in many ways. Gray is a normal kid, trying to be as normal as she can despite her circumstances.

She then gets thrown into a situation based on her mother’s job and therefore has to react and deal with the pressure and attempts on her life. It shines a bit of a spotlight on how much danger a child can be placed in depending on a parents position and affiliations especially if in public life and it does this well.

The supporting characters are what you’d expect in this genre of novel and added what they needed to.

The locations and settings, are also a bit of a mystery which added a lot to the tension and suspense of the book. This allowed me, as the reader, to experience the fear and uncertainty that Gray must have been feeling.

Overall, this was an easy read and an enjoyable young adult thriller. It’s perfect for a teenager that is maybe looking for something away from fantasy which seems to be the norm right now.

*****

About C. J. Daugherty:

International bestselling author CJ Daugherty is a former newspaper reporter and crime writer. Her Night School series has been translated into 24 languages.

Under the name Christi Daugherty she writes The Echo Killing, and the Harper McClain series of mystery novels.

Find out more on her website or say hello on Twitter. 

Codename Firefly is book 2 in the Number 10 series and was released by Moonflower Publishing in September 2021. Click to purchase on Amazon UK. 

by

Chris Parish