Sure Fire by Jack Higgins and Justin Richards

Sure Fire is the first book in a series about twins Rich and Jade Chance and their father John Chance. At the start of the story Rich and Jade meet their dad for the first time at their mom's funeral. Chance didn't know anything about the twins until Social Services contacted him about his wife's death and their existence. The "getting to know you" part is awkward for the newly-introduced family. And, then before things can settle down into a regular life, Chance disappears. The twins find out their father is a spy and he's been kidnapped. Now, Rich and Jade must stay one step ahead of the danger and also find their dad.

With the popularity of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series, there's a demand for anything that features teen spies. Sure Fire is another one in what's becoming a long list. For me, it doesn't even come close to the cleverly written Alex Rider books. All I could find in here was one shoot 'em up action scene after another, as the Chance twins seek to rescue their father. I knew exactly what was going to happen next, because it's all been done before -- in one book, television show, or movie after another. Most of the characters are two-dimensional and I was longing for some tidbit into who they are and what made them that way. Sadly, I never did learn any more than the basic outline for any of them. I know there's another couple of books in the series, and, hopefully, there's more character development in them.

I, for one, was sadly disappointed in this story. One can only hope that others in the series will be an improvement. I give it a C-.