Andrew's mother, Marion, works for Epsom Electronics, a security company that makes high-tech spy gear to keep world leaders safe. When she goes missing on the eve of a G8 summit in Halifax, Andrew and his father work desperately to find her. Luckily, Andrew and his best friend, both thirteen, are no strangers to danger, and they follow Andrew's instincts-which run directly counter to the instructions his father gave him. When the two friends are nearly caught in a huge explosion at Citadel Hill, Andrew realizes his mother could be in even deeper trouble than he thought. Enlisting help from a credulous news reporter, the boys chase clues all over the HRM, narrowly avoiding serious harm on many occasions. Finally, they finally uncover a top-secret assassination plot-but are they just in time, or just a little too late?

Allison Maher is a former manager of a company that invented spy gear. She now resides on a small farm in rural Nova Scotia. Her first novel for young readers, I, The Spy, was shortlisted for the Red Cedar Award in 2008-2009.

Allison Maher's profile page

• Short-listed, Shortlisted for Hackmatack