Goldstrike

Carl Hobbes #2

by Matt Whyman

Carl Hobbes may have escaped from Camp Twilight; the most secure military prison in the northern hemisphere; but now he is being pursued by a ruthless bounty hunter and an Al-Qaeda assassin. Wanted dead by one and alive by the other, he must call upon his skills as a manipulator of both systems and people to survive. With no second chances available, can he play one enemy against the other in his bid to live another day? Packed with action and a plot that doesn't quit, Goldstrike is a riveting teen thriller in the vein of Anthony Horowitz and James Patterson.

Genres: Thriller, Young Adult, Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Matt Whyman is an award-winning novelist and non-fiction writer. He has co-written bestselling books with some of the world’s leading figures in sport, high performance and popular culture including Gareth Southgate, Matthew Syed, Billy Connolly and Sir David Attenborough as well as the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

Reviews

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this series a second chance. Honestly, I was quite disappointed by the first book, because there was barely any action. *Thinking back* Yeah, little action.

Goldstrike continues the journey of Carl Hobbes, an infamous computer hacker. It is fun and interesting, especially in the beginning. Carl Hobbes is making trouble for the CIA while pleasing his girlfriend, Cat. I think her name is Cat. (I don't care much about her, after what she did to Carl in this book. She is just like Parker from Leverage). No one should ever break the hearts of nerd boys. They are cute, too.

Carl Hobbes' character is explored even further. After seeing death, he is running from a bunch of people like the CIA and an assassin along with a few people of her party. He is clever, but he is bound to make a mistake. It is quite interesting to see how much he cares for people and how easily he forgives. Plus, he is exactly like the classic hacker. He always wants to break open something, just to figure out what makes it tick. Cleopatra is the name of that system, and she is just like the Steranko from Leverage. Oh, yes. I'm making points by alluding to television shows that are off air. Still doesn't mean I can't use them.

I have to get this out of the way. The last line of Goldstrike is gold. Let me tell you that the CIA is most certainly involved along with Cleopatra and a new friend of Hobbes (whose head is worth twenty million dollars alive). That is my favorite line of the entire book. That is the most favorite line out of this week's batch of books.

The CIA remains as clueless as ever in Goldstrike. I doubt they will be happy by this portrayal of them, but that is all plot.

Overall, I give this series of two books a thumbs up. It is great, and there is a lot of action. When there is a crazy assassin after our main character, you know that it is going to get fairly interesting. When there is also a bounty hunter, you know it has to be interesting. When the CIA is involved, well... That is a bit complicated. I mean, the book is going to get a bit complicated. And exciting! You can't forget about that part.

Second chance well-deserved!

Rating: Four out of Five

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[Yasmine Fairchild · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was totally awesome. not as amazing as the first one, but still pretty awesome. My favorite part about these books are the plots because somethings always happening and i never get bored, as opposed to other books I've read. there sort of like the James Bond movies, you know where there just so amazing and sometimes you just don't want to stop watching; i just didn't want the book to stop. if you're interested in adventure, action, mystery, or thriller books then you should read this book and be ready to get your sox blown off! Sure it may not be perfect; i really dislike the character Beth, i just don't get her. And all the computer stuff really confuses me, dude you're losing me, just say you pushed a button and the thing moved, that's all i need to know. but "gold-strike" by Matt Whyman will totally keep you on the edge of your seat and make you want more; like crispy cream donuts or a totally epic roller-coaster or a 3D Imax movie! In conclusion, you should defiantly read this and totally get back to me.

[Matt F · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Goldstirke by Matt Whyman is a story about an innocent teenager Carl Hobbs who is a British college student, and who is thrown into a high security detention center with some of the worlds most maniacal and deadly criminals. In the book before this one, called IceCore what started out, as a harmless dare to infiltrate the advanced security system at Fort Knocks became the largest breach of security in the history of Fort Knox. As soon as Carl Hobbs hacked into the Fort Knox security system, gold bars began to go missing and ended up in the hands of some of the world’s worst terrorists. Carl Hobbes is picked up by police and given two options. Option one is to fly to the United States of America and teach the American authorities how he got through the security system. Option two is the police will wait until he turns 18 in a few months and then send him to a detention prison for a very long time. Like any person would, Carl ops for option one. As soon as he steps onto the plane to take him to America he realizes something is wrong. There are about 10 people on the plane that was meant to take him to America. He is then told that he will be taken to a mutual location for the information to be extracted out of him. Instead of this nice deal, Carl ends up in the Icecore prison, which is a frozen detention center in the Arctic Circle. However, after arriving in this place Carl quickly realizes that he may have been set up. The guards abuse the inmates, the inmates are kept in cages, and there are vicious dogs waiting to tear them apart if they make a false move. As Carl begins to realize his dire situation, an unexpected event occurs in which he begins to worry more about his survival more than his freedom. He is eventually forced to give up his life and his family so that he may survive. In Goldstrike Carl has now escaped this icy prison. He now has two bounty hunters chasing him. His only hope is to hide in a high tech storage facility designed to keep intruders out. The main computer Cleo is the only chance Carl has to live. If he can get Cleo, on his side then he will live and be safe. If he can’t he will be killed.


This is a very well written spy novel. The beginning of the book is a lot about introductions and does not catch the reader. The middle and ending however are worth the boring beginning. After this book gets past introducing and setting up the background it instantly becomes a page-turner. The plot picks up and it then becomes a fantastic book. This book could be compared to The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer. In the millionaires a similar plot occurs. The main characters in The Millionaires, Oliver and Charlie Caruso, both commit a crime thinking that nothing will happen. They steal what they think is three million dollars but it ends up being 300 million dollars. After they steal the money the authorities and many other people come after them. One of their friends even gets murdered. They thought they were getting into one thing and then they got into a completely other thing. While they are on the run, they are avoiding a government agency and a bounty hunter. This is a similar occurrence in Goldstike. Carl Hobbs is on the run from bounty hunters and the CIA. In both books the main characters are running away from some government agency. Even though the two themes are different the base plot is there. The two books both start with one outcome and end with a completely different and radical outcome. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery novels or spy novels.

[Tej B · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you are hacking a government database all the pressure is on your shoulders. This is how Carl feels everyday. The book I read was about 18 year old millionaire and hacker Carl Hobbs. This book Goldstrike,was written by Matt Whyman and was very interesting and enjoyable because there was plenty of action and at the same time plenty of quality writing. Writing in which the author made you feel as if you were in the book with the characters instead of looking in from an outsider's perspective. The reader can really relate to the characters and the author made Carl seem real. In the book Carl is running from the CIA and seeks refuge at a company with a state of the art security system that is able to protect Carl or so he thinks. One thing I think Matt Whyman needs to improve on is developing the great ideas he has. If he did it would make his books more interesting. The type of reader that would enjoy this book is someone who is interested in a book with action while also being full of good writing. Many people who like thrillers will like this book because it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Overall,a pretty good read.

[Jody Bachelder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sequel to "Icecore". Whyman starts the action right off with a James-Bond-type scenario of teens on the run from the CIA, and since I read this book first I enjoyed the mystery. There are subtle allusions to the pair, teens Carl and Beth, having escaped from a maximum security detention facility in Antarctica, but you can pick up the action without too much confusion. Carl must use his expert computer hacking skills to keep them hidden. He gets a job at a storage facility that uses a super computer to govern all its functions. Of course, this is a magnet for someone with Carl's talents to see if he can hack it. What are they hiding in this facility? Throw in a couple of assassins and the CIA chasing them and it's a flurry of action from start to finish. Unfortunately, the character development is non-existent, and though some teens will probably enjoy the heart-pumping action and descriptions of hacking, others will want more out of the characters. This one falls flat in my opinion.

[Lucas C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goldstrike by Matt Whyman was an o.k. book. It is very confusing unless you read it all at one time. This book is very thrilling and is about a man named Carl Hobbes. He escaped from jail and is now working at Sphinx. Sphinx is a cargo holding warehouse with a super computer. If he can get this super computer to work with him he will be able to keep the CIA and the Al-Qaida assassins off of his trail. If this super computer doesn't work with him it will act aggressively and could potentially kill him or make him become discovered. Matt Whyman made a great book and I didn't read Inside the Cage. I have heard that, that book starts the story of this book. I think it may have helped make the book less confusing. Matt Whyman created a decent book that I would recommend to people that like a good thriller. I only gave this book 2 out of 5 stars because I did think it was confusing.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the parts about Carl's hacking into (and around) Cleo - given that there was little technobabble and more "thought", it didn't make me feel like I couldn't follow. The idea behind Sphinx and the internal defenses was also pretty cool.

Where the book lost me was with the seemingly interminable "fight" between Samuel, Sabine and Carl/Beth. It went on for too long and just felt improbable. Surely Cleo could have found a better way to deal with things?

Not having read Inside the Cage, I had no expectation of Goldstrike. And lucky for me (and other readers) the flashbacks were kept to a minimum; unlucky for me, the ending clearly points to another book. The ending chapter read like something the author added to keep readers involved and wanting to purchase/read the next one, rather than a real conclusion to this part of the saga.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story picks up where Icecore left off, with teens Carl and Beth on the run from various government and international agencies. Carl, the computer hacker whiz kid, and Beth, the bullion thief, are having trouble adapting to normal life until Carl gets a job at Sphinx- a fortress like security building hard wired with its' own supercomputer. Just when things are getting comfortable, Carl and Beth find themselves the targets of not one but two assassins.

Enjoyable quick read, not a lot of depth 2.5stars

[Nick]

I have just started the book and right now it does not really make any sense to me but I think the more I read of this book the more I am going to like it. At least I hope so.

ITs bout an 18 year old boy who is on the CIA most wanted list and is one of the best hackers in the world. He travels around the world hacking places and keeps on changing his locations so that he does not get caught. He is a very smart person.

[Dylan Masterson]

It is a fact that the sequel is never better than the first, and this was no exception. Nevertheless, could a book be anymore epic. I mean although I wished for a little more romance between the two main characters, I still loved the whole idea of being on the run together. I can't say much else because I read this a year ago but I had to write a review no matter how small to remember this.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

So-so follow up to Icecore. I couldn't quite picture the inside of the security company where Carl Hobbes was working and where the majority of the book took place so I really wasn't able to get my brain involved in the story. This might be good for teen who like the Jason Bourne movies. Some violence.

[Meoshi yui · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a fact that the sequel is never better than the first, and this was no exception. Nevertheless, could a book be anymore epic. I mean although I wished for a little more romance between the two main characters, I still loved the whole idea of being on the run together. I can't say much else because I read this a year ago but I had to write a review no matter how small to remember this.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heist novel that kept me on my toes. Squeaky clean and short. A perfect recommend for teenage boys, especially readers of the Alex Rider series.

[Suzan Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fast-paced sequel to techno-thriller Icecore with lots of action and suspense. Read my full review at:

http://greatbooksforkidsandteens.blog...

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. It kept me guessing throughout, and I liked the thrill of it.

[Renzkayle]

ang mga tao sa goldstrike

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than the first. More later

[Sanoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book and sample made me believe, but is a good read nonetheless. 5/5