Book Review: The Agent’s Daughter by Ron Corriveau

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Title: The Agent’s Daughter
Author: Ron Corriveau
Publication date: May 18th 2013
Genres: Romance, Thriller, Young Adult

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The Agent’s Daughter
Ron Corriveau
Geek Parade Books, May 2013
ISBN 9780615799018
Trade Paperback

From the author—

Melina has been preparing for a future career as a spy. She just doesn’t know it.

Evan Roberts, legendary field agent for an ultra-secret United States government intelligence agency always knew that his fifteen-year-old daughter Melina also possessed the absolute lack of fear required of an agent. Without telling her his real profession or his intention, he began to guide her toward an eventual career with the agency. However, Melina’s world is shattered after her mother is involved in an accident that leaves her mysteriously unhurt but unresponsive. Her father’s plan on hold, Melina settles into life at a suburban high school, immersing herself in a world of schoolwork, her friends and a budding romance with Alex, the cute new guy in her class.

When Melina and her father uncover shocking new information about her mother’s accident, Melina is pulled deep into her father’s shadowy world. With Alex desperately trying to find her and only hours to go before it will be too late to save her mother, Melina and her father work together using their combined skills to find a way to reach her.

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If any book was ever to cause me to have a split personality, it would be this one. Do I like it? Yes, in some ways. Do I think it’s well-written? No, not really. So how can I say I like it?

The premise is appealing and, although it’s completely over the top, that’s okay, even a good thing, because it’s a teenaged spy/ninja warrior story so of course it has to be way beyond belief. That’s also what makes it fun and is the primary reason I enjoyed it for what it is.

On the downside, this author clearly has no idea how teens talk or behave and I wonder how he can be so removed from reality.  In a writing style that’s frequently annoying, the author apparently doesn’t believe in using contractions any more than he has to and, as a result, the dialogue is stilted and doesn’t flow as normal conversation does. We also get a tremendous amount of telling and exposition that’s unwieldy and sometimes unnecessary such as when Alex explains to Melina what a Castle Grant is after she has just told him her brother has one.

Another irritant is that this family is just too perfect. Melina, Travis and their father are all either brilliant or remarkable fighters or both, making them seem almost like comic book characters.

The scene that will stick in my mind for way too long takes place in the high school cafeteria. I can’t say why it got my attention except to say it involves kissing—and, no, I don’t mean a scene where there’s kissing going on.

When it’s all said and done, I think this story is better suited for middle graders rather than high school teens because it is, put simply, rather childish. When you get to the scene I mentioned, you’ll know what I mean and, if the author really thinks such a conversation would happen among today’s 15-year-old girls, he needs to time travel back to his own high school days. Even back then, girls were not this naive and clueless. Still and all, the premise of the book is entertaining and I think there is a market for it.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2014.

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About the Author

Ron Corriveau is an electrical engineer and works designing custom integrated circuits. He started writing to prove to himself that he actually does have a right side to his brain. Originally from Southern California, he currently lives outside of Dallas with his lovely wife and two awesome kids. He has only recently come to terms with the fact that he is a geek, although he would like to stress that he doesn’t hold any kind of leadership role in the organization.

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