Review – Jessica Cole Model Spy: Catwalk Criminal by Sarah Sky
The 4th June 2015 marked the release day of the third book in the Jessica Cole Model Spy Series – Catwalk Criminal by author Sarah Sky published by Scholastic. I am very excited to have been sent a copy of this book so I could read and review as part of the blog tour to celebrate it’s release!
I have previously read the first in the series Jessica Cole Model Spy: Code Red Lipstick (you can find my review here ) and the second Jessica Cole Model Spy: Fashion Assassin (you can find my review here ) and thoroughly enjoyed them so I was so happy and excited for this next instalment!
Thank you to both Scholastic and Faye Rogers for having me on this wonderful tour.
Ps – There’s also an awesome tour giveaway where you could win a set of the trilogy….I highly recommend you enter at the bottom of this post 🙂
Models, spies and lipstick gadgets in this fast-paced teen series. Jessica Cole has been recruited to Westwood, MI6’s secret division of supermodel spies. Her first official mission seems simple at first, until it turns into the biggest cyber-attack ever known, threatening the security of the whole country. Then it emerges there is a traitor in the midst at MI6 – and suddenly Jessica herself is being accused. With no one believing her innocence, and the country on the verge of chaos, Jessica has no choice but to take matters of national security into her own hands and catch the culprit – fresh from the catwalk.
Publisher – Scholastic
Date Published – 4th June 2015
Pages – 320 pages
Format – Paperback
Category – UK YA, Contemporary / Crime YA
Source –
I was sent a copy of this book by the wonderful Faye Rogers and Scholastic . This does not affect my review or my opinions in any way and am delighted to write an honest review. Thank you both for sending this to me to read!
** Please note Tales Of Yesterday Reviews are written as spoiler free as possible**
Wow! Super spy Jessica Cole is back with a bang in this third instalment of this brilliant series and I loved every page of it!
This book kicks off six months after the end of the second book, Fashion Assassin, where we join Jessica in an action packed opening in the Shard in London! Following completing training she is now a full member of Westwood (a secret agency of models who work for MI6) and we join her on her first mission!
Her first mission does not go to plan and puts Jessica in danger and then there’s a cyber attack on MI6 HQ causing mayhem around London….. could there be a mole inside the Westwood camp that wants rid of Jessica?! What pursues is a race against time to stop a group called The Collective who are working on behalf of the mysterious Liberty Crossing causing mayhem and putting MI6 agents life in danger!
With many twist and turns and action it was impossible for me to put this book down! Just when I thought I had it sussed Sarah Sky throws another twist or a curve ball to really make you keep guessing what’s going to happen right up till the very end!
As well as being a super spy Jessica has also joined this top secret wing of MI6, Westwood, to find out the truth about her Mom’s death! I love how this story line has carried through all three books and I was routing for Jessica all along to discover the truth….okay, okay I wanted to know the truth …the pages flew whilst I tried to find out!
The other two books have been set in different countries ie Paris, Monaco, but Catwalk Criminal keeps the action close to home in London. This, for me as a reader, gave this book a more homely feel. Whilst I love reading stories set in different countries this just felt right and in a way gave Jessica more depth to her character as we got to see more of her home life, school life, MI6 HQ and personal life. Which brings us onto a new character that was introduced in this book…..
Zak!
Oh Zak! The gorgeous Calvin Klein model! *daydreams* He befriends Jessica and makes her boyfriend Jamie very jealous and her best friend Becky weak at the knees…..apparently he’s very good looking and I adored him! We are also introduced to a fashion designer Ossa Cosway who Jessica exclusively models for….he is just how I imagine a fashion designer to be. We also get our fix of model spy regulars Jessica’s Dad, Grandma and MI6 top bloke Nathan!
The struggles and strains of being a super spy / model / teenager really were evident in this instalment of the books where Jessica not only battling cyber threats also has to deal with hiding her life from her best friend and her boyfriend which causes Jessica numerous conflicts….I really felt for her as a character and I think this also cemented, for me, why the setting of London, Jessica’s home, was more fitting for the story.
Favourite parts of the book for me were the action scenes in a boarding school, prison and an old abandoned warehouse! They were fast paced and had my heart racing! There was also some funny parts that made me chuckle especially when because of the cyber attacks all the teachers at Jessica’s school end up being put on a website called OAPdating.com and all the pupils at the school are listed on eBay with a starting bid of 1p! Genius and very funny!
I loved the nods to the previous books and characters like Kat from Fashion Assassin, Allegra Knight and I have to shamefully admit my tummy did a little flip when Margaret was mentioned! I will say no more, but Sarah Sky does a fantastic job of summarising the first two books and giving the reader a little bit of background / reminder or previous events as well as letting us know what the likes of Kat or Margaret are up to now…..
As always there are super cool and awesome gadgets galore #squee ! My favourite gadgets this time around were Taser trainers! Want! A diamante key ring scanner! Want! Thermal imaging contact lenses! Want! And a lipstick that can cut electricity! *jumps up and down like Verruca Salt and shouts I WANT IT NOW!* 🙂 Such cool gadgets!!!
I have heard this may be the final Jessica Cole book……yep I know right?! We want more! *bats eyelids at Sarah Sky and Scholastic*….in all honesty this whole trilogy has been fantastic and I LOVE Sarah Sky’s writing style and stories so I am really excited for what is next to come from this brilliant UKYA writer….whatever it is I will be picking up a copy without a doubt!
I really would recommend this book and the whole trilogy to any one looking for an action packed adventure with a hint of mystery, humour and a kick ass heroine!
If ever I were in trouble I would call Jessica Cole….or if she’s not available definitely Sarah Sky who is a master of Karate and could do some serious damage! *gulps*
Right ….I’m now off to day dream some more about Zak *drools*
Don’t forget the giveaway down below!
I award this book 5 out of 5 Tales Of Yesterday Books!
You can buy this book, Jessica Cole Model Spy Catwalk Criminal, book three in the series here
Or why not add it to your to read list on good reads here
For a previous tour following the release of Fashion Assassin I did a spotlight feature which included some super facts about Jessica Cole! You can check this out here.
Catch Sarah under pressure with quick fire questions at #UKYAExtravaganza – here
I also did a feature asking Sarah if music influenced Jessica Cole – here
Catch up on the rest of this fab series!
I read and loved the first in the series, Code Red Lipstick. Check out my spoiler free review here
You can buy Code Red Lipstick here
Or add it on your to be read list on Goodreads here
Also the second book in the series, Fashion Assassin is brilliant! You can check out my review here !
You can buy Fashion Assassin here
Or add it on your to be read list on Goodreads here
About The Author – Sarah Sky
Sarah Sky is the author of Scholastic’s Jessica Cole: Model Spy series with Code Red Lipstick and Fashion Assassin. Catwalk Criminal is published in June 2015.
Sarah is a freelance education journalist and lives in West London with her husband and two young children.
She grew up in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, and studied English at Nottingham University before gaining a post-graduate diploma in journalism at Cardiff University.
She trained as a journalist at the Western Daily Press in Bristol. Her highlight was interviewing screen legend Charlton Heston and lowest point was being sneezed on by a cow at a fatstock competition.
Sarah worked as an education correspondent for a national newspaper before going freelance. She now divides her time between journalism and writing.
She loves reading, baking, table tennis and martial arts. She’s a green belt in kick-boxing and a brown with two white stripes at karate, currently training for black.
You can find out more about Sarah Sky and Jessica Cole by visiting her website – www.sarahsky.co.uk and on Goodreads here.
Or you can follow Sarah on twitter – @sarahsky23
Giveaway
Catwalk Criminal Review Only Blog Tour
Want to checkout some more reviews and guest posts? Visit the rest of the tour stops to see what everyone thought!
Monday 1st June
Tuesday 2nd June
Wednesday 3rd June
Thursday 4th June
Friday 5th June
Saturday 6th June
Sunday 7th June
Have you read Catwalk Criminal or any of the Jessica Cole series? What did you think? Has this review made you want to go grab a copy? Do you have any super cool gadgets I should know about? I would love to here from you! Why not leave a comment using the reply button at the top of this review or tweet me on twitter using @chelleytoy!
Happy Reading….or maybe spying and you might be undercover!
I’ve seen so much about this series and still not read any 😮 Thanks for the giveaway, shall keep my fingers crossed! xx
Fingers crossed! I think you would really enjoy them. They are so much fun!
I haven’t tried any of this series yet, I’d love to try them
Oh yes do…they are all kinds of brilliant! I really hope you enjoy them if you do 🙂