The Perfect Candidate

August 15, 2018
During a summer internship, a teenage boy is thrust into the middle of a murderous political game in Stone's thriller debut.Cameron Carter is in serious trouble. He was thrilled when a summer internship in his congressman's office, the opportunity of lifetime, landed in his lap. He makes friends with fellow interns, impresses several staffers, and even sparks a relationship with Lena Cruz, the adventurous daughter of the Mexican ambassador. But when Ariel, a staffer who had taken Cameron under her wing and asked for his help on a secret project, dies suddenly in a car crash, fissures of doubt around her death begin to break apart the shiny facade of the capital and the congressman himself. Character development takes a back seat to an enthralling plot of power, greed, and murder that threatens to swallow its protagonist whole. Cameron is something of an Everyman--a white teen in a very white Washington, D.C., he is YA's answer to Harrison Ford--but his dogged (even reckless) proclivity for pursuing questions and some complexity with regard to his supposedly deceased mother keep readers from losing him in the high-octane plot. Some artless setup for a sequel may detract from the narrative's overall punch, but readers can't help but wonder what will come next.While not pushing the genre into new territory, Stone has crafted a narrative driven by that most potent of fuels: political intrigue. (Political thriller. 14-17)

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September 3, 2018
Cameron Carter, a recent high school graduate from Lagrima, Calif., is starting his dream job as a summer intern for his local congressman. Though younger than the other interns, Cameron quickly catches the eye of Ariel Lancaster, a staff member and intern coordinator who begins to mentor him. When Ariel asks for Cameron’s help with a special project, he feels destined for greatness. But then Ariel is killed in what seems to be a drunk driving accident, and after someone who could be FBI approaches Cameron, he realizes that he may not be ready for a conspiracy-laden Washington, D.C., life. Debut novelist Stone, a former Capitol Hill staffer, imbues this political thriller with an insider’s peek into the lives of Washington’s interns, from scenes of reception-jumping for the free food to a list of the “50 hottest staffers on Capitol Hill.” This authenticity grounds the story, allowing readers to suspend disbelief that an 18-year-old intern could so quickly end up working as a spy. Stone has created a YA version of the TV show Scandal, and it is just as addictive. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rachel Kim and Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment.

January 1, 2019
The summer after high school, Cameron Carter moves from small-town California to DC to work as an intern for up-and-coming Congressman Billy Beck. Cameron bonds with a fellow staffer, who hints at secret corruption. When she turns up dead, Cameron finds himself in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy. Despite an occasionally slow-moving plot, this tale of political intrigue will appeal to thriller fans.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

October 15, 2018
Grades 8-11 High-school graduate Cameron Carter has secured an internship with Congressman Billy Beck. When he moves to Washington, D.C., Cameron is full of idealism and political drive. He has even managed to find a friend and confidante in Ariel Lancaster, a fellow staffer, who is much more welcoming than his roommates (who act partly as superfluous comic relief). But just as Cameron feels he's hitting his stride, Ariel dies in a car crash, an FBI agent corners him in an elevator, and the seemingly perfect congressman's kindness and attention takes on a sinister dimension. As Cam gets swept up in an investigation he wants no part of, he teams up with the FBI agent and the daughter of the Mexican ambassador to try to get to the bottom of a dangerous conspiracy. Although the antagonists are somewhat two-dimensional, Stone's debut novel will nevertheless engage readers looking for a politically charged, high-stakes thriller with a hint of romance. Hand to fans of Ally Carter's All Fall Down (2015).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)