The Trainee Undercover by Brenda Shaw is a thrilling, action packed adventure for the young at heart. Dreams really do come true ... well, not exactly. Alex Brian wakes screaming from the same dream every morning. Could this dream be a sign of future events? Alex and his friends gather together to have some fun before their summer trainee jobs begin. But something is obviously wrong with George. When George explains his family dilemma, they all jump in to help their friend. Embezzlement and murder, and a mysterious “nefarious scheme” quickly lure Alex and his friends into its trap. Going undercover, each one with a task to perform, each one willing to take a risk, they become a “bunch of teenagers playing with danger.”

Brenda Shaw’s The Trainee Undercover is on the edge entertaining! Shaw’s belief that “teenagers are extremely intelligent, intuitive and ingenious” certainly is revealed throughout the narrative, and her years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry aid the plot as well. The vacillation between maturity and childlike behavior stereotypes the average teen, but the youthful group penned in the story far outclass the norm. The young hero is charming and quick-witted, able to talk his way into pretty much anything, and his trio of friends is gifted with their own unique personality traits. All are risk takers, who find themselves down the rabbit hole of adventure and danger, and somehow manage to come out unscathed. These kids take the Power Rangers to a whole new level. The action accelerates and the events transpire quickly over a few days - thrills, spills, dangerous situations, and despicable villains run rampant. Although as an adult I found some of the plot unrealistic, (namely the parental roles), this novel is sure to be a hit for the young adult audience.

Teens take on a big pharma corporation in The Trainee Undercover by Brenda Shaw, an exciting and action-packed new adult suspense novel. Alex is charming and charismatic, and profoundly intelligent. He has just finished school and is beginning the summer holidays with no plans for his future. To Alex's parents and peers, it seems like he lacks ambition, but, in reality, nothing has stimulated his intellect enough to make it his career. However, that changes on the first day of his holiday. George, Harry, and Angela are Alex's closest friends and get together daily. Today, George brings the unpleasant news about his father, Mr. Collier. Mr. Collier is in some trouble at the company where he works. He has received a letter demanding that he confess to certain crimes related to his company or else his family will suffer. Alex, Harry, and Angela make the decision to help the family by researching and gathering information about the crimes. Alex goes undercover at Mr. Collier's company and learns more than he bargains for. The information and evidence that Alex discovers make him even more determined to catch the real criminals. However, the danger becomes real and escalates when Mr. Collier's adversaries consider Alex a threat and target the teens. Will Alex and his friends survive the summer?

The Trainee Undercover by Brenda Shaw is a dramatic and gripping young adult novel filled with suspense and intrigue. The book begins with a chilling scene and, as the story unfolds, the plot intensifies, gathering momentum until it finally snowballs to an explosive conclusion. The storyline is clever and intense with outstanding characters who have distinctive personalities. Alex, Harry, Angela and George are highly intelligent and ingenious. I was impressed with Alex's analytical thinking, how he thinks outside of the box, and isn't afraid to act on his instincts. It is refreshing to read a book where the protagonist uses his intellect and follows his gut feelings. This book is a sensational suspense novel that will captivate readers from their teens on up.

The Trainee Undercover by Brenda Shaw is both mystery and thriller, a story that is intensely emotional and loaded with surprises. The story features compelling themes like intrigue, murder, blackmail, and corruption, and the reader will be trapped in a guessing game, wishing they knew who is behind the conflict that drives this thrilling story. Paul Collier, the COO of one of the big pharmaceutical companies, has just found out that billions of pounds are being stolen from the company. But then he is blackmailed into silence. Things get worse when the CEO of the company is accused of murder. Who is behind all this? Watch what happens when four teenagers decide to take a complex investigation into their own hands.

I loved the idea behind this book and the characters are awesome. The fact that the crime is being investigated by teenagers, kids with no certain idea of what they are getting into is not just tragic, but intriguing. There are so many scenes that will increase the pulse of the reader, like when Alex sees the “man in the black raincoat,” gun in hand, and walking directly towards him under the shadows, and he couldn’t call out for help or alert his friends of what is happening. Working undercover as a trainee in the pharmaceutical company is also very risky stuff for a teenager and it is happening in this spellbinding novel. There is a lot of action in this story and the conflict is powerful. The plot is beautifully imagined and executed with mastery. Brenda Shaw has a gift for character and I loved how she allowed the traits in her characters to unfold, and how some of these characters evolve through the conflict. The Trainee Undercover is a page-turner, a thrilling read that will have readers enthralled throughout.

The Trainee Undercover is a young adult action and adventure thriller written by Brenda Shaw. Alex Brian and his friends, Angela, Harry and George, had been boon companions since they were small. His friends were all starting summer jobs in a week, but they had this first week of summer to spend together. As usual, they all met up at Harry’s house. Harry’s parents had a huge place with a modified garage that had been adopted as the group’s hangout. They had a badminton game planned for that first morning. As usual, George was late, but this time, he also seemed distracted and played more of a lackluster game than usual. Harry and Angela won easily, and Alex was rather unhappy with his unsporting partner. After a large lunch provided by Harry’s mum, George finally revealed the reason for his distraction. His father had been receiving anonymous threatening letters regarding the embezzlement of funds he discovered at Pat Pharma, where he was the Chief Operating Officer. The letter writer threatened to harm his family if he spoke to the police, and even went as far as to abduct George’s little sister and return her unharmed as a warning. George’s father decided to send George and the rest of his family back to the United States. Alex and his friends were stunned by the news, but Alex also saw a fatal flaw in George’s father’s plan. Pat Pharma was an international corporation with business interests all over the world. His family would be put in even greater peril if sent away. The four young adults knew that they could do something to solve this crisis, and, working as a team, they were determined to make it happen.

Brenda Shaw’s young adult action and adventure thriller, The Trainee Undercover, is a fast-paced and exciting coming of age tale. I enjoyed seeing how the four friends decide to tackle a real world problem as a team, and marveled at the imagination and ingenuity they exhibit as they do so. Alex, as the budding private investigator, is brilliant as he masters his recurring nightmares about armed assailants and puts himself in some perilous situations as part of his first real case. Shaw gives the armchair sleuth plenty of clues and red herrings to ponder along with Alex and his friends, and the solution is by no means a predictable one. Her characters are well-defined and authentic, and her writing style is fluid and smooth. The Trainee Undercover is highly recommended.