Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and-most serious-civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves-during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen.

When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement. Katrina and Parker have Cuban and Dominican heritage, respectively. Only a bit of uneven pacing and a rather disappointing conclusion keep this tale of thrills from truly achieving greatness. Brimming with the knotty twists and eccentric turns found in any good page-turner, Gonzalez’s latest largely fulfills its promise of nefarious, science-based intrigue bombastic characters and melodrama. As Katrina races to reunite with her family, she discovers the truth behind her broken memories. There, the duo meets Agent X, an alleged ally of Katrina’s parents. When her father disappears and armed men kidnap her mother, Katrina flees to a safe house with her new friend Parker Jimenez, a young computer hacker with his share of secrets. But mental snapshots from Katrina’s blurred past and moments of eavesdropping on her parents’ whispered discussions keep raising questions about her parents’ research scientist pasts and the real reasons behind their covert lifestyle. Unable to recall memories from before the age of 10, Katrina knows little about her life on the run other than the fact that a notorious drug cartel wants to destroy them thanks to her father’s involvement in their downfall. Three years in the witness protection program-involving relocations, name changes, and secrets-have taken a toll on 12-year-old Katrina Davis. On the run to elude dastardly forces, a young amnesiac girl must unlock the mysteries of her past to save herself and her family.

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