Michael Simmons

Suspecting that his father's business partner is selling smallpox virus to terrorists and murdering anyone who gets in his way, sixteen-year-old Evan Macalister once again travels to France with his friends, Ruben and Erika, to search for the mysterious Lubchenko, the elusive spymaster whose help they need to avert a major disaster.

The Rise of Lubchenko

Lynn Braden

In the sequel to Finding Lubchenko, Evan Macalister is once again saving the world; this time from an Smallpox infestation that would kill millions. His stained relationship with his father has not improved, and he continues to be happily oblivious to the feelings of others. He and his friends, Rueben and Erika are off to Paris to stop his father's business partner from selling a strain of Smallpox that their company uses to research vaccinations and cures for the disease. 

It is hard to like Evan. The author shows him thinking a lot about his feelings for family and friends, but it's really nothing more than self-serving emotions designed to make him more likeable to the audience. The book was well written, but there were no real revelations or twists to make it more than just an okay story about an unlikeable teen and the messes he creates for himself.

The Rise of Lubchenko

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