ALA Booklist

In this follow-up to Icecore (2007), British computer hacker Carl Hobbes is a fugitive after escaping from a high-security prison, where he was sentenced after becoming embroiled in a plan to rob Fort Knox. A CIA-hired bounty hunter is after him and so is a female al-Qaeda assassin. After landing a job at a tightly guarded warehouse run by a supercomputer named Cleopatra, he figures that he can use his computer skills to manipulate Cleopatra into protecting himself and his friend Beth, the thief. After a slow start, Whyman builds suspense to the final chapters, when the assassin and bounty hunter chase Carl and Beth through the warehouse in scenes that feature rooms sucked dry of oxygen, automatic cannons, and flying knives. At the end, Carl escapes, but he's still on the run, so expect more adventures.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

In this sequel to Icecore, computer hacker Carl is in hiding in London with Beth. He's one of the world's most wanted criminals, and there's a bounty on his head. The plot highlights the fact that the flaw in any computer is its human element--and this is Carl's flaw as well. Short chapters and present-tense narration make for a highly suspenseful read.

Kirkus Reviews

Find galloping suspense and action here in the first sequel to Whyman's Icecore (2007), wherein falsely accused young British superhacker Carl Hobbes escaped from an arctic American prison camp for terrorists. Here, the Americans are still after him, but Carl still has those computer skills, too. The author manages to hold readers' interest even while setting up his new plot. Carl gets a job in a storage facility for ritzy items, run by a supercomputer. It's that computer that Carl wants to get his talented fingers on so he can continue to elude the CIA. They've set a brutal bounty hunter on his tail to bring him in, but, alas, so has al-Qaeda, and their sexy female assassin intends to kill him. All may be well if Carl's girlfriend Beth can restrain herself from selling the gold bullion she stole from Fort Knox, but can she? With a narrative pitched to action- and computer-oriented teens, this may well find a wide audience. Learn some hacking and enjoy explosions in this one. It almost seems realistic. (Thriller. YA)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In Whyman’s solid follow-up to <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Icecore, British hacker Carl Hobbes and American thief Beth Nelson are on the run from both the CIA and al-Qaeda, hiding off the grid in London. Hobbes hacks his way into a job at Sphinx Cargo, a security company with an advanced supercomputer named Cleopatra. His plan is to reprogram Cleopatra to regard Carl and Beth as cargo that needs to be protected, too. Even as Carl initiates his plan, the CIA and al-Qaeda track them to London, and an inevitable showdown looms. Whyman keeps the action moving at a brisk pace, but glosses over the relationship between Carl and Beth, leaving the tension between them feeling unnatural, even as it moves the plot forward. Although Cleopatra’s computing capabilities often border on science fiction, the action sequences are believable and often realistically brutal, and the climactic battle is intense and entertaining. Readers looking for a fast-moving thriller should be willing to overlook the flaws, and new readers will find enough exposition to jump right into the action. Ages 12–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Feb.)

School Library Journal (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 7-10 Carl Hobbes, aka James Valentine, aka Finn Carter, is an 18-year-old computer hacker pursued by CIA operatives after being suspected of raiding Fort Knox's gold coffers and escaping from Camp Twilight. He is now leading a playboy existence. Applying for a job at Sphinx Cargo, an ultra-secure storage facility for valuables shipped around the world, Finn plans to lay low in an unassuming job as a night security officer. Living in a cheap apartment with his Fort Knox accomplice Beth Nelson, he knows that they will always be looking over their shoulders. He learns that Sphinx is protected by "Cleopatra," a supercomputer security system able to flush out intruders with visual-recognition markers and motion detection and uses high-pitched frequencies and electrical charges as preemptive assaults. "She" even knows when the security officer is napping. When Beth missteps, a CIA officer and Al-Qaeda operatives who lost a mercenary at Hobbes's hands in a previous episode close in on the Sphinx facility. The pace quickens as Hobbes and Nelson use Cleopatra and all of her technological talents to ward off the assassins, at the expense of the facility and its valuable contents. This is an all-action title, told in the present tense, which may be appealing to reluctant readers who care little about the lack of character development. Fans of Anthony Horowitz and other spy thrillers will latch on to this probable series. Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

Voice of Youth Advocates

Goldstrike is a suspense novel along the lines of Robert Ludlum, reminiscent of the latest Die Hard movie. Its short length is the only thing that marks it as a young adult novel. The main character, Carl Hobbes, is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker. In the prequel to this novel, he escapes a maximum security, Guantanamo-like prison surrounded by ice. Now he is on the run from the United States government, bounty hunters, and terrorists. Being a hacker, he turns to a supercomputer for safety, but first he needs to win that artificial intelligence over to his side. Goldstrike is a sequel, and as such starts with a lot of assumed history. Not knowing the history, however, simply adds to the suspense for a new reader, while a fan familiar with the characters will be drawn straight back into the world. The characterizations are what makes this novel as good as it is. Hobbes is first introduced by his pursuers, and the reader quickly understands his skills and motivations. The reader is also left with very clear images of all the supporting characters. It is easy to believe that one could pick Wilson, Ramsay, Beth, Sabine, or Willard out of a line-up and strike up a meaningful conversation with each. From the people to the plot to the world, Goldstrike provides a welcome escape for current and future suspense fans. It will not stay on the shelf long.ùBeth Karpas.