ALA Booklist (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2005)

In Zack's Lie (2001), after Jack's dad's arrest for drug trafficking, the family entered the Witness Security Program to hide from the dangerous drug cartel that will be exposed in court. As the story picks up in this action-packed sequel, Jack arrives in Los Angeles to stay with his college-age sister, Joanne, only to find that she has foolishly blown their cover. Kidnapped and flown to Argentina, Jack and Joanne show their mettle in a series of violent confrontations and other frightening situations. Filling in readers on the background from the previous book takes a bit of time, but once the pace of the story picks up, it never flags; both the heroes and the villains seem larger than life. Sometimes the story strains credibility but may be just the thing for readers who crave plot-driven fiction full of action and danger.

Horn Book

In this suspenseful sequel to Zach's Lie, Jack and Joanne Osborne are kidnapped from a witness-protection program after Joanne blows their cover. The story begins slowly as Smith fills in details from the first book, but the pace quickens after the Osbornes are imprisoned in Argentina and eventually make a hard-to-believe escape. A page-turner with an ending that portends another installment.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>After a narrow escape from the drug dealers in whose trial Jack's father will testify (Zach's Lie, 2001), Jack and his family have returned to the dubious safety of the Witness Security Program. They seem safe enough until Jack's painfully stupid sister, Joanne, successfully auditions for the reality television show American SuperStar. When she appears on national televisiona"under a false name, but giving the genuine location of their hidden parentsa"the gig is up. Agents of drug kingpin Alonzo Aznar promptly kidnap Jack and Joanne and hustle them off to a ranch, an Argentinean hideaway that's a complete reproduction of an Old West town. Jack and Joanne, held to ensure that their father doesn't testify, escape in the muddle of a drug syndicate hootenanny in full Old West style. Meanwhile, their parents rush to the rescue with the help of former janitor and KGB agent Sam. Despite tense, action-packed escapes, the conclusion strains the bounds of credulity. (Fiction. 9-12)</p>

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-In Zach's Lie (Hyperion, 2001), Jack Osborne's father agreed to testify against drug czar Alonzo Aznar. Although the family joined the Witness Security Program, Aznar eventually found them and notified his minions, and Jack narrowly escaped death at their hands. In this thrilling sequel, Smith provides enough background to understand Jack's past and the pressures that he now faces. His older sister, Joanne, has moved to L.A., where she plans to attend college and pursue a musical career. His father, under close watch by the U.S. Marshal Service, is scheduled to testify at the trial. For his own safety, Jack is sent to live with Joanne. When he arrives, he discovers that she has been selected for an American Idol-type show, and that her image has been splashed all over the news media. Aznar's men find and kidnap the siblings and move them to a vineyard in South America. From that point, the author tells the story from dual perspectives: that of Jack and Joanne as they try to escape and that of their parents and their struggle to find their children. The two story lines collide when the Osbornes arrive at the vineyard, posing as dealers. The action is nonstop and the characters are compelling. The fast pace will keep even reluctant readers interested. A highly entertaining read.-Emily Garrett, Naaman Forest High School, Garland, TX Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Smith tracks the further adventures of a family on the run from an evil drug lord in this fast-paced and over-the-top sequel to Zach's Lie (Hyperion, 2001/VOYA June 2001). Jack Osborne, aka Zach Granger and now Mack Greene, has not had an easy time of it since his family entered the Witness Protection Program. After Jack's father, a pilot and former NAVY Seal, turned state's evidence against drug lord Alonzo Aznar, the family went into hiding. Jack was responsible for blowing their first cover. Now it is his older sister's turn. When Christine thoughtlessly becomes one of the finalists in a nationwide singing contest that bears more than a passing resemblance to American Idol (one of the novel's more unbelievable moments), her face is splashed all over the media. Of course, it brings her to the attention of Alonzo, who is running his cartel via e-mail while in prison awaiting trial. The twists and turns that ensue are fun, if not fairly implausible, and include everything from Jack and sister ending up as unhappy guests on one drug runner's extensively re-created 1870s dude ranch to former KGB spy Sam Sebesta making a surprise reappearance. Readers who enjoy the adventures of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series will find much to like here if they can suspend their disbelief in the improbable plot. For those more interested in the Witness Protection aspect of the story, Jacqueline Woodson's Hush (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2002/VOYA February 2002) provides a deeper character study of one teenager's psychological struggle with assuming a new identity.-Jennifer Hubert.