Ruby Redfort: Blink and You Die had all of the classic Ruby Redfort moments and traits that I quickly remembered as I read the book. I immediately recalled all of Ruby's quirks: her sloganed tops, her way of answering phones ("Pest control, we spray you pay."), and her never-ending supply of doctor's slips and excuses to get out of class.

In this book, all of the classic characters were there, and only one or two new characters were introduced. I appreciated that because it was a lot easier to get back into the story after three years. The characters are also super distinct which also helps me to remember them and not group them into one category of the same personality, different names. Some of my favorite characters include Froghorn (he's so uptight but doesn't think things through), Ms. Digby (who is basically part of the family and is absolutely hilarious), and Clancy Crew (Ruby's best friend and partner in crime). These characters all help Ruby to deal with her life as a spy and as a student.

I think that the writing was pretty good, although, there were parts where the pacing and the phrasing was a bit weird. Nonetheless, Lauren Child was good about catching the reader up with what had happened over the last few books. For example, an almost complete overview is given about the wanted criminals that Ruby has been in contact with/ that Spectrum 8 knows about. We get overviews of the Count (I sure do remember him), the Australian, and Lorelei, and how they are all connected. I also liked how there were references to the previous books which gave the books much more of a connected feel.

There was at least one part of the book that went pretty fast. While this might have been to the fact that I hadn't read the series in a while and it was in an e-book format (I always get confused when there is a lot of back and forth dialog in e-books), it seemed to go way to fast. It was during a dialogue between Ruby and Clancy about what was happening, and there was a lot of "what ifs" in the conversation which also lead me to be super confused.
There was also a super weird phrasing part where a diner and its occupancy is described. "It was medium busy, not too crowded..." I feel like there could have been better word choice as "medium busy" sounds off.

This book also had some fantastic gasp-out loud parts. There were so many surprises that kept me on my toes and always guessing until the last moment! I think that this was partially because, in the story, there were moments of flashbacks from the past. A snippet here of a young child, an adventure over here, and a rescue. This helped to add to the suspense and gave me lots of opportunities for me to change my opinions of who was who.

The book had a great ending that wrapped everything up. While I was sad about the series ending, I feel as if I didn't have any more questions about who worked for who, along with other problems that the series raised over the five previous books.


In conclusion, Ruby Redfort: Blink and You Die was the perfect ending to the Ruby Redford series. The characters were as always, distinct and full of personality and the storyline was memorable as it would jump back in time. I would recommend this series to any young child or tween who wants to be a spy, who wants to have an adventure, and who wants to read suspenseful (but not scary) books!

Farewell My Lovely Code-Breaker

This is the sixth book in the Ruby Redford series and is supposedly the last. I hold out some hope there might be another some time since nothing happens at the end that would necessarily foreclose that possibility. That said, maybe Lauren Child was right to conclude that the series was ready to wrap.

I've liked Ruby and enjoyed her adventures ever since Clarice tipped me off to her. A smart, reckless, (in the earlier books), resourceful, cool, (and unapologetically smart), heroine was especially refreshing when this series first started. Ruby was a little tart and rough around the edges, and that was fine. Over time she has grown up a bit and by this book some of her attitudes and peccadilloes were getting long in the tooth. Still fun mind you, but familiar.

That said, in this book Ruby does wrap up with a bang. Lots of action, devious codes and puzzles, much lurking, and a socko finish. The mole/double-agent mystery drives the fast moving plot, so it's not just an actioner. Indeed, at this stage it's more fun to have the plots driven by a strong mystery rather than James Bond type action shenanigans. There is a fair amount of noodling and just chatting with her pals, (Clancy, Hitch, Mrs. Digby), but that makes sense when you're tying up loose ends.

And Child does deliver a suspenseful ending - with action, twists and turns, a bit of humor, some razz-ma-tazz, and a bit of winking deadpan. So, as always, this book drives you along, messes with your expectations, throws a few curves, gives you charming breathers, and then knocks you out at the end. Farewell, Ruby.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)