Augusta Pine does not exist / Emily Lloyd-Jones.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A teen criminal hacker turned secret operative must outwit a band of cyberterrorists in this gripping novel from the acclaimed author of The Bone Houses .

I was fifteen when I became a murderer.

After a hack gone tragically wrong, a teen girl is given an ultimatum: accept a harsh prison sentence or leave her old life behind, adopt a new identity, and use her talents in the service of a covert government agency.

Three years later, the newly-named Augusta Pine has become a skilled wraith, one of the Identity Security Division's secret operatives. She has no home, no family. Her only friends are her coolly professional handler and a snarky sentient AI spybot. So when Augusta is sent to Portland for her next assignment, she seizes the chance to glimpse her beloved grandmother and rents the apartment next door.

But what begins as a little nostalgic stalking quickly turns into a fight for survival. With her quick wit, tech savvy--and help from an unexpected ally--Augusta must race against the clock to stay one step ahead of a band of deadly cyberterrorists.

Unfolding through a suspenseful narrative interspersed with case-file excerpts, this is a pulse-pounding novel about identity, connection, and justice.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

A teen turned covert asset matches wits with her unsuspecting hostage-takers in this outstanding thriller from Lloyd-Jones (The Wild Huntress), set in a technologically evolved near-future Portland, Ore. The narrator is 15 when her botched hacking of a driverless car kills her boyfriend and, briefly, herself, deactivating her government-issued biometric tattoo, which is used to confirm one's identity. At the hospital, the Identity Security Division extends an offer: get re-inked and face murder charges or let everyone think she's dead and become Augusta Pine, an untraceable ISD operative. Three years later, homesick Augusta contrives to surveil her grandmother from the vacant apartment next door. Augusta is poolside chatting with teenager Eames and his younger sister, Piper, when cyberterrorists seize control of a nearby smartbuilding; they seek Project Persephone, a top secret government property purportedly stashed somewhere inside the building that the terrorists would kill to recover. With external communications jammed and only Eames, Piper, and sentient bumblebee spybot Edgar for backup, resourceful Augusta sets out to save Nonna--and the day. Excerpts from ISD case files intercut Augusta's snarky present-tense narration, providing context and further developing individual character arcs of the white-cued cast. Subtle sci-fi worldbuilding complements witty, whiz-bang plotting, which ratchets up stakes while probing issues of grief and class disparity. Ages 14--up. Agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic. (July)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up--Augusta Pine (not her real name) was dead once; a hacking incident killed her (and also made her a murderer), but ISD (Identity Services Division of the federal government) brought her back. In exchange for her life and in penance for her crime, ISD gets to use her for 10 years as what the division calls a "wraith"--an untraceable spy with a changeable backstory. Witty and acerbic Augusta, handled by a perennially grumpy agent named Prefect and accompanied by her illicit sentient AI bumblebee sidekick Edgar, is excellent at disrupting the plans of would-be terrorists and criminals--as well as the plans of ISD itself, much to Prefect's frustration. When she finds herself embroiled in a standoff she didn't expect while sneaking around to see the beloved grandmother who can't know she's alive, it takes all her considerable skills to survive, to say nothing of saving the entire building full of people at risk. Told in a present-day narrative alongside "wraith case study" excerpts that flash back to Augusta's previous assignments, this high-stakes, action-packed adventure marks a return to a different sort of fiction for Lloyd-Jones, and readers will be eager for more. An extremely compelling plot, an unforgettable main character, and lots of questions of morality combine for excellent escapism without being heavy or heavy-handed. Characters cue white. VERDICT For fans of Tess Sharpe and Holly Jackson, this is widely appealing and great for every teen collection.--Allie Stevens

Booklist Review

Eighteen-year-old Augusta Pine is a wraith: a state-sanctioned ghost forced to work for the Identity Security Division (ISD) as penance for a hack gone wrong. In a not-so-distant future in which a person's identity is tattooed as a barcode on their skin, Augusta does sophisticated computer hacks for the ISD and is the only minor to ever become a wraith. When Augusta is sent to Portland, she takes the opportunity to secretly stay in her grandmother's apartment building. The plan backfires when the building and its residents--including siblings Piper and Eames--are taken hostage by cyberterrorists. Augusta knows she is the only person with the technical know-how to save everyone and so takes it upon herself, regardless of the personal risk. The story has a unique structure that alternates between ISD reports and Augusta's first-person perspective. The heroine is smart and sassy and has a wry sense of humor. Augusta is frank about the morally ambiguous line she walks, using the resources and skills at her disposal to help others when she can. This sf spy thriller balances high-octane action with a poignant exploration of identity, redemption, and digital surveillance. Recommended for fans of tech-heavy thrillers and resourceful women protagonists who kick butt and save the day.

Kirkus Book Review

In the not-so-distant future, a clever but troubled teen weaves her way through life as a secret agent. It started as harmless fun--a crush on a boy who wanted to play hooky from school. But everything went wrong, and 15-year-old Augusta Pine's biometric electron-ink identity tattoo disappeared when her heart briefly stopped following the car accident that occurred after she hacked the car's autopilot. The boy died in the crash. It's commonplace for people to get tattoos that contain all their personal details. Everyone's faces also appear in the Identity Security Division's database, allowing their movements to be tracked. A mysterious man called Prefect visits Augusta in the hospital with an offer: She can get back her original identity and face prosecution for her crime, or she can take on a fresh identity and work for Prefect for 10 years. This premise sets the melancholic tone that runs throughout this story and is underscored by Augusta's desperate longing for the family she had to leave behind. The mood is appealingly buoyed by her sharp wit, and the plentiful tech details, including an incredibly likable spybot bumblebee named Edgar. Three years on, she stumbles onto a violent attack in the Portland, Oregon, apartment building where she's staying, and she's drawn into helping cute, earnest neighbor Eames Ahlberg try to save his little sister, Piper, from terrorists who lock down the building. Chapters set in the propulsive present-day scenario are interspersed with debriefings from previous incidents in Augusta's life, which are characterized by her good-natured defiance. The leads read white. A smart and adventure-packed thriller with heart.(Thriller. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.