My Best Friend Is a Secret Agent is a humorous children’s book, written by Richard Clark and illustrated by Rich Murray. Whiz-kid Nort McKrakken has created something ingenious which will make crime-fighting easier – a C.H.I.P. (Computerized Heroic Incredible Person), able to transform regular human beings into super heroes. Nort’s father, Colonel Brock McKrakken, is in charge of security in the tiny town of Vortville, but has a habit of destroying half the town with each task. The colonel is obsessed with catching and imprisoning The Big Cheese – a super villain so named for stinking up the town with his Limburger cheese. With Nort’s father being so preoccupied, Nort and his powered-up friend, Chip, are up against an evil more powerful than any the world has ever seen. The Freaky Fuzzy Convention is in town, and many sinister plots are afoot. With Nort’s nemesis, Gert von Brugen, determined to discover Nort’s well-guarded secret, it will take every trick in the book for Nort and Chip to successfully stop a super villain whose plans out-chaos those of The Big Cheese, and who is far more powerful than anybody could have ever imagined.
With not just one, but TWO super villains on the loose, this super hero’s tale is just what the town of Vortville needed. Richard Clark’s story premise of good and evil is highly entertaining and extremely imaginative. I loved the idea of two genius children in a family where a boisterous ex-military father and a wallflower mother almost seem to come from another gene pool entirely. The sinister antics of super villain, The Big Cheese, almost brought the house down with laughter. I found myself on the edge of my seat, however, and holding my breath when a second super villain came into play, making the first one seem like an angel in comparison. The characters in My Best Friend Is a Secret Agent were not only a breath of fresh air, but stem from an imagination beyond anything I have ever seen or read before. I look forward to reading more of Richard Clark’s books in the future, and recommend it to readers aged 7-14 who enjoy suspense, fun and adventure, all neatly tied up in a wonderfully illustrated super hero package.
