I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (2006) is a young-adult fiction novel written by Ally Carter and is the first book in the Gallagher Girls series.^[2] It was optioned for film by Disney and the option sold to Walden Media.^[3] In June 2009 the movie option expired.^[4] In October 2007, a sequel was released titled Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy.^[5]

Plot

The story follows 15-year-old Cameron (Cammie) Ann Morgan, a sophomore at Gallagher Academy For Exceptional Young Women, a school for "very gifted girls," but actually a school for espionage spies in training. She faces her third year of real spy training. While on her first mission required for her Covert Operations class, she meets a "normal" boy called Josh, he notices her despite her reputation as a "pavement artist" and that she is trying to be invisible. No one sees Cammie when she doesn't want to be seen, which is one of the things she likes about him. She does not tell him who she really is though, or where she goes to school, due to Gallagher's reputation of being a school for snooty heiresses. Soon Josh and Cammie develop a steady relationship, with Cammie always sneaking out of the school, with the help of her best friends and roommates Liz Sutton and Bex Baxter. Macey McHenry, an authentic heiress and senator's daughter, also becomes her friend despite a rocky start at Gallagher. Cammie lies to Josh many times to keep her cover, claiming that she is home schooled, has a cat and has lived in exotic places, but her true identity is revealed after Josh's friend, Dillon, sees Cammie walking toward the academy with the rest of the girls and attempts to break into Gallagher Academy to prove that it is Cammie's real school. After a heated confrontation, Cammie tells Josh the truth—besides information about being a spy—and then they break up. Once Josh walks away, Cammie is "kidnapped" by Mr. Solomon for her Cove Ops final. The Gallagher Girls have to rescue Cammie; Josh attempts, unsuccessfully, to save her, thinking it was a real kidnapping, and is let in on the secret of the Gallagher Girls. But as he is leaving he tells Cammie, "Oh, tell your mom thanks for the tea," leaving the possibility open as to whether Cammie's mom gave him a special kind of tea to wipe his memory, or just regular tea. The story ends with Josh leaving the mansion and telling Cammie, "I guess I'll see you around."^[6]

Main characters

• Cameron Morgan (a.k.a. Chameleon) - known as Cammie by her friends or Chameleon when they go on missions. She is a sophomore student at Gallagher Academy, daughter of the headmistress. She shares a suite with Liz, Bex, and later on, Macey. She seems to be the leader of the friends, even though she always needs help from them. She describes herself as "the girl no one sees (Chameleon)". She also describes herself as plain or average and often doubts herself.
• Rebecca Baxter (a.k.a. Duchess) - known as Bex, she dislikes her codename. The first Gallagher Girl who is not American (she is British). A sophomore, and the toughest of all her friends. She is beautiful, described as Macey's equal. Her parents are active agents in England's MI6, she rarely gets to see them and treasures the time she does spend with them.
• Elizabeth Sutton (a.k.a. Bookworm) - known as Liz by her friends. She too is a sophomore at the Gallagher Academy.She is highly intelligent, but not athletically gifted, and very clumsy. She was published in Scientific American at the age of nine. Her parents are "normal" and don't know the truth about Liz's school and education.
• Macey McHenry (a.k.a. Peacock) - Macey arrived at Gallagher Academy as her last chance to enter a school, since she always got kicked out of school for behavior-related reasons. The headmistress, Cammie's mother, had to accept her, as she discovered Macey was a descendant of Gillian "Gilly" Gallagher, the founder of the academy. Macey is beautiful, rebellious, and rude. Her father is a famous senator and her mother is a cosmetics heiress.
• Josh Abrams - known as The Subject, when the girls write the reports of their missions. He discovered Cammie when she was on a mission for her Cove Ops class. Later on, he becomes her boyfriend. He thinks Cammie is just a regular girl. The girls later observe that Josh saw Cammie when she was trying to be invisible, and no one sees Cammie.
• Rachel Morgan- Headmistress of the Gallagher Academy, she is also Cammie's mother. Cammie describes her as one of the best spies ever as well as extremely gorgeous.
• Joe Solomon- Covert Operations (CoveOps) Teacher at Gallagher Academy. When he first arrived for Cammie's sophomore year, all the girls thought he was gorgeous, though he turned out to be very strict and an incredibly tough teacher.

References