After all, Alex is my favorite teen spy, and the one that truly kicked off a lot of the action-packed series that have since jumped on board. Most boys his age wouldn't walk away from a mystery or a grievance either, and would look for ways to strike back. Instead of getting the hint that this kid is potentially dangerous and that it would be better off if he didnt know his plans, HE TOLD HIM ANYWAYS! I liked all of Alex's near-death experiences in this volume, particularly because it would be SUPER hard to survive them.

I suspended my disbelief about this unlikely premise, and enjoyed the action sequences and general mayhem.As the mission involves getting access to Straik's computer, one gadget is a memory stick disguised as an eraser; the other gadgets include two exploding gel pens, a diamond-edged knife disguised as a pencil sharpener, a CCTV camera jammer and communicator disguised as a pocket calculator, and a disguised swipe card that opens any door in conjunction with a reprogrammer built into a lead-lined pencil case.

It's usually played on long car journeys and keeps him and his 8yrs old brother happy and contented on the journeys. This book, more than any of the others, really takes a spin off the James Bond 007 franchise when it opens up on Alex playing Texas Hold `em with the big baddie of the book. They survive, and luckily all three are rescued by a man named Rahim, whose origins are currently unknown. If it was written for older readers it would also have to deal with the effect on a fourteen year old boy of the traumatic events to which he is subjected. Tapi andainya genetik tumbuhan biasa yang kita lihat normal namun diubah menjadi bahan yang mematikan bayangkan sahaja apa kerosakan yang boleh terjadi.Filled with tense moments and narrow escapes fans of the series will be greatly satisfied with this one. Usually Alex gets recruited into a mission for MI-6 through some bit of backhanded blackmail, but in this one he inadvertently steps afoul of Desmond McCain (our villain) and ends up first in the sights of a sharpshooter, then at the eye of the storm McCain unleashes on him. Grabbing a rope hanging from a helicopter that is flying by when you are on a wobbly roof about to fall is hard enough. I had to force my willing suspension of disbelief for this sequence, but Horowitz is one of those storytellers that I'm happy to do that for. Things start moving pretty slowly, and initially it seems as though once again Anthony has no qualms in boring his readers with overly descriptive passages.

While on his way back from school one day soon after, Alex walks to Brompton Cemetery and visits the grave of his uncle, Ian Rider. Its a neat list that tells you what you SHOULD do to carry out your evil plots, cause' whatever you all are reading is obviously not working!How is he able to afford so many family vacations (every time we're introduced to his family, they are on a vacation), and take along a boy who is a friend of his daughter's for most of them? He will live to see you go to jail or see you die He may even kill you Why can't Alex ever find something on his own? There needs to be a fresher plot, a more interesting villain, or some character development for Alex. The fact that Alex involved himself in so much of the bad guy's overall plot was different, and it makes sense given that Alex is the kind of kid that he is.