And Alex’s concerns about some dubious chocolate bars lead to one of the few times he actually contacts Mrs Jones and Alan Blunt of MI6 of his own accord. Alternatively, we suggest that you visit your local library and request to borrow a copy from a friendly librarian, if you cannot find the book on its shelves. Ever since MI6 recognized his potential, Alex Rider has constantly been thrust into the line of danger. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform, so if you choose to subscribe your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Without telling you the ending, you will be surprised about how it ends and you will certainly want to read more books by this author!

There is lots of adventure from the very start of the story, with plenty of action to keep me entertained.In Alex in Afghanistan, he has to undertake a perilous journey that only someone of his age – and size – would be able to accomplish, but despite all the promises, nothing is ever simple where his missions are concerned. The young spy is less traumatised, and there is a lighter tone to some of the stories, such as the delightfully entertaining Tea with Smithers, which provides some insights into the behind the scenes life of MI6’s gadget inventor, Q to Alex’s Bond. This book was good because I enjoyed finding out more about the character of Alex Rider and his determination to solve problems in a fearless way. After the traumatic events of Scorpia Rising, it looked very much like Alex had finally been allowed to go back to the life of an ordinary boy, moving to the States to live with his friend Sabina Pleasure and her parents.

Secret Weapon is the book that Alex Rider’s fans have to thank for the continuation of the young spy’s highly entertaining adventures. The book contains three new adventures as well as the previously published stories, and in writing those, Horowitz realised that there were still more tales he could tell, and so the series continued, and in a very satisfactory manner, too, proving that follow ups aren’t always a mistake. High Tension is the shortest story in the book, set in the south of France on a day when Alex tries out parasailing, and naturally, things don’t go entirely to plan, forcing him to put his skills and training to use to get out of a dangerous situation, that for once has nothing to do with anyone deliberately trying to kill him. Ever since MI6 recognised his potential, Alex Rider has constantly been thrust into the line of danger.Secret Weapon is a collection of seven explosive adventures featuring familiar and new assailants from the much-loved world of Alex Rider, including three never-before-seen stories. From a routine visit to the dentist that turns into a chase through the streets of London, to a school trip with a deadly twist, no day has ever been ordinary for the teenage super-spy.

The story points up how Alex was trained by his uncle, himself a spy in the employ of MI6, from a very early age to follow in what was effectively a family profession. Rupert Degas's narrations are marked by his versatile and emotive voice, creating a captivating and enjoyable listening experience.

It demonstrates a cynical willingness to exploit a young boy, and shows that, in essence, Alex’s whole relationship with Ian Rider was based on a series of lies, a hard lesson for him to learn and an even harder one to look back on, although there is an alternative explanation that maybe Ian was simply giving his nephew the skills needed to survive if Ian ever accidentally brings his work home. The title story, Secret Weapon, pits Alex against someone from his past, a dangerous drug dealer with a grudge against the boy who was responsible for him ending up in prison. All the stories in this collection are set when Alex is 14, before the worst of his tangles with Scorpia and his own deranged clone, Julius Grief. Then, several years later, his publishers suggested the idea of tidying up some short stories he’d written, published as bonus features and other extras, and Secret Weapon was the end result.

The story contains all Horowitz’s trademark ingenuity when it comes to planning and plotting and, as usual, showcases Alex’s own abilities to the full, as does the final story in the collection, Spy Trap, in which Alex ends up in a secretive hospital, treated by people who claim to be looking after him following a car accident, but he quickly has his doubts about their motives. In truth, I thought I must have run out of action sequences, secret gadgets and plots to destroy the world. The Man with Eleven Fingers starts with a rare glimpse into what Alex was like when his housekeeper – and later his closest friend – Jack Starbright first arrived in a house in Chelsea to help look after a truculent seven-year-old, then moves onto the case of Freddy ‘Fingers’, a man on trial for a massive case of embezzlement. In my view, Smithers is the only person in MI6 who never manipulated or lied to Alex and, as his creator revealed in Scorpia Rising, there’s a lot more to Smithers than meets the eye – or do I mean a lot less?This is the latest book in the Alex Rider series and is my second favourite, with Scorpia being my first choice. Well, it was when Walker Books asked me to polish some pre-published short stories that I realized I’d rather missed my reluctant teenaged spy. Anthony Horowitz announced in March 2016 that he will be publishing a collection of Alex Rider short stories. For fans of the series, Secret Weapon is an excellent and varied collection, showcasing Alex’s talents and problem-solving abilities, interspersed with some rare domestic moments, including his huge fear of dentists!