Skeleton Key (Alex Rider Series) by Anthony Horowitz
A plane comes to a gentle landing on Skeleton Key, Cuba. Three men disembark and meet General Alexei Sarov, whom they are supplying uranium to. The suppliers threaten Sarov to give them one million dollars or they will snitch on him to the American authorities. Angered by the ultimatum given to him, Sarov gets his men to rig their plane so that when the suppliers fly out of Skeleton Key, the plane will come to a fatal crash into a crocodile infested body of water.
Meanwhile, in London, Alex Rider is propositioned by MI6 once again. He’s offered tickets to Wimbledon in return for going undercover as a ball boy in order to sniff out some criminal activity that is believed to be going on…
After noticing a rather suspicious looking security guard, Alex decides to tail him. The astute guard lures Alex into a quiet area and attacks him. No match for Alex’s mixed martial arts skills, the guard is knocked out cold. Soon after, Alex discovers that the man is a member of the Chinese Triad gang, ‘Big Circle’ and was fixing a match by using a remote control disguised as a phone to trigger a drugged water cooler.
At Wimbledon, Alex met Sabina Pleasure, whom he became very good friends with. While on vacation with her surfing in Cornwall, a member of the ‘Big Circle’ attempts to kill Alex. Luckily, Sabina manages to save him from drowning…
MI6 then joins up with the CIA and sends Alex off on a mission with two other agents to investigate General Alexei Sarov in Cuba. Why does Sarov want uranium? Why did ‘Big Circle’ put so much effort into killing Alex, and how did they know who he was exactly? What will Alex and the two CIA agents find in Cuba?
AGE RATING: 10+
TEEN RATING: 3.9/5
TEEN OVERVIEW: Anthony Horowitz expands the Alex Rider story with a hop across The Pond. Skeleton Key adds more to Alex’s personal life as well as his life as a spy. The development definitely makes the rest of the series more enjoyable. A must read for fans of YA action and adventure.
