Eagle Strike (Alex Rider Series) by Anthony Horowitz
Two men, both hired hitmen travel through the Amazon rainforest. After hacking a path through acres of rainforest, they finally reach their destination, a secret hideout for a notorious drug lord that they have been hired to terminate. Their plan it to take him out as he is travelling across his compound to his chopper. However, this leaves them only one chance to get him before the mission is blown.
As the drug lord exits a building, one of the hitmen notices what he recognises to be a black widow spider climbing across his colleague’s shoulder. If he startles the spider by shooting the drug lord, it will surely attack his fellow hitman, but if he doesn’t take the shot now, the mission will be compromised.
The hitman makes a bold choice. He quickly moves position so that he is behind his comrade, yet directly facing the drug lord. He takes aim of his sniper rifle, lining it up at his target. He takes a breathe. Slowly, as he breathes out, he pulls the trigger with a precision that few people in the world are capable of. The bullet flies out the barrel of the gun, shoots through the spider and his the drug lord square in the chest. The other hitman, who had no idea the lethal spider was on his back is startled by the graze the bullet left on him as the spider was shot. The bullet will leave a scar, but he’ll be fine. One life saved and another taken, all with one bullet.
Who were the hitmen? Who hired them? What will their future hold for them? And what does this have to do with Alex Rider, the young MI5 spy?
AGE RATING: 10+
TEEN RATING: 4.2/5
TEEN OVERVIEW: Anthony Horowitz has created another wonderful YA spy thriller. One of the better Alex Rider books, Eagle Strike was really enjoyable. The book is a must read for fans of the genre and the earlier books in the series.
