Alex Rider #3: Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz

I miss the excitement of working with MI6, but I wish they'd leave me alone. They always say the missions will be safe, and all I need to do is keep my eyes open while visiting Point Blank in the Alps or attending Wimbledon. Ha! I always find myself fighting to save my life? So, when they told me all I needed to do was enjoy the Cuban beaches while pretending to be the son of CIA agents, let's say I was skeptical. I knew I wasn't being told the whole story when my "mom" got nervous as the customs officer examined the Game Boy she'd given me. The agents plan to sneak into the estate of a former Russian general to figure out what he plans to do with the uranium he bought. You don't need to be a genius to realize the general is building a nuclear bomb.

This book followed the same format as the previous books, and it's not necessary to read them in order. The adventure of Alex being thrown into another dangerous mission provided the greatest entertainment. He didn't do much that a "normal" teenage boy couldn't do, and being a kid often gave him an advantage. He also had a few spy gadgets in his pocket, so it was fun to anticipate when he might decide to use them. The thing I most disliked about the first three books was the fact that Alex didn't have any close friends, teammates, or colleagues. He flew solo. I enjoy the development of character relationships in books, and I missed that in the series. A glimmer of hope is that Alex met a girl early in this book, and she reappeared in the resolution of the story to spend some time with him. Having the girl's parents willing to fly her to find Alex, a boy she'd only known for a few days, seemed unusual to me, so I'll need to wait and see what develops in the book's sequel. Overall, you'll enjoy this book if you're looking for a spy adventure with a twist. Of course, the safety of the world is always at stake. I recommend you give this book a shot.