I’ve read a number of Anthony Horowitz’s mysteries and enjoyed them. Just by chance, I came across a number of Horowitz’s Alex Rider paperbacks…so of course I bought them. It’s Summer so reading fluff is allowed. I was expecting something like The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew when I picked up the first book in the Alex Rider series, Stormbreaker (2000). Wrong!
Alex Rider is a 14-year-old who is being raised by his “banker” uncle. But in Chapter One, Ian Rider is killed in a car accident. Alex investigates and finds his uncle’s car in a junk yard…riddled with bullets!
It doesn’t take long for Alex to learn his uncle was a spy for MI6. Alex finds himself recruited to investigate his uncle’s death, to find Ian Rider’s killer, and complete his uncle’s final mission.
Unlike The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, this Alex Rider mystery features gunplay, an impressive Body Count, and Alex taking some physical punishment absent in most Young Adult books. Call Stormbreaker hardboiled spy fiction! I’m looking forward to Alex Rider’s next case! GRADE: B+
ALEX RIDER SERIES:
- Stormbreaker (2000)
- Point Blanc (2001; US title: Point Blank)
- Skeleton Key (2002)
- Eagle Strike (2003)
- Scorpia (2004)
- Ark Angel (2005)
- Snakehead (2007)
- Crocodile Tears (2009)
- Scorpia Rising (2011)
- Russian Roulette (2013)
- Never Say Die (2017)
- Nightshade (2020)
- Nightshade Revenge (2023)
I had no clue that Horowitz—who, in addition to the very clever Susan Ryland mysteries, wrote some of the best early episodes of “Midsomer Murders”—had written in the YA/spy genre. I don’t think I’d be interested in these books, but it certainly shows how versatile a writer Horowitz is.
Deb, Horowitz is both versatile and prolific. Like you, I’m a fan of the Susan Ryland mysteries. “The estate of James Bond creator Ian Fleming chose Horowitz to write Bond novels utilizing unpublished material by Fleming, starting with Trigger Mortis in 2015, followed by Forever and a Day in 2018, and a third and final novel With a Mind to Kill in May 2022.” Horowitz was the creator and writer of the ITV series Foyle’s War, Collision and Injustice, and the BBC series Crime Traveller and New Blood.
I think these were tryouts, in a sense, for the three James Bond novels he wrote with the sanction of the Ian Fleming estate. The Bonds are pretty good, if not up to Kingsley Amis’ COLONEL SUN or needless to say, Fleming’s works.
Fred, I have Horowitz’s Bond books around here somewhere…but they’re waiting to be read.
Unlike Deb, I did know about the series, but I thought there were only four or five, not 13.
And Deb, he has written (according to Wikipedia) a LOT of kuds’ books.
Despite them being the kinds of books I like, as well as having interesting sounding plots, I have never been able to get into a single one of his books. My problem, obviously.
Now television is different. He wrote 11 of the David Suchet Poirot series and the first six Midsomer episodes, but his supreme achievement was creating the great Foyle’s War series and writing 24 of the 28 episodes. We rewatched the series last year and it was as excellent as the first time. I’d definitely watch it again, as should you all.
Jeff, Rick Robinson was a huge fan of FOYLE’S WAR. I have a DVD set…but need to find time to watch them. Right now, Diane and I are working to get our house ready for a Family Reunion. So far, 27 members have responded that they plan to attend next month.
Kids
FOYLE”S WAR is my all-time favorite series and I should watch it again.
Patti, clearly Horowitz is a gifted scriptwriter!
The title that intrigued me on his filmography, which I am going to look for tonight (it was on MGM+, which we have), is NINE BODIES IN A MEXICAN MORGUE. I don’t know about the rest of you (well, Jerry, OK), but this isn’t something I can resist. According to Wikipedia, 9 strangers are marooned in a Mexican jungle after a plane crash when they start being killed off one by one. Shades of Agatha Christie! And the cast has some interesting actors we know, with the highlight for me being Siobhan McSweeney (Sister Michael in Derry Girls) and Icelandic-American Olafur DarrinOlafsson as owners of a motel chain.
Horowitz (who must never sleep) created it and wrote all 6 episodes.
Jeff, I confess I’ve never heard of NINE BODIES IN A MEXICAN MORGUE but I’m intrigued. I’ll track it down.
My only acquaintance with his work if Foyle’s War, which I liked a lot!
Bob, Rick Robinson raved about FOYLE’S WAR.