Scorpia

Alex Rider may be 14 years old, but he's been a spy for British MI6 for several years. At the death of a sworn enemy, Alex happens to hear a clue relating to the prior death of his own father, a secret that plunges him into a terrifying search for the truth. Narrator Simon Prebble jumps effortlessly from the personalities of teenaged boys to those of deadly assassins, never out of character for a single syllable. His subtle shadings of the narrative passages inspire terror, laughter, and tears without a hint of the contrived. At the story's shocking conclusion, Prebble offers the most skilled portrayal of the most impossible scene for any compassionate soul to comprehend. R.L.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine