Alex Rider Mission 5: Scorpia

The fifth Alex Rider adventure sees the teenage spy in Venice, where he infiltrates Scorpia, an international organisation of assassins.

Scorpia has devised a deadly weapon – the Invisible Sword – to exterminate thousands of children in London and bring about the downfall of the powerful West.

Meanwhile, as Alex discovers more about his father’s death, he has to make some difficult choices about his future: should he remain loyal to MI6, who have manipulated and lied to him, or join Scorpia as an assassin so that he can exact his revenge on those who betrayed his father?

With an action-packed plot and plenty of high-tech gadgetry, this is a hugely enjoyable spy adventure.