Russian Roulette

An international contract killer has been given his orders. His next target is a fourteen-year-old spy by the name of Alex Rider. But unbeknownst to Alex, he and his assassin share a secret from the past... 

As he contemplates his mission, the assassin - one Yassen Gregorovitch - reflects on his own journey from an ordinary schoolboy, growing up in rural Russia, to becoming a deadly assassin for hire. We follow the young Yassen from his peaceful childhood, dramatically disrupted an anthrax explosion and a government cover-up, through his time as part of Moscow's criminal youth and working for a ruthless crime lord,
before finally falling into the hands of Scorpia, who train him to become a skilled assassin. But in spite of everything that has happened to him, Yassen resists actually becoming a killer - until an encounter with someone very close to Alex Rider changes everything for good. 

In this clever prequel to the hugely popular Alex Rider series, Anthony Horowitz revisits the young hero's very first adventure, giving readers the opportunity to have an insight into the life of the young assassin dispatched to execute Alex. Fast-paced, action-packed and with plenty of thrills, this is also a moving story, which will leave young readers with plenty to think about. A must for fans of Alex Rider, this engrossing read will also engage those without any prior knowledge of this series.