The dominant tone of Eagle Strike is suspense. When I imagine myself at the top of a roller coaster, I am suddenly unsure and anxious about the outcome of the ride. Reading about secret agent Alex Rider gave me a similar experience. In the story, there was continuous danger when Alex was faced with one obstacle after another. It was impossible not to feel the tension as you wondered whether Alex would accomplish his objective each time. Suspense is definitely present in any place where something leads up to a big event like speeding down a roller coaster at nearly 75 miles per hour or, as in the story Eagle Strike, a near death experience aboard Air Force One. Alex Rider’s adventures in the world of British spy agency M16 had thrilling action in each of its cliff-hanging chapters. A roller coaster gives me the feeling of suspense, yet offers a thrilling ride. Reading the story Eagle Strike also gave me a suspenseful, yet thrilling experience.
Eagle Strike starts when Alex Rider is on vacation in the south of France with his friend, Sabina. Alex notices a big yacht docked nearby and sees that the man who killed his uncle, Yassen Gregorovich, is on the yacht. Alex wonders why Yassen is in France. He acts quickly and begins to follow Yassen. When Alex overhears Yassen confirming that everything has been arranged, he knows that something is going to happen. Sure enough, the house that Alex and Sabina’s family has rented is suddenly blown up and Sabina’s dad is severely injured. Alex knows that it was not an accident, yet no one believes him. While trying to find out why this happened, Alex is faced with lots of danger: a virtual game that inflicts real pain, a fleet of Porsche 911 GT3-driving hit men, and even a near death experience aboard Air Force One. Alex Rider has always survived his missions before, yet will he survive this time?

Alex was on vacation, when all of the sudden he sees Mr. Gregorvitch!

Of course, he leads himself into another dangerous adventure, and experiencing the baddies all over again. He gets his friend, Sabina, involved, and later she gets kidnapped for a trade.

Well, of course, our hero doesn't give up, and gets entangled with the baddies schemes.

At the very end, Alex's father used to be a serial killer.

"Go to Venice, and find your destiny..." ( )

Alex Rider is main character. He is a teen agent working for M16 in between going to high school. It is fast-paced with ingenious gadgets. Great book for boys. ( )

I found much of this series predictable and unbelievable, but this one at least got me engaged with the characters and the kept me turning the pages. I would recommend it to younger teens and children who have a stronger suspension of disbelief and have read less thrillers so may not see the predictability as much. And I do enjoy that Alex Rider is not enamored of the government; he sees them as almost as evil as the bad guys. ( )

Another very good Alex Rider adventure, this time with a rich and famous person named Damian Cray. He opposes violence, drugs, and wants Earth to be a peaceful place to live. But actually, he is about to kill millions and millions of people with missiles just for closing drug factories.

Find out how Alex saves the world again with a New York Times bestseller book Eagle Strike. ( )