“The room had no windows, and that in itself was strange as it was situated in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”

After the assassin, Yassen Gregorovitch, told Alex Rider to look into the crime organization known as Scorpia, the teen spy was not completely trusting of the deathbed confession, but also desperate for some answers about the deaths of his family members.  Alex takes off for Venice to try to learn if Gregorovitch was telling the truth about Alex’s parents; he is able to sneak into a party being hosted by a higher-up member of Scorpia (Julia Rothman), but he is quickly caught by an assassin named Nile.  Alex’s interaction with Nile soon leads him to information about the death of his father which also throws young Agent Rider’s work with MI6 into chaos.  Hurt and betrayed by the information he has learned, Alex begins to train with Scorpia as one of their new recruits, even though he is unwilling to commit murder.  Scorpia’s newest plan for profitable mayhem and control involves holding the British government hostage with the threat of a deadly weapon named Invisible Sword; their plan also includes sending Alex to assassinate MI6’s Mrs. Jones.  What began as a search for the truth and answers about his family’s past, has quickly placed Alex in the middle of a threat that is bigger than he ever could have imagined.

From start to finish, this book is full of action, suspense, and mystery.  The characters are honest and believable, especially Alex who is a clever teen using his wit and skills to solve the many problems around him.  The mystery of the book is very fascinating with twists and turns throughout, but also a steady development that keeps building.  This fifth book in the Alex Rider series does very well to create a foundation from strong characters and story lines that urge the reader to continue in the series.