“‘Yasha!'”

From Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider: Russian Roulette.

As a child growing up, Yassen Gregorovich didn’t dream of becoming an assassin, but he also wasn’t totally against the idea either.  When a disaster and government coverup leave the young boy an orphan in possession of a bargaining chip of evidence/protection, Yassen turns to a life of crime because he has nowhere else to go and his first robbery being the apartment of Vladmir Sharkovsky (a vicious and wealthy businessman); unfortunately, things go wrong and Yassen is captured by Sharkovsky and kept as a servant/prisoner for years.  The estate where Yassen is taken is practically a fortress and Yassen is unable to escape, so he is forced to stay and learn the evil around him.  When an assassin from SCORPIA sneaks into the compound to kill Sharkovsky, he offers Yassen a chance at freedom… if he wants to join SCORPIA and train to be an assassin.  Reluctant to become an assassin, but desperate to be free of Sharkovsky’s compound, he agrees.  Now training for a life of violence, Yassen struggles with who he wants to become and how to be that person, but he will first have to deal with some demons from his past before he has any chance at a future.

The tenth Alex Rider book is a companion-type story focuses on the assassin that is present throughout the series, but also adds to the main story of the series.  The tone of this book is a bit different, but Horowitz continues to do an amazing job of giving this “bad guy” character life, depth, and a wide range of emotion.  Horowitz’s writing style is also enjoyable for readers that like a quick-paced, but strongly developed plot.  Russian Roulette is a crazy, fun read from start to finish and not to be skipped.