Anthony Horowitz, Never Say Die (Alex Rider #11), Walker Books Australia, 1 June 2017, 384pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781406377040
Alex Rider’s eleventh adventure begins with a former Serbian lieutenant colonel murdering two American military pilots with a ceramic gun using plastic bullets, then brazenly stealing a massive military helicopter. What ensues in the pages following is just as exciting and action-packed as the beginning.
Alex Rider is a well-established character in this genre and in this instalment, he has renounced his MI6 spy status, but gets pulled back into international espionage due to his determination to find his friend and mentor, Jack Starbright. Horowitz takes obvious pleasure in writing about his main character and his adventures. It is gratifying to see that the length of this series has not dulled his enthusiasm.
The writing is energetic and fun, and while readers won’t be picking up this book to get thoughtful and deep characterisation or a profound presentation of ideas, it is an immensely readable adventure.
Reviewed by Madeleine Crofts
