Ark Angel

Horowitz carefully builds the tension as 14-year-old spy extraordinaire Alex Rider reluctantly takes on his sixth mission. MI6 and the CIA have asked Alex to infiltrate a suspected criminal's household. Somehow Alex must discover how the suspect's criminal activity is connected to his revolutionary hotel in space, Ark Angel. Simon Prebble's pacing stays torturously steady as Alex encounters terrorists, potentially fatal go-cart races, and underwater murder attempts. Prebble wrings every moment of suspense from the story. The British setting of this spy novel is continually in evidence in Prebble's delivery, but his American accent is a bit off. Despite this small flaw, Prebble easily entertains Alex Rider fans. W.V.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine