When I get hooked on an author, series, etc., I can't wait for my budget, so I purchase, read, and give to the library. These books soon disappear, and I replace when I can.

FROM AMAZON: Alex is hoping his life can finally go back to normal, that he can go to school and spend time with his friends - but very quickly everything changes. A new and dangerous criminal organization - Nightshade - is rising.

When Alex discovers they've planned a mysterious attack on London, he will stop at nothing to take them down. But protecting his home city means facing off a ruthless new enemy and putting his life at stake, again. And this time, there's no one to save him if he makes a mistake. ( )

The "Alex Rider" series continues in this twelfth instalment. Alex is now fifteen-years-old and thinks he is finished with MI6 until Mrs Jones employs him for a new mission.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Nightshade" as Alex is pushed to his limits and has to rely on his wits and special skills to save London from a terrorist attack.

While there is definitely going to be a book thirteen, I have to say I think it is time for Horowitz to end the series before it becomes too prescriptive or cliched. However, for me, "Nightshade" was one of the best Alex Rider books I've read so far. ( )

After Alex enjoyed a brief vacation with Jack, Mrs. Jones once again calls on him to help MI6 in a way that no other agent can. A boy about Alex's age was captured in the middle of an assassination of one of MI6's agents. The agent had been investigating an organization called Nightshade. The boy is placed in a maximum security facility located under Gibraltar. Alex's job is to pose as his double from Point Blank, Julius Grief, and try to get information about Nightshade and an imminent attack that this organization is planning on London. Alex is unsuccessful until he and the boy escape from Gibraltar when Alex finds himself on his own.

Nightshade starts with the intriguing premise of having Alex replace his double, Julius Grief. This turns out to be extremely interesting, even after the escape from Gibraltar. However, this story take a step backward, when nothing about Alex or his recent adventures seems to have had any effect on him. The story, though, is full of action and adventure as well as a dandy plot about they way young children have been taken from parents and brainwashed into service for an evil organization. We also learn more about Mrs. Jones and her background. Overall, Nightshade is a very enjoyable entry in the Alex Rider series. ( )

Alex is finally back in school, thinking he is finished with MI-6, when two strangers show up unannounced. He and his BFF Tom prank them and slip away; however, Mrs. Jones comes around to his home and with the permission of his confidante, Jack Starbright, tries to recruit Alex to help stop a terrorist plot in London. He declines until Mrs. Jones reveals her very personal connection to the situation, which changes his mind. Alex assumes the identity of his now-dead nemesis, Julius Grief, returning to the super secret prison in Gibraltar to see if he can bond with 16-year old Freddy, who slaughtered a bunch of trained security jailers in Brazil. Using a prop, he gets through enough to have Freddy save his life, and the two execute a daring escape, aided with knowledge Freddy cannot have. They are shuttled to Crete, where Alex finds himself with subservient kids, who have been brainwashed, following the Teachers' every command. Some super daring jumps and Alex saves the day … oops, was that a spoiler? ( )

Alex Rider at his best. Action packed and loads of fun. Horowitz is an exceptional writer and doesn't disappoint. ( )