During the first uncertain years of the Northern Ireland peace process three simultaneous terrorist attacks in Belfast, Dublin and London shatter the hope that the bloodshed is finally over. The perpetrators are a new terror group called the Ulster Freedom Brigade. And they have one goal - to destroy the peace process. Michael Osbourne, hero of The Mark of the Assassin, has quit the CIA, bitter and disillusioned. But when the President chooses his father-in-law to be the next American ambassador to Britain, Osbourne is drawn into battle with some of the most ruthless and violent men on earth ...

Every story has a beginning. For teen secret-agent Alex Rider, that beginning occurred prior to his first case for MI6, known to all as Stormbreaker. By the time that mission came to be, Alex's father, a secret-agent in his own right, has been murdered. And when Alex's uncle was murdered by the assassin Yassen Gregoravich, Alex was essentially left orphaned. Yet at the conclusion of the novel, when Yassen has the chance to kill a vengeful-minded Alex, he chooses not to. This story tells us why. Much in the way that Alex's uncle mentored Alex, preparing him for a life in espionage, Alex's father once mentored Yassen. Yassen was the original Alex Rider--a teenager meant to work for MI6. Instead, he turned rogue assassin. This web of emotion and deceit forms the basis of the last of the Alex Rider novels, a spy thriller in the vein of classic James Bond for teens.

"Alex still has unfinished business with this sinister group made up of brainwashed children, not least trying to reunite MI6 chief Mrs Jones with her long lost son and daughter. The adventure takes us deep into the life-changing world of augmented reality, where even Alex will struggle to succeed against the technology. With daring chase scenes, a brilliant immersive gaming sequence, and a nail-biting final showdown, this new adventure brings the world's best-loved teen superspy his biggest challenge yet."--Goodreads.com.