Could you sympathise with a cold-blooded killer? What if that cold-blooded killer was planning to assassinate a 14 year-old boy? And what if that 14 year-old boy was Alex Rider, one of the best-loved heroes of children's literature?
What's impressive about Anthony Horowitz's new book, Russian Roulette, is that, for me, the answer to all those questions is yes. Horowitz has created a powerful and original story in which the bad guy is not only the 'hero', but also someone you wish you could save.
Some may question the morality of a children's book that makes young readers empathise so strongly with a contract killer, but I found Horowitz's exploration of what might cause a child to grow up to become a deadly assassin to be sensitively handled and one of the reasons why, for me, this is the best book he's written.
In interviews going back several years, Anthony Horowitz has frequently mentioned his desire to tell the story of Yassen Gregorovich – the arch-villain from the first four Alex Rider books – and that's exactly what he does in Russian Roulette.
As he prepares to complete his mission to 'Kill Alex Rider', Yassen opens his personal diary (I know, I know, this seems like a dubious framing device, but it's stored on a memory stick and disguised as a car key, so it's a manly murderer type of diary, okay?). We read in horror as disaster after disaster befalls young 'Yasha' – orphaned by anthrax, imprisoned by a man with a swastika tattoo and tight speedos, and indoctrinated by Scorpia.
The interesting thing is that although we know what Yassen will become, we continue to root for him as he fights the intense external and internal pressures to kill. And the great irony is that the person who tries hardest to save Yassen from this cold heartless fate, is the one whose actions finally push Yassen to kill.
Horowitz is a skilled writer and manages to give this fast-paced thriller a depth and intelligence which raise complex moral and philosophical questions for young readers, even while they're being hurtled on a headlong rush through disaster and adventure at break-neck speed.
An impressive achievement. A compelling character portrait. A great book.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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