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    Point Blank
    Point Blank
    Point Blank
    Audiobook5 hours

    Point Blank

    Written by Anthony Horowitz

    Narrated by Simon Prebble

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Alex Rider is not an average 14-year-old at an ordinary West London school. There’s something Alex can’t tell any of his classmates: he has recently been recruited and trained as a special agent by MI6, the British secret service.

    When two mysterious deaths are linked to an ultra-private school where the rich and powerful send their uncontrollable, rebellious sons, MI6 sends Alex to uncover what is really going on there. What he finds in the mountaintop fortress of the campus are a crazy head master and
    enough armed guards to repel an invasion—or keep the students locked in as prisoners. Alex also discovers his new classmates have become eerie copies of each other in their compliant attitudes and actions.

    Accomplished stage and television writer Anthony Horowitz spins a fast paced yarn that delivers technological wizardry and James Bond-like action.

    “With secret rooms, sullen sentries, mysterious disappearances, and wild rides galore, this is a great choice for reluctant readers.”—Booklist
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMay 24, 2013
    ISBN9781470354244
    Point Blank
    Author

    Anthony Horowitz

    ANTHONY HOROWITZ is the author of the US bestselling Magpie Murders and The Word is Murder, and one of the most prolific and successful writers in the English language; he may have committed more (fictional) murders than any other living author. His novel Trigger Mortis features original material from Ian Fleming. His most recent Sherlock Holmes novel, Moriarty, is a reader favorite; and his bestselling Alex Rider series for young adults has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. As a TV screenwriter, he created both Midsomer Murders and the BAFTA-winning Foyle’s War on PBS. Horowitz regularly contributes to a wide variety of national newspapers and magazines, and in January 2014 was awarded an OBE.

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    Reviews for Point Blank

    4/5

    868 ratings45 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 5/5
      I highly recommend it for those who have read previous Catherine Coulter FBI thrillers and even newbies to her books. This one is more thrilling than some of her previous FBI thrillers but retains the same intrigue of previous books. I won't spoil the plot for you, because it's so worthwhile to read it!
    • 3/5
      The case was creepy; but I loved FBI agent Ruth. I hope she and Dick get married. Dick was so great with his boys. The discovery of the gold was strange and I would have loved to hear that Ruth was compensated some. I am thrilled the old man and girl are dead.
    • 5/5
      Definitely enjoyed this book and feel it would be a fantastic movie, if it wasn't done already? I was able to vividly imagine the characters and the action. Takes a good writer to activate your imagination like that!
    • 1/5
      Terrible, terrible writing. The plot would be moving along, then I'd be struck with cheesy or nonsensical phrases that just spoiled any sense of suspense or tension that had managed to build.
    • 3/5
      Coulter's favorite FBI team are at it again. This time dealing with a crazy old man and his little Lolita, as well as trying to find out who tried to kill thier friend Special Agent Ruth Warnickie. Coulter hits a high note with amazing imagery in this novel but does not earn points for the seemingly unfinished ending.
    • 4/5
      Finding buried treasure sounded like a fun vacation for Special Agent Ruth Warnecki, but after finding the tunnel, she ran into some problems and then lost her memory for a bit. Luckily the local Sheriff, Dixon Noble, took his dog for a walk and found her in the snow. Savich and Sherlock were quickly deciding that they wish they had gone on vacation too. A new bad guy was in the area and he targeted Dillon Savich and anyone he knew. They needed to find the connection to him, while Ruth and Dix tryed to connect theirs to the local music school. The close calls where following Savich, Sherlock, Warnecki and Noble as they tried to sort out both of these investigations. Another good set of mysteries to solve for Savich and Sherlock. I am not sure how I feel about their 'fight'. This time around, Savich was not his normal self, the confidence and strength seemed to be lacking and he let Sherlock and Ruth down (in my opinion). His normal grace and style was shaken. The part of Sheriff Dix Noble was really good, but there was something missing there also, he had too many doubts about himself.
    • 1/5
      I wish I could give this less than 0 stars. I absolutely hated this book. Her writing has become odd, stilted, cheesy, and dull. First, the case was very creepy and I was nauseous through the entire book with the descriptions of the old man's coughing and abusing little girls. So glad they got killed at the end, but even that was flat and unsatisfying. Then there was a fight between Savich & Sherlock that I thought would & should never have happened as they get along so well. It was really ugly and not resolved. Although, to be honest, I've also become irritated with their home life descriptions of her curly hair/rollers/Sean being so adorable, etc. etc. Then there was the storyline with Dix & Ruth which irritated me that she basically moved in and got along so well with the teenage boys. It's typical romance stuff, but so fast? The boys wouldn't accept anyone when their mother is just "missing". Neither did Dix fully commit because of that. I understand that the next book she addresses the missing wife issue. But, because this book, and the last few Coulter books, have been really going downhill writing-wise, I won't be reading it.
    • 4/5
      Point Blanc (2001) (Alex Rider #2) by Anthony Horowitz. The second outing for our reluctant young spy. MI6 comes calling and Alex Rider answers the call though he would rather not. This is how he differs from the Young Bond character who is actively looking for danger, but is not propositioned by the secret service. Not that Rider avoids the stuff. Here he is sent to a small, male only, school for the children of the rich who can not fit into other academic settings. High in the Alps, Rider meets the school’s two masters and the handful of teens that compromise the class. Each is the troubled son of a very rich or powerful man, and only a few like being in this setting.I felt as if I had read this before and then remembered that Mr. Horowitz is not only a huge fan of Ian Fleming’s work but has lately finished up a trilogy of pretty nifty Bond books. He doesn’t take the plots of any Bond book but there are shadows of Fleming’s work strewn throughout the Alex Rider novels, Point Blanc being a fine homage to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. There is something very wrong in the school, which is cut off from the lower villages. Alex must discover what is turning these rebellious lads into perfect little gentlemen, and in at least one case, seemingly overnight.The action ramps up for our teen hero who suddenly finds himself alone and in trouble. There is an exciting ski chase scene which is the only way to write about skiing. Mr. Horowitz brilliantly captures the adrenaline rush of a furious downhill run that others only wish they could.The book had a very surprising twist at the end. To me it was unexpected but very reminiscent of a book by Ira Levin. No matter, our hero manages to come out ahead, saving the day and the children of the ultra-rich so they can go back to being what they were before all this took place.Or can they?
    • 3/5
      Alex finds himself in trouble when he attempts to put an end to a drug dealer who has been working outside his school. Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones use this to blackmail Alex to work for them again going undercover in a school called Point Blanc where strange things have been reported by the parents of students who have been sent there. When a wealthy businessman is killed right after calling Mr. Blunt about the school, it is decided that someone must go into the school posing as a student, and their only option is Alex.Point Blank is the next action packed addition to the Alex Rider series. Just like Stormbreaker, this book follows Alex as he is one again thrust into the world of spies against his will. In this book, as in the first, we start to see that even though Alex isn't thrilled about the work, he does seem to have a certain need to follow through on his efforts, and his skills seem up to the challenge. There is still so much about Alex's personality that isn't clear, but more was revealed in this book as we find him being more sarcastic with a darker world view. Overall Point Blank continues to develop more of the story behind Alex Rider. 3 1/2 stars.
    • 5/5
      {Second of 12 in the Alex Rider series; children's/ YA, action-adventure, spy} (2001)This seems to be the book that the TV series is based on.It is spring in England and just weeks after his first adventure, while he's still trying to catch up with his schoolwork due to his absence, fourteen year old Alex Rider is given another mission. This time, it's to a finishing school run by Dr. Grief for troubled, rich teenage boys high in the French Alps, called Point Blanc (White Point). There is something sinister happening to the boys who go there but two of their wealthy fathers who evinced some unease have ... been disposed of and MI6 are concerned. Alex is the perfect person to be sent in as an undercover agent.But the school is a long way from the nearest town and isolated by the snow, with the only method of transport being a helicopter piloted by Dr. Grief's henchwoman, Mrs. Stellenbosch, who is also a world champion body builder. He discovers, when he gets there, that there are thirty armed guards patrolling the premises where only six other boys live. Alex will have to save the world by himself when he discovers Dr. Grief's dastardly plot.This series is a bit like James Bond (à la Roger Moore) for tweens. Although there is plenty of action some of the details felt a bit 'lite', at least at the beginning. Horowitz does add lots of details regarding equipment, like the specific model of a gun or an aeroplane.Poor old Alex, despite his black belt in karate, does get beaten up a lot more in this story than in the first. And I thought Alan Blunt was rather callous about Alex and the situations he sends him into; (Horowitz's) MI6 takes advantage of the fact that Alex is an orphan to put him into dangerous positions.‘It’s rather odd,’ he said. ‘Most schoolboys dream of being spies. With Alex, we have a spy who dreams of being a schoolboy.’‘Will you really use him again?’ Mrs Jones asked.‘Of course.’ Although it resolves the question ‘why aren't his parents worried that he's out late and going to strange places' that often niggles at me when reading about kids' adventures (as a parent/ older reader), it‘s sad that he doesn‘t seem to have family or friends - but this might not be an issue for the target audience.4.5 stars (for its age range)/ 3.5 stars
    • 4/5
      This is the series for teen boys looking for straight up action, adventure, and danger! Episodic, smart, and all narrated by a 14 yr old orphan who still makes wisecracks about the adult world, but has to grow up fast, & use his own wits to survive. MI6 calls him in to help crack cases, but just like in James Bond stories, Alex realizes he is "used" to achieve their ends, albeit in the pursuit of justice. Books are about 200 pgs and meant for the teen reader.
    • 3/5
      Action packed and full of random twists and turns that seem pointless until you finish the book.
    • 4/5
      Alex is strangely stoic - I guess that makes him a good spy. The villains are again laughably evil - they look monstrous and their evil plan is endlessly complicated. This book definitely evokes James Bond movies.
    • 3/5
      An evil mastermind clones himself and replaces the sons of wealthy and influential families with his clones. That is the stuff of nightmares.
    • 5/5
      Same formula, same enjoyable thrills and humour. We've been expecting you, Master Rider....
    • 5/5
      This book was about Alex Rider again. This time Alex was sent to a very rich person and he had to pretend that he was their son so he could get into this school in the top of the French Alps. He finally got in and he felt that inside of the school everything seemed normal except for one thing. The school was meant for kids that have been expelled from lots of other schools and were sons of rich people. Alex noticed that even how bad the other kids were after about a week they were acting like top model students. Alex noticed that the school was actually a prison and they were trapping the bad kids after a time and were making exact clones of them to replace them. Alex noticed that and the school administrator found out so he tried to kill Alex and he escaped down the mountain with a homemade snowboard.I think that was a very good book. I liked the part when Alex had been found out by the head of the school and was going to be an example of a human dissection for a biology class the kids were taking. It was interesting how Dr.Grief had found out a way to clone himself sixteen times and used all of the kids to be the clones. The thing about that was that all of the kids belonged to rich people who have really big influences in the world. That way the clones could kill the rich people and have a lot of influence and enough to take over the world if it succeeds. Alex had almost died once in the end but the bullet proof sky suit saved him even if it was on accident that he had worn that that day. That was my essay for Mr. Poppe.
    • 4/5
      Great thriller, adventure with an interesting scientific plot about cloning. I liked this book because I could make the connections with the world wide news flash about cloning of Dolly the Sheep. I also like teh way the Horowitz writes each plot without becoming too complex and merged into the other plots and twists within the story. Each conflict reaches its resolution just as another conflict is introduced, makes for enjoyable reading.
    • 5/5
      Well, well, well, this book is one of the best adventure books I ever read. The startling start was authentic. I was literally mesmerized by the escalator murder, and although the rules of logic were broken quite often, the events were breathtaking. The story is a masterpiece of creativity. It took quite a long time for Alex to get involved in the Point Blank Operation, but patience was well rewarded. The descriptions of the school, and before that Mr.Friend's house were highly detailed and interesting. The part at the end was useless, though...It just extended the storyline into the region of boredom, yet overall, the story was grasping and mysterious. Big thanks to Horowitz for the great time he gave me :-)
    • 5/5
      An overall action-packed, thrilling book.This would be a awesome book for upper primary kids who enjoy mystery and adventure
    • 5/5
      An overall great book for upper primary kids looking for adventure and action-packed books.
    • 4/5
      This review has been crossposted from my blog Review from The Cosy Dragon Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me.'Point Blanc' follows Alex Rider, the teenage spy. This time he is sent to a prestigious boarding school for the troubled teens of rich men around the world. The action is fast paced, the hero realistic and the scenery really quite breathtaking.Alex Rider, introduced first in 'Stormbreaker', is a reluctant spy, forced into action by MI6 (Englands's Secret Service). Again he is up against a psychopath who wants to destroy England and all her countries. Armed with only a couple of special gadgets (not even a gun, to his great dismay) he is sent into the icy wilderness of Point Blanc.Alex is a believable hero, not too heroic, but always on the side of good. It is hard to believe that MI6 wouldn't care about bringing him home safe. But then again, the government never seems to have the individual's (or even the majority's) best interests at heart. Horowitz includes some nice scenery details - but not too much, just enough to set the scene. The narrative is again told in third person, which allows for including some extra details about the bad guys that aren't immediately obvious to Alex.I knocked this book over in maybe 2 hours, but it would take younger readers longer no doubt. It feels like cheating to review it, but my goal is to review ALL of the books on my shelf, not just the ones that suit me best!The ending of the novel is quite unsettling - if you didn't know there were more books in the series you could be seriously worried. All in all, it is an enjoyable book, and although not worth a reread by an adult perhaps, younger readers will enjoy rereading to catch each of the important turning points in the novel.This is a great novel for the reluctant reader. Although it is probably best to read it after the first book in the series, you could probably get away with reading it first (although some of the suspense when you got around to reading the first book would be lost).
    • 4/5
      i picked this book because when i read the first few pages of this book i thought this is a book that i am interested in and it would be awesome to find out what happened in the end. another reason why i picked the book is because the back cover said it all it was about adventure and spys and im in to those kind of books.i finished this book because it was an exciting book from the start filled with adventure and twists and if i diddnt finish it i would be thinking about it for ages and ages and i just couldent stop reading it
    • 5/5
      The book Point Blank had a lot of actions. One of the actions are that Alex tries to escape from the school when the head teacher put all he has into getting Alex back. This book was a good book to me because Alex seems to be able to be bribed easily. In the end Alex is hurt and his housekeeper is all worried. That is why you should read this book!!!
    • 5/5
      In this book Alex rider's mission is to go to a place called point blanc and see if something is going on. The only reason he is going here is because his manager has said that there was a coincidence and his manager had sent him there because he doesn't like coincidence. So now alex rider has to go to the point blanc academy to see if there is something going on up at point blanc. Point blanc: an academy for people who have problems.
    • 4/5
      Horowitz, Anthony, Point Blank, Alex Rider sent to boarding school where all students change,but seem to be the same
    • 5/5
      I read Point Blanc by Anthony Horowitz. It is full of action. The book is about a teenager spy (Alex Rider) who is working for M-I6. Alex is asked to go to a really weird school and inspect it. The book was so great I didn't have a favorite part. I recommend this book to action lovers and 10 years and older. This was definitely a five star book.D.S.
    • 4/5
      This book ia about a tenager that is 14. His name is Alex. He is a secret agent for MI6 oporations. MI6 tells him to spy on Dr.Grief because he trys to get other famouis kid spys,so they can stell stuff for him with a mind controll diviced . When he sends the kids back home they are diffrent kids. Please read this book because there is alot of action in it.
    • 5/5
      This is the second adventure on Alex Rider, a 14 year old spy. He was just asigned to go and find out what is happening at Point Blanc.Alex has to change his last name into Friend, and pretend he was expelled from Eton. He has read these files that include false information that he uses to cover his trail of spying. After a while, he gets all this info from this person who was expelled from his school because he shot a air gun at his teacher. He tells Alex that these once fierce guys has all of the sudden turned into meek kittens. He suspect that the pricipal, Dr. Grief, has hypnotized these boys of 14, and made them behave so well, all they do is study.At the end, Alex finds out that these 14 year old boys have been cloned, and the real ones are hidden in the ristricted floors of 3 and 4. The 3rd and 4th floor are exactly identical, and they seem to be all alike. The only thing that was wrong, though, was that there was an empty room that is supposed to look like Alex's, but hasn't been abled to put together anything, because he just came.Alex alerts the MI6, and tries to rescue the real boys out of the cell. He then gets discovered, and taken to the lab. He then gets free, and snow moblies down the hill. Of course, he gets fiercely chased by the school guards. Alex crashes into a tree, and is taken to the hospital. The nurses lie to the vice-pricipal, and says Alex is dead, and he didn't make it through all these injuries he's gotten.Of course, Alex, at the end, saves the day, rescues the real boys, and destroys the cloned ones. But he does not know that a boy was cloned like him was waiting to get revenge on him. They have a big and long battle, before the real Alex Rider won.
    • 5/5
      Very exciting book about a boy named Alex Rider. He is 14 years old. He is a spy from MI6. He was sent to Point Blanc to investigate. It is a school for broblem kids.He finds out the people are cloning kids and sending the cloned kids back, making the parents think they'ver really changed. The real kids are in cells. The people at Point Blanc find out Alex is a spy, and ties him up.Later, he is put into a cell. But he has one more gadget with him. A grenade. He put it onto the key hole. It blew it up. he got away on a snowboard. Then, He alerted MI6 , and saved the rest of the boys.I think this is a good series. The series always make it exciting. My Review is as boring as it is, but the book is way more exciting。It is very exciting because everything is happening at the same time. First, he's talking to the principle, then he's fighting Mrs. Stellenbosh.
    • 4/5
      Itwas a great book.