James Bond is back again in Steve Cole’s third thrilling Young Bond adventure.
When James stumbles upon a horrific sight, he knows things are not what they seem. His school is determined to make him believe what happened was an accident, but James believes what he saw was murder.
The significance of the events at school only come to light in the course of an adventure that takes James across Europe and puts him within range of a warmongering villain. Has James got what it takes to triumph over this man, the worst kind of enemy, who boasts a new kind of weapon?
James Bond
After surviving his first term in a new school – Fettes College in Edinburgh, Scotland – and co-founding a judo club, James feels he is starting to fit in. But then a good friend dies in very suspicious circumstances, and only James seems interested in finding out the truth… Luckily his former Eton schoolmate Perry Mandeville is on hand to provide assistance.
Konstantin Grünner
Based in the Netherlands, Grünner appears to be a wealthy German Foreign Office diplomat acting as ambassador to the Netherlands. In fact he is a high-ranking Nazi spymaster and a friend and close confidant of Adolf Hitler. Though quiet and repressed at social functions, his pleasure when witnessing violence – or relishing its prospect – is revealed in an eerie high-pitched giggle.
Maximilian Blade
Charismatic and ruthless, Blade is the owner of international weapons company Blade-Rise. He suffers from the rare genetic disorder ‘Stone Man Syndrome’: his muscles, tendons and ligaments are slowly turning to bone, trapping him within his own skeleton.
His frustration at his body’s fragility has left him obsessed with a special secret project: a strength-enhancing device that can walk an injured soldier out from a battlefield… or enable them to destroy an enemy.
Herta Axmann
Herta is 18 years old and Grünner ’s personal assistant. Although devoted to the Nazi cause, as a female she was not allowed to join the Hitler Youth; however she feels herself equal to any male and in order to win acceptance has trained herself in several traditional male fields to an impeccable standard. Her brilliance in the fields of science is truly remarkable, but the clinical eye required extends into her other passion – inflicting pain.
Kitty Drift
Kitty is 15 years old and lives in The Hague. Her father owns a railway company, which has led to her to becoming a train enthusiast herself, her hobby helping her to develop an analytical mind and keen eye for detail. Because she often stays out late train-spotting she has taken the practical precaution of learning self-defence, which she practices with skill. She does not relish dressing up, such as for parties, but when she does so the results are striking.