Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz

Mary L. Taylor
Feb. 24, 2009

Point Blank
by
Anthony Horowitz
There were two settings for this story. It starts in New York where Michael J. Roscoe lived and owned a firm. The other setting was The Point Blanc Academy in a far remote area of the French Alps.
The characters include Michael J. Roscoe, Alex Rider, the M16 Spy Team, Dr. Hugo Grief, Mrs. Stellenbosch, other school staff.

Michael J. Roscoe, a very wealthy and powerful business man worked from his powerful office in New York City. His office was a huge room that occupied the corner of the building with floor-to-ceiling windows giving views in two directions: Fifth Avenue to the east, Central Park, just a few blocks to the north. Along one of the remaining walls was a door, an uncluttered black-surfaced desk, a computer, a leather notebook, a telephone, and a framed photograph of a fourteen-year-old boy. (This was his son, Paul.) Against the other wall was a low bookshelf, and a single oil painting and a vase of flowers by Vincent van Gogh.

Helen Bosworth, Michael J. Roscoe’s secretary was an English woman. She had left her home in England, and indeed her husband to come top New York to work for Roscoe. She had been Roscoe’s secretary for eleven years now, and loved every minute of it. In all of that time, she had never forgotten a detail or made a mistake.

At twelve o’clock, Helen Bosworth announced to Mr. Bosworth that his car was ready. He thanked her, glanced at the picture on his desk. He wondered how things could have gone so wrong between him and his son, and even more, what could have happened in the past few months to make them so much worse? He was on his way to lunch with Senator Andrews.

Pressing the elevator button, he took one step forward.
The last thing Michael J. Roscoe saw in his life was the inside of the elevator with its white walls, blue carpet, and silver handrail. His right foot, wearing a black leather shoe that was handmade for him by a small shop in Rome, traveled down to the carpet and kept going – right through it. His body followed, tilting into the elevator and through it. he was falling sixty floors to his death. He fell into the blackness of the elevator shaft, bounced twice off the walls, then crashed into the solid concrete of the basement, five hundred yards below.

When the chauffeur called up at 12:35 to say that Mr. Roscoe hadn’t arrived at the car, the secretary alerted security. They called the restaurant. Senator Andrews was there but Michael J. Roscoe had not arrived.

Michael J. Roscoe’s body was discovered next day, by which time the multi-millionaire’s disappearance was the lead story on the news. But the day before he died, however, the Roscoe had mentioned something to his friend, Alan Blunt. He’d told Blunt about a special school for boys of wealthy parents that promised to correct those boys’ bad behavior.

Alex Rider, a fourteen year old school boy, in a West London high school, heading in the same direction as all the other students. He had missed three weeks of school and was trying to catch up. His teachers were not sympathetic even when he returned with a doctor’s letter.

Alex had a heavy secret. His uncle, Ian Rider, a secret agent for M16, with whom he lived, had been murdered and M16 had forced Alex to take his place. Now Alex finds himself engaged as a spy.

Another rich man, General Major Viktor Ivanov, Ex-KGB associate, was killed in a boating accident. Just as Michael J. Roscoe, General Major Viktor Ivanov also had a fourteen year old son. Both sons could be considered to be rich and incorrigible. Although the men did not know each other, their sons attended the same school ane probably were acquainted. Upon hearing of the second accident, Blunt secretly and in a quiet manner spoke with someone in M16.

Ofcourse investigations into the "accidental" deaths of two of the world's most powerful men have revealed just one link. Both were extra ordinarily rich and both had a son attending Point Blanc Academy - an exclusive school for rebellious rich kids, run by the sinister Dr. Grief and set high on an isolated mountain peak in the French Alps. Since there might have been a connection to teenagers, Alex was contacted to check out these co-incidences . He found that he had to infiltrate the academy as a pupil and establish the truth about what was really happening there. Before he knew it, Alex was stuck in a remote boarding school high atop the French Alps with the sons of the rich and powerful. It wasn’t long before he had a feeling that something was wrong. These former juvenile delinquents seemed to have turned well-behaved, studious-and obedient boys overnight."

Before he goes to Point Blanc, though, Alex has to adopt a new identity. He becomes Alex Friend, the recalcitrant son of a supermarket king who’s worth millions. Alex is just supposed to be there long enough to soak up some of the family history, but nothing ever comes easily to Alex. In no time at all, he’s nearly gunned down and almost hit by a fast-moving train. But he’s accepted at the school.
Upon snooping about at school Point Blanc, Alex was surprised to learn that there was a duplicate of his assigned room and another boy residing in that duplicate room looks and behaves much the same as him. He was able to learn that Dr. Grief, the headmaster of the school was doing Clandestine things against the boys. They were being medicated and injected with various forms of serum. Their behaviors were modified. They were given face changes. Their looks and personalities were altered.
Upon discovering that Alex was aware of what was happening, Dr. Grief tried to get rid of him. Alex found himself fighting his double for survival. Fortunately he was able to win out and get on the plane for home.