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92-710: Point Blanc is the second book in the Alex Rider series , written by British author Anthony Horowitz . The book was released in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2001 and in North America on April 15, 2002, under the alternate title Point Blank . In 2003, the novel was listed on the BBC's survey The Big Read . In 2007, it was adapted into a graphic novel, written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Kanako Damerum and Yuzuru Takasaki, and in 2020 served as

184-557: A 189 percent increase over the previous year, with R4.06 million allocated to the Prime Minister's office for a new security section under van den Bergh. Minister of the Interior S.L. Muller described the proposed agency as a coordinating body which would be staffed by experienced security and intelligence personnel from other departments. The budget of the military intelligence division was concurrently reduced from R830 000 in

276-435: A 3D printed plastic gun into the army facility holding Freddy. On Alex's suggestion Freddy holds him hostage and they escape to an airfield. There Alex watches Tom get shot by Freddy after which he leaves with Brother Mike. Alex tries to stop them from flying off, but fails. Tom is revealed to be alive and they discover that Freddy only pretended to kill Tom to save his life and be able to infiltrate Nightshade again. He even left

368-508: A cliff-hanger ending will keep even reluctant readers interested in the second novel in this series." Booklist also says that Point Blanc is a great read for any reluctant teenager ready for a thrilling spy adventure.</ref> In July 2018, it was announced that Eleventh Hour Films would be collaborating with Sony Pictures Television to produce an eight-episode adaptation of Point Blanc as part of their upcoming Alex Rider television series . In late September 2019, Andreas Prochaska

460-497: A clue for Alex and MI6 to follow him. Still hoping to rescue Mrs Jones' son William from Nightshade, Alex and Ben Daniels travel to Nice. There they meet with Wilbur White, a rich art dealer whose son had an accident while playing 'Eden Fall' Real Time's popular AR game. He hired an investigator, revealed to be the man who was murdered by Nightshade at the start of the novel. White's villa is destroyed by Nightshade after which Alex and Ben travel to San Francisco following Freddy's clue and

552-656: A commission of inquiry into intelligence gathering in South Africa and in particular into the question of who would be the lead agency. At the same time, the Erasmus Commission was investigating the Information Scandal. Believing that the outcome of neither inquiry would be to the advantage of BOSS/DONS, officials began to shred any documentation that could be used against them. In November 1979, Botha appointed Niel Barnard to BOSS/DONS, with

644-479: A document about at the end of Never Say Die. After the assassination of an MI6 agent in Rio de Janeiro, one of the assassins is caught. It is a 15-year-old boy – Frederick Grey – who was presumed dead. The dead agent's final words tell about a terrorist attack by Nightshade. Mrs. Jones recognizes her daughter, Sofia, when she sees a picture of Grey's escaped partner. Alex is sent by Mrs. Jones to pretend to be Julius Grief at

736-545: A hotel in outer space called "Ark Angel." The hotel was ultimately left unfinished due to high expenses. After Alex's cover is blown, Drevin learns that the CIA is gathering evidence against him and plans to retaliate by attacking the Pentagon . Drevin is killed and Alex is sent into space, moving the bomb to prevent the wreckage from entering the atmosphere. Snakehead was published in 2007. Taking place directly after Ark Angel,

828-420: A joint British-Australian attack on Major Yu's oil rig, Ash and Alex find Royal Blue, but are apprehended by Yu, who later reveals his plan to destroy an island hosting an international summit. Ash is revealed to be an employee of Yu and is killed in the conflict over Royal Blue. Before death, Ash confesses to being ordered by Julia Rothman to murder Alex's parents. Yu tries to escape before the bomb detonates but

920-400: A journalist writing a book on the darkside of McCain, their 2007 Nissan X-Trail falls into the lagoon because of someone shooting into one of the car's wheels. Alex is rescued by a man whose identity is later revealed as Rahim, an Indian RAW agent sent to kill McCain. Indeed, McCain provokes industrial disasters to divert the humanitarian aid his association collects, and is responsible for

1012-533: A mockup Western town owned by Nightshade's new client: Jon Lucas. He tells Alex he wants the Market Share and power of Real Time for himself and hacked their AG. Tomorrow when the newest update goes live, a bug in the system will lead thousands of players to their deaths. The public outcry of these accidents will bankrupt Real Time, giving Lucas the opportunity to buy it over and merge it with his own company. Freddy meanwhile has been trying to get Number seven, who

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1104-533: A nuclear accident in India. Alex is recruited by MI6 to investigate McCain but is captured by him. He is taken to Kenya where he learns that McCain will poison Kenya, killing its inhabitants and animals and collecting 'charity money' that he will collect for personal benefit. Alex is nearly killed by McCain but saved by Rahim. Alex ultimately foils McCain's plan, but as they escape, McCain kills Rahim, who Alex then kills and then ventures back to England. Scorpia Rising

1196-421: A picture of him and his mother in the hope to trigger childhood memories. The next morning people all over the world start playing 'Eden Fall' unaware that the game is leading them to dangerous situations. Freddy and Alex each are given a pistol to shoot one another in a true Western duel; however, Freddy shoots Brother Mike in the head and Alex shoots Lucas's leg. At that moment William shoots the other teachers and

1288-480: A plot involving the US government and the international community but is caught spying and forced into a real-life version of 'Feathered Serpent' which he manages to escape by cheating. He leaves Damian Cray's mansion after stealing a piece of equipment vital to Damian's plan but is forced to give it up because Damian kidnaps Alex's girlfriend, Sabina. The two enter Air Force One, where Damian Cray launches nuclear missiles at

1380-763: A protracted restructuring of the intelligence services, culminating in the replacement of the department with the National Intelligence Service in 1980. Though BOSS was not formally established and legislated until May 1969, it is generally understood to have been operating from late 1968. It replaced the Republican Intelligence unit of the Security Branch of the South African Police . Under Minister of Justice John Vorster , Republican Intelligence and

1472-717: A relationship with the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – van den Bergh received CIA training before BOSS was established. In the wake of the Information Scandal , which implicated both BOSS and Vorster, van den Bergh resigned in June 1978 and was replaced by Alec van Wyk as acting Director-General. On 1 September 1978, BOSS was renamed the Department of National Security (DONS). On 20 September, Vorster resigned and

1564-705: A shooting party in the forest; Alex gets his own back on Rufus, by frightening him and throwing his illegal gun into a pond. He is picked up by assistant director Mrs Eva Stellenbosch, who takes him to the Du Monde hotel in Paris . That night, the Coke he drinks at dinner is drugged; after passing out in his room, he is transported to the hotel's basement, where plastic surgeon Dr Walter Baxter has Alex stripped naked, every inch of his body being photographed, measured and examined. Afterwards, his clothes are put back on him and he

1656-435: A teenager, with most of its members being arrested and executed. Russian Roulette was published in 2013 and fills the role of a prequel to the series. It is told from the point of view of contract killer, Yassen Gregorovich. Gregorovich receives orders from Scorpia to kill Alex Rider, which sparks memories of his teenage years in a small, isolated Russian village where his parents work at a pesticide laboratory. The laboratory

1748-554: Is a double-agent. Instead of fleeing he heads to Sharkovsky's dacha. He breaks in, plays Russian Roulette again in front of Sharkovsky—this time with only one empty chamber—before killing Sharkovsky and his bully of a son. He returns to Scorpia, but never works with John Rider again. Back in the present he receives new orders and flies a helicopter to meet Sayle. He finds him threatening Alex Rider and kills Sayle instead of following his orders. He then chooses not to kill Alex Rider remembering how his father had saved his life. Never Say Die

1840-661: Is actually Mrs' Jones' son William, to join Alex and him to free the Numbers from the teachers. However the Teachers discover that Tom Harris is alive and that Freddy had lied to them. Forcing Alex and Freddy to have a Shootout at El Dorado the next morning. Ben Daniels got Alex' information and tries to have the CIA help Alex, instead their new boss wants to kill Nightshade in one fell stroke and destroy El Dorado. That Night Alex gives William

1932-538: Is already plotting revenge against Alex. Nightshade Revenge was published in September 2023. In New York an ex-CIA agent is murdered while investigating 'Real Time' a gaming company specialized in Augmented Reality. In London; Alex's best friend Tom Harris is abducted. Alex is blackmailed by Nightshade chief/agent 'Brother Mike' to help them free their agent Freddy Grey. Alex has no choice and smuggles

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2024-479: Is also developing an anthrax strain for biological warfare. An accident in the laboratory contaminates the village, but the teen's parents manage to get a vaccine to him before dying. Gregorovich escapes with his best friend who dies on the way to the train station. He travels by train to Moscow, where he is betrayed by a friend of his parents. He escapes and ends up living with a small group of street thieves, learning their skills. He breaks into an apartment belonging to

2116-560: Is arrested. After arranging for his release, MI6 chief Alan Blunt blackmails Alex into investigating the deaths of Roscoe and General Viktor Ivanov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service , who died in an unusual motorboat explosion, in exchange for all potential charges being dropped. The only thing linking these deaths are that both men had rebellious sons attending the Point Blanc Academy in

2208-488: Is bribed to fake a problem with the helicopter and to bring in a fake mechanic to repair it. The mechanic is an assassin employed by Scorpia. He shoots Sharkovsky and one of the twin bodyguards. Gregorovich knocks out the other bodyguard and the two join the pilot and escape the compound. He is taken to Venice and meets Julia Rothman who tells him that Sharkovsky is still alive, kills the assassin, and sends him to Malagosto, Scorpia's school for assassins. By now 19 years of age he

2300-503: Is captured by Scorpia, and manages to help his long-time friend and caregiver after his uncle's death, Jack, (who has also been captured) escape. Scorpia had anticipated this and had laid a trap for Jack. The news of her killing devastates Alex but he manages to stop Scorpia's plan and kills Julius. The book ends when Alex escapes and moves to San Francisco with Sabina's family, changing him forever and disallowing him to return to his spy life. Scorpia disbands after being beaten three times by

2392-418: Is caught by the police after using a crane to lift the barge out of the water. He accidentally drops it in a police conference centre rather than a nearby car park, as he originally intended, thanks to the builders shutting down the crane's power. The police arrest Skoda and his accomplice, Mike Beckett. No one is killed, although some people end up heavily injured, but Alex's real identity is revealed when he

2484-492: Is hidden by a suit of armour in the library). He discovers the basement is a jail, where he finds James, Michael J. Roscoe's son Paul, and all the other students, who explain that Grief has made clones of them. Alex plans to bring help, but Stellenbosch knocks him unconscious before he can. Grief, a former Minister of Science and BOSS officer, reveals his plan to take over the world, codenamed "the Gemini Project". In

2576-521: Is hospitalized in Grenoble when the force of a nearby train throws him into a fence. Mrs Stellenbosch, who arrives there after being tipped off by a guard, is later told that he is dead. Meanwhile, an honour guard from the French Army carries a Union flag-laden coffin onto a C-130 Hercules , which apparently flies to London for Alex's military funeral . However, this is merely a decoy, and Alex

2668-481: Is keeping the accidents secret. Especially with their newest game update Blue Devil coming up. Lucas helps Alex gain entry to the Arena where he and other players test the newest update of Eden Fall after meeting Klein and confronting him about the accidents. Alex escapes from the arena where Nightshade agents try to kill him. When he figures out what is really going on, he is captured by Brother Mike and taken to El Dorado,

2760-458: Is replacing the students with clones of himself, who are altered through plastic surgery to resemble the students, including Alex himself, so Grief can inherit the fortune and gain the power to control the whole world. However, Alex foils his plan and is given a second sick note by MI6 . The book was adapted as the basis for the first season of the Alex Rider television series . Skeleton Key

2852-485: Is returned to Scorpia as a double agent and discovers the broadcasting dishes that Scorpia intends to use to kill their targets, including Alex, as he was injected at their training school in Malagosto, which are later lifted into the sky by a hot air balloon. Rothman's henchman, Nile, tries to stop Alex, but he is afraid of heights, causing him to slip and fall to his death after being taunted by Alex. Alex manages to stop

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2944-630: Is returned to his room. Alex arrives at the academy the next day and meets the director, Dr Hugo Grief. He later strikes a friendship with James Sprintz, the pupil who is asked to show Alex around. In the academy, the other five rebellious students each underwent a sudden overnight change and become "perfect" pupils. James wants to escape by skiing down the Alps. Alex investigates over the following days, and one night, after sneaking out, sees James being dragged from his room by two guards led by Mrs Stellenbosch. The next morning, James has seemingly become just like

3036-458: Is revealed to be still alive, the SAS having rescued him. Mrs Jones convinces him to return to the academy with an SAS squad, led by his former training partner "Wolf", in order to rescue the students. While storming the school, Alex is attacked by Stellenbosch, who is shot dead by Wolf just before she can kill Alex. However, Wolf is also shot in the process (though not fatally), and Alex rushes out of

3128-564: Is taught the skills of an assassin, and is given his first assignment in New York. He is unable to carry out the assignment and newly arrived John Rider is assigned to work with him. The pair travel to Peru to take out a drug lord and in the process Rider saves his life. On the way back to headquarters the pair stop in Paris to carry out another contract. Rider attempts to get Gregorovich to flee and he comes close to doing so but discovers that Rider

3220-467: Is ultimately the sole casualty of Royal Blue's shockwave. Crocodile Tears was published in 2009. It begins with Alex's girlfriend, Sabina, and her family visiting the UK from San Francisco . Alex goes to Scotland with them. They go to millionaire Desmond McCain's mansion for a New Year party, during which Alex offends McCain in a game of poker, McCain in order to stop the work of Sabina Pleasure's father,

3312-677: Is using twenty-three brainwashed children (originally 25 but 2 were killed in a "training accident") to work as mercenaries for a group of four Americans calling themselves the "Teachers". Alex's cover is blown by Nightshade's client, and he is used as a distraction while Frederick, Sofia, and 'Number Eleven' try to kill many at St Paul's Cathedral . Alex prevents that by disabling the Teacher's communication system with their child agents. Alex tries to help Fredrick after his capture and promises Mrs. Jones to help her find 'Nightshade', who still has her son, William, as an agent, not knowing that 'Nightshade'

3404-786: The Ciskei homeland, was a BOSS agent in King William's Town , where BOSS was investigating local chapters of the Black Consciousness Movement . In late 1979 and early 1980, the British Observer published allegations – substantiated by documents leaked by a former BOSS agent – that BOSS, then known as the Department of National Security, had been intercepting the mail and private telephone calls of prominent politicians and civil society leaders, including Alan Paton , André Brink , and Helen Suzman . As

3496-592: The Department of Foreign Affairs , and the Security Branch of the South African Police – they were frequently locked in an extremely hostile competition over funding, power, and resources. General van den Bergh resigned as director-general in 1978 in the wake of the Muldergate scandal , and BOSS was renamed the Department of National Security . In the same year, Vorster was replaced as prime minister by defence minister, P. W. Botha , whose government pursued

3588-517: The French Alps. Alex undergoes a dramatic physical change and takes the identity of Alex Friend, supposedly the rebellious son of supermarket billionaire Sir David Friend. He stays with the family (Sir David, his wife Lady Caroline, and their snooty daughter Fiona) for a week in preparation for his infiltration of the academy. Fiona does not like having Alex staying with them and arranges for her 'boyfriend' Rufus and his friends to kill Alex during

3680-670: The Gestapo . On 5 September 1969, Vorster formed a commission led by Justice H.J. Potgieter to establish the guidelines and mission for intelligence gathering by BOSS and military intelligence. The Commission to Inquire into Certain Intelligence Aspects of State Security, known better as the Potgieter Commission, investigated clashes between the two organisations over who had primary responsibility for intelligence gathering in South Africa. As van den Bergh

3772-689: The 1978 assassination of Rick Turner ; and the February 1974 cross-border assassinations by letter bombs of anti-Apartheid activists John Dube ('Boy Mvemve') of Umkhonto weSizwe and Onkgopotse Tiro of SASO . It has also been alleged that the Z-Squad specialised in interrogating South Africans who had been captured fighting for nationalist movements in Rhodesia and Mozambique, some of whom were killed after interrogation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) concluded in its final report that BOSS

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3864-451: The 1990s, disgusted with the rise of Nelson Mandela and black rule in his native South Africa, he made sixteen clones of himself, and used the late Baxter (who Alex saw Grief kill) to alter their appearances and resemble the sons of rich and influential people, whose inheritance will be his clones'. This will allow Grief to take over the world, as the conned families are leaders in every corner of human activity, including diamond mining, food,

3956-590: The Alex Rider novels. The series is being produced by Eleventh Hour Films, with Tutankhamen screenwriter and novelist Guy Burt acting as showrunner. Eleventh Hour Films is run by Horowitz's wife Jill Green. In July 2018, it was reported that Sony Pictures Television had replaced ITV as Eleventh Hour Film's distribution and financial partner for a new Alex Rider television series. Sony Pictures Television's international and worldwide distribution divisions under Wayne Garvie and Keith Le Goy were attached to

4048-745: The General Law Amendment Act of 1969 included a provision which authorised the Prime Minister, his nominee, or any Cabinet Minister to veto the provision of any evidence or documents to any court or statutory body, provided the evidence or documents were "prejudicial to the interests of the State or public security." The Act also made it an offence to disclose any "security matter," including any matter relating to BOSS or any person's relationship to BOSS. These amendments were met with alarm among liberal and anti-Apartheid civil society groups, with opposition politician Alex Hepple likening BOSS to

4140-537: The Gibraltar prison, where Julius was before escaping at the start of Scorpia Rising, and where Frederick is being held; the mission is to learn about the organization Frederick works for. Unable to get the right information, when Alex becomes friends with Frederick, he decides to escape with Frederick and then infiltrate Nightshade's base of operations, an abandoned military base in Crete . There, he learns that Nightshade

4232-447: The Numbers attack their captors. Ben Daniels arrives to warn them of the air strike that's coming. Alex holds Lucas at gunpoint and orders him to stop the bugs from killing people while the Numbers fight the remaining Nightshade employees. When the airstrike commences Alex, Ben and the numbers escape through an old mine while Lucas stays behind, choosing to die in the airstrike instead of going to jail. When they come up Alex sees that Freddy

4324-556: The Prime Minister, in contrast to other public bodies, which were partly overseen by the Public Service Commission. The Security Services Special Account Act of 1969 established a "Special Account" on BOSS's books, which could be expended on confidential items at the Minister's approval and which, unlike other state-funded funded accounts, would not be subject to the annual audit. Finally, and most controversially,

4416-655: The Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation and security police – are well-documented and dated back at least to 1969. The agencies coordinated their counterinsurgency efforts in southern Africa and discussed cooperating on covert operations against Kaunda's government; and BOSS channelled "material support" directly from the South African government to intelligence services in Angola and Mozambique. BOSS may also have had

4508-470: The United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany, and released on 21 July 2006. Intended to be the first entry in a film franchise , Stormbreaker grossed between $ 20.7 and $ 23.9 million worldwide upon its theatrical release, failing to recoup its $ 40 million budget and making the film a box office bomb . In May 2017, it was announced that ITV was developing a television adaptation of

4600-546: The basis of the first season of the Amazon Prime Video series Alex Rider , starring Otto Farrant as Rider. American electronics billionaire Michael J. Roscoe is killed in his New York City office by a reputable contract killer . Elsewhere, a man known as "Skoda" sells drugs to Alex Rider's classmates. After noticing this, Alex follows Skoda to his home, situated on a barge in Putney River, but

4692-423: The building in anger to see Dr Grief about to leave via helicopter . In a bid to stop him, Alex uses a snowmobile to drive forward, leaping off just before it makes contact with the helicopter. Grief is killed in the ensuing explosion. Alex returns home, where Mrs Jones tells Alex that the mission was a success and "all fifteen clones" have been apprehended. Alex then receives a call informing him to visit Mr Bray,

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4784-494: The children) so they could become millionaires. In the process, he finds Jack, who then helps him free the children. He then manages to derail a steam locomotive with an improvised bomb (Thermos with diesel in it), thus killing his foes who were chasing after him in it. This is book 11 of the Alex Rider Series. Secret Weapon was published in 2019. A collection of seven adventures that Alex Rider experienced outside of

4876-471: The death of the schoolchildren while Rothman herself is killed when the dish equipment falls on top of her. At the end of the novel, Mrs. Jones and Alan Blunt tell Alex the truth about his father; he was an MI6 agent working as a double agent in Scorpia attempting to take down the organization. They also explain his parents' death, ordered by Julia Rothman after she was noted of his father's treachery along with

4968-409: The drug-supplying countries. Cray kills Yassen Gregorovich, but soon after Alex pushes Cray to his death. He then stops the missiles before they can hit their targets. Just before dying, Gregorovich tells Alex to look for a criminal organization called Scorpia, a group he claims his father worked for. The book was adapted as the basis for the second season of the Alex Rider television series . Scorpia

5060-403: The extensive powers he had under his advisory role, van der Bergh was seen as "untouchable," which led to tensions within the state that were only exacerbated by the establishment of "super-security" structure BOSS. By March 1969, the skeleton of a new security service began to emerge in the projected expenditures for the 1969–70 financial year. R5.32 million was allocated to the secret services,

5152-446: The film series. Burt had adapted Point Blanc , the second book in the Alex Rider novel series, for television. Horowitz will serve as executive producer for the series. The first season was released on Amazon Prime Video in the United Kingdom on 4 June 2020. In New Zealand, the television series is distributed by TVNZ+ . On 10 November 2020, the series was officially renewed for a second season. It adapted Eagle Strike and

5244-423: The government's national policy centre for national security. The Council was supposed to coordinate information gathered by BOSS and other entities, thus ensuring that none could attempt to dominate the others politically, but this system ultimately failed to reduce the rivalry among different security and intelligence agencies. BOSS reportedly comprised the following departments: As a department of state, it

5336-561: The growing National Party politicisation of South African law enforcement, intelligence and security services, which over time was able to dominate both the South African Government and culture, while in turn being dominated by Prime Minister Vorster's office. Even as BOSS cooperated closely with other parts of the intelligence and security services – especially the South African Defence Force ,

5428-468: The head teacher at his school. However, after finding a clone of himself in Bray's office, he recalls Mrs Jones’ words (as well as those of Grief, Jack, and Mr Lee the school caretaker) and realises that one clone – his own – escaped from justice. Alex fights his clone in the school, with their battle eventually causing a fire after an incident in the science block, and one Alex falls into the burning school from

5520-566: The location where White's son died. In California Alex and Ben discover that White's son died because the AR showed him a bridge that wasn't really there. Meeting the Pleasure family again; Edward tells Alex about Jon Lucas, a young philanthropist who used to work for Rudolph Klein, the CEO of Real Time. Lucas tells Alex and Edward that the accident involving White's son wasn't the only one and that Real Time

5612-426: The military, financing, politics, and the media. Michael J. Roscoe and Viktor Ivanov were both killed for suspecting that their "sons" were acting abnormally. Alex will be killed the next morning through a live dissection. Before that, he is imprisoned in the basement. Alex, using his exploding earring, escapes and snowboards down the Alps using an improvised ironing board. Pursued by two guards on snowmobiles , Alex

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5704-509: The missions assigned to him by MI6. These stories occur throughout the series. Four of these short stories were already previously released by author Anthony Horowitz, but "Alex in Afghanistan", "Tea with Smithers" and "Spy Trap" were all written exclusively for this collection. Nightshade was published in 2020. Alex is battling against a new criminal organization, Nightshade (after the downfall of Scorpia) which Mrs. Jones had been reading

5796-542: The novel sees Alex crash land in Australia. There, he is recruited by ASIS, Australia's secret service, to infiltrate a Snakehead organization by posing as an Afghan refugee . He meets his godfather, Ash , while preparing in Thailand, and they team up. The Snakehead organization and its leader, Major Winston Yu, a Scorpia board member, reportedly stole a powerful bomb called Royal Blue, which MI6 wants to intercept. During

5888-479: The others, and has abandoned his escape plan. Alex investigates further, discovering that the academy's top two floors are copies of the ground and first floors, before contacting MI6 via the Discman distress beacon. Blunt and Mrs Jones decide to put a unit on standby, to take action the following day, whilst Alex searches the academy’s basement (which can only be accessed via a hidden lift whose ground floor entrance

5980-685: The police generally had benefitted from an expansion of their powers, through legislation such as the Sabotage Act of 1962 and the General Law Amendment Act of 1963 , which allowed arbitrary arrest and detention . However, in the middle of 1968, the Cabinet approved the creation of a centralised security service. On 28 August 1968, Hendrik van den Bergh , the head of the Security Branch and Deputy Police Commissioner,

6072-488: The previous year to R39 000, which initiated a continuous struggle for power between military intelligence and BOSS which lasted throughout the 1970s. On 16 May 1969, Government Notice No. 808 formally established the Bureau for State Security, with retrospective effect from 1 May, as a department of state under the Prime Minister. Van den Bergh was appointed at its head. According to the notice, BOSS's functions were: In

6164-413: The prey is. These are the type of men I have." Former BOSS agents later claimed that BOSS was involved in extra-judicial killings through a covert operational unit formed in the early 1970s and known as the "Z-Squad." Others confirmed that the Z-Squad existed but denied that it was involved in political killings. The Z-Squad was linked to the 1977 assassination of NP politician Robert Smit and his wife;

6256-483: The propaganda campaign at the heart of the scandal, but the Department of Information relied on BOSS intelligence. Van den Bergh was certainly closely involved in the planning and implementation of the campaign, and other BOSS officials may also have been. At the Erasmus Commission of inquiry following the Muldergate scandal, van den Bergh hinted that murder was within the scope of BOSS's duties: "I have enough men to commit murder if I tell them to kill. I don't care who

6348-646: The revolutionary and newly developed computer called Stormbreaker – which Sayle is donating to every school in England . Alex discovers that the Stormbreaker computers contain a lethal variation of smallpox and that Sayle plans to ruthlessly kill thousands of schoolchildren around the country with it. Alex foils the plan and succeeds on his first mission. He is also given the first of many sick notes by MI6 to avoid suspicion at his school in Chelsea. Point Blanc

6440-404: The roof, whilst the other is rescued. It is left ambiguous which Alex survives. Reviewer Chris High said, "For first class spills, thrills, and adventure, Anthony Horowitz can be safely said to have cornered the modern market...influenced greatly by Ian Fleming's work." Read Hot calls it a "must read for all teenagers". The School Library Journal says, "Spy gadgets, chase scenes, mysteries, and

6532-730: The same period, a series of related legislation was introduced in Parliament: the Public Service Amendment Bill on 13 May; the Security Services Special Account Bill on 19 May; and the General Law Amendment Bill on 4 June. All three bills were passed that winter. The Public Service Amendment Act of 1969 outlined BOSS's structure – significantly, BOSS was established under the direct and exclusive control of

6624-499: The series were published by Philomel Books , an imprint of Penguin Books . Stormbreaker was first published in the year 2000, in the United Kingdom, and then in the year 2001 in the United States. Alex, the main character, is recruited by MI6 after discovering the truth about his uncle's life and death. He is sent to complete his uncle's latest mission: to investigate a Lebanese multimillionaire named Herod Sayle and his creation:

6716-415: The true details of the event that happened on Albert Bridge. As Alex leaves Liverpool Street, a Scorpia sniper shoots him. The book was adapted as the basis for the third season of the Alex Rider television series . Ark Angel , published in 2005, follows Alex's second mission for the CIA . After recovering from a Scorpia assassination attempt, he is sent to investigate businessman Nikolei Drevin, who built

6808-470: The wealthy Vladimir Sharkovsky who catches him and takes him to his dacha outside Moscow. Sharkovsky forces him to play Russian Roulette with a single bullet to demonstrate that the boy is a slave. Yassen is put to work as Sharkovsky's food taster and general dogsbody to the dacha with no indication that he will ever escape. After several years he discovers that Sharkovsky was responsible for the laboratory accident and swears revenge. Sharkovsky's helicopter pilot

6900-431: The world for a third time. Eagle Strike was published in 2003. Popstar Damian Cray hopes to destroy the drug-making countries of the world by hijacking the United States nuclear arsenal . Suspicious of him, Alex takes Cray on without the help of the sceptical MI6. Cray releases a state-of-the-art games console called the 'Gameslayer.' with its first game, 'Feathered Serpent', being much more than it seems. Alex uncovers

6992-589: Was "possibly" involved in extra-judicial killings, and probably responsible for the murders of Dube and Tiro. The TRC heard evidence that BOSS and the South African Defence Force (SADF) jointly led Operation Plathond, under which Zambians were trained for destabilisation operations against the pro-ANC Kaunda government. The TRC was not able to corroborate the claims and details of the Operation remain opaque. However, close links among BOSS and other intelligence services – especially PIDE of colonial Mozambique and

7084-740: Was a close ally of Vorster, military intelligence saw it as a foregone conclusion that BOSS would achieve favour. The report of the Commission, released on 2 February 1972, led to the enactment on 24 May of the Security Intelligence and State Security Council Act of 1972. The Act formalised the functions and the brief of BOSS, and also established the State Security Council , which replaced the Cabinet State Security Committee and became

7176-507: Was announced as the director with Otto Farrant starring as Alex Rider. Alex Rider Alex Rider is a series of spy novels by the English author Anthony Horowitz . The novels revolve around a teenaged spy named Alex Rider and are primarily aimed towards young adults . The series currently comprises 14 novels, as well as seven graphic novels , seven short stories , and a supplementary book. The first novel, Stormbreaker ,

7268-589: Was headed by a Director-General , who for most of its existence was van den Bergh. Other intelligence divisions, including military intelligence and the Security Branch , were required to submit intelligence to BOSS. By the late 1970s, it was thought to employ more than 1 000 agents, many of whom worked undercover. BOSS was involved in gathering and assessing intelligence about anti-Apartheid and liberation movements, including identifying targets for raids, both in South Africa and in neighbouring countries. For example, Charles Sebe , before he became security chief in

7360-466: Was included in Secret Weapon , along with new material published on 4 April 2019, and which were made available on Anthony Horowitz's website. Resistance to Interrogation and Coda are available on the author's website and have all been included in certain editions of that book except Resistance to Interrogation , which was included in certain editions of Never Say Die . The White Carnation

7452-463: Was instructed to start planning the new organisation. On the 1 October, he was promoted to the rank of General and appointed special Security Adviser to Vorster, who had become prime minister after the assassination of Hendrik Verwoerd . Vorster and van der Bergh were close allies – they were both former members of the pro-Nazi Ossewabrandwag during World War II , and had been imprisoned for sabotage together. Because of this close association, and

7544-419: Was later included in the short story collection Alex Rider: Undercover, which was published exclusively for World Book Day 2020. A video game based on the film was released on 7 July 2006, which received negative reviews. Horowitz wrote the screenplay for the feature film Stormbreaker , directed by Geoffrey Sax . Stormbreaker was an international co-production between companies and financiers from

7636-492: Was published in 2002. After foiling a Triad plot to fix the 2001 Wimbledon tennis tournament and befriending Sabina, Alex is in grave danger of assassination. Forced to leave the country, MI6 sends him on a mission to Cuba with two doubtful CIA agents, of whom he is the sole survivor. He encounters former Soviet general Alexei Sarov , who tries to adopt Alex and expresses ideas of a nuclear holocaust and world domination under communist rule. Alex then foils his plans, saving

7728-563: Was published in 2004. Following the advice of the assassin Yassen Gregorovich , Alex seeks the criminal organization Scorpia to find the truth about his father . He is soon recruited by Scorpia executive Julia Rothman , and he is trained as an assassin before being ordered to kill Mrs. Jones. He fails in this mission but realigns with MI6 after learning that thousands of schoolchildren in London would die if he did not help them. Alex

7820-718: Was published in 2011. A Greek trillionaire, Yannis Ariston Xenopolos hires Scorpia to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece . Scorpia's plan includes the laying of a false trail to Cairo, Egypt , and blackmailing MI6 into returning the Marbles. MI6 falls for the trap and Alex is sent to Cairo, where he is dismayed to find that Scorpia has been pulling the strings all along. He also meets Julius Grief, his clone from Point Blanc who escaped from an MI6 prison in Gibraltar . He aims to personally kill Alex to avenge Dr Grief's death. Alex

7912-625: Was published in June 2017 with a US release in October 2017. After the events of Scorpia Rising, Alex is left traumatized by the death of his caregiver and close friend, Jack Starbright. After being given a glimmer of hope about her survival, through an unknown email, Alex is thrust into the horrors of his past in a battle to recover his friend from the dead. Along the way, he encounters new foes (associated with Scorpia) who are nothing like anyone he has battled before. He foils their plans of making rich parents pay to get their children back (after kidnapping

8004-534: Was published in the United Kingdom in 2001, and in North America in 2002 under the alternate title Point Blank . After the deaths of two billionaires, MI6 discovers a connection: the two men who died each had a son attending Point Blanc, a school for rebellious sons of billionaires located in the French Alps , owned by Dr. Hugo Grief. MI6 sends Alex to investigate Point Blanc, where he discovers that Grief

8096-419: Was released in the United Kingdom in the year 2000 and was adapted into a film in 2006, starring Alex Pettyfer as the titular protagonist. The second , fourth , and fifth books were adapted into a TV series in 2020, 2021, and 2024, respectively, this time starring Otto Farrant . Walker Books published the first novels in the United Kingdom alongside Puffin in the United States. More recent entries in

8188-423: Was released on 3 December 2021. The third and final season adapted Scorpia and was released on 5 April 2024. Bureau of State Security For most of its existence, BOSS was headed by General Hendrik van den Bergh , who, while special Security Adviser to Prime Minister John Vorster , was instrumental in its establishment. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission saw the creation of BOSS as an example of

8280-554: Was replaced by his Defence Minister, P.W. Botha . Botha's ascension increased the influence of SADF and especially of military intelligence. According to the TRC, the dominance of BOSS and the Security Branch had already began to wane in the late 1970s, amid what was later described as "years of illegality, financial abuse and political meddling" at BOSS/DONS. Botha brought BOSS under tighter executive control. He also appointed Kobie Coetsee , Deputy Defence and Intelligence Minister, to lead

8372-480: Was revealed in the Information Scandal of 1978, BOSS acted as banker for the Department of Information in respect of a secret slush fund channelled from the Department of Defence and used to fund a series of propaganda projects, including the establishment of the Citizen , a pro-government newspaper. Some of BOSS's own budget was occasionally used for the same purpose. It is unclear exactly what role BOSS played in

8464-465: Was shot during the fight. He tells them that he didn't believe that he would make it in the world after all that Nightshade made him do and is glad that Alex was his friend. He dies in Alex's arms. In the aftermath Mrs Jones decides to resign so she can be there for her children who are both being treated. Alex walks out hoping to never have to work for MI6 again. Christmas at Gunpoint was later published as part of The Mission Files , material from which

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