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    Skeleton Key: A Short Story Exclusive
    Skeleton Key: A Short Story Exclusive
    Skeleton Key: A Short Story Exclusive
    Audiobook3 hours

    Skeleton Key: A Short Story Exclusive

    Written by James Rollins

    Narrated by Christian Baskous

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    From New York Times bestselling author James Rollins comes a thrilling short story that delves deep beneath the city of Paris to a dark necropolis, where the only means for escape is…The Skeleton Key.

    Seichan is ripped out of the Sigma series for an adventure all her own—but can she survive? The beautiful and elusive assassin wakes in a hotel in Paris with a deadly electronic collar fastened to her throat. Joined by a boy who is similarly threatened, she must rescue the son of a hated enemy, who has fallen under the sway of the nefarious leader of an apocalyptic cult. To survive, she must venture into the dark world beneath the City of Lights, into the infamous catacombs of Paris. Caught between two enemies, she must fight for her life…while time ticks down toward a fiery apocalypse. But in the dark, surrounded by the moldering bones of the dead, even success does not equal survival. In the end, the only true hope for the world lies in a stunning act of betrayal.

    Included with this short story is a sneak peek at the first 70 pages of The Devil Colony, where a clue unlocked by The Skeleton Key will play a key role.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateDec 15, 2015
    ISBN9780062463944
    Author

    James Rollins

    James Rollins is the author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the “top crowd pleasers” (New York Times) and one of the “hottest summer reads” (People magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight. He lives in the Sierra Nevada.

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    Reviews for Skeleton Key

    4/5

    119 ratings31 reviews

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    • 5/5
      As always the book is full of intrigue and mystery. I have liked the entire series and this book did not disappoint.
    • 3/5
      Alex finds himself impersonating a ball boy during the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament. His participation in this investigation brings him to the attention of a Chinese crime syndicate, so he must leave England for awhile. The CIA uses this to their advantage as they recruit Alex to portray the son of a couple of agents posing as a family on vacation in Cuba where a Russian general has been building a nuclear bomb with stolen uranium. As usual, Alex finds himself in the middle of the action.Skeleton Key is the third entry in the Alex Rider series and definitely falls on the side of implausible. An evil former general in the Russian army is the antagonist. The general is more than a one dimensional character as he does give his reasons for his actions and actually considers Alex as a possible substitute for his dead son, but the plot and characters in this story are over the top, while some of the dialogue is stilted and unbelievable. Overall, Skeleton Key delivers action and adventure, but doesn't add much to the Alex Rider series.
    • 4/5
      Skeleton key is probably the saddest of all the alex rider series. it is probably the most suspenseful of all them too. I gave this book 4 out of five stars because there are somethings that get left out that could have been helpful.
    • 5/5
      Alex Rider finally has a reason to smile: he is a ball boy at Wimbledon, tennis's most prestigious tournament, and is able to witness all the action from just a few feet away. That's because the British teen is investigating a break-in at the Millennium Building, where the players' changing rooms and lounges are located. He eventually discovers that a Chinese gang whose members are involved in a number of criminal activities has infiltrated the tournament and is drugging players competing in the event. After Alex knocks out one of its members and places his body in a refrigerator, the Chinese gang is out for revenge and will do whatever it takes to terminate Alex's life.
    • 5/5
      It's really sad there are only five stars to give in Goodreads. The prologue where the plane skids off is really capturing. The mission at skeleton key was also great one. I will never forget "that was the last time Alex saw them alive" and the way the CIA agents were chewed to mincemeat in the hydraulic trap or the interesting facts about shark fish and their implementation into the story. However,I don't quite see how Alex was involved. I think Horowitz tried to make circumstances more challenging till they became impossible to surmount. Nevertheless, the story is the best of the Alex Rider series so far, and I hope the other books remain at this extraordinary level.
    • 3/5
      Audio at least for me seems garbled, tried stream and download both
    • 4/5
      There is a ruler who is doing something big to do.. something that nobody knows about but him and Alex has to stop him.Action Packed!!
    • 5/5
      In Skeleton Alex Rider, a teen spy, stops communist from Russia from activating a nuclear war head. The organization Alex works for is currently the CIA and MI6. In the story there is General Sarov that wants to adopt him but Alex refuses and the general ends up killing himself. The general wanted to adopt Alex because the general had a son who got killed in Afghanistan. The general saw traits from his son in Alex. I recommend this book for people who like action and fictional horror. This series is really great to read. I like all of the books in the series.
    • 4/5
      Skeleton Key is a part of a book series. The series tells about the adventures of a teen age spy named Alex Rider. In the book Alex finally thinks he’s done with his spy life. MI6, the people that have used Alex as a spy, needed him to “go on a vacation” with CIA agents. They promise him it will be easy just spending time in the sun. Alex soon finds out that the mission is a lot harder then he thought. Alex becomes a prisoner and a son on this mission to save the world. I enjoyed the book. The book is very action packed. Also the book has a very high climax. It starts off slow, interesting, but not very much action. The book gets more interesting and makes you hang on to the end of your seat more towards the end. I think Skelton Key wasn’t the best of the series but it was one of the better ones. The book was kind of an original because it was about someone trying to save the world. I would recommend this book and the rest of the series to someone.
    • 4/5
      This is the third thrilling series of the Alex Rider series where MI6 agent Alex Rider is" sent on vacation" to Cuba with two CIA agents and finds out that his mission is much harder that just chilling in the sun. Alex Rider finds himself wondering what it would be like to have a father and finds himself the son of a person who wants to destroy the world and eliminate everyone who has a free life. Alex Rider has to save the world from a nuclear explosion which can kill millions of people.I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a serious page turner and books filled with action and espionage.
    • 4/5
      Alex Rider is a 14 year old spy who works for MI6. He is sent to make a cover for two CIA spies. One is a man, one is a woman. One man would be suspicous. Two people could be a team. But a group of man,woman, and child? That's got to be family. They were sent to spy on a man named Sarov. He's knoen for having a nuclear bomb capable of destroying a whole state. sarov finds out that they are spies, and he kills the man and woman. But Alex stayed alive. Sarov had other plans for him. He wanted to adopt him. He had skills like his former son did, who already died in war.
    • 4/5
      Horowitz, Anthony, Skeleton Key, island off Cuba Russian w nuclear weapon
    • 5/5
      After Alex’s second mission for MI6 he is attempting to return to a normal life he is approached with an MI6 agent named John Crawley. Alex is offered tickets to a Wimbledon but is informed he must go undercover as a ball boy investigating a suspected break in. At Wimbledon he befriends a ball girl named Sabrina Pleasure. During his secret investigation a Chinese guard that he later discovers is part of the Chinese triad gang Big Circle. Weeks later another assassination plot is attempted on Alex’s life by the same gang. For Alex’s safety the CIA provide him with two agents that will pretend to be his parents. Glen Carver and Belinda Troy to Skeleton Key with Alex to investigate a suspect by the name of Sarov. Alex learns that his “parents” were sent with him to find a nuclear bomb. One of his gadgets disguised as a game boy he is using to sense any nuclear radiation within the large vicinity. They have a plan to infiltrate Sarov’s manor Casa de Oro by scuba diving into a cave underneath the island and climb up to infiltrate the manor. Carver and Troy will go while Alex stays on the boat near the mouth of the cave. When Carver and Troy do not return, Alex decides to go in himself. After a close encounter with a shark Alex reaches the mouth of the cave only to find Troy and Carver stabbed together by a mechanical spear trap. Naturally with no weapons or gadgets Alex decides to return to the boat only to discover that the boat driver had been killed and Sarov’s henchmen had captured him. Alex wakes up in Casa de Oro in a fine bedroom. He demands to Sarov why he is here and Sarov tells him he once had a sun that was killed by a sniper in Afghanistan and he wants to adopt Alex because Alex reminds him of the late Vladimir. After Alex’s failed escape from the mansion though Sarov spares his life. Alex is taken on a plane with Sarov where he is informed that they are going to Murmansk, a shipyard with several nuclear submarines where Sarov will drop the nuke . This will be blamed on Russia and everyone will turn to the president. Also he learns that Sarov had drugged the Russian president and asked him about the explosion that at the time had not yet happened and the drugged president who looked like a drunk and said he didn’t much care about the problem. The event of this edited released footage will force the president out of power, Russia will return to communism and Sarov will seize power. During a fuel stop Alex utilizes one of his gadgets, a stun grenade to escape the plane. Alex escapes the plane and while trying to contact the police is recaptured to the angry Sarov. When they arrive at Murmansk the nuclear bomb is attached to a magnetic crane and Alex is handcuffed to one of the submarine and would be killed instantly during the explosion. Using his final gadget, Alex sets himself free. Sarov’s associate, Conrad, notices instantly and comes down from the crate. Sent by MI6 the Russian army arrives and begins fighting off Sarov’s men. Alex narrowly avoids death but is able to kill Conrad. Sarov approaches Alex and tells him they can still escape and be father and son and Alex responds by telling him that he would rather die that be Sarov’s son. At this point Sarov decides to commit suicide. Soon he is returned to London though it is doubtful that a normal life will return easily.I gave this book 4.5 for many reasons. The imagery was stunning blending well with the astounding word choice. I felt close to even some of the minor characters, like I knew them personally. The plot slowed down when necessary and heart racingly quick in others. My one complaint for this book is that I believe the book ended slightly abruptly. I recommend this book to anyone with a heart for action adventure and cover to cover reading though with this book, that is slightly mandatory.
    • 4/5
      Book two was better than the first. A better plot and character development. Alex has to battle himself to survive in the end. Strange goings on at a posh private school. Better humor and adventure in this sequel.
    • 4/5
      Alex Rider is back in the field, despite his disinterest in being a fourteen-year-old spy, and this time is working for the Americans to stop a bitter Russian from unleashing a nuclear bomb.Alex Rider has an inexplainable pull to itself. I may be a little too old to obsess over them, and they may (at least so far) seem simple stories that don't have an ultimate, over-arching plot (I'm told they do as the series continues, though). But nonetheless, they always have me going back for more. Alex Rider is a clever, friendly kid with a likable deadpan sense of humor none of the adults in the series seem to understand, but is right up my alley. These are great escape books I can always turn to without worrying about adult contents or over-the-top language.Things To Watch Out For:Romance: NALanguage: Ds and Hs scattered about, but nothing much worse than that. Possibly God's name, but isn't enough for me to remember.Violence: Several deaths in the book of both named and nameless characters due to explosions and several semi-gruseom deaths; fight scenesDrugs: brief mentions of wine and smokingNudity: NAOther: Alex is forced to be a spy when he's made it very clear he doesn't want to be
    • 4/5
      In this title, someone is trying to sabotage the Wimbledon championships. MI6 sends its best agent, teenage spy Alex Rider, to discover who could be behind the plot. Armed with some gadgets, can he outwit a murderous Chinese gang, a great white shark and an insane Russian bent on changing the world with a nuclear bomb.
    • 4/5
      This is the second Alex Rider I've read and they have both been enjoyable spy thrillers involving a 14 year old boy. Teens and pre-teens will find these easy to get into and well-written. Horowitz doesn't pull punches - good guys and bad guys die in this one - but at the same time there are some clever, Bond-like tools and the boy spy is an intrepid character who you can really root for to succeed. I'm looking forward to reading more from this series.
    • 3/5
      This Book is the 3rd book of the Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz. Alex Rider is a teen agent from MI6. MI6 has sent one female, one male and one teen agents to spy on a person called Sarov who is a desperate man who has lost his son during war and wishes to eliminate everyone living in a free world. MI6 believes that he has a nuclear explosion planed for his country. By Nicholas
    • 5/5
      This book was about Alex Rider again. This time he was sent to the London tennis tournament and was appointed ball boy. By there he found out about the Chinese gang, the Red Circle. He killed one of them and stuck him in a freezer while he was at the tennis tournament. When that happened all of the other gang members were like a family and so when he killed one of them they all got mad at him and sent another one to go and kill him. By that time Alex Rider was surfing a huge wave at the beach with his girlfriend he met at the tennis tournament. The man got on a speed boat and got a gun but Alex jumped on the boat and pushed the guy off of the boat. The man died in the water but Alex got away. Then he started to work with the CIA in America and they had him go to Cuba to a place called Skeleton Key. Over there two agents got killed by a great white shark but Alex managed to escape and got captured by a man with a nuclear bomb trying to destroy his own country in Russia. Alex had sort of been adopted as the general's son but tried to escape and failed. Then he tried to escape again and was successful in stopping the nuclear bomb.This book was about Alex Rider being captured by a man with a nuclear bomb. I liked the fact the man wanted Alex as a son. That was because he reminded him of his own son Dimitri, that had died in a war. Alex did not want to be adopted because the man was crazy. Also he didn't want to be there in the first place it is just that the CIA made him go. It was cool that Alex then killed a trained professional and turned of the nuclear bomb in less than 10 minutes. That was my essay for Mr. Poppe.
    • 4/5
      After being in MI6 and being sent on two missions, Alex Rider has another action-packed adventure. Just as filled with gasps, adrenaline, and new twists, Skeleton Key is a great addition to the Alex Rider novels. i can't wait to read the next one!
    • 4/5
      The characters here were more believable simply because by now the author appears to have realized that having strong characters besides the protagonist does not weaken the protagonist in any way..
    • 5/5
      very scary, packed with action
    • 4/5
      Alex once again is drawn into the service of MI6 to be loaned to the CIA. It appears that an arms dealer has sold something to a former Russian General on a Key off of Cuba and the CIA think it would be easier to get two agents on the Key pretending they are on vacation with their child. Hence Alex gets involved.
    • 3/5
      Series still strong, with Alex posing as the son of CIA operatives to foil a nuclear threat.
    • 4/5
      I think the author must be spoofing James Bond on purpose. Every book in this series has had a misshapen villian with a bizarre manner of doling out death. Alex continues to have one traumatic experience after another which does not make for a healthy person...
    • 3/5
      A short story from a writer I love and a series that I love. But this one has nothing that compels me to encourage others to check it out. An okay diversion for my fellow complete-ists out there, but one that can easily be skipped with no harm done in terms of the overarching series of novels.
    • 3/5
      This was a Sigma short story featuring the assassin Seichan in a singular adventure. I had a lot of fun reading this story. It's a little on the short side to do the plot justice as the cult and bad guy don't have much opportunity to be a real threat, but the detail of the French catacombs beneath Paris and the action were perfectly entertaining. It has to be noted that stories like this, and 'Tracker' are promotional tools for the related novels. Half of the book for these stories is the excerpt for the follow-up novel.

      I don't have a problem with that, personally, as you're getting a short story and a glimpse of what's coming up. It's a win/win and enables the reader to sample the author' style and to see if the story is for them. I know some won't like this, but they're very cheap and at the very least you're getting a highly entertaining short story to read on your lunch break, commute, or wherever.
    • 2/5
      This was barely a short story. More of a prologue (perhaps) to The Devil Colony, though it could have been fleshed out a bit more. The basic premises was marginally interesting, though how the explanation of how the male "helper" character fit into the story (and the particular reason that he was needed) seemed both rushed and unnecessary. Moreover, the action sequence toward the end was too brief. I did enjoy the little twist at the end (not that it was surprising). Worth reading if you're a fan of Sigma Force (and especially of Seichan), but probably not otherwise. 
    • 3/5
      This short story was included in the paperback copy of Rollins's "The Devil Colony". It is a short adventure the precludes the storyline in The Devil Colony about Seichan who has left The Guild to try and discover what The Guild is all about by joining w/ The Sigma Force.
    • 4/5
      This one was included in international edition of "The Devil Colony".
      Very interesting story about Seichan getting involved in case of apocalyptic cult operating from the depths of catacombs below Paris.

      Story is standalone although it explains some of the story at the beginning of "The Devil Colony".

      Recommended.