NEVER SAY DIE update to timeline day by day
Six weeks in America…in San Francisco (42 days)
30-Alex has recently turned 15.
p.42—Sabina met Alex a year ago at Wimbledon (so SKELETON KEY was a year go and the first two books, STORMBREAKER and POINT BLANC were a year and a bit more)
p.44-It has been six weeks since Alex left Egypt
p.47-“the” week passed (another week), the weekend (day 43 to day 49)
p.50-Alex is 15 now (this reference is not in Alex’s letter in the American Philomel version); Alex stops bullies Colin MacGuire and Clayton Miller; Alex returns to Siwa.
p.67-The drive through the night. End of first day back in Siwa. (day 50 or 49)
p.97-Day 50-A new morning, a new day. At night, Alex talks to the Pleasures on a screen. Alex will leave at 6am the next morning.
122-Peppermint Tea--6am, Alex leaves; “18 hours later” from the last scene in the last chapter, a new day; Alex is in Saint Tropez
128-Mrs. Jones tells Alex that Alan Blunt resigned; Smithers left MI6;
131-Alex figures it took the Grimaldi brothers seven days to bring Jack by boat to Saint Tropez; the yacht
164-The Grimaldi brothers are 50. 165-When they were 6, a nanny fell out of a window and died. 166-At age 16, their father made them capos
168-Day 51-Morning; Dragana is killed; Alex kidnapped and they attempt to drown him; Wolf saves Alex
211-Mrs. Jones met with Alex “yesterday”
215-Back Home
231-Day 52-A new day; 7am; the kidnapping of the school bus and children
368-Day 53--The next day?--- At least a week before he could return to school; where he had been for the past couple of months;
NIGHTSHADE (Kindle Edition-2020!)
p1-long weekend in Amsterdam after a return from Smoke City in Wales;
p2-a few weeks since Alex thought Jack had died;
p.6-Clifford suffered a heart attack that summer
p.8-Clifford’s murder by Girl Scouts with cookies
NightShade’s attack planned for three weeks’ time
p.15-Dominic Royce shows Mrs. Jones a picture of Alex that was taken more than a year ago.
p.17-Several months had passed since MI6 used Alex to go to Cairo.
p.18-Royce recounts all of Alex’s missions: Cornwall, Point Blanc Academy, some island off the coast of America, Thailand, Australia, outer space…
p.21-It was a year since she met Alex.
p.31-death of Pablo
p. 49-Ten years ago Frederick Gray, son of Sir Christopher Gray and Lady Gray, “died” in a boating accident.
p.59-Nightshade were behind the bombing “last year” in Istanbul. Assassinations in Moscow, Riyadh, Beijing. Kidnapped Paul Saba, the Vatican banker in Rome, got the ransom and killed him anyway.
p.60-37 deaths in the last two weeks in Brazil, working for the Third Command.
p.67-Alex muses about math teacher Donovan and history teacher Nash. It then states he was on missions in the last 15 months. (all previous books?).
p. 68-Tom Harris, when 16 will leave his home to live with his brother in Italy. Tom mentions Edward Channon, a boy from America, who is having a party.
p.70-Alex is only back in England a few days.
p.75-When Alex was 11, Ian showed him how to open a locked car door.
p.86-Alex has been at school a week.
p. 96-Nine years ago Mrs. Jones’ husband Hans Mayer took her two children, William, who is now 16, and Sophia, who is 15 now, away somewhere when she warned him that MI6 knew he was spying on her.
p.133-It is the middle of October. Alex is supposed to be here for one week (five days?).
p.145-Alex is in the jail for three days and four days so far.
p.160-Alex was 11 when he started Brookland.
p.166-Prisoner movie: The Martian (2015). Alex read a Phil Pullman book.
p. 221-almost end of October
p.232-Yannis Hordakis vanishes and his brother George turns up dead, mauled by a shark, supposedly two years before
p.252-When Alex was 9, Ian took him to the Greek Islands.
p.263-Two days go by; Alex is with the Family and Nightshade’s compound
267-Ian took Alex to train at karate when he was 6; by age 13 he was a first grade dan with a black belt;
277-Tom once showed Alex a you tube video
278-Two weeks ago Alex was in London
NIGHTSHADE REVENGE
p.10-It is February. Phantom of the Opera play board is up (it ended performances in April 2023).
p.22-GCSEs are two months away. (These usually happen in the UK and Wales in May and June; AS and A level start May 15 with the final exam on June 27---all for 2023).
p.24-At the end of the summer Alex would be entering sixth form.
For Sixth Form entry, a candidate will be aged between 16 and 17, and will have completed Year 11 at their current school.
For the last three months, every week, Alex took the train from London to Salisbury. He would do so again in two days’ time.
Ten years ago, Freddy was five when he was kidnapped with 24 other children.
p.25-Nightshade was finished over five months ago.
p.27-Alex is in year 11.
p.28-Alex and Tom were friends since they were 12.
p.29-Alex went back to skateboarding at the start of year after seeing an Australian 16 year old win gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
(On 5 August 2021, Keegan Palmer won the gold medal in the men's park skateboarding event at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Keegan can be considered American, too. He might have been 18 and not 16 so maybe the writer is referring to someone else, which is unlikely.)
However…skateboarding made its debut appearance at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. It has also been provisionally approved by the IOC for inclusion at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Day Two?: skateboard park Tom is kidnapped from.
p. 47-Alex mentioned Sarov, Grief, Cray. “I’ve got a lot of enemies.” “You’ve got a lot of friends, too, Alex.”
p.64-Day Three?
p.94-Alex’s thoughts about how Tom helped Alex neutralize two men that followed him to Brookland (is this from a book?).
p.116-Day Three or Day Four? “in the last 24 hours”
p.120-Alex states Freddy is working against Nightshade. He thinks Sophia might be making progress against Nightshade. Mrs. Jones confirms this about Sophia.
p.121-“taken two months ago”-the photo of the two girls, 20 and 23 in Central Park (Feb) when Steven Chan was killed. That means this page is possibly taking place in April.
p.123- Pokémon Go (stylized as Pokémon GO) is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game. This is mentioned.
p.127-Jack mentions “after what happened in Wales” and that, “we have lots of money in the bank.”
p.128-Ben Daniels is in his late 20s.
p.129-the CIA has a new director and he is uncooperative.
p.131-this is the first time, in a letter or anywhere else, that Alex had known Tulip Jones to call herself by her first name.
10 or 11 years ago, the photograph of little boy William was taken of his first day at school.
p.132-Four hours later. Alex and Ben in Nice, in the south of France.
Plane ride took two hours. It is four hours later, which may include those two hours so not six hours.
p.135-Alex had been in Nice before.
p.138-Derek Smithers is “retired” but now a detective. He mentions Cairo. Alex remembers them being chased through the souk.
p.140-When Alex was 8 or 9, Ian took Alex to the circus.
Alex didn’t like the circus and the clowns, he felt, were sinister.
p.143-Alex is 60 kg or 132 pounds. He is also one meter point 75. This might be 5.7 feet tall. “Well, you’re certainly keeping yourself in shape.”
p.164-New CIA director is Dwain Garfield, who lost both legs Afghanistan.
p.166-Rudolf Klein is 53 and came to America when he was 5.
p.169-Gotham Knights is mentioned. This game came out October 21nd, 2022. Total War is mentioned. The first of the series, Shogun: Total War, was released in June 2000. The most recent major game released was Total War: Warhammer III on February 17, 2022. As of October 2022, the series has sold over 40.4 million copies
p.172-death of Wilbur White?
p.173-Day Four or Five? 14 hours in the air.
p.176-Alex remembers living in California for a few months with Sabina and her family. He already called her.
p.188-Alex stayed with the family for “ a couple of months.” That was after his adventure with Scorpia in Egypt.
The Pleasure family has been living in America for almost two years.
“Later that afternoon”….is this the same day they arrived in the US?
p.189-Alex tells Ben that Sabina is not his girlfriend. Alex wonders if she is still going out with the boy she met at Elmer E Robinson High School. Alex and Sabina were friends, then when he stayed with the family they were like brother and sister. They texted a few times but hadn’t spoken for months.
p.190-Sabina’s dog is Rocky. The bomb blast that nearly killed Edward Pleasure was two years ago.
p.195-Sabina reveals Blake was just a friend. She also tells Alex that she and her family are returning to London.
p.196-Day Five or Six: the next morning.
That day and night: Freddy’s talk with William; Freddy found out, tasered and planned execution.
p.219-Day Six or Day Seven: next morning
p.221-Alex hopes to be back in the UK by the end of the week.
p.282-Day Seven or Day Eight: 9am the next morning, Calfornia; England ahead by eight hours
p.310-Days Nine to Day 22: Two weeks later
Alex remembers being just 14 years old he first came to Royal and General Bank; it is more than two years later…(from that first novel)
p.314-Dwain is discredited by Crawley
p.316-Mrs. Jones resigns
COBRA: THE GREAT UNITING
THE MISSION FILES
1380-Malagosto island sacked during war with Genoa.
1750-ladder built by smugglers up to Casa de Oro from underwater to cliffs.
1857-Point Blanc built.
1868-Alejandro Corrazon, owner of Casa De Oro killed.
1950-Damian Cray, Harold Lunt born.
1956-Alexei Igorevich Sarov is a private in Operation Whirlwind to crush Hungarian revolution.
1960s-Major Yu classified operations in Northern Ireland for MI6 (Fish Hook, Flashbulb, High Tower)
1963-Johannes de Leede aka Dr Hugo Grief came to the attention of MI6
1965-Julia Rothman’s parents dedicated to Welsh independence were put in prison.
1966-Yassen born in Estrov. Harold Lunt leaves England to go to India and the Far East.
1967-Church of Forgotten Saints deconsecrated
1970-Yu diagnosed with brittle bone disease.
1971-Lunt returns to the UK, now a Buddist.
1972-Eva Stellenbosch (Viljoen) joins BOSS, age 21. Yu returns to Hong Kong with stolen info for snakehead.
1974-Nikolei Drevin drafted into Russian army; joins intelligence service.
1975-Eva assigned to Johannes (Hugh Grief) at BOSS.
1977-Julia Evans (Rothman) suspected of passing info about USA sub movements to KGB.
1978-Sarov promoted to General. Nile born in Britian.
1979-Sarov involved in special forces to put down Afghan military. Harold Lunt’s band SLAM! breaks up. Lunt changes name.
1980-BOSS closed down. Eva seemed to be part of Hugo’s experiments, changing her appearance and body.
1980-Julia marries Sandro Rothman; two days later he dies. Yu second in command of crime empire of South East Asia.
1981-Eva follows Hugh to France, both change their names. Julia spotted meeting Levi Kroll by France’s Deuxime Bureau in Tangier.
1982-CIA photographs Julia leaving office of Sicily’s Angelo il Serpente Gallo, head of Mafia clan. Anti Mafia judge in Palermo killed by Scorpia.
1982-Drevin became a signals analyst at KGB. Contacts made with Triad, Yakuza, and Russian underworld. Yu organizes crime some more.
1983-Al Ayan, Libya—government pays a ransom to Scorpia of 20 million since Scorpia threatened to poison the reservoir.
1983-McCain knocked out by Buddy Sangster in Madison Square Garden.
1984-Scorpia involved in Senate elections in San Antonio, Bolivia. Candidates claim they were intimidated into dropping out of the race.
1984-Scorpia assassination of Hector Nalbandian, his driver, bodyguards and two innocent bystanders.
1984-Federal drug trafficking charges against Lazaro cocaine cartel dropped as ordered by the New Senate in San Antonio, Bolivia.
1984-Buddy Sangster killed under a train in NY subway. 100 black tulips were sent.
1985-?first mission of Yassen and John Rider. Nadia Vole works for Sayle
Late 1980s and 1990s-John and Yassen assignments.
1986-Damian Cray free concert at Wembley Stadium raises 30 million pounds for stopping famine in Africa.
1987-Sean Green aka Mr. Grin has his accident with knives during performance. Gemini Project starts.
1988-Nadia Vole moves to the UK. Ian Rider recruited in March 1988.
1989-Sarov goes to Cuba.
1990-The Gentleman starts his killings (one alias is Sam Green). Damian Cray knighted by The Queen.
1991-Sir Rupert shot and his land bought by Sayle. Julia Rothman’s Italian construction company buys Church of Forgotten Saints (year a guess)
1992-Waratah Creek, Australia—Jeff Walker, senior officer in Australian Secret Intelligence Service killed by Scorpia scuba diver.
1993-Conrad deserts Bosnian Muslims to become a mercenary.
1994-Drevin a millionaire by unscrupulous means; sells factories for the stock market. Buys and sells oil shares.
1994-Conrad becomes a terrorist for hire. Boris Kiriyenko comes to power in Russia.
1994-Innsbruck, Austria: 2 MI6 agents tracking Scorpia agent Grigory Yermalov are killed in bizarre skiing accident.
1994-Kyoto, Japan—Japan doomsday cult pays 70 mill to Scorpia to poison thousands. Cult member turns himself in and stops it.
1996-Walter Baxter altered the face of a Serbian war criminal and was caught. He vanished from the UK.
1996-Drevin Novgerol bought by Drevin with help from Russian mafiya, triads and yakuza.
1996-Max Grendel sends Nile to kill Scorpia member who sold out to the Italian secret service. Killed man on a guarded plane!
1996-2001-Nile kills 30 people over this time. Magnus Payne and Drevin meet. Drevin has Payne released from jail after 15 years.
1998-Drevin had paid back his investors with interest. Banker and broker for illegal dealings.
1998-Conrad blown up but not killed (September). Charlie Roper meets Cray in Kuala Lumpur. Roper paid for key to Milstar.
1998-Oil found near Forest Bay National Park.
1999-Sarov has Conrad become his personal assistant. (June). Scorpia sets fire to Forest Bay National Park in Alaska.
1999-Drevin sells off a cache of Russian energetics weapons to terrorists. Starts to look into suitcase nukes sellings.
2001-early-Ark Angel was costing Drevin 10 mill pounds a day. Force Three attacks throughout 2001.
2001-Wimbledon
2004-Boxing Day tsunami
Also note: Christmas at Gunpoint was later published as part of The Mission Files, material from which was included in Secret Weapon, along with new material published on April 4, 2019, and which were made available on Anthony Horowitz's website.[citation needed] Spy Trap- This takes place following Skeleton Key. Alex wakes up in a hospital abbey where they claim to heal M16 agents. The place claims Alex was in a motor accident, but they claim things that do not add up. Alex ends up telling a lot about himself. He finds out that the Doctor (Feng) is lying (a) it’s Pethanol not vitamins in the apple juice (b) There is a mysterious passenger and (c) Feng does not know who Alan Blunt, head of MI6, is. Alex has a nightmare every night about a clown. He decides to go exploring. First he finds John Crawley. He then gets a flashback of being in a car with Crawley and Karl (Head of Security). On a country road they drive into a semi with the clown from Alex's nightmares. Alex finds his phone (Feng claimed it was smashed) and sends Jack Starbright a message. Alex is forced to run from the hospital people and M16 finds him and he goes home. This concludes Alex Rider Secret Adventure.
Also note: "I knew something was wrong, the moment the delivery van drew up outside my school. It was just an ordinary, white van with Farmyard Foods written on the side. It had parked inside the school gates which had closed electronically behind it. The CCTV cameras had swivelled round to watch as two men got out and began to unload a series of heavy, wooden boxes. But someone in the security office must have been asleep. I was staring out of the window (it was a particularly boring history lesson) and as the men walked past I saw…" - Anthony Horowitz's story starter