Public Enemy Number Two

Diamond Brothers #2

by Anthony Horowitz, Nickolas Grace

Framed for a jewel robbery, Nick Diamond finds himself sharing a cell with Johnny Powers. His only chance of rescuing the situation is to nail the Fence, the country's master criminal. But first Nick must get out of jail.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Adventure, Crime, Humor

MP3 Book

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Anthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as "The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century." (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.

On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...

Reviews

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once Again Horowitz does a statically movie pun on Public Enemy why he does classic 1930s & 1940s old black & white movies that not watched by children whet aims them at children is a puzzle for book like this you got to be movie buff.
Stocked up by the police but what a laugh but that what this a laugh.
I am reminded of the anti-social pig had up Redhall in Darlington were I used to live a youth who went to jail for 4+ years he is Johnny a utter shit by name of Dully his mother was known as Ma Dooly the biggest fence this lot like spin off
Got to laugh now but back in 2007 as it killed my mother & social services were no help.
This Public Enemy a dead to rights shadow of my bloody flashback .Full of corny jokes & how useless Tim is.
The funny thing about these books is that hell of lot of their followers are adults like Potter books .But these ones are comical as kid I wouldn't have read them because I was to much into Dennis Wheatley or Agatha Christie by 7.But then when I was kid 95% of children's' stunk anyway.
If enjoy light funny harmless laugh & need cheering up these like a P.G Wodehouse are just the thing .

[Reuben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really happy I read it, at the start I wasn't sure if I was liking the whole plot as I thought it was a little unoriginal and boring but they really made it their own with little twists and things which I really enjoyed!

[Nigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid outing for the Diamond Brothers. I think I would have really liked these books as a boy (as my son currently does), and am enjoying reading the ones he brings home from his school library for me to read so he can talk to me about them!

[Sana Zameer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read - October, 2018
Reread - September, 2022
Reread - August, 2024

Another fun filled read with my son. This one was even more action packed and hilarious than The Falcon's Maltesers.

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and ridiculous. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[P H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow start, but got good halfway through. The main character is very brutal in the descriptions 🥲

[Veerle · Rating 5 out of 5]

(English below) Mijn favoriete boek als tiener. Het moet gezegd: ook wel met dank aan de fantastische vertaalster van Horowitz. Het stuk dat we vaak voordroegen in de les Nederlands, het Frans dictee, met de vervoeging van 'rire', is eigenlijk in vertaling zelfs beter dan het origineel.

Maar ook de Engelstalige versie is geweldig. De scène waar Nick Simple probeert te ontsnappen nadat hij geframed werd, ik heb zitten gieren. De vele puns die in het Engels wel werken of referenties die je als volwassene beter of eindelijk begrijpt, heerlijk.

De bizarre fantasie van Horowitz blijft top, zijn humor, zijn spanningsopbouw, hoe het verhaal mooi in elkaar grijpt... Ik zou ze allemaal nog eens willen herlezen. Oude liefde roest niet.

-----------------------------------
My favorite book as a teenager. It has to be said: Horowitz had (or has?) a fantastic translator. The piece that we often read out aloud at school during our Dutch class (the French dictation, with the conjugation of 'rire') is actually even better in translation than in the original.

I do love the English version very much as well. There are of course many puns that just work in English and not in Dutch. There are also a lot of references that you understand better or even finally get as an adult. The book still made me laugh out loud. The scene where Nick Simple tries to escape after being framed, hilarious.

Horowitz's bizarre fantasy remains top notch, his humor, the built-up, the plotlines ... I would like to reread them all again. After all these years, I still love it very much.

[Bimran8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick Diamond, a normal teenager, get framed for a jewel robbery. Nick finds himself in a prison cell with Jonny Powers, one of the most wanted. Nicks only way of escaping out of jail is is older brother Tim. He's possibly the world's worst private detective, but Nick has no choice. Nick has to bring Jonny Powers to justice to get out of jail. Will Nick escape jail? Read more to find out.

[Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story very much. It was a good story overall as right when you are close to finishing it all, there was a huge plot twist. I also liked how the book used suspense and it all made sense in the end.

[Callan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book recommend for 10 to 15 although some adults may enjoy it. Very fast moving and exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

شاید بتوان گفت زندگی آنتونی هوروویتس از داستان‌های چارلز دیکنز یا برادران گریم برگرفته شده‌است. در سال ۱۹۵۶، هوروویتس در خانواده‌ای یهودی در استن‌مور، میدل‌سکس انگلستان به‌دنیا آمد. پدرش بازرگان ثروتمندی بود که برای نخست‌وزیر هارولد ویلسون کار می‌کرد. او با دانستن این‌که ممکن است ورشکسته شود، حساب‌های بانکی‌اش را با نامی مستعار، به بانک دیگری انتقال داد و چندی بعد درگذشت. با وجود تلاش‌های بسیار، خانوادهٔ وی هرگز نتوانست پول را پیدا کند.

وقتی هوروویتس کودک بود، مادرش - که او همیشه ستایش‌اش می‌کند - کتاب‌های فرانکنشتاین و دراکولا را به او معرفی کرد و در سیزده سالگی نیز، یک جمجمهٔ انسان به‌عنوان هدیهٔ تولد به او داد.

مادربزرگش، زنی بدذات بود که تاثیر بدی بر زندگی وی گذاشت. چنان‌که خود هوروویتس می‌گوید: «او حقیقتا آدمی شیطانی بود.»

در هشت سالگی، هوروویتس را به یک مدرسهٔ شبانه‌روزی فرستادند و او آن‌جا بزرگ شد. آن‌طور که خودش می‌گوید، مدرسه بسیار وحشتناک بود و مدیرش، بچه‌ها را آن‌قدر شلاق می‌زد تا بدن‌شان تاول بزند.

آنتونی هوروویتس نوشتن را از ۸ سالگی و به‌طور حرفه‌ای از ۲۳ سالگی شروع کرد. او می‌گوید: «تنها زمانی که کاملا احساس خوش‌حالی می‌کنم، وقتی است که دارم می‌نویسم.»

اولین کتاب وی، با نام «راز شوم فردریک ک. باور - The Sinister Secret of Frederick K Bower»، یک طنز ماجرایی برای کودکان بود که در سال ۱۹۷۹ به چاپ رسید و بعداً تحت عنوان Enter Frederick K Bower تجدید چاپ شد. دومین رمان او «میشا، جادوگر و طلسم اسرارآمیز» نام داشت که در سال ۱۹۸۱ منتشر شد. اولین مجموعهٔ داستانی او، سری «ستارهٔ پنج‌پر» بود که هیچ‌وقت آن را کامل نکرد.

او هم‌چنین در نوشتن در زمینهٔ شخصیت‌های افسانه‌ای نیز فعالیت داشته‌است. وی با هم‌کاری ریچارد کارپنتر، چند قسمت از مجموعهٔ تلویزیونی رابین هود را نوشت و در سال ۱۹۸۱ سه قسمت از این مجموعهٔ تلویزیونی را برای کودکان نوشت و به چاپ رساند.

به سال ۱۹۸۸ کتاب «گروشام گرینج» منتشر شد که سال ۱۹۸۹ جایزهٔ کتاب کودکان لانکاشیر را از آن خود کرد. گروشام گرینج داستان دیوید الیوت ۱۳ ساله‌است که با توجه به افسانهٔ «هفتمین فرزندِ هفتمین فرزند بودن»، جادوگر محسوب می‌شود (در غرب افسانه‌ای هست که می‌گوید اگر کسی هفتمین فرزندِ هفتمین فرزند باشد، جادوگر می‌شود). مثل هوروویتس، کودکی دیوید نیز به بدی می‌گذرد.

موفقیت وی با انتشار کتاب «مالتی ِ شاهین» (۱۹۸۶ - اولین جلد از سری «برادران دایمند») آغاز شد که فیلم تلویزیونی آن نیز با عنوان Just Ask For Diamond ساخته شد. تا به حال سری برادران دایمند در ۷ جلد ادامه پیدا کرده.

در دههٔ ۹۰، هوروویتس تعدادی رمان مستقل نوشت که شامل «مادربزرگ»(۱۹۹۴)، «ژانوس، ستارهٔ آرزو»(۱۹۹۶ - The Switch)، شیطان و پسرکش (۱۹۹۸) و «جام نحس» (۱۹۹۹) می‌شود. جام نحس درواقع ادامهٔ داستان گروشام گرینج است که به سال ۲۰۰۳ برای مشخص‌شدن ارتباط آن با گروشام گرینج، به «بازگشت به گروشام گرینج» تغییر نام یافت.

وی هم‌چنین کتاب «ترسناک‌های هوروویتس»(۱۹۹۹) و «ترسناک‌ترهای هوروویتس» (۲۰۰۰ – More Horowitz Horror) را نوشت که مجموعه‌ای از چند داستان کوتاه ترسناک‌اند. این دو کتاب، بعداً دوباره به‌صورت کتاب‌هایی که هرکدام دو یا سه تا از داستان‌های ترسناک هوروویتس را شامل می‌شدند، تحت عنوان «پاکت هوروویتس» منتشر شدند.

در سال ۲۰۰۰، هوروویتس نوشتن مجموعهٔ موفق «الکس رایدر» را آغاز کرد که دربارهٔ نوجوانی ۱۴ ساله‌است که برای سازمان جاسوسی MI۶ کار می‌کند.این رمان یکی از بهترین رمان های برای نوجوانان است و دارای جایزه های معتبر بسیار زیادی است . تا حالا ( سال 2011) 600 میلیون نسخه از این کتاب به فروش رسیده . از روی این کتاب مانند هری پاتر؛ توسط هالیوود فیلم ساخته شده که فیلمی بسیار جذاب و مهیج با نام توفان شکن( storm breaker ) است . این کتاب در اروپا و آمریکا مانند هری پاتر پر طرفدار است .

در سال ۲۰۰۵، همزمان با انتشار کتاب‌های الکس رایدر (که تا به حال 11 جلد از آن نوشته شده)، هوروویتس مجموعهٔ دیگری را با نام «قدرت پنج» آغاز کرد. می‌توان گفت قدرت پنج، نسخهٔ جدید و بازنویسی‌شدهٔ مجموعهٔ ستارهٔ پنج‌پر است که هرچند قرار بود پنج جلد باشد، تنها چهار جلد از آن نوشته شد.

وی کتاب طنزی هم با نام «شوخی ِ کشنده» (۲۰۰۴ The Killing Joke –) برای بزرگسالان نوشته‌است.

آنتونی هوروویتس در عرصهٔ سینما نیز فعالیت دارد. او تا به حال فیلم‌نامهٔ مجموعه‌های تلویزیونی از قبیل «جنگ ِ فویل» (Foyle's War) و هرکول پوآرو (از کتاب پوآرو آگاتا کریستی) را نوشته‌است.

وی اکنون با همسرش جیل گرین (تهیه‌کنندهٔ برنامه‌های تلویزیونی) و دو فرزندش نیکلاس و کاسیان، در لندن زندگی می‌کند. تمام خانواده درگیر حرفهٔ اوست. همسرش، تابه‌حال تهیه‌کنندهٔ چندین فیلم‌نامهٔ او (از جمله Foyle's War) بوده. پسرش کاسیان بازیگر است و در سه تا از نمایش‌های او حضور داشته. و پسر بزرگش نیکلاس، برای کمک به هوروویتس در نوشتن سری الکس رایدر، همه‌چیز را از جمله غواصی، اسکی روی برف و موج‌سواری امتحان کرده است!

[Twinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

" In the end I was accused of theft, assault, trespassing, criminal damage, and cruelty to animals. The lion survived, by the way. It was on the operating table for six hours to remove the carbuncle. The bad news for the surgeon was that it woke up after five. "

A total page turner, Public Enemy Number Two is jam packed with action, humor and thrill which will leave you with a huge grin on your face, after you have finished it.
Public Enemy Number Two is the second book in Diamond Brothers series. Thirteen year old Nick is framed up by the police and sent to prison in order to extract information from Johnny Powers aka Public Enemy Number One. Sharing a cell with Johnny, Nick becomes involved in Johnny's escape plan. But their only chance to escape the prison is Nick's goofy and clumsy elder brother, Tim Diamond.

I've read The Falcon Maltesers and I expected the same dose of humor, action and mystery from Public Enemy Number Two and it is fair to say that it lived up to my expectations. From the very first page Anthony Horowitz's witty writing had me giggling out aloud. It is always refreshing to read from Nick's perspective. The writing flowed smoothly and I devoured it. The conversations were always interesting and consistently funny . Once again, the plot was sensational but the mystery could have been more tangled. My only reason for giving it 4.5 stars is that there weren't many suspects to keep you guessing till the end. And a little before the "bad guy" was revealed, I had already anticipated about who it was going to be. Apart from that, the unexpected turn of events had me hooked to the book.

The characters were so good! Nick is a smart and diligent boy. When in a difficult situation, He is the person on which you can count on . He is quick thinking and sharp witted, all the more reasons to love his character. Tim on the other hand is the total opposite of his younger brother. He is clumsy, bumbling and inarticulate. Still, his actions add humor and life to the story. Johnny Powers is one diligent and ruthless criminal but at times he seemed to me more like a mama boy than a colossally feared criminal. The comical way in which Anthony Horowitz described most of the characters cracked me up.

On the whole, Public Enemy Number Two is a refreshing, fast paced, humorous, middle grade novel with lots of action that you won't be able to put down

[Awa Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading the book Public Enemy Number Two. I really liked this book too.One reason I really liked this book was because the crime and lies. On page number 21 Snape and Boyle set Nick up, by faking a whole robbery. They faked the robbery because they wanted him to be close to Johny powers and find out who Johny is selling his robberies too,(which they call the fence). The police thought Nick would be a good person since they really know him and he does not like them, so they just went on and set him up. On page 159 Johny found out Nick was working for the police. Then Johny decided to tied up and let the fence be a big surprise to them.

You would like this book if you like mysteries. In the book they are trying to find out who the fence is. another reason why you like this book is if you like shooting or bombs. There are so much things to find out about Johny and his mother.

One big challenge was keeping up with the clues that Nick finds. Its hard keeping up because sometimes there's a big scene about little clues. You also got to concentrate on how Johny and his mom speakes because they have a little of an Irish accent.

I think the most interesting character is Johny because he is only 15 and manage to do the biggest crime in London. He also rob museums. He said that this thing going on in London,that on the North, East, South, West, there are gangs and they call it their territory. He managed to escape prison too, from a 30 foot wall.

[Rogerio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me a lot of Alex Rider. Clearly, Nick is stealing the scene as a hero. Tim appears much less but still they are together. I sometimes think Tim is actually made to be too stupid to be fun... His level of interaction with Nick comes to few sentences and a lot of hindrance.
Plot: Chief Inspector Snape frames Nick during a school trip to a museum (a precious stone is stolen and placed in Nick's pocket) to force him into a mission which involves locking Nick up in juvenile together with a young delinquent (Johnny Powers) with the task of figuring out who the "Fence" is and therefore dismantle an entire network of trading in stolen goods. They break out of prison and hide and fight underground (tube stations, Thames). Turns out the Fence had an entire abandoned old tunnel turned into art gallery. He was none other than Nick's French teacher, Mr. Palis.

[Dimitri Kizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Public Enemy Number Two was a very good book. I enjoyed it a lot. It was very adventurous and humorous. It always kept you guessing. It also has a really good story plot.
The exposition of the story is a boy named Nick gets asked to help the police. But to help the police he has to go to jail and befriend the public enemy. The rising action is when Nick is framed for taking the jewels from the museum. After the police finally catch him he is put in jail. The climax is when Nick breaks out with public enemy number one, Johny Powers. The falling action is when Nick finally finds what the police were looking for. The resolution is the same as the falling action.

[Yousef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Diamond, a normal teenager, get framed for a jewel robbery. Nick finds himself in a prison cell with Jonny Powers, one of the most wanted. Nicks only way of escaping out of jail is is older brother Tim. He's possibly the world's worst private detective, but Nick has no choice. Nick has to bring Jonny Powers to justice to get out of jail. Will Nick escape jail?

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Diamond got framed for a robbery. When he arrives in jail, his cellmate is Johnny Powers, one of the most wanted men in the world. Nicks only way of getting out of this is his older brother Tim Diamond. Tim is possibly the world's worst detective. However, Nick has no choice. Nick has to prove Johnny Powers guilty to get out of his hellhole.

[Terence Hwang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was the best book i ever read before.I recommend it to my fellow friends in school and they also love it.

[Lizzy]

this book looks boring but is actually very intresting

[Chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like it, fun. This is a good detective series.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was getting very interesting from the beginning. Nick Diamonds, the main character, was framed by jewelry crime and was sent to the Youth Detention center. In there, his roommate was a dangerous criminal; Johny powers. But when he went to meet the cops, he noticed that there were people who knew that he didn't stole a jewel. Two polices, Snape and Boyle, which were also Nick's friends (who were sometimes annoying) Knew that he was framed. But the reason they put Nick in the jail was because they wanted him to see what Johny was up to. After that, Nick's big adventure started. He pretended to be friends with Johny and escaped jail with Johny by his mother, Ma Powers. Later, he discovered that Johny's family was the best criminals in East London. But now the criminals from South London was trying to take his place. After Nick was shown his identity, her had a lot of trouble. He was almost killed several times like getting hit by a train, and his big brother Tim was kidnapped and was almost blown up by dynamite. Later it also turned out that one of the criminals was his French teacher, and he almost murdered Nick. But for every circumstances, Nick survived them cleverly, and a little luck. In the last, he found some treasure that the criminals have stolen, and the police arrested Ma powers. I think if I was Nick, I would have never survived, that, or would have become a hero. To be honest, I would have begged the criminals that I will not bother them, and save my life. And the funny thing is that Nick is actually younger than me. Even though this is only a story, I should emulate Nick's bravery. I also want to praise Nick's brother Tim, because although he didn't want to, he stayed with Nick to protect time even in the last moment, and he saved the precious treasure that Johny had stolen, which belonged to the British museum. I'm very excited to read the next book about Nick and Tim's detective story.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prolific British writer Anthony Horowitz has penned yet another amusing novel for pre-teen boys. The narrator is the teenage brother of a young and incompetent detective, although the plot seems to focus on the storyteller far more than the sleuthing brother. Humorous detective and spy fiction is common, so it's hard to come up with an original idea; of course, the book's juvenile audience is unlikely to identify specific clichés, since they aren't experienced enough in popular entertainment at that age, but they might have already consumed enough television to be attuned to genre conventions, and this knowledge would help them follow the story and understand the comedy. Unfortunately, most of the rapid-fire jokes rely on puns, with one meaning presented in the first paragraph, and the double meaning presented immediately after. The style is the same throughout, making it feel more than a little worn by the end. Regarding the plot itself, it's full of holes and completely implausible, but perhaps that makes it funnier. Horowitz's main skill is being able to think with the innocent naivety of a ten-year-old, and keep his intended audience laughing. Despite all its flaws, I still read to the end, and if I'm in search of some light entertainment, I might even read another of the Diamond Brothers series.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this was a bit of a quicker read than the Falcon’s Malteser and it seemed like it flowed better as well. That might be because there’s not as much of a “set up” to complete with this one because your already in the world and know the characters and their lives and backstories, but you were definitely able to just get on with the story in a way that you couldn’t with the first one.

I enjoyed my second dip into Horowitz’s work and revisiting the Diamond brothers books, especially as I enjoyed them so much when I was a kid so it’s nice to go back and see what you enjoyed and whether they can still stand up in todays world.

I would say that this one did stand up and I’m excited to see where Horowitz goes with the rest of the books in this series because from memory I didn’t actually finish them, so I will be reading them for the first time as an adult.

[Hamza Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a very huge fan of Anthony Horowitz. So when I got my hands on Public Enemy Number Two I was over joyed. I like how Anthony Horowitz writes with clever dialogues and interesting characters.

This series is about two brothers Tim and Nick Diamond. Tim is older brother and world's most stupid private eye in the world. He used to work as a policeman but did more damage than the real criminals. Nick on the other hand is a very smart 13 year old who solves all the cases. This book felt like a fast action flick with lots of unbelievable circumstances and hilarious situations. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to everyone. Not only it is fun for kids but Adults will also enjoy it. I buddy read with my Mom and I think she had more fun reading this than me.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Public enemy no. 2 is a book about mystery and crime. The character, Henry, ends up in a sticky situation and has to get his way out. There are many unexpected plot twists and there is always action going on. It won't take long to read and appeals not just to people interested in this genre of books. He ends up in a mess when he is falsely convicted of jewellery robbery, then sent to a youth prison, the toughest in the country. He gets his way out but ends up in an even worse situation. It gets worse and worse but then the ending turns out good, as always. It's very entertaining and I would recommend to most people to read it.

[Christopher Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as the other books in the series it is full of dark humour and scenes of peril, and I loved every minute of it. Anthony Horowitz is a great author and has done a really good job with how he has written these books as well as the strangeness of how each of the other characters to Nick as he seems to be the only sane one of the lot. What I also like is the craziness of the artwork that fits in well with the story and the description of the characters and personality.
I have the third book as I had found it in a charity shop and couldn't read it as I had read this one as of yet and I can't wait to sometime get to read it.

[Triinu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lihtne haarav lugemine, mitte kunagi liiga tõsine, mitte kordagi liiga nüri, et leheküje keeramisega venitada.
Tõsi, pealiskaudne, tõsi, ebausutav (huupi läinud nool lõikab läbi lühtrit üleval hoidnud köie? NATUKE ebausutav ja samas kulunud äkki?), tõsi, realistlikkus puudub täiesti ja keeleliselt teravmeelsuse ning leebe huumori vahel kõikumine annab ka päris hea vihje, et tegu pole mingi Tõsise Raamatuga. Aga noh - läks, mis ludin.

[Maple Class · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was about a boy who went on a school trip but he was framed and sent to kids prison. He shared a cell with the most hated criminal Johny Powers. they escape and go to Johny's criminal empire (East London). Later, the boy turns on Johny but he gets tied to a rilway bby Big Ed (Johny's enemy). But at the end of the story it turns out his teacher is a criminal but the teacher ran out of ammo and charged at the boy and went through the window, getting impaled on a fence!
By Louis

[James Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good mystery for kids/teens. The mystery itself isn't that strong, but the path of it all is good fun. This one read much easier than the first Diamond Brothers, and Nick's turns of phrases are hilarious and exactly what I enjoy as a punster myself. I think some of the material, while comic, is a little too mature for anyone below 12-14, but for the right kid, this is an enjoyable adventure.

[CraftyChara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot reminded of an Alex Rider novel; The Kid protagonist is framed and put in jail by Blunt...I mean Snape to help the police find out who Johnny Powers fence is in exchanged for the kid's freedom.
3.5