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Python: The New Recruit
His past is criminal. His future’s classified. A gripping and action-packed spy adventure, for fans of and Alex Rider and Young Bond. ??
Son of a notorious crime boss, 15-year-old Zac Thorne broke the sacred never snitch. Now his family wants him dead, his identity is wiped clean, and he's buried deep in protective custody. That's until Python, a top-secret government agency, gives him a way out. ?
Zac is not wild about working for the law, but it could be his only route home. When his first op goes spectacularly sideways, Zac and his fellow agents find themselves battling to survive in a mobster-infested death trap. Zac must confront the truth – about his enemies, his allies, and himself – if any of them are to see out the night.
Son of a notorious crime boss, 15-year-old Zac Thorne broke the sacred never snitch. Now his family wants him dead, his identity is wiped clean, and he's buried deep in protective custody. That's until Python, a top-secret government agency, gives him a way out. ?
Zac is not wild about working for the law, but it could be his only route home. When his first op goes spectacularly sideways, Zac and his fellow agents find themselves battling to survive in a mobster-infested death trap. Zac must confront the truth – about his enemies, his allies, and himself – if any of them are to see out the night.
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Published July 2, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 13, 2026
This was the exact action packed adventure I was looking for! I knew I was in safe hands after throughly enjoying this authors other books so I eagerly hopped into this one.
It didn’t take me very long at all to get hooked. It’s fast-paced and I flew through chapters without even realising it.
It was also the perfect book to christen my brand new Kindle with so not only did I have fresh new kindle vibes, but paired with an exciting book made for a perfect first reading experience.
Zac is a character still very much in his character development arc and I can’t wait to see how he will progress through the series. His criminal overlord dad has a controlling influence over him, he has a lot to overcome and he’s still finding out his place in the world. Will the help of friends and a brand new mission help him figure out who he’s meant to be? It’s set itself up to be a fab set of books and anyone who enjoys a spy themed thriller will find themselves loving this one too. I can’t wait for the sequel!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
It didn’t take me very long at all to get hooked. It’s fast-paced and I flew through chapters without even realising it.
It was also the perfect book to christen my brand new Kindle with so not only did I have fresh new kindle vibes, but paired with an exciting book made for a perfect first reading experience.
Zac is a character still very much in his character development arc and I can’t wait to see how he will progress through the series. His criminal overlord dad has a controlling influence over him, he has a lot to overcome and he’s still finding out his place in the world. Will the help of friends and a brand new mission help him figure out who he’s meant to be? It’s set itself up to be a fab set of books and anyone who enjoys a spy themed thriller will find themselves loving this one too. I can’t wait for the sequel!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I read Bite Risk, the author’s previous series. I loved it as an adult, a fun read. But it’s written for children. S. J. Wills books are children’s stories with pace, action, humour, a bit of villainy and absolutely are perfect for children readers to get their teeth into. (See what I did?)
This new series is full of the same. But now spying, espionage, and revenge, is centre stage. Intrigue and mixed up past family history are firmly in the mix. Some real snakes in the grass too. (I’ve done it again!) Once more just right for children.
So buy, get your parents to buy, request from your public library, or say please, please, pleaseeee to your school librarian.
If you are an adult read the book too, or maybe read it along with, and connect with, your child.
Also the second book with Zac and his new friends will be out soon. What will happen when their personal secrets start getting revealed? I know it’s a children’s book, and I’m not a child, but ‘first dibs!!’
Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK Children’s and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
This new series is full of the same. But now spying, espionage, and revenge, is centre stage. Intrigue and mixed up past family history are firmly in the mix. Some real snakes in the grass too. (I’ve done it again!) Once more just right for children.
So buy, get your parents to buy, request from your public library, or say please, please, pleaseeee to your school librarian.
If you are an adult read the book too, or maybe read it along with, and connect with, your child.
Also the second book with Zac and his new friends will be out soon. What will happen when their personal secrets start getting revealed? I know it’s a children’s book, and I’m not a child, but ‘first dibs!!’
Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK Children’s and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
July 2, 2026
Could not put this down, it's addictive, fast paced and exhilarating. There's secrets buried below secrets, hidden identities, twists, and action exploding out of the pages of this young spy thriller.
Zac is a great character, a young, naive teenager trying so desperately to get the approval of his dad. Wanting to make him proud but unable to follow through thanks to his own moral compass and ethics. I admired the inner strength it took for him to follow his own heart on these decisions.
The Python group are a misfits band but each brought great skills and background to the overall story. I'm glad that there are now adventures to come to delve deeper into the relationships between them all. Their group dynamics were fun to watch as they tried to complete the mission.
I had great fun reading this and am excited about the prospect of more from Zac and the Python team. It scratched an itch left behind by bAlex Rider and young bond.
Thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for my copy.
Zac is a great character, a young, naive teenager trying so desperately to get the approval of his dad. Wanting to make him proud but unable to follow through thanks to his own moral compass and ethics. I admired the inner strength it took for him to follow his own heart on these decisions.
The Python group are a misfits band but each brought great skills and background to the overall story. I'm glad that there are now adventures to come to delve deeper into the relationships between them all. Their group dynamics were fun to watch as they tried to complete the mission.
I had great fun reading this and am excited about the prospect of more from Zac and the Python team. It scratched an itch left behind by bAlex Rider and young bond.
Thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for my copy.
July 26, 2026
I read this with our 10 year old Daughter over about a week or so, and although it's definitely aimed more at boys, we definitely enjoyed it.
I also think it's important for authors to have the perspective of readers who are not necessarily their target audience so I try to read outside of my comfort zone as often as possible.
So here we have an action packed, thrills and spills, twists and turns spy adventure packed to the brim with mobsters, secret agents and everything in between.
It's fast paced and nail-biting and now takes It's place on our Daughters well stocked shelves.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
I also think it's important for authors to have the perspective of readers who are not necessarily their target audience so I try to read outside of my comfort zone as often as possible.
So here we have an action packed, thrills and spills, twists and turns spy adventure packed to the brim with mobsters, secret agents and everything in between.
It's fast paced and nail-biting and now takes It's place on our Daughters well stocked shelves.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved this book! It’s an action-packed, suspenseful spy story that kept me hooked throughout. Zac, the son of a powerful mobster, is a brilliant main character, and I liked how, despite his background, he still has strong values. The friendship storyline adds real heart, and there are fun Home Alone-style moments with criminals that made me smile. Perfect for readers in higher KS2 to KS3, especially fans of fast-paced adventures. If you enjoy Alex Rider, you’ll love this!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews