Scorpia

In the fifth book of Anthony Horowitz's young adult series, teenage spy Alex Rider travels to Venice to uncover the truth about his parents' deaths. He infiltrates the titular criminal organization, Scorpia, and is tempted to turn against MI6. He becomes entangled in their plot to kill thousands of British schoolchildren using a satellite weapon.

The main antagonist is Julia Rothman, a senior executive board member of the Scorpia organization. Scorpia is a powerful international criminal enterprise that Alex's father, John Rider, was also deeply entangled with before his death. The organization acts as a shadowy counterpart to MI6, carrying out assassinations and acts of terrorism for profit.

While the books have self-contained plots, Scorpia relies heavily on events and revelations from the fourth book, Eagle Strike. Reading them in order is essential to fully understand the ongoing mystery of Alex's father and his connection to the criminal underworld. Starting at book one, Stormbreaker, provides the best context for the overarching narrative.

Yes, the television series "Alex Rider," produced by Sony Pictures Television and streamed on Amazon Prime in the US, adapts the books across its seasons. The events of the Scorpia novel are heavily featured in the second and third seasons of the show. The TV adaptation expands on the book's plot, giving Julia Rothman and the organization a much larger buildup.