CHERUB: The Fall

With its spectacular plotting and strong cast of characters, this book – the seventh in the CHERUB series – is sure to find a wide readership.

15-year-old James Adams and his younger sister Lauren are members of CHERUB, a British Intelligence organisation made up of 12- to 17-year-olds, mainly orphans. They live on campus deep in the English countryside, spending their days in undercover work and undertaking secret missions. James is on an assignment in Russia, working with two MI5 agents and pretending to tutor the son of an oligarch while bugging his premises and carrying out surveillance. Things take a turn for the worse when the oligarch is found murdered and the agents go missing, later found dead – and James has to fend for himself, get back to England and ultimately justify his actions to his superiors. Back in England, Lauren is on a mission to bust a human trafficking racket by spying on one of its young victims.

The first chapter sets the scene, plunging the reader, without preamble, deep into the action. Dramatic and thrilling, using strong language at times, the story moves at a rattling pace, seamlessly weaving James and Lauren’s stories into a hugely entertaining kaleidoscope of suspense and intrigue. Yet, for all the glamour, gimmick and high-tech elements, the story is essentially realistic, creating a world that is at once familiar, and attainable, to its teenage audience. This is a world shaped by young adults acting out their lives and achieving independence, coming to grips with their emotions and discovering relationships. No wonder this series is so popular.