People's Republic

This thirteenth novel in the CHERUB series sees a new hero, Ryan Sharma, waiting for his first mission. His target is Ethan, a wealthy Californian school boy, whose grandmother runs a Kyrgyzstan-based crime syndicate.  Initially, the fast-paced action swings between California and mainland China, where Fu Ning and her mother are trying to escape Chinese authorities.

In an attempt to reach her mother’s home country of England, Ning unwittingly finds herself trafficked by the Kyrgyzstan gang. As the net tightens, Ryan’s and Ning’s stories become interwoven as only they can provide CHERUB with information that could identify syndicate members.

A real sense of danger permeates this book to keep the reader turning the pages. Realistic scenes of trafficking and gang labour are mingled with the fantasy of CHERUB’s formally trained child intelligence agents to create believable narrative. This handling of gritty realism in an imaginary context makes the book particularly suitable for children in the 11-13 age range.

For all CHERUB fans, this is a welcome opening to series 2, with the next two books in the series already planned. For newcomers to CHERUB, start reading!