Robert Muchamore

The Fall

Kireth Sandhu

This was a big step-up in the series for me - the first third in particular being excellent spy novel material. The snowy Russian setting, shadowy characters surrounding James with undecipherable motivations and slow and fast-paced action made for an entertaining read. The remainder of the book returns to CHERUB campus and makes the story feel a bit smaller, even though it's introducing a conspiracy. There are definitely a few characters who get more depth and backstory added to them, but it just doesn't feel as good as the first half. Lauren gets her first solo mission linked to the exciting self-contained opening chapter. It definitely ends in grim circumstances, with the novel briefly but effectively touching on human trafficking. Whilst James initially has to deal with social issues, the book's ending was unexpected in this aspect and is one of many reasons to read the next CHERUB novel.

Rahmat Junaid

When an MI5 operation goes disastrously wrong, James Adams needs all of his skills to get out of Russia alive. Meanwhile, his sister Lauren is on her first solo mission, trying to uncover a brutal human trafficking operation. And when James does get home, he finds that his nightmare is just beginning ... CHERUB agents have one crucial advantage: adults never suspect that children are spying on them. For official purposes, these children do not exist.

The Fall

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