For the better part of a year Ryan has been in a deep cover assignment for CHERUB, working from the inside to help bring down the Amarov clan from the inside. He is on his way to making a name for himself, if only he can make it through the next 24 hours that is, and with a group of extremists safety is never assured and the Islamic Department of Justice is about as extreme as they come. When his mission doesn't work out as planned things rapidly begin to spiral out of control as the politicians race to cover their butts in the event that the ever critical public figures out what has been happening behind closed doors.
Forced to make an early move, the team working to take down the Amarov clan for good is about to face some of their toughest challenges to date - not least of which is tracking down Leonid Aramov so they can tie up their loose ends. While the team races against time they discover that Leonid has not been quietly sitting in hiding, he has been making plans and getting ready to go into hiding for real. CHERUB agents are so valuable because no one suspects children, but has Ryan bitten off more than he can chew with this case, and will he be able to maintain his cover for the rest of the mission or has he blown it all?
Black Friday is a fast paced and very satisfying conclusion to the CHERUB trilogy that lived up to all my expectations and more. It was a nice change of pace to have a series of novels that blended together a few lead voices rather than just one, the original CHERUB series was fantastic but was focused on one character - this series has allowed Muchamore to show that he can carry a more complex character structure and keep it moving and keep it real. The themes in this series have been more in line with the later James books, more suitable for "middle aged" teens rather than older children and 'tweens - but it doesn't feel as though he has used gratuitous violence or sexual references, it just feels "right" to have been written for this age group.
I love Muchamore's CHERUB series, not only because it is so genuinely written, but also because it has helped to make so many teenagers read - especially teenage boys. Too many authors seem to be focusing on the next little goldmine about vampires or zombies, but the CHERUB books are a contemporary series written purely for the readers themselves (anyone who started writing stories to get his nephew hooked on reading can't be in it just for the money). Muchamore has made a very nice little corner for himself in the writing market and I hope that he continues to write more books in the CHERUB universe, the only grumble being it seems to take soooo long for the next book in the series to come out and then I have to compete with the teenagers to get a copy to read (for me) and to review (for you). An awesome author and series.
If you like this book then try:
- People's republic by Robert Muchamore
- Guardian angel by Robert Muchamore
- The recruit by Robert Muchamore
- Sister assassin by Kiersten White
- Subject seven by James A. Moore
- The Industry by Rose Foster
- Agent 21 by Chris Ryan
- Catch the Zolt by Phillip Gwynne
- The arrival by Chris Morphew
- Virals by Kathy Reichs
- Variant by Robison Wells
- Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
- Trafficked by Kim Purcell
Reviewed by Brilla
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