Class A - Robert Muchamore

Title: Class A
Author: Robert Muchamore
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 295
Published: 2004

When James Adams fails a routine training exercise and becomes caught up in a fight with fellow agents Kerry and Bruce, his summer holiday in the Mediterranean islands is cut short. Fortunately, the rigid discipline at CHERUB – a covert, underage branch of British Intelligence – is eased after two weeks to allow James to prepare for his next mission. His task will be to befriend Junior Moore, the rebellious son of cocaine dealer Keith Moore. Despite the efforts of hundreds of police officers and agents, Moore has evaded prosecution for years. Now Britain's largest drug-busting operation has turned to CHERUB to dig out the evidence they need.

It's quite a relief, as an adult, to come back to the books you loved as a teenager and discover that you still enjoy them as much as you ever did – because quite apart from being pulse-pounding, page-turning thrillers, they're actually well-written. Reluctant and discerning readers alike will get a kick out of Class A: the second novel in Robert Muchamore's ever-expanding CHERUB series. Muchamore has clearly done his homework on this instalment; his fiction owes much of its grit and authenticity to the convincing foundation of facts that underpins it. The choice of subject matter – illicit drugs – is quite appropriate for this highly addictive series, and is skilfully handled by the author. Young readers are likely to come away genuinely discouraged from using cocaine, without feeling at all preached-at, as Muchamore manages to steer well clear of didacticism and preserve his protagonist's bad-boy charm at the same time.

James Adams, our thirteen-year-old hero, is a big part of what makes these novels so readable. His character is a deft balancing act between the guy every teenager can relate to and the guy every teenager wishes he was. As such, the mix of empathy and envy he evokes will keep readers riveted to the page for hours. Through James, they can dream themselves vicariously into Muchamore's irresistible world of cars, girls, martial arts and good old friendship and adventure.

As the characters of James and his friends continue to develop, Muchamore takes the opportunity to balance all the excitement and peril with a deepening exploration of their relationships with each other. The interaction between James and Junior Moore, for example, has moments of particular poignancy, which land where the exhilarated reader will seldom expect them. The final chapter may feel a little contrived, but until then, this story's emotional layer is managed with remarkable control, providing that last ingredient to round out the novel.

Readers who were enthralled by The Recruit will devour Class A, which is just as enjoyable, if not more so. Those who can resist going on to the next instalment will be rare indeed. After all, why stop at two?