After getting off to an impressive start with The Recruit and Class A, Robert Muchamore's bestselling CHERUB series hits something of a stumbling block in Maximum Security. The first few chapters are particularly unimpressive. Muchamore's usual, punchy style is dragged down by extra padding, and our reintroduction to James – a rather unoriginal brawl at a bowling alley – is punctuated by clichés and exaggerations. Lauren's basic training, despite thrusting readers into a bleak Alaskan snowfield, seems to have none of the gruelling boot-camp charisma that James' ordeal did. By the time a suitably challenging task does present itself, the reader's interest will be somewhat dampened. Perhaps Muchamore's editor has adopted a more lenient stance following the success of his first two books.

Fortunately, the novel improves as it warms up. The standout, tried and true features of the series are more than enough to save this instalment, particularly the grit and authenticity imparted by Muchamore's research. This novel is probably worth reading just for its accessible insight into life in a young offender's prison. The usual grim glimpses into the characters' flaws and failings help to make it even more convincing, particularly where Curtis Oxford is concerned, and once the break-out gets rolling, there are enough twists and turns to make for an absorbing thriller.

Muchamore does not pull free from his flaws completely. Perhaps the most glaring problem is the ease with which the breakout occurs. If all 'maximum security' prisons in the USA are this easy to escape from, there is little wonder that crime is such a problem there. Then there is James' relationship with Vaughn Little, which might have tugged on the heartstrings if the exact same trick hadn't already been used in the previous book with Keith Moore. These faults are disappointing, but they are nothing that the momentum of the series will not sustain.

It may not be one of the stronger CHERUB novels, but Maximum Security spins a tight, engaging yarn in under three hundred pages, and the fans should have no trouble devouring it. Thankfully, Muchamore appears to be defying the common trend; so far, his books are getting shorter instead of longer. ( )

Two hundred eighty child criminals live in the sunbaked desert prison Arizona Max. One of them is the son of a weapons dealer who has been selling U.S. missiles to terrorists. If CHERUB can get the kid, they can get the parent. Over the years, CHERUB has put plenty of criminals behind bars. Now, for the first time ever, they've got to break one out....

304/304 The main character James goes undercover with another agent into a maximum security prison into the juvenile section. They were to get close to one kid whose dad was a huge criminal. They end up breaking out of the jail and have to go through many cercumstances and have to make it through them other wise all three of the boys could end up in jail for life. ( )

Packed with guns, car chases and an ever present threat of violence, Maximum Security in an adrenaline soaked adventure from the first page to the last, easily the best book of the series so far. A cracking read for anyone who is just looking to be entertained by their reading choices.

Read my full review at:
http://www.bartsbookshelf.co.uk/2008/... ( )

This is the one where James and Dave escape from Arizona Max and catch Jane Oxford. ( )