The Killing

As I said in an earlier review, I'm really surprised James anger issues aren't addressed more thoroughly. He clearly needs counselling to deal with these. I'm not sure he actually understands that what he does to Andy is wrong. Like he does but he really doesn't. But I'm not sure all his friends blanking him and the corresponding whinging send the right message that it was wrong. In addition to that the following scene rubs me the wrong way.

‘So, James,’ Millie smirked, covering her mouth as though she didn’t want Zara to hear. ‘As one CHERUB to another, how’d you end up on cleaning detail?’ ‘I got in a fight,’ James said awkwardly. Zara smiled. ‘Well that’s not exactly true, is it James?’ ‘I dunno, isn’t show more it?’ ‘Get this,’ Zara grinned as she pointed at James. ‘The silly muppet got himself dumped by his girlfriend. So he storms out and thumps the first person he sees: a little scrap of an eleven-year-old kid.’ Millie put her hands over her mouth. ‘Oh my god,’ she smiled. ‘James, how could you? And you’re so sweet with Joshua.’ James felt awkward and dumb, even though he realised Millie was trying to be nice. ‘So, like I said,’ Zara interrupted, ‘young James has some very good mission experience, but right now he’s down in the dumps. His friends have all given him the boot. He’s lost his summer holiday and the only way he’ll get out of cleaning duty is if I send him on a mission.’

Muchamore, Robert. CHERUB: The Killing: Book 4 (CHERUB Series) (pp. 95-96). Hachette Children's Group. Kindle Edition.

It doesn't seem like Zara appreciates the seriousness of what James did. Indeed it appears as if she sympathises - and I really don't think she should as the adult in the scenario. Furthermore, getting him out of the appropriate punishment he's been given enforces this message that it's okay. Lauren hitting Large was at least understandable. This wasn't. You can't just go around hitting anyone you want. Why on earth is Lauren's punishment so much harder and James isn't?

Disregarding that - I also don't understand the attraction to Kerry anyway. She's immature and annoying and prone to violence. I don't find they have any chemistry and I find them both painful.

The mission itself was okay. In addition to James attitude towards women, this book adds Dave's. Both of them are pigs. Women aren't objects available only for men's satisfaction. And it kind of seems like that's the message this book sends. Women are people. Human beings with thoughts and feelings.

This all being said - I actually do enjoy this series. I have to ignore a lot of the sexist crap but the plots are always interesting and action packed. show less

This is book 4 in the series. If you are new to the series please start with book 1: [b:The Recruit|1166131|The Recruit (Cherub, #1)|Robert Muchamore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328000064s/1166131.jpg|1153817]

Still very readable, but I liked this one a bit less that the previous book ([b:Maximum Security|1303564|Maximum Security (Cherub, #3)|Robert Muchamore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357225650s/1303564.jpg|1292766]). The mission here was good, but it seemed less dangerous and not as interesting (the standard was very high, because Maximum Security was excellent).

I enjoyed the training exercise at the beginning, and also that the consequences of James' personality flaws finally caught up with him, as it affected his relationship show more with his friends at CHERUB. I would have liked more drama about that, but the start of the mission interrupted it.

I'll start the next book now and I'm sure I'll enjoy it, but I hope Muchamore is not falling into a routine here. show less

James loses his temper once too often, getting into a fight on campus, and is disciplined by the Cherub management. As a punishment he is banned from attending summer camp and is sent to coventry by his peers. That means he is available for some low-level undercover surveillance on a small-time crook, Leon.
Leon has ridden his luck for 3 decades and, when he starts splashing big money about, he is thought to have pulled off a substatial robbery. The cops want to know where all the money has come from. It is a mission that nobody else wants and so James sets out on a seemingly routine mission: to make friends with Leon's kids, infiltrate his home and dig up some leads.

Leona is a small-time crook with big money. When the cops call in CHERUB, James's mission looks entirely routine: make friends with Leon's kids, dig up some leads, and infiltrate his home. But when James suddenly unravels a much larger plot, the mission becomes anything but ordinary. Unfortunately, the only person who might know the truth is a reclusive eighteen-year-old boy — who happens to have died more than a year ago.

“The Killing” is a novel written by Robert Muchamore, this is a unique and interesting book. The Killing is the fourth book in the series known as the CHERUB. This is a really fascinating book and this book is like a cliff hanger since it makes that readers want to read more and more since it has a lot of interesting parts and different characters. This book is classified as a spy fiction novel.

This novel is essentially about a 13 year old teenage boy James Adams who is a CHERUB agent. Cherub agents are trained and sent on missions, these kids are not noticed by highly dangerous terrorists, drug-dealers, murderers and thieves. After getting dumped by his girlfriend, James pushes a younger kid and all his friends stop talking to show more him. James is finally recruited back to the mission, the missions objective is to find out the Leon Tarasov, a small time crook suddenly has a lot of money. Will James and Dave (a CHERUB agent) be able to find out the truth behind Leon’s unexpected cash? Will they be able to find enough evidence to put the thieves behind bars?

I think that this book is appropriate for ages 13 and above and appropriate for both genders. To find out about the truth behind the unexpected cash Leon has gotten read this book and all the other series to find out about James experience as a CHERUB agent. show less

336/336 Its about a group of kids who are part of the British intellegence. They are used only when kids can only do the job. They don't carry guns but they know martial arts. The main character is named James. He and one of the best agents go under cover of and try to get close to the guys kids so they can find out more about the dad who is into a lot of things. They go through a number of problems, with each other and with their marks.

This is the 4th book. It is about James' 3rd mission where he is told to go and live with Dave Moss in a block of flats, meet a small-time crook called Leon, make friends with his children, then infiltrate his petty criminal activity.