Review: The Dealer by Robert Muchamore

The Dealer (Cherub #2)
Robert Muchamore
Middle grade spy book

Drugs, cars and guns!
Keith Moore is Europe's biggest cocaine dealer. The police have been trying to get enough evidence to nail him for more than twenty years.

Now, four CHERUB agents are joining the hunt. Can a group of kids successfully infiltrate Keith Moore's organisation when dozens of attempts by undercover police officers have failed?

James Adams must start at the bottom, making deliveries for small time drug dealers and getting to know the dangerous underworld they inhabit. He needs to make a big splash if he's going to win the confidence of the man at the top.

You can read my review of book 1 here. No spoilers, don't worry(:

As you know, I loved loved loved The Recruit! I couldn't wait to get my hands on this installment and I was sure it would just get better and better as we went along. While I did love this one, too, It didn't live up to my expectations of it.

One of the reasons for that was the raising of the stakes. Now usually, that's a good thing, right? It adds suspense and thrill to a story. Except this time, it hurt the believability of the series. In The Dealer drugs and guns were involved, and people got killed. It's not gory or anything, and the only people dying were the bad guys, but still. The fact that these kids are 10-14 made me uneasy. The person in charge of CHERUB acknowledged that and kept warning them that if anything happened that threatened their lives they would be pulled out immediately and don't they dare keep fighting when there's a gun etc. But that didn't hold back the action almost at all. I couldn't really buy that- MI5 allowing minors to be risked like that - you know, international law and kids' rights and ethics and little things like that. 

HOWEVER, overall, The Dealer was a hilarious roller coaster ride of fun and I don't think the above should spoil the experience for the older reader (I find that the actual middle graders usually don't have realistic issues with their books) . The characters are as lovable and great as ever, but I'm hoping to see a little more development in book 3. There are hints the Lauren (the protagonist's little sister) will be playing a bigger part in the next one so I can't wait for that.

If you love Percy Jackson meets Alex Rider with elements of the Gallagher Girls this is your book. Rating: 

Enjoy!!
Esty