Mad Dogs

From Chiki

Mad Dogs is the eighth book in the CHERUB series. The book initially had several different names, including "Green Pepper" and "Mad Dogs vs Slasher Boys", which was popular with the female members of the forums.

The blurb is written below:

The British underworld is controlled by gangs. When two of them start a turf war, violence explodes on to the streets. The police need infomation fast, and James Adams has the contacts to infiltrate the most dangerous gang of all.

Sample chapters are available here.

Plot

James has just returned from assisting with basic training in Malaysia. He's been pushed out of a plane, been bitten on the nipple by a pit viper, tied up by marauding trainees and now he's been completely forgotten. James calls Meryl on a payphone, and discovers that something has happened to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle was on a mission with her boyfriend Michael to infiltrate a violent gang called the Slasher Boys. During an assignment to collect a kilo of cocaine and take it to a restaurant, her accomplice was stabbed and Gabrielle had to run from a youth gang called the Runts, who were trying to get their hands on the cocaine. Unfortunately for her, she ran into a car and was stabbed below the ribs by a Runt. Gabrielle was taken to hospital, but no one knows if she'll survive her injuries.

Back at campus, Large confronts Lauren and threatens that if she tells the truth about his drunken conduct in the previous book he will kill Meatball. Lauren, furious, tells Meryl, but still wants revenge and asks Kyle for help. Lauren, Kyle, James, Bruce, Callum, Connor, Rat, Andy and, albiet unwillingly, Kerry, decide to hook James up with Large's adopted daughter Hayley and take photos of them making out. When Large sees the photos, he flips out and tries to kill Meatball. When Meatball runs away, Large tries to strangle Kyle, only to be knocked out by Lauren with a handy spade.

As punishment, Kyle is expelled, as he only has seven weeks left at CHERUB and would probably leave if he was punished. Lauren has to work in the junior block, James is given fifty laps and a suspended sentence, while the rest - save for Andy, who wasn't caught in the photos - get suspended sentences. Large, meanwhile, is fired.

James is later approached by Zara and is informed that Junior Moore has joined a rival gangs, that Mad Dogs, and if James can rekindle his friendship with Junior both the Mad Dogs and the Slasher Boys can be brought down. James and Bruce travel down to Luton and James manages to "coincidentally" meet Junior at the parole office.

During the book there are violent encounters and stories. The biggest is however a massive storming of an airport where police arrest around 40 people. James is surprised to find Junior with such a high drug/alcohol addictiness. Even though Junior is part of Mad Dogs he eventually tries to raid a shop with a blank-firing replica that has been converted for bullets. James tries to stop him but Junior just gets angry and storms off and is arrested when he tries to rob the shop. James, Bruce and Michael are sent back to campus. In the end of the book James admits to Dana that he had sex with another girl. Dana is annoyed and forgives him but James has to do a test to see if he has picked up a disease.

Quotes

"Sasha's - daughter . . . you dirty little goat!"

- Bruce

"I can hear something, could it be the pitter patter or tiny feet?" "Nah, knowing my brother he'll just dump her and break her heart."

- Kyle and Lauren

"I can think of a few people I'd like to do that to ... My dickhead of a parole officer for starters'

- Junior Moore

"Stop taking there side, I bet you wouldn't be talking like that if you'd just spent an hour and a half with cockroaches trying to crawl up you nose!"

- James

"I think we're being followed" "Are you sure? I mean you're pretty paranoid. Remeber the time we came out of the bowling alley on campus and..."

- Gabrielle and Michael