The Escape

From Chiki

The Escape is the first book in the Henderson's Boys series, which depicts life in the early days of CHERUB's formation. The Escape was released in the UK on January 31st 2009, with release in Australia planned for February 2009.

Contents 1 Blurb 2 Background 3 Characters 3.1 Marc Kilgour 3.2 Paul and Rosie Clarke 4 External links

Blurb

Hitler's army is advancing towards Paris, and millions of French civillians are on the run. Amidst the chaos, two British children are being hunted by German agents. British spy Charles Henderson tries to reach them first, but he can only do it with the help of a twelve year old French orphan. The British secret service is about to discover that kids working undercover will help to win the war.

Background

"The Escape" outlines the details of Henderson [2], - the founder of CHERUB - Marc Kilgour, Paul and Roise Clarke. We first meet Marc in an orphanage in France, and later on we then meet Paul [3] and Roise Clarke.Also expect lots of fast-paced ultimate action!

Characters

Marc Kilgour

Marc was left on Beauvais train station as a baby with only a note saying "allergic to cows' milk" until a porter found him. He had grown up in a countryside orphanage north of Beauvais and since the start of the war had been working on a nearby farm and had fallen partly in love with the farmers daughter which ended when he pushed her into the slurry pit. The orphanage was later machine-gunned by german planes and during the chaos Marc ran away to Paris where he breaks into a house on the outskirts which was owned by Charles Henderson. At one point the German special service raided the house and before they went Rosie and Paul phoned telling the Germans (and Paul who was eaves-dropping). The next day Charles Henderson turns up and Marc tells him about the phone call, but before going Henderson opens a secret compartment behind a bookcase to get gold ingots and guns and ammo. The race is on, but before going to the Clarkes they went to the hotel etalon to kill Mannstein before he could make his compact radio in a German labour camp. They create havoc in the hotel and then end up being chased around Paris on a motor bike stolen from the Germans before Marc shoots a German and they go to the telecom office to warn the Clarkes about Herr Potente.

Paul and Rosie Clarke

Paul and Rosie went to an English school in Paris, Paul would often finish his work and doodle and sometimes the other children would ask him to draw things for them in exchange for chocolate etc. Rosie bullied her brother a bit. One day Mr Clarke pulled up outside the school and took his children away as they where planning to go south in their Citroen, which they had because Mr Clarke was a wireless representative for a British radio company called the “Imperial wireless company”. They went back to the flat they were living in to collect their belongings where a German spy was waiting in ambush. Rosie ended up stabbing the spy with an ornate letter opener and Mr Clarke then shot him but their struggle against him was heard by the landlady who was shot by the German. Mr Clarke then went on to reveal the fact that he was a spy, and that he was trying to smuggle some special blue-prints of an extra small field radio, but, in Paris disaster struck. Mr Clarke was hit by shrapnel and his lungs filled with blood. His dying wish was that they find Charles Henderson and give him the papers. They live with a vicar and his wife while trying to find Henderson until one day an ultraviolet bulb and circuit fall out of a cigar holder when shone over the late Mr Clarke’s notebook they discover Henderson’s phone number which they ring and get through to the Germans who are raiding Henderson’s house. They then get phoned up by Henderson ringing to warn them about the Germans which prompted them to set up a password which when the German got there meant that he got the answer wrong and was shot but he had time before he died to shoot and he did shoot the young child called Hugo who had meet them after their dad died and was staying with them. Henderson arrives soon afterwards and takes the children down south to Bordeaux where Rosie and Paul get onto a boat called SS Cardiff Bay as they are the only ones with Passports but the boat is torpedoed after it leaves and suddenly the plans and their lives are in jeopardy. Meanwhile Henderson and Marc have broken into the British Embassy and are making themselves passports.

External links

• The Escape at HendersonsBoys.com
• Release announcement on CHERUB Forums