Wow - what a cracker of a read! I picked this off our shelves at school with the intention of weeding it: it hadn’t been borrowed since we got it in 2009; the cover is unappealing and, as a girls’ high school, the story-line hadn’t appealed to our students.
Well, I’m now a Kevin Brooks convert and will sing his praises!
His teenage characters are believable with shades of grey and not cardboard cutouts. Feeling of confusion regarding sexuality, alcohol, drugs, moral choices are eloquently voiced by Pete and you feel empathy for him and his friends, and also for his parents who really want to support him,even when his actions lead to suspicion. You care what happens to Pete and his friend Raymond. Brooks’ description of the heat and boredom of summer holidays is palpable. And there’s a murder/mystery that keeps you guessing. I just wish the publisher would put a different cover on it!
I wouldn’t recommend this for younger readers as the content requires a certain level of maturity, and there is a lot of strong language.
Highly recommended for readers from years 9+. For girls, this book will give you an honest insight into what makes a boy tick, and for boys, you’ll empathize with Pete and his struggles.

I thought the premise was intriguing - 16 year old Linus is duped by a man to help him load a van….and wakes to find himself alone in an underground bunker. He is joined by a further 5 individuals similarly fooled, drugged and deposited into the bunker via the lift. Why have they been captured? What does this man want with them? How can they possibly escape.

WARNING: SPOILER FOLLOWS

I had a sinking feeling as this book developed that I was going to be very angry about the ending…and I was! I thought it was depressing, bleak and I couldn’t recommend it at all.