Originally published: 10 January 2019

Author: Jacqui Rose

Published by: Avon Books

Genre: Crime Thriller

Length: 364 pages

Reading dates: 6-11 January 2019

Oh my! This is my first book by Jacqui Rose and I loved it – it certainly doesn’t pull any punches and gets straight into the action.

Cabhan Morton works for the ruthless Russo crime family but wants to leave and live in peace with his 16 year old daughter Alice Rose. But leaving a family like the Russo’s isn’t that easy. When Cabhan disappears, the Rosso family target his daughter and Frannie Doyle, a family friend from the UK, takes £2 million from her partner Alfie, an ex-gangster and travels to America to help Cabhan and his daughter escape. Nico Russo, despite being in prison rules the Russo family and is determined to get to Alice Rose as revenge. Poor Alice has lived a very sheltered life and is deeply religious and it comes as quite a shock to realise her father is a gangster and doesn’t work in insurance!

The book is very, very violent so give it a miss if you have a weak stomach! There is also a ton of swearing! The Russo family, especially Nico and Salvatore are really nasty – they are not the sort of people you’d want to get involved with. They have no patience for any sort of disloyalty or mistakes.  There are no second chances.

It’s nice to see a crime thriller with strong female characters – most of the characters are men but the two main females in the book certainly hold their own without being nasty, unlike most of the men who are. Franny, is often described by other characters as cold but she does care about others much more than herself. She will do anything to help Cabhan and Alice, and in fact everyone she comes into contact with. Alice starts the novel as a naïve and sheltered teenager – often making the situation worse. But as the book goes on, she becomes brave and resourceful.

I really enjoyed this – it hits the ground running and doesn’t stop! It is an exciting read and I’d love to read more by Jacqui Rose.

Thank you to Sabah Khan at Avon Books for inviting me to be on the blog tour which continues until 26th January.  Be sure to check out these other reviews!

About the author:

Jacqui Rose is from South Yorkshire and has always written for pleasure whether it be screenplays or stand-up.  She is the author of 7 bestselling novels as well as 2 political thrillers under a male pseudonym.  She is a keen equestrian and the owner of two horses.