My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - 1 day
Publisher - Avon
Pages - 368
Blurb from Goodreads
Bad things are going down in Soho. Someone’s going to have to pay the price…
Alfie Jenkins breaks a lot of rules. When he sets up an illegal casino in Soho there’s bad will all round and soon Alfie and those closest to him become embroiled in an all-out war with a dangerous gang.
Unfortunately this gang is a deadly enemy to have. When Alfie’s teenage niece Chloe is kidnapped and there are rumours she’s been enslaved in a sex gang it becomes a terrifying race against time to save her. Will Alfie be able to right wrongs, build bridges and protect his family, whatever the cost?
My Review
There are a few main characters within this tale to be honest, Alfie Jenkins is just one of them and the catalyst to all the terror that follows. Alfie has been known to break the rules, behave selfishly and care about number one only, this time his actions will touch everyone he cares about. When he disobeys the rules he brings down the rein of terror of the Chinese Triads and soon the people of Soho and those closest to Alfie will pay.
This is a dark and gritty story of how one person can break a respected pact between "The Faces" of Soho and the Triads. A girl looking for acceptance and love after being rejected for years by her family, comes to her last hope, her uncle Alfie looking for acceptance. However Chloe-Jane tends to have trouble follow her and soon gets herself caught up in her own problems as well as uncle Alfies. The bond between family and friendships will be pushed to the limit, can Alfie redeem himself or will he prove to the selfish, lying and dangerous individual he has proven to be thus far.
A story filled with bad language, treachery, friendship, prostitution, violence, anger, murder and mayhem to name but a few of the issues covered in this book. There is a lot of testosterone, name calling and questionable actions of some of the key players in this story. Despite that it is an engaging and gritty story that draws you in and leaves each chapter hard to put down as you want to know what happens next to each of the characters. Whilst there are many dark elements to it, there is also some light and happiness, that even in the midst of hardship and horror, bravery and good can still be found. 3/5 for me this time, thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read this author before and met some of the characters, I would advise reading those before picking this one up. You can read this as a stand alone however I think knowing the background of some of the characters will add to your enjoyment.
Great review of this one.
ReplyDeleteI tend to like dark characters and stories. For me the ultimate message is the most important thing in terms of accepting some of the rougher elements in a story.
Terrific review! This story does sound pretty dark--I'm glad there is some light and hope in it as well.
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