The Rebel by Jaime Raven

The Rebel by Jaime Raven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 448

Publisher - Avon

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Sometimes you have to take the law into your own hands…
DI Laura Jefferson will do whatever it takes to bring down London’s most notorious crime boss. When her team receives a deadly threat – stop their investigation or the police and their families will be targeted – but they aren’t willing to back down…

Then the killings begin.

A new body turns up every day, and with no leads, Laura knows she has to take action. Her family is innocent and she’ll stop at nothing to protect them.

When someone close to her is hurt, she’ll break every rule in the book to get vengeance.




My Review

London's cops are coming down hard on the criminal underworld, one bad guy/organisation at a time. As the police turn up the heat, the bad guys decide to fight back, by any means necessary. Told from the point of view of three of our main characters, Laura (detective inspector), Rosa (skilled and ruthless assassin) and Slack (notorious crime boss) we get a diverse look at what is going down through their points of view. No one is safe, anyone could be next and the police are facing their biggest threat ever.

I have read Raven once or twice before, I like gritty crime so have enjoyed their work, this book though, page turner. When you see the point of view from the good guy, the bad guy and the hired gun it gives you food for thought for all the points of view from one situation but from different angels. A hired assassin is always chilling because they do what they do for the pay off, this time, as well as the motive, we get to see the human side of this monster. Laura has her own personal issues which are mostly background as the main focus of the book is the investigation and murders, however there is enough to give you a feel for who she is as a character. The crime boss, his motives are clear from the get go but a good author gives you some surprises along the way, Raven does this with The Rebel.

Drawn in pretty much from the opening chapter the pace is consistent throughout and had life not gotten in the way I could have read this is just about one sitting. As with most crime fiction we have murder, mayhem, family, relationships, violence and there is a wee bit of sexual content so just an fyi. I will be checking out Raven's back catalogue and wonder if we will see more with DI Laura Jefferson, 4/5 for me this time!



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The Madam by Jaime Raven

The Madam by Jaime Raven
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off 3 days

Pages - 328

Publisher - Avon Books

Source - Book shop

Blurb from Goodreads

Women always uncover the truth . . .

Three years and eleven months. That's how long Lizzie Wells has been banged up inside Holloway prison, serving time for a crime she didn’t commit.

Six months. That's how long it’s taken Lizzie to fall in love with her fellow inmate, Scar.

Now they are both finally free and, together, they are about to embark on a vengeful search to find those who framed Lizzie . . . and to make them pay.

THE BUSINESS MAN. THE COPPER. THE MADAM.



My Review

Imagine waking up beside a corpse, covered in their blood and the murder weapon lying on the floor. Fast forward just under four years later, Lizzie is out of prison and she wants to know who set her up. As she starts to dig into the past the warnings come fast and furious and Lizzie finds not only herself but those closest to her in danger. Someone wants Lizzie to leave well alone and will stop at nothing to make it happen.

We follow Lizzie as she emerges from jail, with the help of her partner Scar they set about trying to find information about the crime Lizzie is meant to have committed. Not only do we have theme of investigating the crime, attempting to engage the police we also see Lizzie assessing her choices now she is free. Lesbianism, her mothers cold attitude towards her, dealing with the loss of her child all the while being threatened. It is a busy wee book and you find yourself evaluating how would you act and what would you do. I found Lizzie quite frustrating at times, some of her choices and behaviours had me almost screaming in frustration.

It is a busy wee book, you have the danger and threats hanging over Lizzie and it keeps a decent pace throughout. There is a lot of sadness and Lizzie has much to resolve, a good pace that engages the reader and keeps you turning page after page. 3/5 for me this time, this is my first time reading this author and I would read him again.

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