Claire loves to read!

Publication date: 20th November 2014 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 

ISBN: 9781447241423

Source: Proof from publisher 

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: 

As a drug-fuelled teenage tearaway, Kaz Phelps to took the rap for her little brother, Joey, over a bungled armed robbery and went to jail.

Six years later she's released on licence. Clean and sober, and driven by a secret passion for her lawyer, Helen, Kaz wants to escape the violence and abuse of her Essex gangster family. 

Joey is a charming and calculating psychopath. He worships the ground his sister walks on and he's desperate to get her back in the family firm. All Kaz wants is a fresh start and to put the past behind her. 

When Joey murders an undercover cop,  DS Nicci Armstrong is determined to put him behind bars. What she doesn't realise it's that their efforts are being sabotaged by one of their own. 

The final test for Kaz comes when her cousin, Sean, gets out of jail. A vicious, old-school thug,he wants to put the girl back in her place. But can Kaz face him down and get her life back? 

Review: 

An impressive debut novel from successful screenwriter Susan Wilkins. This crime thriller has all the right ingredients,and is fast-paced with an explosive plot and believable characters. Kaz is a likeable feisty woman and a strong lead. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, The Mourner.