This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I'm certain this book will be a huge success. I'd love to see a follow up. I'm really interested to see what happens next.

I say that, but I think Rose has left enough unanswered questions. So I eagerly await the next chapter.

Just growing up a few miles from Soho, I have always been drawn to the sights and sounds of the East End. Living there for much of my informative years I miss the noise, the banter and the colourful lives that reside there.

This book has a lot of action and highlights the importance of family. By family I mean your chosen family not necessarily the one your given. Also, the loyalty of friends. But mostly, what we will do to help our family and friends survive even in extreme circumstances.

Even the East Ends worst has a code. A point at which they won't cross. It seems our cousins across the pond don't have those same codes.

It really is a great book. It kept me reading from when i started and couldn't put it down until I had finished. Rose has just got herself another fan. I'm really looking forward to her next book.

Enjoy!



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4101342635?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

This is another Gangland Thriller from Jacqui Rose that will take you on a rollercoaster of a ride and keep you on the edge of your seat. But read Toxic first as it does follow on a bit from there,

Meet Cabhan Morton, he works for the ruthless Russo crime family but he wants to leave and live in peace with his 16 year old daughter Alice Rose. Like all Criminal families, leaving is never going to be easy, so when he disappears, the Rosso family target his daughter Alice. Then we turn to Frannie Doyle, a family friend of Cabhan and she '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 knows nothing of her father's lifestyle choice

Will Frannie save the day? Will Alfie get dragged back into the world of crime he left?.

Enjoyable read, with a good story and interesting characters. Not everything in life is as it seems.

I don’t think I’ve read any gangland thrillers before so this was different for me and outside my comfort zone. If thrillers can have any kind of comfort zone. I haven’t read the novel Toxic which apparently has the same characters and contains some of the story threads so I felt I missed out a little and would recommend reading this first. This is a gritty book packed with suspense and very well written. It’s different than the usual sort of thriller I read and all the more enjoyable because of this. I loved the characters, they are so unique and complex and a highlight of Fatal. I definitely want to read more by the author.

I found this to have far too many names and jumped from scene to scene totally confusing me.
The story itself was very violent and in same places the violence appeared to have no actual bearing to the story.
Disappointing.

Jacqui Rose certainly knows how to draw in a reader. I can imagine that if you skipped the previous books featuring these characters you may become a little lost so I would definitely recommend reading the whole series in order.

I was hooked from start to finish although Alice Rose annoyed the life out of me! If that was the intention Jacqui then you succeeded!

4 stars

Thanks to Avon Books UK for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for a review.

I haven't read any of the author's previous books, and so this affects my review of Fatal. As a standalone, the story works, but the characters don't, you need to know their stories before the events in Fatal, and so to fully appreciate this story read Toxic first.

The story is fast- paced, violent and focused on the seedier side of life. This gives it the necessary authenticity for a gangland novel. Believable characters and a realistic plot make this an adrenaline packed read.

If you are a fan of gritty, organised crime based thrillers this will excite you.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A friend recommended Jacqui Rose to me a couple of years and since then I’ve devoured all of her books in jig time. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book it took a couple of chapters to get into but then I was well and truly hooked.

This is a complicated book and in my opinion it really helps to have read the first book, Toxic. There’s quite a lot back and forth between books and the characters are all intricately woven together fantastically.

The Russo brothers are on the warpath after an accident causes the loss of a rather large quantity of cocaine. There’s no way they are going to let this go so in true gang style they demand to be recompensed in full and if Cahban Morton won’t play ball then they have ace in their pocket, an ace called Alice Rose. Alice is Cahbans 16 year old daughter, the daughter he only recently found out that he had.

Enter Franny Doyle the only person that may be able to help and who just happens to have a couple of million tucked away. A couple of million that belongs to Alfie Jennings an east end gangster returning from America, the money was meant to be used to buy up a ‘business’. From there it just gets messier and messier for all involved, there’s chases, guns and more violence than you can shake a stick at.

If you like the London gangster genre this is a book you should enjoy. If you’ve never read it, give a whirl you never know.


Read for an honest review. Thank you Avon Publishers and Netgalley

Fatal by Jacqui Rose

3 stars

A fast-paced story

This is my first introduction to this writer although she has written many books and I feel that my enjoyment of this story suffered because of this.

It revolves around Alice Rose, the 16-year-old daughter of Cabhan Morton. He had no idea that his daughter existed until recently as she was a result of a brief relationship and has been brought up in a convent. However, he loves her dearly, and the plot revolves around his and various other of his associates trying to protect her from being killed by the Russo family.

This is where the lack of knowledge of the background between the Russos and Cabhan, Alfie Jennings, and Franny Doyle, Alfie’s girlfriend was a problem for me. I understood that they had all, at some time, worked for the Russos and due to Cabhan being involved in a car accident which killed Nico Russo’s daughter, Nico wants revenge by killing Cabhan’s daughter. This is despite Cabhan not being at fault for the accident but still giving money to Russo as compensation.

Various attempts are made to capture and kill Alice, and I found most of the action improbable as this shy, retiring girl manages to keep escaping from near impossible situations. I also found it unlikely that her father and his associates would use such appalling language around her.

However, I do feel that I needed to read the earlier books to understand the background of the main protagonists and why they are so beholden to the Russo family. I did not think any of the characters were realistic and did not really enjoy the constant bad language.

Obviously, this author is very popular, but this book did not inspire me to read her previous books or indeed the next one in the series which has apparently been written already.





Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Fatal – A Brilliant Jacqui Rose Thriller

Jacqui Rose is a woman who really knows how to write a gripping thriller, that grabs you by the throat from the first sentence until the last. For someone who has lived in Yorkshire, with a period of exile in Soho, she certainly knows Essex, London and its environs. This knowledge helps her to craft a gangland thriller that any crime reader will love.

Cabhan Morton wants to leave the Russo crime family, no easy task, and live with his daughter, Alice Rose. He knows the Russo family will not let him walk out, he knows far too much and certainly knows where the bodies are buried. The Russo family will kill him first before they ever allow him to leave. He has no opportunity to run.

He is bullied by the Russo family to accompany 16-year-old Ally Russo home, as she drives a red McLaren GT. Like the rest of the family she likes to show off and bully people and driving fast. On a mountain road with a car far too powerful for her, she loses control, spins the car off the road and is killed but somehow Cabhan survives. When he comes around, he sees Ally is dead and there is enough cocaine stuffed in the car that would put him away. He also sees this as a chance to run, and he takes it.

Franny Doyle would do anything for Cabhan, and especially when she realises the trouble he is in, and that means Alice Rose is also in trouble. Even though she is holding the money for Alfie Jennings an old-time gangster and takes off to help Cabhan, the rush is to get to Alice Rose.

The Russo family will be out for revenge, for the death and more importantly for the cocaine. It does not help that the head of the family, Nico, in prison learns of the death of his daughter and the loss of product, and takes it personal, and sets his brothers to settle the score. They will not care who gets killed if they get in the way, vengeance will theirs and the Alice is dead.

From the USA to England with bodies dropping everywhere the Russo’s close in on Cabhan and Alice Rose, this will be a battle to the death.

Hair-raising, addictive and absolutely terrifying, gangland thriller fans are going to devour the latest gritty chiller by best-selling author Jacqui Rose.

Alice Rose is the apple of Cabhan Morton’s eye, but Cabhan lives in a world of danger, death and deception. Although Cabhan would love nothing more than to leave his criminal life behind and live in peace with his daughter, away from the terrifying jeopardy that stalks his every move, he is well aware that the notorious Russo crime family are not going to let him get away from their menacing world so easily. With his daughter’s safety being paramount, what will Cabhan do? Is he ready to risk everything for the sake of his daughter? Will he end up paying the ultimate price for wanting a better life for himself and his daughter? Or should he just shelve his dreams of a new beginning with his daughter and continue to do the Russo family’s bidding?

There is nothing in the world that Franny Doyle wouldn’t do for Cabhan and Alice. However, when Cabhan asks for her help to escape the Russo brothers, she wonders whether this would be a favour too many. Shaking off the criminal shackles of the two evil brothers is anything but easy and Franny knows that the repercussions if their plan goes awry could be lethal, but with a child’s future on the line, Franny must do whatever it takes to give Alice a chance at a better life. Alice’s safety is of the utmost importance and the only place Franny knows where she will be safe is in Essex with Alfie Jennings, a man who isn’t exactly Franny’s number one fan!

The ruthless Russo brothers are incensed that Alice has escaped their clutches and they will not rest until they exact their revenge – by killing her! Will Alice ever manage to escape the Russo brothers and make a new life for herself? Or has she run out of time once and for all?

If you like Martina Cole, you are going to love Jacqui Rose. In Fatal, she has penned a heart-poundingly brilliant thriller that made me jump out of my skin and kept me up way past my bedtime as I simply could not bear to put this book down. The world Jacqui Rose has created is tough, relentless and terrifying, the characters real and believable, the action chilling and breath-taking and the twist and turns plentiful, shocking and jaw-dropping.

A fantastic page-turner that will keep readers riveted from start to finish, Fatal is a compulsively readable thriller that is simply outstanding!

I absolutely loved this book!

I don’t realise that it was a continuation of the previous release but I can be read as a stand alone.

I was gripped from the beginning and loved how we got to know the other side of the story.

Thank you for letting me review Fatal. Jacqui Rose is one of my all time favourite authors.

5☆ Intoxicating Gangland Thriller, that will take you on a rollercoaster of a ride!

Wow oh wow what a thrilling, edge of your seat, rollercoaster of a ride! I devoured in two nights.

I just want to say I really recommend reading Toxic first as the characters and some of the threads of the previous book cross over and it might take you a while to catch up.

This time round the story is focused on Cabhan his sixteen year old daughter Alice Rose, Franny, Alfie and the Russo brothers Nico and Salvatore.

The Russo brothers are extremely Ruthless, Dangerous, Brutal and have no qualms in killing innocent men, women & children to get what they want.
They demand 'Respect' at all costs.

They are not a family to be messed with.
As Cabhan is quickly learning when he tries to get out of the game with extremely dangerous consequences!

Up to now he has kept his daughter Alice a secret, hidden away in a religious school. But secrets have a way of leaking out!

'Ready or Not Alice' there coming for you!

Brrrr it gave me CHILLS right down my spine and made my blood run cold.

What comes next is ruthless and chilling Cat and Mouse Chase, where there can be only one winner!

My god is this book a Heartstopping Thriller!
As the plot thickens so does the pace at times it left me breathless, almost scared to breath as I was so caught up in the moment

Fatal is a pacy gangland thriller, that is suspenseful, sinister, chilling, oozes danger, has the perfect cast of eclectic multi-layered, challenging characters that at times are so real it's scary.

Jacqui Rose is an incredibly talented author.
She is one of my favourite Authors.
Yet again she has written a deliciously dark, twisty, spine tingling gangland thriller, that will get under your skin and leave you breathless.

Would I recommend reading Fatal?
Without a Doubt ..... 100%....... YES!!

Thank you to Avon Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Cabhan works for the Russo Brothers Nico, Savlatore & Bobby. One of the most violent gang families in America.
When he discovers he has a daughter he knew nothing about, he decides he wants to leave the Russo's and start again with his daughter, Alice Rose. He puts her in a convent school to keep her hidden from the Russos until he can break free from them and take her home to England.
Only they don't want to let him go. When Nico’s daughter is killed in a car crash while Cabhan is in the car with her Nico wants revenge.
Desperate Cabhan asks his Sister Franny for help and leaving her partner Alfie and taking all his money she files to Cabhan's side to help him and Alice.
Alice having no idea what her dad really does for a living makes a mistake that could cost them all their lives as the Russos now want her and will do anything to get her.
To escape the clutches of the Russos they will need to enlist the help of old friends who previously wanted nothing to do with Cabhan.

Fatal does follow on from Jacqui’s last novel Toxic but it can be read as a standalone. This time her story starts in America before returning to Essex. Some of the old characters continue, the attitude and storytelling remains the same plus fresh challenges including a naive teenager called Alice Rose.

Fatal is a violent novel involving gangs of criminals who become hell bent on revenge. There is plenty of action along the way and the story moves along at a fast pace.

For such an adult novel, the inclusion of Alice Rose, a 16 year old naive God bothering girl is frustrating. This is NOT Harry Potter and this child clearly has no place among these violent adult criminals guarding their patch. Despite this, Jacqui does write a good story which is easy to follow. The plot of Fatal is NOT as involved as the plot in Toxic. But the dialogue between characters is still sharp, for example…

‘Enough. I know there’s a story of how that Jesus bloke chatted away happy as Larry with them leopards and accepted them for what they were.’
‘Lepers, not leopards. It’s not The Lion King, Lola.’

...I found Fatal is be a GOOD entertaining read and while it is in a very similar mode to Toxic, the reduced intricacies of the plot and the frustrations of Alice Rose being a part of the story, made this a 4 star read for me. I did not enjoy Fatal as much as I enjoyed Toxic. Looking at the ending, Alice Rose should clear off and her next novel should continue with the criminals of Essex enjoying their life of crime.

A gangland thriller with bite! A combination of the Sopranos and the Krays in a dark, full throttle, twisty read.

No secret that I'm a huge JR fan. The book world has been waiting on a return of this awesome author, and she flew back into my bookish life in the summer of last year and here she is again with another exceptional read.
JR is one of those authors for me, that as soon as I see her name on a book, I have to read. Doesn't matter what it's about, I didn't even read the blub, I saw the cover and knew I wanted to read it. Back with some familiar characters, it wasn't long before I was flying through those pages.
​Cabhan is working for the Russo brothers, a crime family headed by 3 brothers, Nico, Salvadore, and Bobby. It's only now Cabhan wants to leave and move on with his life to bring up his daughter away from the troubles that surround the work he is involved with when things start to turn ugly.
Being involved in an accident, involving one of the Russo family members see's Cabhan take flight. Along to help him is Franny Doyle. Life becomes so much more complicated and things begin to spiral out of control.
To what extent you would have to be discovered by reading this book.
This is not a book you will pick up and put down after just a few pages at a time, this is a high octane, nail biting, heart beating fast kind of read that you will devour is as little amount of time as possible.
Once started any JR fan will not be able to put this book down. It's great to be back with some familiar characters, characters you've grown to like over years really add to the story.
JR is certainly an author who does not disappoint, I for one am so glad she is back writing books we love and can't wait for more and more from this author.
First class and right up there with some of the best from this genre.

I really need to read more from this author. Reading this book

Wowsers straight up I wanted to delete this story from my memory and read it again. It was so so good.

If you like stories of rival gangs and turf wars then this is the story for you. It’s a fast paced well written story that will stay with you for days after finishing the last page. I can’t wait to read more from this author.