I love a gangland crime book.
The characterisation was good but the characters are not likeable at all.
Plenty of twists, turns and shocking events.
A great book

I know so many people at my bookclub that love her books but I really struggled with this one. Found it a little too far fetched.

Crime fiction that literally left you breathless. Fast, exhilarating and so many twists. First time reading this author and not the last.

I enjoyed the books by this author about the Byrne family and thought, when I requested this book, that I would enjoy reading another dark gritty story BUT with the pandemic and being closed in I seem to be off reading dark and gritty right now.. I did skim and decided that I wasn't willing to read about so many young people suffering as they appear to in what I did read. It is well written and believable but I need something lighter and brighter right now. If that changes before the book expires from my ADE reader I will review but otherwise ~ Thank you for the opportunity but I will not be writing a review. (DNF)

This is my first read by Casey Kelleher author and it certainly won’t be my last, giving off strong Martina Cole vibes. No Escape based around a troubled estate in central London, in which gang culture dominates and communities are forced into silence through fear of repercussions.

Opening with an instant attention grabbing prologue, I then read on and revelled in getting to grips with the large cast, trying to figure out who the main players were going to be. Most of the characters end up with a fair amount of page time each and the story is mostly told from inside the family fold. The reader is given a brutal yet sometimes touching look into the Griffin Estate, as Lucy fights to stop two kids Shannon and Kian being dragged into this seedy world.

The many characters effectively weave in and out of each others life to form a neat tapestry of a story that keeps you riveted until the very end. I was blown away with the bold, powerful plot that never waivers or weakens, and the fact that the menacing presence of one of the characters actually felt palpable at various points in the book is a real testament to the author’s writing talent.

I finished No Escape practically in one sitting and found it utterly gripping. But be warned: just like the characters she portrays, once Casey Kelleher sucks you in, she simply doesn’t let go until the final word.

No Escape: a thriller, police-procedural, family drama, murder mystery. This book has everything needed to be a best-seller.

The gritty themes could be pulled straight from the headlines. The pacing is good throughout the story. The characters are well-developed with great backstory.

I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the next in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A compelling read from this very talented author. As always gripping and easy to read. Recommended.

WoW What a book, I have read all Casey's books and I have loved all of them. So when her latest book came available I just had to download it and find some me time to sit and read it. I was not disappointed! It was Brilliant
No Escape by Casey Kelleher was! It was a gripping psychological thriller with an interesting twist and turns throughout. Ruby has written another brilliant book that had me hooked from the very first few pages.

When Lucy was five she witnesses her mother being murdered. She decided she wanted to become a Police woman when she grows up, Lucy does become a Police Detective when she grows up and her first case is on the troubled Griffin Housing Estate where Lucy lived as a little girl, and where her mother was murdered. It's not long before Lucy is investigating a murder. Lucy is also struggling to cope with her grandmother's dementia and its putting a big stain her job as well as her personal life..

I highly recommend all of Casey's books They have been all a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, Bookouture, for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a well-written crime fiction thriller with lots of action and multiple characters that play a pivotal part of the story. Their viewpoints are made known to the reader. Twists and turns keep the reader captivated to the surprising violent ending.

The beginning was amazing and the characters were great my problem is after about 30% I started to get lost in the story and didn't really feel that I ever gained my bearing.

Wow what a story was hooked from the beginning, great plot with plenty of twists and turns every book I read of yours becomes my new favourite....

When DC Lucy Murphy meets Debra, wife of feared drug dealer Gerard Jennings, she sees a young woman in desperate need of help. Brutalised by her husband, Debra is too terrified to tell the police what she knows. But Lucy is determined to bring Gerard down – for Debra’s sake, and the safety of the Griffin Estate.

Meanwhile, after the death of one of his drug runners, Gerard is under pressure from his bosses to prove he’s still up to the job. Facing threats of violence as well as police interest, Gerard is getting desperate – and desperate men are the most dangerous of all.

As Lucy prepares to go undercover in Gerard’s gang to get the evidence she needs to arrest him, her beloved grandmother Winnie starts acting strangely. She mentions a man visiting her at night in her care home, but that makes no sense – does it?

Any distraction could prove deadly for Lucy and the people she’s trying to protect. But she has backed a vicious man into a corner, and he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Casey Kelleher you are an amazing author and my absolute favourite. Can not wait for what comes next, I would give this a million stars if I could because 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟 is not enough. This action packed thriller is released on the 6th October

Awesome read had me gripped by the first chapter definitely will be adding this author way to go Casey thank you I would recommend this book won’t put any spoilers in but found it hard to put down

Kian and Shannon Winters live in the shadow of their mother's alcoholism and the violence rife on their estate. Lucy Murphy lives with the trauma of her mother's murder on the same estate twenty years earlier, which has inspired her to become a police officer.
No Escape is an excellent title for this book as Kian and Shannon search for a way out of their life experience. Shannon tries to help her mother while Kian turns to a gang. In the safeguarding training I receive annually, I have been shocked to learn about the prevalence of County Lines and I never would have believed that our area would be prey to it. But it is...
Lucy's story was also upsetting due to her grandmother's deteriorating mental health and the painful choice of putting her in a home. As well as this, she is still haunted by her mother's murder which she witnessed but couldn't describe the killer.
The abuse and violence contained in No Escape towards a vulnerable adult, children and animals is unpleasant and very difficult to read. This is not a book to enjoy as such but it is utterly compelling. The empathy the reader feels for the likeable characters powers through the abominable actions of Jax's gang and the Winters' alcoholic mother.
I felt angry with Michelle for putting her own needs first. I understand that alcoholism is a disease but she had no self awareness or consideration for her children. I felt desperately sad for the children that they didn't want to go into care and am aware from professional anecdotes that our care system is hideously inadequate and often more traumatic than the original situation.
Overall, I really engaged with this book and was swept along with the plot and characters, appalled and anxious about the events. It certainly isn't a light read, but is is a good one! I hope that there is a sequel so we can see more of Lucy's character and hopefully she will find some answers about her mother's death...

What a superb gangland book.

Little Lucy sees her mum brutally murdered by a violent man whilst living on the notorious Griffin estate hiding in a wardrobe. From that day she has it in her mind that she will be a police officer. She is brought up by her Grandmother Winniewho is a wonderful character.
Moving on years later she has not only made it into the police force but the CID and one of her first jobs are to non-other than The Griffin estate the place of her nightmares.

The story then continues around 15-year-old Shannon and her little brother Kian who are living with their drug dependant alcoholic mother and a violent man. Kian inadvertently gets involved with a gang of youngsters lead by a character called Jax who has cuckooed a flat with a vulnerable man named Phillip and is making his life hell.
Jax is violent, cruel intimidating and nasty.

This is a brilliant book with many twists but not enough to confuse the reader. I love all of Casey's books and get very excited when a new one comes out and with this one, she has not let me down. An excellent book.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. x

I love every single one Casey’s books and each one gets better and better. Even though the author leaves no room for improvement because they are that good! But WOW this book is definitely one of my favourites. And I am really hoping this is the start of a new series. I absolutely loved Lucy and everything about this book.

We are taken on a roller coaster ride when we meet Lucy Murphy and she finds herself back on Griffin Estate has a police officer. The estate where she witnessed her mothers murder when she was just five years old.

I was hooked from the very first page and found myself wrapped up in the lifes of Shannon and Kien. No Escape is a fast paced unputdownable story. That will eat you up inside and pull at your heart strings.

There are plenty of OMFG moments, not forgetting the ending. It is tense read pulling me from pillow to post. You can feel the emotion and for an author to make me cry is one hell of an achievement and Casey did just that.This story has totally blown me away.

If you’re looking for a nail biting on the edge of your seat read, this is the book for you. I cannot recommend it enough giving it all the stars.

This is my first Casey Kelleher book and I knew from the first page I was going to love it! It has everything a good book should have, from the shady characters to a brilliant plot.
Don't want to say too much all I can say is just read it! An easy 5 stars!

A gripping thriller that kept you interested right until the end. It always gets to me when these types of gang stories centre around children, but sadly it's a fact of life. Well written

Lucy Murphy's mother was murdered when she was just 5 years old. She was the only witness, but she could never identify who the killer was. Ultimately, she was raised by her grandmother, now suffering from dementia.

Lucy's being a law enforcement officer comes as no surprise. As a rookie, her first assignment is talking to the residents of the Griffin Estate .... where her mother was murdered.

She meets two kids, both young teenagers, Shannon the older sister who does everything she can for her brother, Kian, who has fallen in with the wrong kind of crowd. Jax is the gang leader, who will do anything and everything to get what he wants ... more money, more power.

As a child, she already witnessed the murder of one innocent person. It will take all her courage and training to stop another.

This is a well-written crime fiction thriller with lots of action and multiple characters that play a pivotal part of the story. Their viewpoints are made known to the reader. Twists and turns keep the reader captivated to the surprising violent ending.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Casey Kelleher once again delivers an excellent gritty crime thriller that had me gripped from page one.DC Lucy Murphy has joined CID and her patch includes the Griffin Estate which is well known for the gang The Griffin Boys who terrorise the residents,leader Jax is a nasty piece of work and he and his gang take great pleasure in using Philip's flat as a bolt hole whilst he cowers in his bedroom,bring into the mix Kian his sister Shannon and their drunken mum Michelle and her dead beat partner Gary and you have a great thriller. Kian gets involved with The Griffin Boys and he soon realises that he is in over his head as Jax will not let him back out now,With Lucy also having to care for her nan Winnie and battling her own demons from her past this really is a great read as you become entwined with all the characters good and bad.An excellent 5 star read once again from Casey Kelleher who knows this genre inside out.

No Escape is a brilliant “estate” thriller from Casey Kelleher that will have you on the edge of your seat, hating some characters whilst loving others with the same amount of passion. I’ve read a few books by this author now and she’s become a “go to” author when I fancy a gritty dose of realism alongside relatable characters. The opening chapters here are quite heartbreaking but set up the story for the years ahead when a 5 year old girl puts aside her difficult start in life to become a police officer-determined to make a difference to the community she lives in.

And it’s the characters who live in and around the notorious Griffin estate who really made this book the gripping read it was for me. DC Lucy Murphy has a lot on her plate as a serving police officer brought up by her grandmother who is now succumbing to Alzheimer’s. Her passion for the job really shone throughout this storyline and I found her to be a soothing voice amongst the viciousness of such difficult circumstances for two of the residents of the Griffin Estate. Shannon and Kian live with their alcoholic mother who put her boyfriend and drinking far above the needs of her children. Shannon has a good head on her shoulders for a 15 year old and is able to put food on their table due to her job at the chippy but 13 year old Kian is being led astray by a local gang and trouble is never too far away from him. Gang leader Jax has to be one of the vilest characters I’ve ever met and his treatment of local man Philip Penfold just broke me! I had tears in my eyes at times as this poor vulnerable man seemed stuck in his situation with no foreseeable way out of it. Honestly there were just some brilliant character creations here, all of them well developed personalities who will stick in your mind long after you’ve turned the final page. In fact I’m half hoping (okay, fully hoping!!) that this is the start of a series from Casey Kelleher as I’d very much like to meet Lucy again in the future as I think she has plenty more to uncover about herself.

No Escape is a tough read at times but it kept true to its roots of family, community and hope. I absolutely devoured it and can’t wait to read more about Lucy please! So if you love Martina Cole or Kimberley Chambers or have never read a gangland style crime thriller before then you must try No Escape. I loved it!