This book is full of raw emotion and feels so real. There is a good mix of characters and their stories are interesting and interlinked. A well thought out plot makes this a gripping read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

No Escape by Casey kelleher

This is the first book I have read by this author, and i really enjoyed it, in fact I would be delighted to hear that this is the start of a series.
Lucy witnesses the brutal murder of her mother at age five, and this is where the book starts, then fast forward to present time and Lucy is now a newly qualified police officer, now working a case in Griffin Estate, back where her mother was murdered. I especially loved Winnie, Lucy's nan, such a lovely character.
The story also focuses on 15 year old Shannon, and her brother Cian age 13. I loved Shannon, and was really rooting for her. Living with her alcoholic mother and her brother now falling on with a bad crowd, we she Shannon try to make her way through it all.
This book reads as a good family story, with police procedural element to it too.
I enjoyed all aspects of this book, and at one stage let out a huge breath I didnt know I was holding!

A good storyline, believable characters and well written.

Oh my word this book was just superb. Honestly Casey Kellehers books just keep getting better and better. This is a gritty crime thriller with some wonderful characters. I especially loved Winnie Murphy and really warmed to this lady. This book whilst an easy read is definitely one that you will just want to keep reading as the story is so good. I really hope this will be the first book in a new series.

Lucy witnessed her mother being brutally murdered when she was just five years old. She decided that she wanted to be a policewoman so that she could arrest all the bad guys. She goes on to be a rookie Detective. Her first case in on the troubled Griffin Housing Estate where Lucy lived as a little girl. It's not long before Lucy is investigating a murder. She's also struggling with her grandmother's dementia.

This is a fast paced and gripping read. It's a character driven story that centres around teenagers Shannon and Kian and the leader of the Griffin boys, Jax Priestly. Shannon is trying to cope with her mothers alcoholism. Kian gets in over his head with Jax and he makes it clear to Kian that he now owns him. This is a gritty gangland thriller. There's multiple characters and plenty of twist and turns. This is an enjoyable read.

Like an express train, 'No Escape' builds up speed and doesn't let up.

Eighteen months in the police force, 25-year-old Detective Constable (DC) Lucy Murphy is already promoted to detective. We learn of Lucy Murphy's distressing backstory (no spoilers). Brought up by her loving grandmother / nan, Winnie, Lucy is losing Winnie to dementia. We see Lucy's professionalism, mental and physical strength, as well as empathy towards the hapless teenagers she meets in this book. Lucy is down-to-earth enough to overlook the jealous, sexist jibes from her older colleagues and clientele.

The prologue opens with a five-year-old witnessing the brutal attack of her mother. Why is the mother being assaulted? Who did it? One of my regrets of this book is that we don't find out the answers to these questions. Maybe Casey Kelleher is keeping that up her sleeve for a follow-up novel.

In this novel, we follow a number of viewpoints, including but not limited to that of Lucy Murphy, siblings 13-year-old Kian and 15-year-old Shannon, a young mentally-disabled man, Philip, and gang leader of 'the Griffin Boys', Jax.

Set in England, this police / crime story revolves around the impoverished Griffin Estate, where crime flourishes in the shape of teen gangs recruited by hardened criminals. These youth deal in drugs, from marijuana to hard drugs, carry knives, rob and attack people at random, and raid and vandalise stores and buildings.

The treatment by mob leader and bully, Jax, towards the hapless Philip is harrowing to read, but believable. Jax is painted as a sadistic, selfish and psychopathic person, who has clearly not been taught boundaries or shown good male role models. His victims, who include the other Griffin Boys, Kian and Philip, are given disturbing treatment. The surprise reveal of his mother shows that even educated, kind mothers can turn out such scum. The estate members keep mum through their fear of being the next target. Many examples exist in Griffin Estate of such attacks, the lattermost being the assault of a community constable.

Shannon lives in fear that Kian, out at all hours, is coming under the control of such gangs. She works after school to buy enough groceries for her alcoholic mother, Kian, and her Mum's hanger-on, scum boyfriend, Gary. Gary's portrayal as a manipulative, lazy, lying, contemptible user resembles Jax.

We travel through the crimes visited on Kian, Philip and even Shannon's kindly boss, fish-and-chip shop owner, Benny. There is much tension in this crime story, which is told in an original style. It includes, but does not centre around, a police procedural. In fact, I would have liked to see more of DC Murphy. Casey Kelleher's story has grit and conflict, vicious action, but also a lot of heart in the likes of Benny, Anita, Vivian, and the relationship between Lucy and her Nan, Winnie.

Kian's story of a neglected man-child, whose only cares should be going to school and being mothered to bits, is tragic. We can understand his attraction to the Griffin Boys, to help Shannon bring in food and take care of the family. Kian is easy prey to the slightly older Jax, who traps him in illegal activities. The author paints a compelling picture of the deprived and overlooked youth sector of underprivileged society.

The action is propelled on towards an almost foreseeable violent resolution. There is a cliff-hanger near the end that is turned on its head by the following chapter. A well-written set of end chapters.

A recommended gritty crime read. Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Casey Kelleher for providing me an ARC of 'No Escape' in exchange for an honest review. #No Escape #NetGalley.

This review also appears in Amazon.com, www.goodreads.com and thereadersvault.blogspot.com

Before reading Casey Kelleher books I was never a fan of gritty crime/gangland books BUT now I am totally turned around and LOVE them!! I was so excited to read No Escape after previously enjoying The Byrne Trilogy and I hope that this is the start of a new series for me to obsess over.

When Lucy Murphy was a child she witnessed the brutal murder of her mother in their home on London’s notorious Griffin Estate and the killer was never found. She is now a newly qualified police officer and her first job is back on home turf. It is obvious that Lucy struggles with the memories from her childhood and is nervous about going back. I really felt for her, not only is she in turmoil over her past and handling a sensitive case she is also caring for her grandmother who is suffering with dementia. These parts of the story were so heart breaking/warming: Lucy is never sure what she is going to find when she gets in from work and her grandmother often needs reminding that her daughter was murdered. These insights into Lucy's personal life give you an understanding of her character and determination.

Lucy's job now is to protect the estate’s vulnerable residents, including Shannon and Kian Winters; two kids struggling to deal with their alcoholic mother. Fifteen-year-old Shannon is working every spare hour in the local chippy to keep a roof over their heads. Unfortunately thirteen-year-old Kian has got caught up with gang leader Jax Priestly and is heading towards serious trouble. Lucy gets to know the siblings and is determined not to let the two teenagers become Jax’s victims. Jax has form with picking on vulnerable people including taking advantage of a young mentally impaired man called Philip (and his cat). I absolutely despised Jax and felt like throttling him!!

I was gripped from page one and sped through the pages, I can't wait to see what's next for this new cast of characters.

An exhilarating cross between a police procedural and gangland grit lit, No Escape is an exciting and intense character-driven read and the first in a proposed new series which begins in stunning fashion with an explosive prologue; talk about holding you captive from the moment you peel back the cover. Bam! No Escape is Casey Kelleher's latest gritty crime thriller and follows the exploits of protagonist DC Lucy Murphy who is a new addition to a team investigating crimes taking place on the rough and troubled Griffin Estate in which she spent her formative years. It’s a notoriously dicey area in the heart of London and a place which holds many bad memories for Lucy as her mother was brutally murdered on the Housing Estate many years prior. The case went cold but Lucy is determined to get justice and place behind bars the callous killer and perhaps save other families similar heartbreak.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and getting to know the cast who are mainly unlikeable or detestable and the characterisation was pretty good as you would expect for a character-led rather than plot-led novel. Lucy is a tenacious and intriguing character and obviously had a personal incentive for joining the police force which gives this book a unique and interesting set of circumstances. There are plenty of twists, turns, intriguing developments and shocking surprises as the story progresses; there is certainly enough action going on to keep you on your toes and the cogs whirring. Not only is this a thrilling story but, as you may expect, it's a profoundly emotional one too given how personal this is to Lucy. I was impressed that Kelleher was able to weave a taut plot that was both riveting and moving as many thrillers only manage one of those. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

At times, this was a difficult book to read, not because it was bad, but because it was so good. Casey Kelleher certainly gives a new meaning to “gritty” in No Escape. From the prologue to the last pages, I was gripped by the stories of the characters. But trust me when I say that this is not for the faint of heart. Some of the action is, unfortunately, realistically brutal.

And to be clear, it’s unfortunate that the brutality is realistic. It is accurate to the lives of people who live in areas like Griffin Estate.

The author does a fantastic job of illustrating the book title via the character’s situations. For those who live at Griffin Estate, there is no way out. Shannon goes to school and works hard, but there’s rarely enough money to get by. Shannon’s brother Kian gets involved with Jax’s gang because he sees them making money and wants to help his family. They’re both in that situation because their mother is a drunk wastrel (who also hasn’t been able to escape her circumstances).

Jax and his gang take advantage of Philip, who is on his own. Gary and his pals take advantage of Shannon’s mom, who is incapable of helping herself. Even Trainee Detective Constable Lucy Murphy tries to escape the memories of her childhood and doesn’t always succeed. And her grandmother has dementia, where she gets trapped in her mind.

Honestly, pretty much every character in this book is trapped in one way or another.

I thought the author also did an excellent job of weaving all of these individual stories together into one page-turner of a book. I don’t know that I can say that I enjoyed the plot, because it was dark and “joy” did not factor in too much.

But it held my attention, and I did like how the author laid out the connections. It was neat (for lack of a better term) to see how easily intertwined people in those situations could be.

Knowing how life can be in projects in the U.S., I got an absolute same feeling from the estate. In that regard, this book serves not only as a gritty crime thriller but as a pretty searing commentary on poverty and downtrodden populations as well.

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up, this isn’t it. But if you want something well-written and truthful, definitely give this one a look.

Sadly I didn’t really like this book. It gripped me at the very start with the night Lucy’s mother was killed but then when it switched to Shannon/Kian/Phillips story I wasn’t really sure whose story it was supposed to be. It kind of read more like an “a day in the life of...” rather then a novel with a beginning , climax and ending. We have multiple characters that are relatable which is good but overall none of them had a strong gripping story. I’m still not sure what Lucy’s life story had to do with the rest of the book or how the initial investigation into the death of an officer just vanished. To me it was lacking.

A great read from Casey. There is a lot going on at the Griffin Estate and some of it brings back memories for Lucy that she’s not sure she wants to remember. After her Mother is brutally murdered when Lucy was 5 she decided she’d become a policewoman and arrest all the bad guys. Lucy didn’t realise the memories that her new cases would trigger. Highly recommend this book.

Lucy Murphy is now a police officer. Considering her incredibly traumatic past of witnessing her mother's brutal murder when she was just five years old, this was an amazing accomplishment for her. That crime was never solved, and try as she might, she just could never remember enough details of the killer's face to have the man brought to justice.

After her mother's murder, Lucy was taken away from her home at Griffen Estate by her grandmother. Now she is brought right back to the estate. Lucy gets involved with two teens, Shannon and Kian Winters. The teens are coping with their alcoholic mother and her enabling boyfriend. Although only fifteen years old, Shannon is shouldering most of the responsibility in keeping her family afloat. Meanwhile, 13-year-old Kian has fallen in with a bad crowd, and is now under the thumb of gang leader Jax Priestly.

It takes Lucy no time to realize how dangerous Jax is and she will do anything she can to protect the teens. Meanwhile, Jax and the violence of his gang is rising, leaving Lucy with hardly any time to help the kids. The trauma she experienced is with her all of the time, and she will do everything she can to keep them from experiencing anything close to that.

While Lucy is doing her best to help Shannon and Kian, she is also dealing with her beloved grandmother who is suffering from dementia. She loves her grandmother dearly, and is struggling to take care of her despite the heartbreaking challenges. No Escape is a character-driven story where most of the characters easily touched my heart. Conversely, there are some unlikable people in this story, thus striking a fine balance.

This was a very well-written gangland thriller that kept me hoping for the best for Shannon and Kian, but especially for Lucy as I hoped she could gain closure from her mother's murder. The scenes were gritty and are often tinged with sadness. From the twists and turns to the riveting conclusion, this was a book I could not put down.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This is a great gangland crime thriller.
Lucy has made it to CID and hoped she’d seen the back of the Griffin Estate but on her first day she’s back there.
Lucy saw her mum being killed when she was only five years old so knows how hard it is for some families on the estate.
Shannon is trying to cope with her alcoholic mum and her brother who has got in with a bad crowd and things go from bad to worse for her.
Her brother Kian soon gets in over his head with the gang from the estate and Jax makes it clear he now owns him.
Events spiral out of control one night and Lucy has to help pick up the pieces.
This is a gritty gangland thriller that had me hooked throughout.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Well this has been another fantastic gripping read from Casey. She really does know how to keep her readers entertained.

I loved the story, found it to be a real page turner right from the get go. Absolutely gripping and fast paced, plus great characters that are so well written that you forget they are not real as you inmurst yourself truly into the story.

I really felt for the character of Shannon, all that she had to go through and put up with, yet she never gave up. I liked the character of Lucy, she certainly didn't have the best start in life but she sure didn't let that stop her from being their for her Nan no matter what and helping those in need that she cones across in her job.

So if you haven't discovered Casey's books yet then I can highly recommend them especially if you are a fan of books by Martina Cole or Mandasue Heller.

The story turned me off pretty much from the get go and it did not improve. Sorry I really did not enjoy this book.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the Arc of this book in return for honest reviews and before it's release on June 2nd so thank you!

This follow DC Lucy Murphy who at 5 years old in a wardrobe hidden had to experience the horrific murder of her mother! Then she becomes a detective for the police, her first case back to the place she worst dreads the Griffin Estate one of her worst enemies!!

This is the first I have read from Casey Kelleher, but I found it so enjoyable it made me feel so happy to experience a gripping and enthralling thriller in which u could not put down from start to finish completed within a few hours, I loved DC Murphy, Shannon and her boss Benny in particular they made the story!! I would definitely recommend and a 5 🌟 for real! So many twists and shocks which I love Well done Casey yet again thanks for this Arc copy! I will review on Amazon once it has been published!

No Escape by Casey Kelleher is a crime read that has very realistic and true to current day situations. It was a quick and entertaining read with well written characters. This is my first book by this author but I will definitely read more.

Really enjoyed this book! Full of suspense, twists and turns. Loved the deep psychological roots and the emotions examined.
Awesome characters that were easy to love (or easy to hate). This one kept me hooked! Could not stop reading.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I found No Escape to be a quick and easy read but it just didn’t grip me like I expected it to. The main character was pleasant enough but I just felt the whole novel was lacking something and they not much really happened. Sorry but a middle of the road three stars for this one. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘No Escape’ by Casey Kelleher in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Lucy Murphy has been fast-tracked to a Trainee Detective Constable position at Wandsworth CID and part of her beat is the Griffin Estate where she was brought up until as a five-year-old she witnessed her mother’s murder. Now Lucy is trying to improve the lives of teenager Shannon and her younger brother Kian who gets involved with Jax Priestly and his gang the Griffin Boys by running drugs around London.

‘No Escape’ is a gritty police thriller set in a part of South West London which encapsulates how a teenage hooligan can damage the mental and physical well-being of those living in the area he targets. Despite DC Lucy Murphy never wanting to return to the area, she’s back hoping to make a difference to the lives of those who just want to live in peace. This is a well-written and compelling thriller from an author I’ve not had the pleasure of reading before. There’s suspense and intrigue, twists and turns and a number of unsavoury characters, and I was hooked from page one. This is a dramatic and enjoyable thriller that I can recommend.

Lucy Murphy was 5 years old
When she looked upon her mother’s murder
Now she is older
Now she is there to protect vulnerable peoples he is looking after Kian and Shannon
Can she help them
I had an ARC