The family alliance in this is dangerous and after giving a ultimate you would hope that it turns out alright but maybe not.

This book is set where I grew up, so this book as you could say was relatable. It was hard to read about the violence but it was extremely well written.

I couldn’t get into the story. I got half way and it turned into a DNF. Western suburb isn’t a type of story I like reading. It just wasn’t for me

The Second Son by Loraine Peck is a wild ride of a crime family saga which reads more like a gripping TV series (think the original Underbelly series) and I couldn’t put it down! I can see why this new Aussie author won the 2021 Ned Kelly Crime Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction and I can’t wait to see more books from her if this is the starting point!

Johnny Novak is born into a Croatian crime family based in the Western suburbs of Sydney. When his older brother, Ivan, is murdered in his driveway one night, his crime boss father Milan sets him the job of avenging his death potentially sparking a gang war. But Johnny isn’t the same as the other men in his family; he wants to give his wife Amy and son, Sasha a better life and doesn’t want his son to ever know what it feels like to pick up a gun. But when more sons of the city’s crime bosses begin to be gunned down too, the pressure is on for something to be done and this has all sorts of unintended consequences.

I really enjoyed how this story was told from both Johnny & Amy’s point of views – it made it feel more authentic seeing both sides of their sometimes-hidden lives. The pace was excellent and even though there were a lot of moving parts in this story from the police, the immediate and extended family and other gangs it was all crafted together to make for a compelling, bingeable read.

Highly recommend picking this one up if you enjoy a gritty Aussie crime that’s engaging from the very first page and you can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thanks to Netgalley and Text Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The 2021 Australian debut crime fiction (Ned Kelly award) winner was first time author Loraine Peck, with her novel The Second Son. It is set in current day Sydney and portrays the Novak crime family as they deal with the ambush killing of their eldest son. Johnny, the second son, must revenge his death and assume his brother’s place in the family business. Conflicted between protecting his wife and son and doing his father’s bidding, a series of violent events occur that could lead to a gangland war. With its realistic characters and western Sydney ambiance comes a truly remarkable crime story. With hassles from police, his family in danger and the pressure for revenge, Johnny is conflicted and his true values challenged. A most enjoyable adventure that makes for a four-and-a-half-star rating and possibly more mayhem to come? With thanks to Text Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given. A note for those unaware of Aussie idiom, “U-ey” translated to mean a U-turn when driving.

On the one hand I LOVE reading stories set in the Western suburbs of Sydney as I think it’s essential we have art made about our home and our communities. On the other hand, I’m not a huge fan of crime family stories. So I’m in a weird space of enjoying all the details about the local community but not enjoying the things that belong to the genre conventions. I would recommend readers pick this up if they’re fans of the overall genre - it’s just not one that appeals much to me. A huge congratulations to the author though. And thank you for writing a story set in our suburbs!

I'm on page 114 of 464 of The Second Son: I’ve decided to not continue with this one. I couldn’t get into this story about Amy, who’s married to Johnny son of crime boss Branko. His other son, Ivan was killed putting his bins out. The week before a Serb gang member had been killed putting his bins out. Set in Sydney, and crossing back and forth between the points of view of Johnny and Amy, I found it too slow, and I really didn’t care about the characters.

I love the premise of this book. The twists kept me guessing and kept me engaged through the end.

The story was engrossing and believable, it drew you in..

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

i have mixed feelings about this book. There are excellent parts and I like Lorraine Peck's writing style but some of it just didn't work for me. 4 stars but I think it missed the mark in some places.

Great read, hard to believe it’s a first novel. I literally couldn’t put it down. Set in the Western suburbs of Sydney and populated by the Serb Croat families steeped in crime… The grittiness of the suburbs is real, the heat of summer I’d relentless and cultures are beautifully created. Food is always on the table and it’s good. The families are as real as you’ll ever get from the patriarch to the second son. Johnny is the second son married to Amy, and they take you on the self confessed ‘wild ride’ of drug deals and murders. There are so many clever aspects to this and the writing is fabulous. Believable because you’re invested in the family, the second son has to step up after the first son is murdered but an our Johnny make it.? Will his father let him? Perfect summer reading. Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to read and review this book and to textpublishing.com.au for publishing this fabulous debut crime thriller.

Okay I really did enjoy this book, I just feel like it had so much more potential. I loved the twists though!

2.5 stars. This was not what I expected. It’s not that bad but for me I’ve been in a slump and I loved the premise but I absolutely didn’t like the writing style but the characters were pretty good. Some of this book I’d definitely repetitive not for me sadly… I liked Amy’s POV better, it gets better at 70% in the book, I still was hoping for more.