Book Review: Fatal by Jacqui Rose

Fans of gangland thrillers, this is one not to be missed!

Book Description

An eye for an eye.

Cabhan Morton wants to leave the Russo crime family for good and live in peace with his daughter, Alice Rose. But the Russos won’t let him walk away without a fight.

A tooth for a tooth.

Franny Doyle would do anything for Cabhan and Alice, but helping them escape the vindictive Russo brothers won’t be easy. The only place they’ll be safe is back in Essex with Alfie Jennings.

A daughter for a daughter…

Franny knows she won’t be welcomed by Alfie with open arms – but she doesn’t have a choice. The Russos are out for blood and they won’t stop until Alice is dead…

My Thoughts

Fatal is an adrenaline pumping read, one that gets better with each page you turn! Full of love, hate, betrayal and revenge, this crime thriller is gritty and violent, but with enough heart to emotionally involve you in the plot.

Rose is no newbie when it comes to gangland fiction, and if you’ve been following her novels, you’ll be familiar with the characters in this one: Alfie and Franny – two ‘faces’ who rule the roost in Essex and London (Soho). There is continuity to Rose’s books in terms of character backstories, so you’ll get more out of this one having read her previous novel, Toxic, but her books can be read in isolation as each one sees the characters facing new challenges. And Fatal sees them face their toughest challenge yet, because they are up again some truly cold villains. The Russos made me shudder, their reckless disregard for human life means blood will be shed, but to Franny and Alfie family means everything, and they’ll fight to the end to save Alice.

Alice, for me, had the most character progression in this plot – you could almost call this novel her coming-of-age. Her naivety grated on me in the beginning, it’s well-explained due to her sheltered life, but still… However, by the end of this novel she was one of my favourite characters. It’s always an achievement when an author changes your opinion of a character because it shows the character development has been believable and in keeping with the events that occurred. And I have to give a mention to Alice’s friend Isaiah – shades of Lisbeth Salander with that one!

This novel has a great contrast of love and hate. The Russos give this novel its ruthless edge, whereas you can feel the love between Franny and co. What’s really interesting about this one, and a sign of Rose’s skill, is that both sides use violence, both sides kill, but you only condemn one side – perhaps because you can see the moral code with Franny and Alfie, their backs against the wall and it’s kill or be killed, whereas the Russos are the kind of killers who kill for killings-sake with no moral compass to guide them.

Fatal would appeal to fans of Martina Cole, Kimberly Chambers and Jessie Keane; fans of London’s gangster underworld. This novel, like all Rose’s novels, is such an addictive read – it’s gritty, gripping, gangland fiction at its finest. 

This book is available to buy from: Amazon UK / Book Depository

*My thanks to the publisher (Avon.) for providing me with a copy of this title*