Blackmail: A completely unputdownable gripping and gritty crime thriller (The Manchester Thrillers)

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I was familiar with the dialogue used (as I live in the UK) and felt that it fitted with the story well.

She moved from Gorton to Longsight and spent her teenage years on one of the toughest estates in Manchester. I love well-rounded characters and clever interactions in books, which is why I’m such a fan of Agatha Christie.

He was tall, slim and good looking with jet-black hair, and she thought for the umpteenth time how lucky she was to be married to him. His hair was going grey, and he was muscle-bound and rugged looking, whereas she preferred her men more sophisticated and slimmer like her husband. He smiled disarmingly, and Beth noticed it made him look even more handsome with his perfect white teeth. I thought that the way that the book switched from present events to the memories of Julie was greatly effective and gave me the information I needed to piece the story together without being overwhelming or boring.

Heather now works full-time on her novels from her home in Manchester, which she shares with her two grown-up children. You’ll be having your feet washed when we get back,’ said Beth, frowning as Rex splashed his way through puddles and the white fur of his legs became filthy. In short, I absolutely LOVED reading ‘Blood Ties’ and I can’t wait to read what comes next from Heather Burnside. Good news, Gangster’s Grip is no exception; the tense and heavy plot doesn’t stop you wanting to plough on to the shocking yet inevitable ending.

The feeling of desperation and constant threat runs through the whole book, and is almost enough to make you want to stop reading, if you weren’t so invested in the characters. They had both been living in Romiley when they met two years ago, Beth in her own flat and Brady in a three-bed semi he owned. As they passed an elderly lady walking an overenthusiastic Collie, Rex cowered behind Beth, whimpering.

As Beth smiled at his enthusiasm, he nodded at a table for two with plush chairs covered in a fawn-coloured fabric. As she drew close to it, Rex’s barking grew more insistent, and she knew he was aware of her presence.

He tugged at her until she was behind the densest area of shrubbery, right next to the large tree trunk. Another exciting read from this author … brilliant can't wait to see if there's another one in the series . The relationship between the characters is also great to follow, sometimes characters do not work together but the main characters blend well, I liked watching Julie and Vinny grow. Immediately, the threatening bulk of the man was on top of her, his evil eyes staring back at her and his ragged face full of menace.

I am a sufferer of depression and found this was covered well in the novel, it can be hard to portray in a book but I think the author has given the character more depth and made Julie more believable in her situation.

Out of the corner of her eye, Beth noticed the manager watching her, but before he had a chance to comment, she rushed away from the bar, feeling flustered. When Beth meets wealthy crime boss Martin, he sets her up in business, dotes on her and gives her everything she wants. As Beth moves on from her trauma with new husband Brady , she seems a happy, successful career girl. Although this is number two in the series, I do believe Gangster’s Grip would easily work as a separate story. Then he lowered his voice, ‘Rumour has it that he’s a bit dodgy and he’s running other businesses on the side.