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Thursday, 8 March 2012

‘Street Girls’ by Linda Regan

Published by Crème de la Crime,
February 2012.
ISBN: 978-1-78029-8

The story opens with banter between two prostitutes Bethany and young Carly as they work their pitch in the freezing cold.  They are both looking for a punter with a warm car, and to earn enough money for a fix and to keep their pimp Yo Yo Reilly happy.  But the evening is not destined to end on a happy note.

A stabbing on the troubled South London Aviary council estate brings unrest.  DI Georgia Johnston and her Sergeant Stephanie Green are assigned to investigate, but Georgia is dismayed to find that her boss had called in gang expert DI Dawes to be part of the team. DI Dawes has is own agenda, which is dedicated to bringing down the head of the Brotherhood of Blades Yo Yo Reilly, a most unsavory character.

Soon the unrest on the estate has escalated and the rumour is of a takeover of the estate by a rival gang. Although a complete book in itself we meet again thirteen-year-old Aylsha who featured in Brotherhood of Blades.  Currently Yo Yo Relly’s woman, Aylsha still holds a touch for Michael Delahaye, a former lieutenant in the Brotherhood.

As the investigation progresses it is clear that DI Dawes wants to arrest Yo Yo Reilly whether he is guilty or not.  As Georgia struggles to keep the investigation on track she also has the additional problem of Stephanie’s teenage daughter Lucy who is working at the station in the murder department to gain work experience, and is eager to prove herself.  So much so that she offers to go undercover, against Georgia’s opposition.  

Rich in characters, Linda Regan has created an explosive situation as loyalties become stretched, in both the police force and the underworld. Coupled with youth and a desire to prove oneself the story moves along at a cracking pace.   The estate is a powder keg as the different fractions, misunderstandings, jealousy and resentments come to the surface. In a volatile stand-off - who will win and who will lose? 

Linda Regan is a master of her craft and I eagerly await the next book.  Not to be missed.
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Lizzie Hayes

Linda Regan is a successful actress. Her career has varied from The Royal Shakespeare company to a regular character in the  BBC's comedy HiDeHi series. Also guest appearances in The Bill, Holby City, Doctors, Crime Watch, a Lynda La Plante series- Framed. Her first three books all have theatrical threads. Behind You! is set backstage in a pantomime. Passion Killers- is a dark thriller. In Dead Like Her someone is killing off Marilyn Monroe lookalikes. But in Brotherhood of Blades took Linda’s writing into a new dimension, and this new book Street Girls can only be termed a thriller.

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4 comments:

  1. Keen Reader14 March 2012 at 02:14

    You never seem to read a bad, or even disappointing, novel. They're all winners and highly recommended.

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    Replies
    1. Lizzie 15 March 2012 at 08:25

      Every book has its strengths. For every book there is a readership. It is the reviewers job to find that readership by their review. I give a flavour of the story and point out the books strengths. The secret is in the name, I promote crime fiction. If I cannot say anything good then I don't say anything.

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  2. Keen Reader19 March 2012 at 00:06

    Those of us who read a lot frequently encounter disappointing books, even some outright stinkers. It would be a service to other readers to know which ones you come across.

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  3. Keen Reader2 April 2012 at 01:10

    'If reviewing doesn’t act as a gate-keeper of sorts, the success of a book will come down only to the size of its publicity budget and the enthusiasm of its publishers’ tweets.' - Mary Beard (professor in classics at Cambridge).

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