Ruthless

I am a long time fan of Gangland crime fiction and grew up devouring Martina Cole's books before veering off to the psychological thriller end of the market. So it has been a long time since I've read much of this genre.Ruthless explores the life of Dolly Vincent and her family. Dolly was sent away to live with her aunt as a young child for her own protection when her gangland father gets caught up in a feud with local hard man Mad Mick. Her life takes a very different path from that of her East End childhood but despite her success, it is clear that there is something within Dolly's make up that connects her to a life of violence and crime. This is a hard-hitting and ruthless journey from London's East End to the Mafia of New York in the 1990s.What a cast of characters and plot twists throughout - I loved Dolly/Francesca and was whooping her on as she sought her own form of revenge on those who done her wrong! She is one hell of a kick ass feisty woman and you would not want to be getting on the wrong side of her! Some of the characters I found a little weak and somewhat stereotyped but this was overshadowed by a gripping and fast-moving plot!There were a couple of things that I found stretched the realms of credibility (the wolf as a pet and the social workers simply allowing Ruby to be handed over to Dolly without any check as to who she was and her relationship with them) However, in this genre this appears to be commonplace and again it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book.Ruthless explores the themes of revenge, love and greed and oh my what a tangled plot is weaved; I found myself completely engrossed in the lives of Dolly and her family; I cried at the abuse and cheered as she transformed herself into a woman most formidable! Kerry Barnes has certainly proved that she knows how to tell a good story, a compelling read that will keep you turning the pages until way past your bedtime!

This thoroughly absorbing, gripping book was really hard to put down. I enjoyed the fact that it was a long running family saga with a big cast of characters and a plot full of twists. From the beginning, set in the East End of London, the Vincent family survive under a shadow of threat when a psychopathic gangster vows revenge. It is easy to think this will be the main storyline since their 12 year old daughter has to be sent away for her protection. But it is not. The story changes direction when Francesca trains as a barrister, only to be caught up in a shocking conspiracy. This is a story which combines the bonds of a family with shocking violence and a journey of self-discovery, from the High courts of London to the mafia world of New York. Simply put, the story is brilliant with good character development from start to finish.I enjoyed it immensely but I have to be honest in my reviews. The writing style could be improved so I want to share a piece of advice that was passed onto me. The jumbling of character perspectives in the same scene is confusing and ruins the flow. So if the author could write through the mind of one character per scene it would be 100% brilliant. I would give this 4.5 stars if it was possible but the story was so strong it is worthy of 5 stars. I look forward to reading the sequel.

Martina Cole, Kim Hunter Kimberley Chambers or Jessie Keane, etc if you enjoyed their novels, then this is as close as you can get to them, this author isn't fully there yet, but for her first novel in this genre (assume it's her first as can't find any others) then soon she will be on par with them if she just tweaks a few things and can knock out a few novels soon to get her reputation up there.The storyline, great characters, as usual, some you love, some you hate. Each character you get to know well, their personality, traits etc. There is some plots, twists and turns, but some are predictable, however, searched for many months to find a good read and stumbled across this, thank god. You won't be blown away fully with this or fall in love with any male characters like you normally do with the above authors I have mentioned, but it is still a great read, good storyline and plots.I do recommend this to readers who like this genre as long as you don't expect it to be the same as those other authors. Looking forward to many more novels from this author if she continues to write this type of genre.

Another good read, I enjoyed Ruthless so much, that I read it over 3 nights. Can’t wait for the next one.

If you like Martina Cole you will enjoy this

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book I couldn’t put down and I don’t usually bother writing reviews but this is brilliant. It’s well written and keeps you on tenter hooks all the time

So many unexpected twists and turns. Kerry keeps you guessing all the way to the last sentence. Spins brilliant tales

Wow what a corker of a story ! I just could not put this one down, I was pulled in right from the beginning and glued ! Loved all of the main characters apart from the obvious ! Francesca ( aka Dolly/ Launa ) certainly goes through some tough situations which ultimately makes her become the ruthless women she needs to be ! Loved the Vincent's tight knit family and the bond they share together. I don't like giving too much away in reviews but if you like a good east end gangster / mafia read of the likes of Martina Cole, Kim Hunter Kimberley Chambers or Jessie Keane then don't hesitate to buy this book, you so won't be disappointed, I feel Kerry barnes has upped the game with this book and I definitely can't wait for her next one to come out ! Good job Kerry excellent read