Book Description:
The one place she never wanted to go back to. The one place she can’t escape.
When she was just five years old, Lucy Murphy witnessed her mother’s brutal murder in their home on London’s notorious Griffin Estate. The case was never solved. Now a newly qualified police officer, Lucy has been given her first job: she’s going back to the Griffin Estate.
She is there to protect the estate’s vulnerable residents, including Shannon and Kian Winters, two kids struggling to deal with their alcoholic mother. Fifteen-year-old Shannon is working every spare hour to keep a roof over their heads, but thirteen-year-old Kian has fallen under the sway of gang leader Jax Priestly. And now Jax has plans for Shannon too…
As Lucy gets to know Kian and Shannon she becomes determined not to let the two teenagers become Jax’s victims. But time is running out. Jax is out of control, and the gang’s violent reprisals are escalating. Can Lucy face down her own demons in time to prevent a tragedy? As a child, she already witnessed the murder of one innocent person. It will take all her courage and training to stop another.
A shocking, fast-paced read that will keep you gripped from beginning to end. Fans of Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole won’t be able to put this down.
My Thoughts:
This is a story that’s character driven. There are a few likeable ones and ones that are far from it!
Lucy, a young qualified officer, has her own bad memories of the estate where she lived until her mother was brutally murdered. It was interesting to see how her past has shaped her into the person she is now. Along with investigating crimes that seem to keep coming back to the Griffin estate, she also juggles looking after her gran whose memory sadly is going.
The storyline to do with Lucy’s gran was endearing as well as heart breaking. My own gran suffered with dementia and I could relate to how awful it is to see a loved one going through it and them not even knowing most days who you are. I like how the author incorporated this thread in with the rest of the story.
There are so many stand out characters for me in this story. Shannon and Kian, sister and brother who are both good kids with Kian falling into the wrong crowd. Phillip, a vulnerable young man, whose life is being made a misery by Jax and his gang. Benny, Shannon’s boss, who makes you realise there are some lovely people in this world. Each one had me compelled to read more about them. Even Jax. A nasty piece of work but all of them made this an absolute must read story.
No Escape is a brilliantly gritty and engrossing story. I love stories that are set on estates and the author draws you into this world, feeling the fear and emotions of the residents. There were a couple of unexpected twists where the author kept me on my toes and had me hanging off every word. A great read!
My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
No Escape is available to purchase from Amazon.
Born in Cuckfield, West Sussex, Casey Kelleher grew up as an avid reader and a huge fan of author Martina Cole.
Whilst working as a beauty therapist and bringing up her three children together with her husband, Casey penned her debut novel Rotten to the Core. Its success meant that she could give up her day job and concentrate on writing full time.
For all news and updates:
www.caseykelleher.co.uk
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Twitter: @caseykelleher
bytheletterbookreviews 
Wonderful review! I definitely like the sound of this one. xx
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