A stunning blockbuster for a read .A funny story. Fast paced . Very gritty .

Oh my god I loved this book. Marnie Riches is one of my favourite authors and I could not wait to read this book. It grabs you and does not let you down a brilliant read.

Sheila is back and she is out to prove to everyone that she is in charge and if you do not like it then tough, she is one tough cookie who is not to be messed with. But she also has a soft side as well.

It is so nice to see two women going up against men in turf wars. Sheila and Gloria are a great team although it is clear that Sheila is the one who is in charge.

It's a really powerful emotional book and all through this I really liked Sheila and was rooting for her all the way along. After everything that she has been through it's nice to see that things work out for Sheila.

The plot was not too over the top either it was believable and a brilliant read.

It has many highs and lows but a brilliant read.

This is the first book I have read by Marnie Riches but it became obvious quite quickly that this was a follow up novel – in fact the second in the Manchester series. In this Sheila O’Brien assumes the position as the head of the Manchester criminal fraternity following the death of her husband Paddy O’Brien. Clearly though, this cannot go unchallenged and Sheila is forced to deal with a threat from a rival Birmingham gang headed by Nigel Bancroft who wants to take over her territory. Obviously violence will ensue and some will die.

Reminiscent of Martina Cole.

Although I did enjoy some of the characters and took great pleasure from some of the comic aspects, I found it quite hard going to get into the book; all the characters just didn’t stay fixed in my mind, and I didn’t really care what happened to them. About half-way through the book this changed somewhat and I began to appreciate the book more. It was a well-thought out plot but it never reached the point where I was concerned about what might happen.

Sorry Ms Riches, but it didn’t do it for me.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I really struggled to get into The Cover Up, it just wasn't s the for me sorry.

This book is a good enough read but I wasn't gripped by it. This may be in some part due to me not having read the first book and so was not so familiar with the characters and how Sheila had become a widow. Some of the characters are really well thought out and believable, and then you have Gloria who in my mind is a totally unbelievable character. My advice is to read the first book before this one as I am sure it will make all the difference.

Well recommended. An interesting tale with twists and turns.

Second in “Manchester” series after Born Bad and the violence increases along with the intrigue. Grit lit and then some. Manchester has the dirtiest underbelly I’ve seen for a while in a novel and this novel doesn’t hold bak on its punches. There’s violence and anger but nothing is gratuitous. The author is born and bred in Manchester and is very proud of her heritage – the reality, the real heart of the city shines through and its Northern grit does too.
Marnie recently featured in a CBS series called ‘WRitten in Blood’ where she showed Simon Toyne around her city, including Strangways prison and the inner city streets. Good to watch before reading this as the passion, background and Marnie’s dedication to showcasing reality in all its forms is well and truly captured here.
Born Bad was good, The Cover Up ramps up everything you read in that book and more. A unique view of Manchester with an attitude and gripping tension to match.

I would like to thank Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Cover Up’ by Marnie Riches in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Following the death of her husband Paddy, Sheila O’Brien takes over the running of his criminal underworld business, but Nigel Bancroft wants to extend his influence to include Manchester and if he needs to remove Sheila then so be it.
Although ‘The Cover Up’ has been well written I found some of the narrative a bit stilted and couldn’t get involved in the plot. The characters were gritty and tough but I didn’t empathise with them, and I must admit to not being interested in what happened to them. I’m sorry Marnie, this book just wasn’t for me although I’m sure a lot of readers will disagree with me.

Fast paced, violent gandland tale set in Manchester. I hadn’t realised that this was book two in a series and struggled to follow the plot. The writing (as usual for this author) is brilliant and she has the ability to bring characters and culture to life in a breathtaking fashion. My enjoyment was being spoilt by omitting book one so I have abandoned the book at 30% to go back and read the previous.

The Cover Up is the second book in the "Manchester" series and is absolutely brilliant .I have read Born Bad the first book in the series and this book continues the story of Manchester Gangland .The characters are beautifully written and very realistic and although at times the story is violent it had its lighter moments .I found the story very gripping and thoroughly enjoyed it .I can't wait to read the next book in the series .If I could give this book 10 stars I would .Loved it !

The Cover Up Marnie Riches

This is the second book in the Manchester series by Marnie Riches and follows on shortly after the end of the first book Born Bad.

With Paddy O’Brien, the main gangland boss, gone Manchester is up for grabs, but who is going to take control.

Paddy’s wife Sheila is trying to assume his roll, but will anybody take her seriously. They should, she has his old Henchman Conky close at hand, very close at hand, and he is quite happy to dispense violent retribution on anybody who crosses his new girlfriend.

She is also aided by the scripture quoting grandmother Gloria.

Gloria is the “straight” business partner of Sheila who helped her set up a legitimate cleaning company; but now things are getting dodgy she is wondering around Manchester with a shopping trolley loaded with a gun and ammunition. This oxymoron of a woman is probably one of the best fictional characters I’ve read for a long time.

Sheila’s main threat is coming from a new quarter. Nigel Bancroft is a Brummie who, as well as running a legitimate and successful property development business, is also the gangland boss of the Midlands.

Brummie Nigel wants to move into Manchester and goes about trying to muscle into O’Brien territory to get a foothold in the north-west city.

Meanwhile the O’Briens main rivals in Manchester the Boddington Gang, is also trying to take control. This gang is in the mist of an internal struggle as the two head men, Tariq and Jonny, are at loggerheads about everything except taking over the O’Briens business.

All the time the Police are watching and waiting for any crack to appear in the gang’s armour. DI Ellis James is determined to bring the gangs to task, but how far will he go to get that vital piece of evidence.

Just to throw a spanner in the works somebody else is watching from a distance. Somebody with an axe to grind, somebody who wants revenge, somebody who wants back what he considers his property, and he is prepared to go to any lengths to get it.

This book is written in a way that at times had me laughing at its dark humour, and at other times has me wincing with its violence.

The storyline is a masterful journey of twists and turns with the occasional surprise that had me thinking “no way” and at the same time “brilliant”.

I loved the story, I loved the characters, I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Pages: 400
Published by Avon
Publishing date: 11 January 2018

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Honestly this Book was just alright. I found that it took quite some time to get into the story. The storyline was good, well thought out. Great characters too. It just wasn’t for me. I would recommend it though everyone has different opinions.