I enjoyed this book. Particularly the aspects of the different morals, rules of society of the time and area. I found the ending a little unbelievable. Although I'm no expert so may be wrong here.

From page one I was lured into the dark world of Peggy Bowden. The book is not even close to what I have expected it to be.

The year is 1950 and we are in Dublin at the doorstep of a house number thirty-four. We are being greeted by Peggy Bowden. Peggy is not your ordinary girl next door, she is more of the opposite. Peggy's life was never easy. Becoming a mistress of a whorehouse and an abortionist was not her first choice, but that was all she could do to survive. Peggy's character is straightforward, she is not afraid to stand up for herself or to tell the truth. Her world came crashing when her father didnt return home from the war and her mother went mad shortly after and was taken to a mental asylum. She was married off to an abusive farmer, until an unfortunate accident when he broke his neck. After that accident, Peggy moved to Dublin, became a midwife and started to run an illegal baby-selling business. After a while, she was turned into to law enforcement hands and ended up in the prison for five years. Life after prison was even worse, and running a whorehouse and illegal abortion business on the side was all she could do at the time.

A letter in the mailbox informs Peggy of a living (wealthy) family member that would like to reconnect with her. Can this be Peggy's happy ending? Can she reunite with a long lost relative, gain a family and live happily ever after? Even if a family member turns out to be a good old Irish mobster?

The rollercoaster of events in this book keeps the reader on their toes.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Set in Ireland in the 1950's, Peggy was a midwife but now runs a down and out brothel whilst running a sideline in helping women who have got themselves into trouble.

This is not a book for the faint hearted, there is a whole cast of horrible characters. The men think women are there to be used and abused and the women fight to get the best customers.

This is a raw story of poverty, abuse and mistreatment. I wanted to like this story more but the characters didn't engage me and I felt some of them were too stereotypical.

Interesting first person narrative that means you really get to know Peggy ,the protagonist in the novel,. You will feel for her but also at times you really want to take her by the scruff of the neck and shake her. Not sure if this was the ,true to the times, violence in parts of the book rubbing off on me or not! I wasn’t too sure when in the Twentieth Century the novel was set at first but once I realised it was in the fifties I was horrified at how women were regarded . Life as Peggy is hard mainly due to the fact that she is a woman and alone, she struggles to better herself in a world where women are barely seen let alone heard- unless of course they are wives or mothers. Wrong choices ,made probably because she wanted to help others, led to her living on the wrong side of Dublin . The man she thinks will be her saviour turns out to be a major player in the criminal world of Ireland
The pace of the writing kept me reading and turning the pages to find out how Peggy gets on . The ending made me feel sorry for Peggy ,not what I had first envisaged happening but considering her background and the times probably inevitable. Not the type of book I usually read but will be interested to read more by the author when she writes them

Firstly I have to admit that this is not my normal read. If I see anything with 1950s or earlier it would be a no no from me but I thought I would give it a chance.

I am so pleased I decided to read this as it was a fantastic read. The story is all about Peggy living in Dublin in the 1950s. It deals with all of her struggles and the opportunities that land at her feet.

I was absolutely drawn in to the story and loved Peggy, although I’m not sure I agreed with all her decisions and actions, but she is such a strong character that you just can’t help loving.

The story just keeps giving and there is never a dull moment in the plot. I would really recommend this to anyone or loves crime books, even if you don’t normally read books based in this era.

I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

If you love a good crime and thriller book ; this book is for you .; the characters are very strong willed ; when life has dealt them a bad card ; they still stay strong ; great fast paced book not to be missed ; I was hooked from the first chapter

The Abandoned is very enjoyable, quite different from the crime fiction I usually read.

I really liked Peggy’s voice. It’s been a while since I read a crime novel with a first-person narrator. It works really well in this book. She’s feisty, tough, hard as nails but so soft as well. She’s a well-rounded character.

I’m pretty sure this is the first book I’ve read about someone getting involved in the criminal underworld. I found the whole concept behind the book really enjoyable. The setting and the characters are vivid and realistic.

The author does a great job of creating sympathy for Peggy. She’s not a saint but she’s far from evil. A victim of circumstances, trying to do her best. I enjoyed the way the story develops, as Peggy’s life gradually spirals out of control.

My only gripe is the ending. The ending isn’t terrible. It’s better than it could have been when Peggy’s dangerous new life falls apart. But still, so much potential is lost. The ending isn’t completely satisfying.

The Abandoned is worth a read if you’re looking for crime fiction a little bit different.

Well what a character Peggy is. I certainly went through a range of feelings towards her. At times my heart was breaking for her plight and at other times I was so disapproving of her actions I couldn’t care less what happened to her. This is set in Dublin in the 1950s which is a time period that I rarely read about and I realise I was actually imagining it as decades earlier and somewhat like Boardwalk Empire. There were lots of wee snippets of Peggy’s earlier life and I think that a story I would have liked to read in full.

This book was really good it had me gripped from the start and did not let me down.

Peggy was married and after her husband dies in a accident, she decides that she wants to help people, so she trains to become a midwife.

This book was set in the 1950s Ireland, when things were a lot different for women during those years.

Peggy opens a maternity home which is a huge success. There is lack of birth control for a lot of women and she decides to do something about it.

While on this campaign, Peggy sees it as a way to make more money, but soon ends up with her being involved in the underworld.

And before long Peggy is caught up in a world where she doesn't want to be. Can she get out and turn her life back around or has she bitten off more than she can handle?

This book transports you back to the 1950s and you get an insight to how different a woman's right to birth control and how different life was then.

This book is a really nice read that will keep you gripped.

Have to admit at first I was not sure about this book but it just gets better and better a brilliant book.

I really wanted to be on Peggy's side but I found her a bit erratic and I didn't particularily like some of the things she did. Peggy runs a brothel and she has had a hard life, Molly met Peggy in jail and she helped Molly set up the business. She feels hard done by as she plods through her life but that is due to come crashing down on her when one of the punters upsets Molly.
The other girls have scattered but Peggy decides she must continue on but nothing ever goes to plan for Peggy and she finds herself deep in the criminal underground when her interest is piqued by a letter from a solicitor.
I loved the book on a whole and it was definately a page turner so I suggest you try it for yourself, 'I am sure you will not be disappointed Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound for the kindle copy of the book.

Brilliant! This book was fantastically written, I loved the character Peggy, and the story drew me in immediately, I found myself reading at any given opportunity. This is the first book I have read by this author, having heard many good recommendations, I will certainly be reading more of this author's work.

Peggy not had a loving and careful life due to her mother that has to go in the asylum.
Peggy was married to a priest but not for long as he had an accident .
So in 1950 Dublin Peggy soon rises to a business for a maternity house.But realize she is not taking it right so she hopes to correct it .

Wow. What a read. I started this last night and as soon as I got kids to school this morning I was back in bed reading the rest of this story. This is a debut novel and it is written brilliantly.

This book is set in the 1950s. I haven’t read books from decades ago in so long, probably my teenage years when I inhaled Catherine Cookson. This book brought me back to those years with a smile on my face. The book is set in Ireland so my smile was even bigger. Familiar names had me in a happy bubble.

The Abandoned is Peggy’s story. She’s had a real tough start to life. She’s a tough cookie and knows how to fight for survival. Any opportunity she sees she grasps with everything she has and tries her best.

While Peggy fights her conscience she finds herself in the middle of the criminal world. Is she strong enough to hold her own??

Cannot praise this author highly enough. I will be recommending this to anyone who listens. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

This book follows the ups and downs in the life of Peggy Bowden, and it’s quite a rollercoaster ride! From orphan to a woman of means, battered wife to wealthy criminal, prison to brothel madam, criminal gang leader to political activist, you never know what’s coming next for Peggy. Although she’s a pretty despicable character in many ways, you can’t help but admire her strength in adversity.
It’s a gritty book that’s hard to read in places but I couldn’t put it down.

This is not my typical read and I admit I was expecting something different when I started the book.
The story is set in the 1950s and Peggy has had a difficult life and now runs a brothel. She also used to be a midwife so uses her knowledge to offer an abortion service to those in need.
Things start to get worse for Peggy and she is drawn into the criminal underbelly and has to take action to get out of this.
I really felt for Peggy at times and this story gives a view of what life in certain areas was like during this time.
This didn’t have quite enough of a crime element for me and was more of a drama, but I’d give it 3.5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Read my 5-star review of The Abandoned: a gripping crime thriller by Sharon Thompson

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2261716336

When I picked this books I was unsure weather it would keep me gripped as this isn't what I normally read but wow I've read this in about two days and couldn't believe how much I just wanted to keep reading, the character are well thought out, the plot which I thought was going one way but turned another way

I received this book free as a review copy for my honest opinion. I must say that I really enjoy great character development and a thriller. This book had mediocre characters that I could not connect with and a lot of descriptions of sex acts that did not add to the story. This book is really not my cup of tea.

First, I want to thank Sharon Thompson and Bloodhound Books for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

The Abandoned by Sharon Thompson was not the Book I assumed I was going to be reading. I was hoping it would be more mystery and suspense but what I found was more sex and prostitution. Not something I wanted to read about.

This book tells a very interesting story of Peggy, who has pretty much had a hard life since she was in her teens. She has experienced much more than one person should expect to and still comes out fighting. Peggy comes across as a very strong character, who picks herself up and starts anew whenever she takes a knock. This book is set in Ireland and although shows a good insight into how life may have been in the 1950’s, I found the text sometimes hard to understand, particularly the spoken word.
I love thrillers and crime is my ‘go to’ genre. However this book didn’t feel like too much of a thriller to me. It wasn’t gritty enough to compel me to not put it down, but it told a good tale. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author in the future.