Member Reviews

OMG The Queen of gangland Books is back!!!
Oh boy what a Cracker Jessie Keane's new book Called "The Knock" was!!!!
I was Hooked within the first few pages, but Jessie is one of my favourite all time authors and she has always had she has a great way of getting people hooked in reading her books and following all her series of books she has written. This new book of Jessie's is full of twists and turns and with sadness. You could become a part of this great story and all the characters are believable. I really felt for the main character Dora, is beautiful and she spoilt when she was a child. She had everything she wanted. But, She didn't get on with her two sisters and they resented her!

Dora meets a Handsome young man called Dickie at a wedding and falls in love with him. She soon finds out he is a local gangster, nothing stops her falling more in love with him. They start to see each other but has to keep their relationship a secret from others especially Dora's parents. One night Dora wants to go with him to a local Club, things go terribly wrong for Dickie and is put into prison for a crime he did not do.
Dora finds out she is pregnant with Dickie's baby and is on the streets. She can't go home!!!! She meets a bent copper Donny Maguire and he has a hold over her. Dora gives birth to a beautiful girl and calls her Angel. Dora becomes dependant on alcohol and drugs which is supplied by Donny. There's a big party at Donny's and he hands Dora round for his mates to have fun with. Dora becomes more dependant on Alcohol and drugs to take the pain of life away. Angel is growing up in the shadow of her mother, she is becoming more beautiful than her mother was when she was younger. Angel has to grow up fast if she wants to survive and become an adult!

Will she grow to become an adult? without Alcohol and drugs becoming her best friend?!!!

You will need to read The Knock to find out. You will not be disappointed! It's a brilliant book and a Must read.

Plus, I loved that Annie Carter Popped up within this book.........

I highly recommend This new Book by Jessie Keane. Fingers cross we will read more about Angel etc

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I enjoyed this book although I do think that the characters needed to be expanded somewhat. Some just seem to be getting going then it all comes to an end with no real explanation. A good read nonetheless.

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If you love Jessie Keane books then you will love this one.

Dora O'Brien had a good start in life compared to her siblings, she was beautiful and looks got you pretty much anything and everything. For Dora she found herself in with the wrong crowd and her life quickly goes into a tailspin and not at all as you or she would have imagined. Pregnant by her criminal gangster lover who is serving time for a crime he didn’t commit , Dora finds herself on the streets and then in the grips of a bent copper called Donny Maguire.

When her daughter Angel is born, Dora under the influence of drink and drugs and hasn’t had the best of lives, handed around to Donny's mates at one of his parties, her lust for life summers by the day. Growing up in the shadow of her mother's abusive relationship, Angel, who is more beautiful than her mother is also dealt a bad hand and is forced to grow up faster than she should and for Angel survival becomes her end game.

The latter half of the book we spend with Angel and her topsy turvey life, going from one bad place to another, will she follow in her mother’s footsteps? Or will she get her happy ever after?

As always, Jessie Keane takes the criminal world we have come to know and takes the reader on quite the journey of emotions and tackles subjects such as murder, abuse, grooming, rape, death and so much more. Not one of my favourite books but definitely one worth reading!

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Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I’ve read some of Jessie Keane’s books before and enjoyed them so had high expectations with this one. I wasn’t disappointed and this was a thrilling book to read. It it set over a 30 year period and covers issues of domestic abuse, and being controlled by someone. I didn’t like Dora, the main character in the first part of the story. But I could understand her behaviour, actions and feelings though and could empathise with her. Her daughter Angel was really likeable and a strong character despite her upbringing. The book kept and held my attention all the way through and I read it in just over a day. There were twists and turns in the story to keep me absorbed, wondering what will happen next. An absolutely fantastic, compelling read.

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A good read but a little too long. I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been shorter.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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4.5 stars. I have loved all this authors other books and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. Kept me gripped from start to finish as do all her books! Would definitely recommend

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It’s a story full of suspense and twists and turns that will keeps the reader just wanting to turn just one more page, and another and another.... It was a well written book, written in such a way that you could identify with the problems the characters encountered, and sometimes you even had sympathy with the drunk Dora. I hope there is some more in the series! Highly recommended.

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I absolutely loved this book! It’s a gritty gangland crime thriller that is a real page turner.
Dora gets involved with the leader of a notorious gang and is soon trapped by him. She’s desperate to get away but when she does manage to escape, his men are close behind her.
Dora is pregnant and fears for the life of her unborn child and soon another man is hot on her tail.
Her family have long since disowned her for the company she kept, so she has no-one to turn to until Donny offers her a lifeline.
This comes at a cost and soon Dora is trapped in another abusive relationship.
With her gorgeous daughter Angel growing up fast, she fears for her and soon turns to drink to cope.
Angel knows their situation is not right and learns the hard way that she needs to get away from Donny.
We then follow Angel and at first life is great, but the past soon catches up with her and the lives of her and her family hang in the balance.
This is a real addictive read that had me hooked from the first few pages.
If you’re a fan of Martina Cole or Kimberley Chambers, then you’ll love this too.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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Dora O’Brien has a good start in life. Her sisters are jealous of her as Dora is beautiful and her sisters are just plain looking. She is having a lot of admirers especially a local gangster, who she dates. But things go badly wrong Dora is left alone and pregnant. She is found by bent copper Donny Maguire who abusers her to punish her for what happened to his family. Blaming Dora for everything.
When Dora’s daughter Angel is born and grows up Dora is now a different person, she is an alcoholic and after the sexual abuse that she has received, life doesn’t seem worth living when she sees Donny turns to Angel and starts on her too! With more beauty then her mother, Angel’s life is a mixed bag when she meets all these shady characters along the way. Only her cousin Tom sees her for who she truly is.
Thank you Pan Macmillian for a copy of The Knock by Jessie Keane. This is the first book from this author I have read and wow, I will be looking forward to reading other books from this author. From the very first page it had me gripped full of twists and turns and suspense. Lots of shady gangland characters. But, also descriptions of sexual abuse that were a bit hard to swallow. But, this was a great story that if you are a fan of gangland crime you will love.

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I absolutely loved this book it is a gripping gangland story full of suspense and drama and sometimes sadness.The characters are all brilliant and feel so real .this is a hard hitting well written book I am now going to read all the other books of Jessie Keane. Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

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Jessie Keane never disappoints such a talented author!

An amazing cast of characters some more lovable than others!

A hard hitting engrossing page turner from beginning to end.

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Had a weird feeling I was reading an early Martina Cole, which isn't a bad thing, but God I hated the main character, Dora.

Will I read any more of her books - yes, but I think I'll go back to the beginning!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of this book.

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Another fantastically addictive and gritty read from Ms Keane. A great story that reads like a saga through the decades and generations. A clever move to bring in Annie's Carter for a small role as well. Eagerly anticipating her next book.

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Jessie Keane is a fantastic writer that had you rooting for the characters. In The Knock Dora ‘O’ Brien thinks looks will make her life a dream but unfortunately her life quickly becomes a nightmare. Angel is born into her mother’s nightmare and quickly learns that life is tough. I like that none of the women are waiting to be rescued and find their own way out of trouble. This also features a cameo by a character from previous novels which I loved.
Definitely worth reading!
Thanks to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #TheKnock

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Well I was really excited to see an new book by one of my favourite authors, started to read and waited for it to get going.......hmmmm it was a nice read but not a usual Keane fest so a bit disappointing I didn’t particularly like the main characters and was looking forward to the end. I would describe is a a Catherine Cookson with a bit of gore no edge of the seat gripping for me.
Let’s hope this isn’t another author who has made their name now don’t put the effort in.
Come on Jessie let’s have some more books like Black widow, Scarlet woman or the Edge the knock is just not up to the usual standard

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Jessie Keane is one of those authors that has a really big loyal following and ‘if you read her books, you read her books’, I have loved every one and in this 560 page turner it reaffirms why

Dora is beautiful, and knows it and she is attracted to all the wrong types, when an opportunity comes her way to be with a gangland boss she jumps at it but then things go badly wrong and she finds herself pregnant, but not to him.....this causes violence and ‘murders’ and Dora finds herself in the safety of a policeman’s arms......but he has revenge against Dora on his mind...and he is an abuser,
Angel is born and grows up to see her Mum ( Dora ) addled with drink and the victim of sexual violence and then the abuser starts on her.....

The story then follows Angel’s life and the many characters who come in and out of her life, all colourful, some horrendous, some not but all of them wonderfully portrayed

There is even a cameo role for Annie Carter and Max, stars of some of her other books

I found myself rooting for Angel early on and that loyalty carried on throughout the book, the author writes so well you believe you are
In the midst of a real time drama

If you have read any of the authors previous books then you know exactly what I am trying to say, her writing style and character rich stories keep you hooked from page 1

There are some tough subjects covered and the author is never one to shy away from telling it as it really is.....

A stonking 10/10 5 Stars

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A hard hitting thriller gangland thriller, that feels authentic, some of the characters are your typical stereotypes in this kind of read, but never the less The Knock was an enjoyable read. The book is a fairly long read at 500 pages plus,m but there’s plenty to keep the reader engaged. Another winner from Jessie Keane

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I absolutely LOVE Jessie Keane's books and this one was no different BUT (there is a but), I actually really disliked the initial main character of Dora. Even though I struggled to like her, I felt sorry for er because of the situation she finds herself in. Even though I disliked her, the writing and storyline had me gripped. 

When Dora's daughter Angel is born things take an even darker twist. This book does feature some scenes that people may struggle with such as domestic abuse but it's written so well that I think it's fitting with the story. The second half of the book I absolutely LOVED as Angel was a character that has really been through the mill and you just didn't know what would happen next. Overall this was another outstanding read that makes other books seem lacklustre in comparison!

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Dora O’Brien was a lovely lady .
She was told she was lovely by William
Then she met a man called Dickie Cole and she fell pregnant with her daughter called Angel
I had an ARC by Macmillan

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this author never disappoint s her readers .another brilliant read .Dora was spoilt as a child .her sisters don't get on with her .she meets dickie a gangster at a wedding and falls in love but one night it all goes wrong .then Donny gets her in his clutches for his brother but he so cruel .angel the daughter is a very feisty girl wont say no more a must read

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