A very different read to what we usually get from Jessie Keane. Still enjoyable, still gripping and explosive but just felt so very different.
This book being set in the last century is what makes it so different to all the other books i've read from this author.
The characters are very well created and the story flows and builds brilliantly.

This is a historical gangland thriller. It is very gritty and addictive. It is a great piece of historical crime fiction.
It was a complete page turner

It’s been a while since I have read a Jessie Keane book and forgot how much I enjoyed her writing, although I found this one to be a bit different to her others I really enjoyed it. Diamond had no chance at a happy life from a very young age when her dad was brutally murdered and her vicious uncle moved into the family home, after escaping to her loving mothers place of birth , Paris, Diamond hopes she can start a new life but trouble just seems to follow her. A really good read.

Another good rags to ill gotten gains story from Jessie Keane. Engaging, gritty and dramatic. A decent read.

Diamond Butcher and her family, once ruled the streets but the Wolfe family have destroyed that.

Diamond escapes to Paris and eventually she returns to London where she meets the enigmatic but damaged Richard and soon sparks fly between them.

This was a solid read and I loved it. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love Jessie keane and coukd not wait to read her latest novel and wow it did not disappoint full of all the usual suspense and drama

Another great book by Jessie Keane. Diamond Butcher a young girl lives with her family in London when her father is brutally killed Diamond is thrown into the gangland world of crime and prostitution of London Things go wrong and Diamond finds herself running away to Paris to start a new life but the past catches up with her and soon Diamond finds herself back in London a stronger person and starts putting things right . A page Turner until the end.

A gritty crime story

Diamond Butcher is born to loving well-off parents whose father Warren owns clubs and doesn't come by money legally. She has two younger brothers the youngest Owen who was born with the cord around his throat has learning difficulties but is loved no less than diamond or Archie her other brother.

When Warren is murdered the Butcher family is thrown into turmoil. Warren's cruel brother Victor barges his way into their lives, he rapes their mother Frenchie nightly and beats the children. Diamond can take no more after being forced into the sex industry by him, so flees from her home in London to her mother's homeland in Paris in search of her mother's old friend Mimi.

I enjoyed the story and the way Diamond went from a young girl to a strong woman. But found it a little confusing the way it melded from one character to another, when I thought I was reading about one character it had swapped to somebody else and that was a bit irritating.
A great twist at the end.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this gripping book. xx

Diamond by Jessie Keane was another superb historical crime fiction book and one of her best. This latest book had me gripped from the beginning till the end. I loved it. However, it is slightly different from all her other books but still an excellent read.

Fingers cross I am hoping there will be more of Diamond's story to come.

I highly recommend all of Jessie Keane's books. They have all been a 5 star read.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Hoddler & Stoughton for an advance copy of this book on exchange for a honest review!!

Another cracker from Jessie Keane focusing on two rival gangs, the Wolfes and the Butchers. Diamond Butcher is a feisty female lead character who has to put up with abuse with her family in London and has to cope with a move to Paris where her life is far from easy.

As ever, Jessie Keane's characters are brilliantly written and the end of this book lends itself to a follow up which will hopefully be on the horizon soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hoddler & Stoughton for an advance copy of this book on exchange for a honest review!!

I have read all of Jessie Keane's books and love each and every one of them. This new book did not fail to disappoint!! Fantastic story line and characters as always! With a few unexpected twists in the plot to keep you guessing!!

Would highly recommend

In the early years of the last century, a desperate young girl changes her name and flees the confines of her brutal, dominating gangland family in London. Now calling herself 'Diamond Dupree', she goes to Paris to become an artist's model but the world there is different to what she had supposed it would be and she soon falls on hard times. When she manages to escape at the end of the First World War, she leaves behind her a mystery - and a dead man.

Back home in London, she reluctantly re-joins the Soho family 'firm' she'd once been glad to leave behind. Having grown tougher during her time in Paris, she soon becomes a force to be reckoned with, a feared and respected gangland queen. But then she meets Richard Beaumont, the youngest son of a wealthy aristocratic family, and sparks fly. But can she escape the long arm of the law and the hangman's noose, when the crimes of her past finally catch up with her?

Another excellent read from Jessie Keane. This story is a little different to her previous books but stick with it as it will take you on a rollercoaster of a ride from London to Paris and back to London again.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The gangland boss is back with another fantastic book!

Jessie Keane is an incredible writer and she nails gangland crime.

In this book we are introduced to Diamond, the daughter of the Head of the Wolfe Gang who rules the streets of Soho. Her father dies and Diamond has to step up in the family business. And does she fit into that role!

Diamond gets herself into, lets say a bit of trouble, and runs away to Paris to escape the violence. But the trouble soon finds her again!
This book is written with such pace, that you feel that you are on the run with her.
I had such Peaky Blinder vibes when I read this book.

The book is set pre-war, so sways into historical-crime fiction.

I really enjoyed this book, as I have enjoyed all Jessie’s work. However, I do prefer her more modern day villains!!

Diamond by Jessie Keane.
In the early years of the last century, a desperate young girl changes her name and flees the confines of her brutal, dominating gangland family in London. Now calling herself 'Diamond Dupree', she goes to Paris to become an artist's model but the world there is different to what she had supposed it would be and she soon falls on hard times. When she manages to escape at the end of the First World War, she leaves behind her a mystery - and a dead man. Back home in London, she reluctantly re-joins the Soho family 'firm' she'd once been glad to leave behind. Having grown tougher during her time in Paris, she soon becomes a force to be reckoned with, a feared and respected gangland queen. But then she meets Richard Beaumont, the youngest son of a wealthy aristocratic family, and sparks fly. But can she escape the long arm of the law and the hangman's noose, when the crimes of her past finally catch up with her?
I really really enjoyed this book. Great story and characters. I loved the cover. 5*.

My first read by this author and it won’t be my last. This is historical crime drama at its strongest. A fabulous protagonist in the guise of Diamond Butcher, who reinvents herself as Diamond Dupree, and set in London and Paris in the early twentieth century, covering the period before and after WW1.

Briefly, born into the Butcher family who rule the streets around Soho her life is disrupted when her father is killed in a fight with the local Wolfe gang and her family’s lives are brutally changed with the arrival of her uncle. Fleeing to France to find a friend of her mothers she assumes a new identity and becomes a nude model for an artist. This brings her into the seedy world of Paris in the 1920s and her life is not easy. Following a murder she is forced to leave Paris and return to her family in London becoming a feared gangland queen. There she meets again the handsome Earl, Richard Beaumont and ignites a love affair doomed by the differences in class.

Containing steamy sex scenes, graphic gangland violence, murder and even an execution scene this isn’t a book for the faint hearted but it’s certainly a real page turner. Brilliant gritty read and just could not put the book down. Definitely ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I hope that’s not the last we see of Diamond.

The story starts with us meeting Diamond Butcher, who is raised by her loving mum and dad, along with her two brothers, during the early part of the last century. Her dad is head of a gang who are in a bitter feud with the rival Wolfe gang. When Diamond’s dad Warren is murdered, his brother Victor takes over the empty place left in both the gang and his home. Victor is worse than evil and forces Diamond to take part in some of his vile plots to extort anyone he can.

What follows is an eventful account of Diamond’s life and loves, with many highs and lows. It is faced-paced and emotional. A fantastic book, which gripped me throughout and had me devouring chapters at a time.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#Diamond by #JessieKeane

⏩for book cover & synopsis

So this book is everything you’d expect from Jessie Keane novel; it had the characters, the gangs, with the drama filled story line. I loved it being set around the war and in Paris - it gave it a sophisticated air and was really reminiscent of the Ruby Darke series which is my favourite of hers!

I really loved how Keane split the story between main character Diamond, slumming in gangland SoHo, and Earl Richard’s lavish lifestyle in the country. Such a juxtaposition of settings, class and cultures which was a really interesting feature of the book.

Diamond is a classic gangland main character; I got completely absorbed by her journey and I really hope this is only the start of her story. The cast of the surrounding characters were stereotypical and perfect for this type of story.

I must say however, I did find the book lacked flow. The plot jumped around a lot, which I usually love, but here it just lacked a bit of harmony and at a couple of key parts in the story, I found that they were predictable but it seemed to take quite a while for it to be play out which caused a bit of a lull in the story.

With thanks to author #JessieKeane, #hodderandstoughton and #netgalley for allowing me to read this one early!

OUT: FEB 3rd

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

Wow. Forget about eating, sleeping or any other mundane task. This book will keep you engrossed, you will not be able to put it down. An edge of the seat page turner. Magnificent.

A gritty gangland crime drama set in the streets of London and Paris. The Butcher Gang and the Wolfe family have also been at loggerheads and when Warren Butcher is killed by Gustav Wolfe his young daughter Diamond vows revenge on his family. But first she has to escape the mean clutches of her Uncle Victor who has muscled his way into the family.
I haven't read a Jessie Keane novel for ages but I was soon into this storyline. Her portrayal of Diamond is spot on, she allows the reader to see the softer side as well as the hardened image Diamond feels she has to show to her enemies. I was rooting for her all the way
Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read this advanced copy, my opinions are my own and I am under no obligation to leave my review

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this ARC
Wow Jessie has nailed it again. Gangland gritty page turner can your books get any better. Diamond is an unpredictable girl
Can't wait to read more by this author