I love my gritty gangland crime thrillers, so whenever I’m looking for such a read one author I turn to is Mandasue Heller. As she’s one of my favourite author’s in this genre and delivers time and time again. The Family is now firmly one of my favourite reads thanks to skulduggery, and the goings on of a toxic crime family. One of Mandasue’s strength is her ability to bring each character to life. So much so that you’re living their story alongside them. Fuelled by treachery, lies and betrayal, The Family begs to be read in one hugely satisfying sitting.

Cheryl is one of the good guys, kind, lovable and unfortunately for her, she’s very gullible! When she meets ‘perfect’ Dale Moran its love at first sight. But as the old saying goes, ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is’ and once she’s introduced to the Moran family, alarm bells start ringing. It’s obvious to the reader that Cheryl is being manipulated at every turn, I wanted her to ‘wake up and smell the coffee’. The Moran’s idea of family loyalty is twisted to say the least! So unfortunately for Cheryl, the story takes a chilling turn, which is one of the reasons I found The Family to be such an addictive read. Highly recommended.

I found this book a good read. Cheryl meets Dale, a man who seems to good to be true, then she gets quickly drawn into his family and realises there's something darker going on. It'll keep you reading to the end to find out what happens.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love Mandasue Heller books, and she is on top form with this one. A great plot, twists turns and gritty action. Recommended.

Wow, loved this book. Really good ending, not what I expected. Think there's room for a sequel, would recommend this book to everyone

Cheryl lives on a council estate having kicked her boyfriend Chris out for cheating on her. She runs the Bluebell Café where she enjoys serving her regular customers and passing the time of day with them. Apart from home and work, Cheryl doesn’t have much else in her life. Her circle of friends has declined and she can ill afford to spend money on anything but essentials as she is paying off the loans her Chris secretly took out in her name.

Just then, Dale Moran walks in to Cheryl’s life and sweeps her off her feet. He is charming, good looking and treats Cheryl like a princess. Soon Cheryl meets Dale’s family and the Moran’s take her into the fold without hesitation. Cheryl is swept along by the close-knit family and embraces family life as it’s one she hasn’t previously been familiar with.

Sonia Moran is the matriarch of the family and treats Cheryl to things that have never been within her reach before, spending hundreds of pounds on her at a time. When Dale proposes to Cheryl, Sonia is ready and waiting with her pen and notepad to arrange the wedding with Cheryl’s ‘help’.

As the wedding gets nearer, Cheryl slowly realises that the Moran family aren’t what they first appeared and she has bitten off way more than she can chew. As the story unfolds, the layers fall away revealing some terrible truths which leave Cheryl in grave danger.
I absolutely love Mandasue Heller’s books and this one is no exception. It is gritty, compelling and extremely difficult to put down. Initially, I felt that although Cheryl has a big heart, she is pretty gullible and the main plot was so obvious that I couldn’t believe she hadn’t realised what was going on, even in part. This didn’t make me love the book any less and for me, Cheryl’s naivety is part of the charm of the book as I found myself championing her and keeping my fingers crossed that everything would turn out right for her in the end.

An absolutely brilliant book which I adored from beginning to end. Mandasue has an amazing back catalogue and she has another great book in The Family to add to her already incredible collection.

A good domestic crime thriller, set in Manchester, filled with horrible characters, apart from Cheryl, despite this, I was kept interested until the end. It was fairly predictable but it is an easy, quick read which will keep fans reading until the last page. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I am a huge fan of Mandasue Heller and I really was looking forward to reading her latest novel

As always this did not disappoint, I was hooked from the first chapter.

The storyline was great and kept me engrossed and I was left totally stunned at some of the shock twists.

What a family and a mother in law from hell!

Amazing read and gripping I didn't want to put this one down

Wow what a cracker! This drew me in from the first chapter. It's one of those books that you do not want to put down.
The dynamics of the family are so believable that you can imagine how easy it is for this to happen. Excellent ending too.
5 stars

I have just finished reading this book and it is another superb read by Mandasue Heller.

After meeting a Dale, Cheryl feels as though she has landed on her feet. His family welcome her with open arms and things are going great until things start to take a dark turn.

This is a book that you will not want to put down but at the same time, you won't want it to end.

With many twists and turns, you are truly captivated and competely drawn in.

For crime and gangland lovers, this really is a must read book. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

The Family by Mandasue Heller

You always know what you are going to get with a book by this author , and that is a thrilling , gritty and at times edge of your seat read . Brilliant.

Mandasue Heller does it again

I do not feel I have ever read a bad book by her. This was up their with her other books. I was enthralled from the beginning of the book to the very last page. A must read for all Mandasue Heller fans.

Wow what a page turning read! I loved the plot with many twists and the terrifying believeable moments. The characters are well developed and the ending is wholly satisfying.

Have read this author but many years ago! This was an interesting book, wasn’t sure where it was going, but it kept me interested! A great plot with characters that were believable, yet annoying, at times wanted to shout at the pages! All in all a quick, easy read.

I have read all of Mandasue Heller's books and this one certainly doesn't disappoint, what an amazing read. It is impossible to put down once you start reading it, kept me gripped from page 1. I had finished it within a day. From the 1st chapter I was pulled into Cheryl's life and what she had been through. She meets Dale when his family buy a property opposite where she lives to house their staff that work in their care homes. Things definitely seem on the up for Cheryl until she starts to learn some of his family's dark secrets. Lots of action with loads of twists and turns in the book, expect a late night once you pick it up. Definitely recommend.

Wow wow wow! Mandasue had some serious fire in her belly and her twisted mind was on point when she read this book.
What starts off as a beautiful romance ends up in something dangerous and twisted.
I was hooked from the first page and honestly couldn't put this book down.
I did not want this book to end!

It feels like a long time since I have read anything by Mandasue Heller but what a fabulous catch up. A gritty story with plenty of wrong uns the book is fast paced and engaging throughout. Hope it's not so long for the next story from Ms Heller.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Orion publishing group,and the terrific author Mandasue heller for an early copy of her book to read.

4.5 rating
I've not read any of her books for along time,theres a few books on my kindle still to read.one of my favourite reads is broke...cheryl Taylor works in a cafe she enjoys being independent she lives in an area that's not the safest and she helps a neighbour named Bob by giving him butties that are left over to him and his cat,Bob has a daughter who he only sees when she needs money for her habit...a house near by new owners are moving in her friend Anna has boy trouble sees a gorgeous guy his name is Dale, Dale has eyes for Cheryl they fall for each other is Dale a nice guy, he introduces her to his family but the family has hidden secrets...a 4.5 read rounded to five for me a abrupt ending even after it tells you what happened in the epilogue...fantastic read looking forward to reading more of her books.


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Haven't read a Mandasue Heller book for a while . Just reminded me how brilliant they are . This book is a real page turner you must read it .

I throughly enjoyed this book what a page turner right to the end Mandasue never fails to deliver a best seller cannot wait for the next book

Mandasue Heller is back!! Absolutely loved every minute of The Family, and what a family it was!!! I was so excited to read this book that I didn't want it to end.