Firstly thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity for this ARC.
Now the book all I can say author is brilliant, gangland at its best.
Martine Cole move over this is up in your league only joking but definitely an author to follow

London 1946 and the war has been over a year.
Alice Diamond is the queen of forty thieves at the elephant and castle, she is the shoplifters queens and hoister thieves, she has a knack of taking her girls off the streets one of them is Nell Kane, the new girl is pregnant so this is perfect for Alice and sends her out to learn the trade.
Alice with her best minx and been driven around in her Chrysler and is looked up by all around her.
Nell is picked up and sent to Holloway for six months for nicking a pair of stockings its her first time in court and she wont forgive Alice for this she could have bend and got her away with a warning and she leaves there with a sentence of her own that she will carry with her for life. she despises Alice and wants her crown. Alice welcomes her back with open arms and sends her up to the Windsor club in Soho undercover singing for the big man Billy Sullivan.
This is a proper bang on London saga and I loved the characters, and all the history after the war years their still black market, rations and bombed out sites, I just couldn't put this book down. The author is spot on with all her research that makes this book such a unique read. It's something different and the main character is Nell and she wants the crown and will go all to get it.
I loved it and hopefully with that ending we are going to be getting more from this author hopefully. 5*****

First I’ve reading this author WOW totally pulled into the storyline from the start. Loved the characters and how they developed throughout the book. Hopping this will be a series and if so can’t wait to see he next instalment.
Gangs of London after ww2 is the setting for this book, it’s a real page Turner and devoured in one sitting.
Highly recommend read

Wow what a good book.

London, Elephant and castle. Alice Diamond is "the queen of thieves". With her gang of female hoisters (shoplifters) she's the department stores nightmare. She takes girls off the streets trains them up and looks after them. They become the best dressed women in the area and they are all beauties, below their elaborate costumes are the big knickers to hide the goods they thieve.

Nell Kane lives in slums, when she becomes pregnant by Jimmy, her father finds out and throws her out. Alone and wandering the streets she is soon picked up by Alice where she is started learning the trade to becoming a hoister.

When Nell is taken out for her first job she is caught nicking a pair of nylons, where she ends up in court, the judge sentences her to Holloway prison, she is pregnant and frightened. When she is serving her sentance she discovers that Alice stitched her up by testing her loyalty , this infuriates Nell who vows to seek revenge on Alice.

I loved this book it comes alive before your eyes and doesn't disappoint.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book.

They say women are the fairer sex but never mistake this for weakness. Especially when you meet the women of the Forty Thieves gang…

Oh my days! How much did I love this story? I was completely blown away. So much so, that I have tried countless times to write a review and have ended up with a load of gobbledygook to show for it due to an abundance of word vomit aka a thousand and one thoughts trying (read: screaming) to come out at the same time. Hmph, reviewer’s block is a thing!

My poor mother was treated (tongue firmly in cheek) to in-depth character and storyline de-briefs as I was reading Nell, Alice, et al’s story. I had a burning need to talk about E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Including casting characters which I never do *shakes head*. Honestly, I was one step away from bringing out a whiteboard, markers, pins, and string… *palms face*

*coughs*

Queen of Thieves is a gritty, dark, and suspenseful crime noir. WWII may be over, but the struggle to survive continues as these women can attest. When you have nothing, you have nothing to lose, and some people will do anything (anything!) to protect what power they have.

Full of intrigue and double-dealing, QoT will keep you on your toes as you piece together all the threads of the story (see why I wanted that whiteboard?). I was reaching for my metaphorical cushion on more than one occasion afraid to look then forgetting to breath towards the end as the tension started to ramp up!

That ending though *gasps*. It was the perfect ‘I KNEW IT!’ ending whilst also leaving the door open for a possible sequel. Puh-lease tell me there is going to be more!

Beezy Marsh has gained a new fan with her strong female (albeit morally grey) characters and rich storytelling.

Set just after the second world war this gritty gangland story was a brilliant read. When Nell is thrown out by her father shes left homeless and pregnant. When Alice Diamond takes her in to work for her, Nells life is turned upside down. She ends up in prison, her child is adopted and once out, shes looking for revenge. This is the first book in this saga and im looking forward to reading more

Nell, born and bred in London falls for Jimmy who's a bit of a player and finds herself in the family way. Her dad kicks her out and she meets Alice, the Queen of the forty thieves who teaches her how to hoist all sorts.
She gives Nell a job, to find out information on Billy, the King of Soho. But what? What is so special about Billy?
Nell ends up with her own game plan and fools everyone.
This is the first book I've read by Beezy but it certainly won't be my last. A cracking read, couldn't put it down!