Good evening, bookworm, do come in! I’m sorry if you dropped in on me yesterday – I was unexpectedly unavailable and had to close the mystical library for a time, something I’m loathe to do but at least I’ve been able to open again today. Do you hear that rustling in the background? The books are all a flutter as I’ve just added a new novel to the shelves which is creating a bit of a stir. It’s called Insider by Owen Mullen. Have you heard of it? Let me cut you a slice of Manx bonnag to go with a relaxing cup of tea while I tell you all about it.

Firstly, here’s the blurb:

Someone’s playing both sides and now they have a score to settle… When the family business is crime, you can never be sure who to trust. And when three of their businesses are hit in one night, the notorious Glass family close ranks. Either someone is sending them a message or a war is coming…

With trouble coming from all sides, the heads of the Glass family have more than enough to deal with, but all bets are off when a stranger from the past enters the game, causing division and mistrust.

Crooked cops, rival gangs and old enemies are bad enough, but when the trouble comes from the inside, loyalties are tested, with deadly consequences.

Page-turning, gripping, gritty, Insider is perfect for fans of Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers and Mandasue Heller.

Now, here’s a little about the author:

Owen Mullen is a highly regarded crime author who splits his time between Scotland and the island of Crete. In his earlier life he lived in London and worked as a musician and session singer. He has now written seven books and his first gangland thriller for Boldwood, Family was published in January 2021.

And here’s my review:

I love crime thrillers but I have to confess that I am a wuss. Dead bodies and the descriptions of them are one thing but I cringe inside if the injuries are inflicted on a character as I read, sometimes closing my eyes to block out the graphic details. Which makes it somewhat problematic to continue reading but it’s a challenge I force myself to rise to when I’m reading specifically to write a review.

This is the second novel released with Boldwood and I would recommend reading Family first so you can truly feel the journey the protagonists have been on so far. I’ll try and avoid spoilers for the first novel here so let’s get straight on to Insider. I really enjoyed the development of Luke and Nina Glass as we get to see Luke’s business empire growing before someone tries to stop it in its tracks. I think I’d be genuinely terrified if I met him in reality as he has no qualms about dealing with problems and people swiftly and violently. His network of cronies and bent coppers don’t seem able to help him uncover who is targeting the family business and he’ll go to any lengths to put an end to it.

The cast of characters are believable and memorable and I can see this as a series on Netflix (which I may have to hide behind a cushion with my fingers in my ears to watch certain parts of!). I had a knot of tension in my stomach the entire way through this book, which packs punch after punch of plot twists and shocks. The explosive culmination has me itching to read the next book when it is released next year!

I’m giving this a firm 4 stars and recommending this to bookworms who enjoy realistic, gritty gangland thrillers and a cast of characters you’ll love to follow.

If you like the sound of this, just click on the book image above to go to the relevant page on Amazon. I don’t get anything for providing the link, I’m just being a helpful bookworm. Thanks very much to the author, publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for the gifted digital copy in return for my honest opinion.

Well bookworm, I must disappear. It sounds as though the new book is flexing it’s muscles to the other gangland thrillers and there could be a turf war if I don’t intervene! Until next time, bookworm, farewell!