This was a really easy enjoyable book following Melissa and her family. Melissa sticks with Jason through thick and thin. It’s the story of family and friends as they negotiate their lives living outside or certainly on the edge of the law.

This is the first book I have read by Kimberley Chambers and what a gifted storyteller she is! We follow the main characters from the Spring of 1994 to 2010 and discover how their lives developed and their characters evolved.
I love the twist in the ending and how certain characters got their just desserts. I look forward to reading more of her books.

The first book I've read by this author and I wasn't disappointed. It's an easy to read, well-written, gripping tale of organised crime, family and money.
The plot is clever, with suspense and twists and a satisfying ending but it's the characters that enthralled me and kept me turning the pages. I wanted to know what happened to them, even those I didn't like, and there were quite a few of those.
A story about families embroiled in and affected by crime. Jason is a chancer, always looking for a quick way to make money, whatever side of the law it takes him on. Melissa is the daughter of a gangster father, whose respectable front hides organised criminal activity. Jason sees her as a meal ticket; she sees him as her knight in shining armour, their story is complex, outrageous and poignant as they both live out their 'life of crime'.
Starting in the 1990's this story is fast-paced and action-packed, often violent and foul-mouthed. It is a believable tale, with vivid imagery and characters that make it more like watching a film than reading a book.
A hard-edged, gritty story, which stands out in this popular genre.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I have read all of Kimberley Chambers previous books and always loved more or less every page of every book......this continues with this book.... the characters as always are wonderful, from loud raucous Grans to shifty half brothers and obnoxious best friends you will hate to villains you cant help but like.....the story flows very well and there are very definite beginnings, middles and endings to everyone and every sub story (and as always there are lots going on here there and everywhere) everything that makes a KC novel a KC novel is here and in abundance..... IMO the writing style of this book has changed a bit from the Butler series but will be interesting to see what other readers think ( this isn’t a criticism just an observation ) the ending is s shock, well was to me!, I did not work it out at all and the conclusion and twist at the end is brilliant and will you leave you ooen mouthed at what happens
Thoroughly addictive and a superb read, as always, highly recommended

Whilst I find the theme of the book repetitive - ie Essex estate, hard drinking mother and wanting to fight your way out, this was an enjoyable read.

This is my first Kimberley Chambers book that I have read and it certainly won’t be my last. This is such a gripping, addictive read.
Jason Rampling lives on the Mardyke estate with his mother who is a waste of space who loves the bottle more than her kids. His sister and his two younger brothers and his daughter Shay. He looks after them and also nan who is always arrested for shop lifting. He works at the market but, he has other activities on the side lines. He is a chancer and he wants to better himself. So when he meets Melissa, he thought his prayers has been answered. Melissa, daughter of Johnny Brooks the owner of a builder’s merchant, who has a young son call Donte. Jason thinks that she will be a good fit as a mother to his daughter Shay. They marry but, things go wrong when Jason is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit and he ended up doing a long stretch in prison.
I loved this book with its East End characters and the ducking and diving and about their criminal past. The story is also about family and what lengths will people go to keep everything together. The story is also believable and I like its originality. As I read a lot of psychological thrillers I found this book to be a bit of fresh air. I couldn’t put this down. I will be looking forward to reading the other books Kimberley Chambers has read.

I am sorry to say that I disliked this book. If I hadn't volunteered to read it for Netgalley I would have given up after the first couple of chapters. The writing is mediocre but the language is dreadful. I am not prudish and recognise that authors do use swearing to make a point but this book has very bad language on every page. The story is poor apparently requiring far too much dialogue to explaining the events. The final few chapters do contain a twist but I am not sure it is worth ploughing through the whole book to get there. In my opinion it difficult to like any of the characters which make the story difficult to read. I cannot recommend it. Sorry.

Another excellent Kimberley Chambers novel.

Jason is a bit of a wide boy, he lives on a rough estate in Essex with his young daughter Shay and his mum and siblings but wants to find way to get off the estate and someone to take care of Shay.

Melissa is a young mum who lives with her parents, Jason feels she is the right fit for Shay, so he asks her out. Melissa’s mum is ill and would like to see her happily married so Melissa’s dad has a proposition for Jason, marry Melissa and he will buy them a house.

The story follows Jason and Melissa through the ups and downs of their life with things eventually coming to a head.

A gritty thriller with plenty of twists and an ending you don’t see coming. Excellent.

Life of Crime is such an addictive read, you will not be able to put your book/kindle down, it was brilliant from beginning to end.

Just finished reading this new corker from Kimberly Chambers. As always a fantastic read, whenever fails to deliver, full of tension & suspense.

Jason Rampling has been brought up on a typical sink estate and decides he doesn't want to stay there forever, his mother is a waste of space and he takes on a lot of responsibility for his sister and brothers as well as his daughter who he is bringing up. He needs a way out of his situation and someone that will bring up his daughter properly, when he meets Melissa he knows she isn't the prettiest girl but she does come from a good background and her dad owns businesses and he sees it as a way off the estate. Things don't always work out the way the are planned though and he finds himself ducking and diving to make ends meet. Whether you like the characters you meet or don't It doesn't stop you turning pages to find out what happens to them and while it is a crime thriller it also has laugh out loud places when his nan is involved and also quite sad parts. I loved every minute of the plot and didn't always see the twists and even to the very last page it kept me guessing.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the copy of the book.

I was lucky enough to receive this book from Netgalley and it isn't my usual genre. I find it quite difficult to categorise Life of Crime, I think it comes somewhere between Eastenders and a Martina Cole novel, probably a family drama along the lines that the title suggests.

I became engrossed in the story as the characters were so well defined I felt I had a investment in them and their future. I wasn't totally convinced with the changes that seemed to redefine Mel's character but there was a ring of truth considering the changes her life took ie marriage, stepchildren, a known philanderer as a husband to name but a few.

I have to put my hands up and admit that I felt somewhat of a literary snob reading this novel, it was just so easy and straightforward in it's language and characters but Kimberley Chambers totally caught me out with the twist at the end, I never saw that coming!

This is my first review if 2018 and I think this book deserves five huge stars.
I don’t know how I’ve missed Kimberley Chambers’ books but I’ll certainly be buying others based on this one.
This is a sharp, well paced story and one that had me hooked from the beginning.
I didn’t like Jason to start with as even though I understand he wanted to escape the estate that he lived on, I didn’t like the way he was hunting the woman who would provide this escape.
He describes himself as a ‘Del Boy’ and whilst he probably does have a heart of gold, some of his decisions definitely come back to haunt him.
Melissa is a likeable character but at times I wanted to shake her to make her see sense! As for her best friend Tracy, well I can honestly say she made my blood boil!
This book is consistently good throughout and the ending left me with a smile on my face...
If you love Martina Cole then you will love Kimberley Chambers.
I was gripped by the dramas and everyday problems facing this family and I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for sending me an ARC to read and review.

I have been a massive Kimberley Chambers fan from her very first book and this latest one didn’t disappoint me at all. After (sadly) saying goodbye to the family sagas in her last book, this one has a fresh feel to it as we enter a new chapter of Kimberley’s writing. Life of Crime is a gripping tale of family, friends and crime, it pulls you in from the start and keeps hold of you tightly right through to the last page. It is a fast-paced, brilliant story with a fabulous twist that I didn’t see coming. I cannot rate this book highly enough. A special mention to Dolly too!

I haven't read any of Kimberley Chambers books before and, after seeing all the rave reviews for her previous ones, was disappointed to find a cast of clichéd "characters": Handsome chancer, glamorous women, salt of the earth nan, dysfunctional families etc. However, I know the areas she writes about so was interesting to see how they were portrayed and Ms Chambers is a good story teller not afraid to have very unlikable characters. In the end it became a bit of a guilty pleasure.

I found it difficult to get into this book. All the characters seemed to be devious or feckless or criminals in some combination or other. Because of that, I didn't really care what happened to any of them.
I'm sorry. Nothing wrong with it at all but not my type of book.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

apart from christmas getting in the way i couldnt put this book down...it was like reading a martina cole book

an east end family getting by on the never never with a touch of gangsters and robberies thrown in.
the charactisations in the book are very lifelike and believeable.. we all know a family like these but some are more loveable than others and we all have friends like the traceys of the world

cant say enough good things about this book and i loved how the author ended the book so that we know everything about everything instead of having to guess who what and where

and the finale was outstanding..so spoilers though as want others to read this amazing book

This type of book is essential for Life of Crime it was just a blinding read .It was a corker ending .

Dragged up on a council estate, Jason Rampling is determined to change his lot. Melissa thought she had struck gold marrying Jason. But ther is no glamour in waiting on your husband coming home or a knock at the door. After a stretch inside, Jason wants to pull off one last job, the biggest of all - but will it cost them everything?

Kimberley Chambers has yet another best seller on her hands. I don't know how she keeps coming up with fantastic plots! The book is action packed, gritty and suspenseful. There characters you will love and some you will love to hate. I really liked how the book ended. Never saw that coming!! The bad points in this book - ther isn't any!!

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Kimberley Chambers.

I have read all of Kimberley Chambers books so was really looking forward to reading this one. I wasn’t disappointed, it was a brilliant book from start to finish. It gripped you from the first page and I couldn’t put it down, fast paced storyline and really believable characters made for an engrossing read. I only wish I hadn’t finished it so quick!!!! I highly recommend this book.