What a truly cracking read this was!

Jason Rampling is determined to have a better life than the one he had as a child. His mother was completely lacking in maternal instincts - and hit the bottle at every opportunity, leaving her kids to drag themselves up in whichever way they could manage.

Jason is a ducker and a diver (think Del Boy in 'Only Fools and Horses') he's not inherently bad, but he's no angel either! When we meet him, he and his daughter Shay are living with his mother and three siblings in a high rise flat on one of the worst council estates in the area - this place really is the pits. He believes his only way out is to find himself a decent woman, someone who'll make a good wife, but also someone who's happy to treat Shay as her own. When he meets single mum Melissa, he thinks he's found the perfect person, she's not his usual type, but otherwise she fits the bill perfectly. There's an added bonus too - her father owns a very successful construction firm, and appears to be extremely wealthy.

Melissa, for her part, is grateful that someone is interested in her, but Melissa's father Johnny, isn’t so sure about Jason - he's done some checking up and discovers that Jason is a bit of a wheeler dealer, but more importantly, that he has a reputation as a womaniser. Johnny does give Jason and Melissa his blessing, but it comes with a warning, that if Jason ever hurts his daughter he'll make him pay for it!

I won't give anything away at all because this compelling novel deserves to be read and judged on its own merits, without any spoilers, but seriously it was just awesome! At the core of this novel is the relationship between Jason and Melissa. To some degree they need each other, and we get to know both of them equally well, but it’s Jason who remains the primary interest for the reader, and I now feel as if I'm leaving behind people that I’ve come to know really well, such is the author’s talent in literally giving them life.

The narrative was raw and gritty, there was some clever plotting, meticulous detail, and an all too credible cast of characters, many with a wry sense of humour, and let’s not forget some neat little twists along the way, and then perhaps you’ll see why this made for a truly terrific read!

* Thank you to HarperCollins UK for my ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars.

This was my first book by the author.

I found it enjoyable, if not a bit predictable.

The characters are all stereotypes, and the street dialogue is cliche - it’s a Sky One drama waiting to happen.

All of the characters are unlikeable so I found myself not caring what happened to any of them.

Sorry

A fascinating story with "morals" galore. The final part of the story was a complete surprise. Very good characters descriptions and a very complicated story line, keeps one focused. Great read

I couldn’t work out what sort of chancer/wide boy Jason Rampling was going to be: a Del boy? An Arthur Daley? An Alfie? Quite possibly all of those, but with a little more grit, fewer morals and more danger. Where they are all lovable in some way, Jason isn’t exactly that. But one key aspect of his character was something that struck home: his love for his daughter and siblings and determination to protect them and give them better lives than living on a gangland council estate. An aim he can’t achieve without a Life of Crime, unfortunately.

Never having read any books by this author, I had no idea what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's gritty, doesn’t stand still for a second, compellingly written, with a cast of characters that very definitely don’t fall into any grey areas. You love ‘em or hate ‘em.

But the one to watch is very definitely, Melissa: the hapless young girl who falls for Jason hook, line and sinker, thinking he’s Mr One Hundred Percent perfect.

A dramatic story, well executed and very enjoyable, with a (perhaps slightly predictable) twist at the end.

Chancer Jason meets dim but nice, single mother, Melissa and decides she would be perfect to bring up his young daughter. Her best friend Tracey who saw him first isn’t best pleased. Loved this, the cast of characters, funny dialogue, twists and turns. Gritty, edgy and comical too, you can’t help turning the pages faster and faster to see how it all plays out. Although this book was a bit on the long side, I didn’t want it to end as I immersed myself in the story - I do enjoy reading about villains and their antics - more please!

This is the first book from this author that I have read and I must say it was very good. I loved the way the story jumped which I thought was a very good idea that way you didn’t really get bored with it. I liked the fact that you didn’t really know what was going on till the end I did think I knew who had done it but no I didn’t. All in all a very good book I just couldn’t put it down

A brilliant story with great characters.
An amazing read with a twist in the tail.

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.

Great tale with lovely twists - a bit Eastenders, it drags you in, slowly but surely. Very entertaining!

Well, that's 30 minutes of my life I won't get back and do regret. Badly written and not one character has any redeeming feature sufficient to warrant wasting your time on.

If you like gritty and fast paced novels then this is for you. It is reminiscent of a Lynda La Plant. Not my type of book but I think it will appeal to a lot of people so I’m giving 4/5 and a recommendation

In a nutshell - the Krays brothers meets Eastenders.. I found myself liking this book. Much like when I recently read the Krays brothers book you find yourself rooting for the bad guy, in this case a small-time criminal by the name of Jason. You follow Jason and his family from a council flat to aspiring gangster and although there are a few too many times where it just starts all becoming a bit too unbelievable I found myself wanting to plough through the pages and see how it was finished off and see what became of Jason and his family. The journey was worth it with a nice twist at the end. Thanks for letting me review this book. If you were a fan of the Krays book, you'll lap this up. The title says it all - "Life of Crime".

Melissa is a young, single mother who usually just follows along with her "glamorous" best friend Tracy whilst she tries to flirt with Jason who works on the market - but when Jason asks Melissa out instead she is furious and jealous. Jason is only looking for a way to get off his drug run estate and find a mother for his daughter so when he finds out that Melissa father is very rich he thinks he has hit the jackpot. When Johnny Brookes virtually bribes Jason into marrying Melissa - he reluctantly agrees to achieve his goal. Their wedding is a fiasco and the marriage is rocky but they stick together through the tough times. Jason is a small time crook trying to get money at the same rate Melissa spends it and finds himself involved in activities way over his head and he starts to lose everything. After a jail term, he pulls off one final job and looks forward to starting his life again and working on his marriage - but then karma comes knocking. A great read.

Another absolutely fantastic book by Kimberley. She is definitely one of my favourite authors. Her books are all crackers and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. Fast paced storyline that kept me hooked and I devoured it in a couple of sittings

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
A slow burner with so many twists and turns
Great ending as well, if you want to know I suggest you get the book and read it.
Interesting characters, Gritty and down to earth
Well worth a read

A good read that kept me enthralled to the end. Recommended.

I am a big fan of Kimberley Chambers and this book did not disappoint. A really good story with a jaw dropping twist that I did not see coming. I really like how each character is well described and whether you like them or loathe them you still feel like you have a fly on the wall view of their lives. It is a world that I know nothing about. It is all really well written about and definitely worth reading.

What a saga!

What a story!

Fantastic characters, cracking and clever plot, excellent twists, perfect pace ... this had it in bucket loads and had me totally absorbed from the start.

The story follows the life of Jason Rampling and the various capers and general dodgy dealings he uses and gets involved in in order to get away from his and his daughter's crappy life living with his alcoholic mother on a dire council estate.

Jason is an Arthur Daley or Del Boy kind of a character - you could call him a bit of a rogue - but I really warmed to him; yes he's not the kind of man I would want my daughter to bring home but there was something about him that I was drawn to and although I certainly didn't agree with everything he did, I did find myself having some sympathy for him despite the scrapes he got into being mostly of his own doing. Melissa, another of the main characters, is another story ... oh my goodness, she is one character that had me going round in circles ... do I like her or don't I? and don't even get me started on Tracey!!!! There are several other characters that I could mention but I would be going on for ages such is the ability of the author to bring these people to life and make them feel authentic and memorable.

This is a compelling and gripping take on the consequences of living a life of crime and I would most definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a cracking read with not too much violence.

Yet another great read from Kimberly Chambers. OK it follows the usual Essex gangland theme but for fans of KC it's one not to be missed. If you're not yet a fan then you will be after reading this. An easy reading put down/pick up holiday book but one that keeps you hooked right up until the end.

This was not my kind of book. An 'old fashioned' crime novel predictably set in the East End of London. I did not have any feelings for the characters as they were so ingrained with such a selfish and evil nature that was all for the preservation of number one. In saying this, it was a very easy book to read and the plot twist at the end was one I did not really see coming.