More than the average crime novel, this story incorporates the fight against organised crime in London. Following the death of a young gang member on Gallowstree Lane, the strands of police investigations fuse together bringing together some familiar characters from previous Kate London novels. Tense and complex, the plot pulls you in and keeps you engrossed. Loyalties collide and the stakes get higher and higher. The book rises to a truly exciting and breath-taking finale which is genuinely moving. Highly recommended novel.

Spencer was just fifteen years old when he stepped out into a London Street and asked a complete stranger for help, begging him not to let him die. The stranger was an off-duty paramedic but even his skills were insufficient to save Spence. Just one of those things you might, think. Tragic, but teenage boys seem to be getting stabbed on the streets of London all the time. His friend Ryan was with Spence when he was stabbed. It was Ryan who called the ambulance on the paramedic's instruction, sobbing as he held the phone. But Ryan wasn't prepared to accept that it was just one of those things. He wanted revenge.

Ryan's revenge looks as though it might derail operation Perseus, a carefully constructed operation to catch a local gangster with imported guns, and DI Kieran Shaw is not prepared to let that happen. He's spent two years putting this operation in place and whilst murder might seem to trump gun running, the guns might result in hundreds of deaths if they reach the streets. Shaw's a man who takes decisions and knows his priorities: he's the same with his new son. Conor was born as a result of his affair with DC Lizzie Griffiths and whilst he wanted her to have a termination he's determined that Conor's going to be brought up properly. He's happy to pick Lizzie up on what he perceives as her failings as a mother, but he's not prepared to actually help with anything practical. He does have a solution in mind though.

Lizzie is struggling to give Conor the care that he deserves and do her job, but most single parents feel the same way. It's probably worse for a detective constable though; her hours are unpredictable and she has no control over where she's going to be. It can also be a dangerous job: Kate London captures the gangland culture perfectly. It's sympathetically done: these are - for the most part - kids who had little hope in the first place and it's easy to see how criminality seems like a sensible choice to make, particularly when there are roll models who seem to be doing well from a life of crime.

Kate London worked for the Metropolitan Police and if she brings the atmosphere on the streets to life, she's even better about the rivalries within the police service. Sometimes it's difficult to believe that they're all on the same side, but it does produce some wonderful characters and a story which is all too believable. I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

Each book in this series reads well as a standalone, but why deprive yourself of the pleasure of reading them in order? Start with Post Mortem and then move on to Death Message.

Gritty police thriller with interesting characters. A sympathetic look at how teenagers get drawn in,teenagers who are not all bad. Surprising ending.

Not my usual genre but this book had me gripped throughout. Will be looking out for more of the same!

I really enjoyed this, and didn't realise it was part of a series but it didn't make it any less enjoyable. A young boy is stabbed to death in the street, and there's a witness who might threaten the gang members and officers investigated them. I'll be looking for the other books by this author next. Highly recommended and I'm grateful.to netgalley for the advanced copy.

Loved this - had read the others in the series but think this was probably the best. The underlying theme of gang and knife crime in London is, sadly, all too topical and there's a sense of dread and doom right from the start, as the writer unfolds, with us, the background and later culmination of the opening events of the book. Highly recommended.

Strong characters, strong stories. This book gets going from the very start. It gives us the reader a taste of gangland culture and life.
This book portrays the effects being in a gang has on families,young people Tec.
A must read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Atlanta Books for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Following the death of a low level gang member, information about the witness and friend Ryan, mount up and several police operations come together to catch both the killer and the gang members.

I liked the fact that there are some strong female characters in this book, I empathised with Lizzie, juggling an all consuming career with chaotic hours and a young child. The complicated relationship with her colleague Kieran, also her son's father, makes the unfolding story interesting. But he is unsumpathetic, cunning and sly.

I enjoyed the book but sometimes found it lost my attention.

This is one of those complex police procedural novels (suffering sometimes from a feeling of episodic fragments) where we follow lives of police women (mostly) and emotional engagements with their colleagues and families ..I found point of view regarding young. criminal who witnesses a crime (gang killing of his friend) and yet wobbles on edge of seeking protection from gang friends or legitimate authorities. It's authentic but I wonder if the sympathies of the narrator don't get in way of good story .. but then that traction is part of what we are asked to explore. The police women's lives are complicated by children and personal sexual preferences in very real way although it dips into cartoon land, or easy melodramatic emblems ..but really thoughtful, and challenging read .. I'll be looking out for more to see how this writer develops.

Gallowstree Lane

I enjoy getting into the nitty gritty of a crime procedural from time to time. There’s something about reading about the details of an investigation that consumes you fully.

I have not read the other books in the series (there are two I believe), so the characters were new to me. I found the characters generally readable and likeable. I did find Lizzie’s role as a working mother difficult to believe at times. The pressures of her job were evident, but having been on the receiving end of having to deal with ill children in childcare, some of it didn’t ring true. And, reading this book, it was hard to believe that Lizzie and Kieran had ever even liked each other, let alone had an affair!

The style of writing, hopping from one officer to another, is effectively used here. The author is brave to challenge our perceptions of the characters by clearly stating that the main narrators just don’t like each other. Rather than sticking with one narrator, this style enables you to be a bit more critical of the narrators, and this encourages you to think more critically about the situations they find themselves in.

The details of the criminal underworld were realistic and well thought out. I really felt for Ryan - wrong kid, wrong place, wrong time. The author was clearly using her experience as a police officer to inform her creation of these characters. A tragic end for some of these young people caught up in worlds too big and serious for them to navigate.

So all in all, I really enjoyed this book. I will be going back to read the others at some point and I will be very interested to reflect on the characters and how they are formed from the beginning.

I was part way through Gallowstree Lane when it dawned on me that this was probably the latest book in a series. I did some research and yes, this is book number three. It didn’t matter though, the book stood alone. I was only disappointed that I hasn’t had the chance to read any of the other books before I found this one.
Gallowstree Lane is good. Kate London is an ex-police officer, and her knowledge shows. Her compassion was also evident, and I really felt for the young gang members in the book. So sad, and a reality for so many young people in our inner cities. The book had me gripped and I invested in the main characters, police officers Lizzie and Sarah.
If you like crime novels I would recommend this. (Maybe even read the first two books first - I bet they are good too!)
Thanks for the opportunity to read this book #NetGalley #GallowstreeLane

This is more than just a great book, it is a work of art. Like a Picasso painting of a face from multiple angles. This book looks at Modern day crime in an inner city through multiple characters eyes, petty juvenile criminals, street drug dealers and the different parts of the Police Force trying to help them and catch them at the same time. It also looks at drug addiction and the consequences for users and what they are willing to do for their next hit. The Police also want to catch the supplier on the next rung of the ladder who is quick to groom his helpers too. I liked that there is no one central character and really positive strong women represented too. The male Police Inspector is a classic Alpha male type, chauvinistic but not overly so and still has best intentions too and just doesn't see anything wrong with what he is doing. As the plot continues you become more and more invested into all their stories too, willing them to do the right thing both Police and juveniles and watching as the impetuousness of youth sends them spiralling into life changing decisions without thinking through the long term consequences. This story is bang up to date about the devastating cuts the Police have had to endure and the reality of what "more with less" means in real terms. Juveniles can walk around towns and cities all night with weapons on them and not expect to get stopped, which they could never have done before. It also shows inside knowledge of Policing with the way things are compartmentalised and each boss defending their area with blinkers on. It is Highly recommended and hard to put down.

Fast paced cop thriller with a plot that as well as being current is an all too timely reminder of what is really happening in the streets of London today. Great story and believable characters.

This book definitely gives a good flavour of gangland life. There is also a focus on the human side of those involved and it shows how easy it is for young people in particular to end up with this lifestyle. The parallel story running alongiside about the police and their own private lives and demons was also illuminating. Very good character development which held my interest throughout.

A well written novel about life in London and with gangs and the impact of everything you do.

Kept me enthralled through out, couldn't fault it!

A very modern crime story set in London. The characters vary from likable to loathsome and combinations of both, but are easy to understand and the main characters have plenty of background. A gripping plot, well considered events which all tie into the main story and a gritty sense of reality make this a great read. The use of language throughout sets the tone and mood beautifully and describes the culture among teenagers well. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I found this book quite gripping , it shows how things can get out of hand if the drug dealing Kingpins are looked up to by the younger people on the fringes wanting to get to the top by proving themselves to get more trust from above . The young lad at the heart of this story had lost his father ,who had been murdered , and also lost his best friend who was stabbed . He was out for revenge , but also a bit of a lost soul who was manipulated by his fathers best friend .His mother tried to keep them apart but it was too late .A bit of a sad story but very true of things today .

A very current and relevant story line with well developed characters. An enjoyable read that would adapt very well into a TV drama.

Did not realise this was a follow on, so struggled a bit to get into the characters.
Thought the plot was well written and executed
The ending was a surprise did not expect that
Will be reading the previous two in the series.

Thank you netgalley, Corvus and Kate London for allowing me to read and review this book.

I have not read the previous two books in the series and therefore its main characters were new to me. This is an up-to-date look at both gang culture and murder in a modern British city (in this case London) and the Police investigations where an undercover operation and a separate murder investigation overlap especially as the officers involved in both are known to each other not only professionally but personally.
The story is told through the eyes of three of those officers together with Ryan, a young foot soldier in one of the gangs who witnesses the death of his best friend and becomes an important link between the two investigations.
Writing from the background of 'Ex-job' doesn't always convert onto good reading. This book does. Read and enjoy.
Thank you NetGalley.