One of my favourite authors. This is a book that does not disappoint. Brilliantly written. A gritty tale with lots of twists and turns. Gripped till the end.

My first introduction to this authors books were the ones in the incredible Butlers series. Obviously when I saw that the author had written a novel following Queenie from a young girl to the formidable woman that we know and love in the series, well of course I had to read it.

I loved getting to know and understand Queenie better. Having a fairly normal upbringing until the war happened which then turned her and her families lives upside down. More so for her and her mother. Queenie finds a friend and mother figure in their new neighbour Mary, Mrs O’Leary. I loved the bond between them both.

The story takes us through Queenie’s childhood into adulthood, her marriage, having children and getting to know the younger butlers as children and watching them grow. There is just something about the bond between mother and son and Queenie and Vinny’s is both heartwarming and heart breaking.

Queenie was a much anticipated and engrossing read which met all my expectations. If not more. It made me go through a whole heap of emotions and was devastated when I got to the end as this is one book of which if it was a thousand pages, it would still be to short. Kimberley Chambers is a Queen when it comes to story telling. So glad she shared Queenie’s story with us as the Butlers have been a huge part of my life over the last few years since meeting them and are one family you will never forget.

I was very excited to read this book, having devoured the rest of the Butler series over the years. Knowing how the Butler family turn out, to read of their beginnings was a real treat. How things could have been different if Queenie had followed her heart. I was entertained by the book, horrified by how Queenie raised her boys to think they could do what they wanted to achieve results, and so sad to see what had shaped Queenie from her young days. The ending brought a gasp, I hadn't seen that coming. I feel like going back and reading all the Butler books again from a viewpoint of knowing what shaped them. Great read. #netgalley #queenie #thebutlers

I have read all of Kimberley chambers books and this one was as good as the rest . It gave a good insight as to how the butler clan form started and it blew me away . This book was brilliant from start to finish

A fascinating story that keeps you involved from the beginning right through until the final page. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

I was so excited when I learnt about this book! Kimberly Chambers has been one of my all time favourite writers for as long as I can remember, I have devoured every one of her books and I knew this one would be no exception.
It was so good to learn about the legendary Queenie and Babs lives as they were growing up ! I laughed and cried my way through the whole book. The question now is what's next for the fabulous Kimberly Chambers.

This was a fantastic piece of historical fiction. It isn't' a stand alone but I read it as such and it was perfectly enjoyable. I do however wish I had known there were two other related texts as I have no doubt that they would have added to my enjoyment even more. Queenie is a fantastic character, for the most part likeable, and would do very well on screen. She grew up in the East End of London and was sent to the country when the bombing of London began only to return after the occurrence of a traumatic event. She had a very tough upbringing which is bound to have a affect on anyone's later life. I am hungry now to read the rest of the series as this is a prequel to the rest. It was a great read and I really look forward now to getting stuck in to the rest.

This is the story of how Queenie gets to be the strong woman she is in the later books, It also explains why she is so blinkered to her son Vinnie's faults.
In her childhood she was evacuated to the countryside with her sister but she returns a very different girl and has to put up with her father coming home drunk and attacking her mum, this makes her decide her life will be very different. Queenie found a confidante in Mary who lived over the road and she looked up to Mary's two boys and vowed to have the same relationship with her children.
I found myself feeling each emotion that she went through and I couldn't help not liking her in parts but understanding why she did some really questionable things. She would do anything to keep her children safe and by the end of the book I felt very emotional.

Oh, Kimberley, we've waited and wondered how Queenie Butler's life began and you achieved this in spades in this book.
I loved it from the moment I picked it up and right the way through, what a cracking read.


Queenie and her sister Vivian, are born in Whitechapel to parents Molly and Eric Wade. He's a drunken bully who rapes his wife most nights within earshot of the girls.

When war breaks out the girls are sent to the country where something awful happens to Queenie which she remembers for the rest of her life. The only person she ever confides in is Mary O` Leary, whom she forges a close bond with, Molly her mother is weak and Mary in Queenie's eyes takes on the role of her mother and mentor teaching her about life and soothing her worries.

In time Queenie meets and marries Albie Butler and her only wish is to have strapping successful sons like Mary's. Years later and her wish has come true with her 3 boys. Vinny being the eldest and blue-eyed boy in his mother's eyes is a force to be reckoned with at 16 and has the respect of their neighbours. Hence where Kim's other books come in when we live Vinny & Roy's lives as gangland leaders.
Life is tough in the Eastend and we meet some wonderful and not-so characters. This book is gritty and hard-hitting but will make you smile and sad. I think this is Kim's best. I have read all of her books but this one is the icing on the cake.
Kimberley has a unique talent of description and storytelling, which is why she really is the undisputed queen of crime also being a thoroughly nice and funny lady in real life.
Congratulations Kimberley for an outstanding book.
I'm going one better and giving it a deserved 6******
Thank you so much, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this excellent book xx

Omg, what a book.

Kimberley Chambers is one of my favourite gangland authors.

I have loved the Butlers story in previous books and the relationship between Queenie and her sons and when I saw that KC had written a prequel to it all, I was beyond excited.

This book was so worth the wait and was such a good background story.

It has made me want to read all the other books again.

I am now on the countdown to the next book by KC!

Boy!!! This gonna be a hard review to do!!! Well is it!!!!

Yes!!! The Queen of gangland thrillers Kimberley Chambers is back!

I love all her books. Kimberley You're the Queen of all authors! and this was the Best Book I have read so far this year

"Queenie" by Kimberley Chambers was Just Bloody Brilliant! This book is the prequel to the Butler series. The Butlers are the kings of the East End. This book can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend you read the other books in this series.
If you have not read these book here are the other four books.

In Order:-

1. The Trap
2. The Payback
3. The Wronged
4. Tainted Love.
5 Queenie.

I even purchased it in audio so my Hubby could listen to it. He was hooked and He ended up purchasing all the audio books in the brilliant series. I never thought he would sit down and listen to this wonderful series of the Butler family.
Queenie is 512 pages and it didn't seem like it.....Once I started it I was hooked and I was glued to my chair. I just wanted to find more about Queenie and her family life.

In this latest book The Prequel we learn about Queenie and her younger sister, Vivian, we learn about their childhood growing up during the second World War and how it affected them in their later lives. - the sixties. Queenie and Vivian lived with their parents in the East End of London. A new family moves in over the road to them, Queenie become's very close to a woman called Mary O'Leary she has two sons they are the kingpins of the East End .Queenie becomes very close to Mary and she become more like a mother to her.
Their father fought in the World war 2 and he was injured. He was medically discharged. During this time when London was Bombed, Queenie and Vivian was sent to away to the country, so they could be safe. Some thing happened to Queenie and she and Vivian came back to London. Queenie had to deal with what happened to her without her family finding out. Queenie turned to Mary and her boys dealt with what happen to Queenie in the country side.

All the characters within this book were brilliant and all played their part so well within this book......

I highly recommend this Book - I just Loved it and was sad when I got to the last page......I so wanted more!

Big Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Kimberley Chambers for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is Queenie's story...and boy what a story it is! Having read all of the books in the series, I had mixed feelings when I heard that Kimberley Chambers was writing a prequel. Would it be as good as the other books? Well, I needn't have worried...this book is superb! This book tells the story of Queenie's childhood right up until the 60's. We learn how her relationship with Albie began, and we follow Queenie's life following the birth of her children and how she shapes the boys particularly Vinnie into the men they became. I love the way Kimberley tells the story through Queenie, I felt as if I was right there with her at times. It's not all serious...plenty of humour which had me laughing out loud at some of the phrases that Queenie used. Some sad moments too! I tried to make the book last as long as I could as I really didn't want it to end. I enjoyed putting the pieces together and I think I will now re-read the Butler series with fresh eyes.

A thoroughly enjoyable read and you don't need to have read the other books I the series to enjoy this one.
Huge thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The prequel to a series I had read and thoroughly enjoyed, I was expecting a lot from this title.
I can honestly say that I was in no way disappointed.
The plot, as I expected, was given a liberal dose of gritty realism and a whole lot of darkness interspersed with lighter moments. There were also a surprising amount of unexpected events.
The characters were fascinating and their experiences added much enjoyed background to the other books in the series.
The book is well thought out and well written. It had me hooked from the start and I read it in one sitting. This book was exactly what I expected, but with a lot of extra twists. I am definitely a fan

The usually excellent offering from one of the queens of crime writing. The story goes back to the beginning and childhood of some of her criminal (but much loved) characters and you see the life they had before we got to know them in later books. A must read for fans and new readers alike.

Was a fabulous book! Kimberley Chambers has done it again with another well written book this time about Queenies early life and the childhood times of the Butlers and how they become what they are. Just a shame for it to finish and now I can’t wait to reread the other Butler books again now.

I have read all Kimberley Chambers books, and I have enjoyed them all. I was so looking forward to reading Queenie, but to be honest I found it a little disappointing. Nothing new happened, that wasn't in her earlier books and I really think that this should have been the first book in the Butler family series and not the last. I am looking forward to reading more from Kimberley hopefully a new family.

An excellent crime drama. The writer did a wonderful job depicting the participants. Highly Recommended!

This book is East End London brought to life in one of its most colourful periods - the second world war through to the 60's. The blitz with the destruction of swathes of the East End; the separation of children sent out of London for the war; the camaraderie of the Eastenders through those shocking times and then recovery after the war ended; the distinction between classes and the desire to move from poor quality degrading living to new palaces with extra bedrooms and indoor facilities. Most of all this book describes the criminal culture that was the backdrop to living in the East End and possibly remains today. The bootleg liquor, the criminal activity centred around numerous pubs and the notoriety of the most famous criminals both English and Irish.
Kimberley Chambers writes with her usual ability to get into the hearts and minds of her characters and bring them to you in a graphic way. Through her descriptive account it is easy to follow the mores of the society, to visualise the settings, the dress and the code of the characters.
This is a wonderful novel and one not to miss.

This story reads so authentically it could be pure fact. That is a measure of the research and understanding of how the criminal and domestic world of the east end of London works. Brought up in war time,Queenie wants boys and has three but the star is the eldest,Vinny. Her mentoring of him ensures he becomes the feared and respected criminal figure she regards as a success story. The characters are well contrived,the events believable. There is no huge climax,just an inevitable ending. The book is a testimony to the dominance of the mothers in a society that celebrates male criminals. The down side of the book is that the author seems to believe that England and the English fought Germany in the war. That is inaccurate and offensive to the rest of the United Kingdom and should have been edited out.

Kimberely Chambers is by far the best author in her genre. Having read all of her books I waited with excitement to read Queenie. As always it was outstanding. The early years of Queenie Butler are superbly laid out in the new book and explain the background that had made Queenie the woman, mother and wife and sister she became in the series of Butler books. If you have not read the Butler series I think you could read Queenie as a stand alone but readers would be missing out on fantastic writing and an amazing author.
Absolutely brilliant.