This book has a superb cast of characters
I was engrossed in the storyland. It’s a gritting thrilling read
The ending was very good and twisty

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

WOW! One minute full of tension, the next it's full out action, you'll not know whats coming until you turn the page and hear an OMG and it's coming from you!
Owen Mullen has introduced us to the Glass Family, a "family" in more ways than one. These three siblings are in the center of the mob action in South London,even though two of them are trying to escape this destiny. The story moves quickly from one explosive event to the next, dragging us along. The siblings' relationships have devolved to just trying to protect themselves against the consequences from their past criminal activities. As the tesion heats up, it will be a race to see just who will survive to escape this way of life.

The Glass family is a crime family in London that is happy that one brother is being released from prison, and the brother who is now running the operation is throwing a party. Danny has been waiting for his brother Luke to come out for years but you don’t know that and neither does Luke. the more you get into this book more and more layers are revealed to you until the end where you are shocked by everything at least I was. There is corruption in the police force and of course corruption, everywhere else. This is a fantastic book with excellent characters, very much worth the read.

When gangster Luke Glass gets out of prison after a seven-year stretch, he has no intention of going back. The only way to avoid trouble is to get out of the family business, but with Luke’s hot-headed brother Danny running things, that might not be so easy. As it happens, Luke isn’t the only one who wants out, but sister Nina has her own problems to deal with. After a rival gang’s raid on the family pub fails to finish off the brothers, Danny wants revenge and he’s determined to keep Luke by his side.

Having read several of Owen Mullen’s books, I thought I knew what to expect with this one, but even though it’s still very much a crime novel, ‘Family’ is a whole new bag of tricks for the Big Mannie of Scottish Noir. Set in a South London gangland that’s all-too familiar, thanks to the likes of the Kray twins et al, Mr Mullen manages to create a crime empire that’s realistic and believable without being cliched or derivative. Having said that, and allowing that ‘Family’ is a cracking good read, my general impression is that the writing isn’t quite as sharp as I’ve come to expect from this author. Also, the alternating first-person/all-seeing-narrator pov always irritates me, though I can see why he’s done it this way.

All niggles aside, the characters are a fascinating lot and the twisty-turny plot kept me guessing about which side (and which brother) would come out on top. I loved the on-going rivalry between Luke and Danny and the continually shifting goalposts as the story went off in different directions. There were also a few unexpected events along the way which include some pretty graphic scenes that might shock readers of a gentler disposition. The denouement took me by surprise, too, though it made perfect sense.

One of these days Owen Mullen might fall off the literary wagon and turn out a pile of pish that isn’t worthy of his name. Thankfully, that day is only one possible future, and the way he’s going, it won’t ever come to pass. ‘Family’ is yet another reason to look forward to Mr Mullen’s next offering with relish. In the meantime, this is a book to be proud of and one that lovers of crime fiction will delight in for years to come.

3★
“‘Goodbye, Albert.’ He fell into space, mouth open, starting on his back and rolling with the grace of a gymnast, slowly getting smaller and smaller.”

Luke is remembering what sent him to prison for seven years - for protecting his older brother, Danny, a South London kingpin. Gang leader, more like it. Like a Mafia don in New York. The boys – men now, of course – have a younger sister, Nina, the three of them are what's left of the Glass Family.

They lost their parents young, and Danny had taken over. The Boss.

“As kids we’d learned to look after ourselves. I was young, maybe eight or nine, the first time my brother used me to distract the Indian guy in the corner shop while he reached behind the counter and stole fags. On the dodge, he’d called it – Nina’s introduction came later. And Team Glass was born.”

Whenever the opportunity presents itself, Danny reminds his siblings what they owe him for raising them. He acknowledges Luke’s spending seven years in prison for avenging a dastardly move against Danny’s family by a rival boss, but there’s no way he’s going to let Luke opt out of Team Glass and the family business, much as Luke wants to.

This began with a bang, several of them, in fact, with good pace and a lot of excitement. Parts of the story are told in first person by Luke and parts are third person with an omniscient narrator. I read a preview copy, so I hope someone has fixed up the lapses where the voice moved from one to the other with no warning or break in the text. I quite enjoy a change of narrator, but I appreciate a new chapter for each.

Danny is one of those all-powerful manipulators who has a senior cop in his pocket and plenty of clout. That’s good for a bad guy, but as the story goes on, he becomes more and more unstable and psychotic. He delights in poking fun and laughing at Luke’s being out of touch since he’s been out of circulation for so long.

“It was forced and fake and made me uncomfortable. A lot of people had reason to fear my brother. I hadn’t ever been one of them. Until now. It was as if he’d suddenly become a different person, scoring points.”

Danny is one who splashes the cash around so people get accustomed to a lifestyle they can’t afford without him. Luke is not sucked in so much as he can’t seem to get out. Then there is Nina, who wants out from Team Glass under her own terms. She’s worried about big brother, too.

“She gripped the arm of the couch and leaned nearer. ‘He isn’t sane, Luke. I’m serious. Our brother isn’t sane. Tell the truth, he’s never been right, has he? And yeah, I’m not forgetting what he did for us in that hellhole of a house. But even back then, don’t you remember?’”

Heavies, hookers, bent cops, bombs, sex, torture. And lots of characters. All the ingredients seem to be here, but I didn’t find myself connecting with any of the people, even Luke, who is the most sympathetic. Because of that, I wasn’t interested enough to really read the last half, so I skimmed and stopped in a few places.

The ending is left to lead smoothly into a Glass Family #2, and I’m sure there will be plenty of fans who will be waiting for it. I expect the author will attract a healthy following. I could see a good scriptwriter developing some of the characters and making a good action film or series from this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

If plunging to your death was an Olympic event, he’d have been in the medals for sure.

And the women… if ugly was contagious they’d be in quarantine. I’d move if I were you.

The phone dropped from his trembling fingers. Danny’s eyes bulged in his skull, his face so red I thought it might explode. Nobody did rage as he did: rising from his core, spewing like lava, scaring those around him to the bone.

Insanity explaining itself – the scariest thing I’d ever heard.


My Review:



I finished the book in a quandary as to how I felt about it, how to rate it, and even how to write a review. I was flummoxed until I perused my favorite passages, which removed all doubt. Mr. Mullen has mad skills! The book was superbly written with compelling characters and multi-textured and intriguing storylines that were intense and taut with tension. It was also cleverly snarky, distressingly violent, gruesome, gritty, heartbreaking, and oh, so, very, twisted.

I had trouble putting it down although I needed to walk away from it every so often when I found I was clutching my Kindle so tightly my hand was cramping. But even then, I continued to contemplate the characters’ dilemma in dealing with a vicious and unstable psychopathic criminal kingpin, and extra complications abound when all that mess is a sibling.

Twenty-four hours after being released from prison with the mindset to break from his family and start over clean, the main character of Luke had barely avoided death, had a massive hangover, been with a hooker, and was already drawn back into his vile brother’s brutal world of cruel and savage barbarism. The unsettling insights were brilliantly paced and shrewdly plotted. What a disturbingly cunning creature Mr. Mullen must be, I hope for their sake his neighbors take heed, keep the noise down, and frequently ply him with sweets.

Really good book, if you like Martine Cole and crime books you will enjoy this. Definitely will read more by this author

i loved this one from Owen Mullen. The story line was fast paced and violent just how i like it . .A gripping, addictive gangland thriller with plenty of action . It starts off with a a bang and finishes with a bang .. One i would recommend

“Family” is my first exposure to the work of Owen Mullen and, on this evidence, it won’t be my last trip to the world of the Glass family.

I’ve written elsewhere (and here) of how impressed I am by the work Boldwood Books are producing in the crime genre and Mullen is a very worthy addition to their stable of writers.

Here we have the crime family dynamic coming under strain as newly released Luke strains against the ties of his increasingly psychotic brother Danny while his Machiavellian sister Nina cooks up her own schemes.

So far, so ‘Lock Stock’. But what elevates this above the routine is the quality of the turns. It was Raymond Chandler who advised writers, “When in doubt, have a man with a gun come through the door (‘Trouble is My Business’) Mullen certainly likes to take advantage of this handy aphorism and there are geezers puffing into pubs with gats clapping like no ones business.



The real strength, however, lies in Mullen’s careful doling out of excitement. His protagonist, Luke, is an intelligent observer. His first person narration contrasts with the third person accounts throughout the rest of the tale. So we hear Luke’s thoughts, we hear his doubts, his fears, his rationalisations.

When the action explodes, it is over in seconds and gives a wide berth to the sort of sadistic, voyeurism of violence we experience in lesser writers.

Mullen is also no stranger to the odd Chandlerism. “I’d met him for less than thirty seconds and already would’ve liked to put his face up against a brick and throw a wall at it,” is Luke’s verdict on one shady character and this is worth the price of the novel alone.

We all know you can pick your friends, but not your family: however, I’d advise getting to know the Glass family very well and let Mullen propel you with his propulsive prose through the south London underworld.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

Family by Owen Mullen was a good read and I was hooked within the very first few pages. Owen Mullen is a very new author to me and I would love to read more from him. I loved the way he writes and had me sitting on the edge of my sit on many occasions throughout this book. Family is everything to me and I highly recommend this book. I loved it,

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for the opportunity to read the Glass family.

3.5 stars
Family is my first book written by Owen Mullen and it’s not my usual genre, so I wasn’t quite sure about it at first.
It is certainly gritty, fast-paced and action packed. The characters are well developed, even if a little stereotyped. There are some twists and turns, keeping the interest and suspense right to the very end. Overall, a decent read.

This book took me a while to get into but I'm glad I persevered with reading it and I hope the author has another book planned I liked how the characters told their stories from their sides

Family is the tale of Danny, Luke and Nina Glass. As young children they were forced to fend for themselves and turned to the life of crime… Danny found he quite enjoyed the gangster life and has built up quite an empire with the support of his sister Nina.

Nina is less brash than her brother but is certainly a Glass through and through. She may look good but those teeth are sharp!

Luke on the other hand is a little different. He’s been in prison for the murder of Albert Anderson a rival who dared to go a step too far. He’s always followed his bothers lead but it’s time for that to change.

Each family member has their own agenda and their bond will be tested..it’s not a matter of will the bond break.. but when … and who will be standing at the end.

As Luke is finally released from prison after serving his time it’s a new life he’s after.. but Danny won’t let his brother go that easily and wants to bring him back into the fold.

Times a healer they say…but no one forgets..soon events force Luke back into a world he no longer wants to be part of. An adversary is out for payback.

Matters escalate quickly with a rival gang out for blood and Danny doesn’t give an inch. The hard-hitting plot just keeps serving as the brutality level is ramped up to the max when Danny plans to put an end to things… in the most gruesome and flashy way he can, even if this means harming innocent bystanders. It’s all one big show to Danny.

Luke’s whole world comes crashing down as events spiral, secrets are revealed and the bone chilling reality hits home.. but don’t forget.. Luke is a Glass! It won’t be over until there’s a bullet in his head.


Owen Mullen is quite the wordsmith, it’s brutal and vivid. Lets be fair we all know a gangsters favourite method of getting rid of someone involves a little bit of torture. These scenes weren’t overdone, they added to Danny’s character and his meltdown.. he’s a loose cannon from the start.

Luke's character develops very well, but what makes it hit the high note is how the author manages to makes his feelings come alive.. you feel that adrenaline rush with Luke..every heart pounding moment you live it with him.

Overall a very enjoyable read. Yeh it’s gut wrenchingly horrid at times what these gangsters will do for power and control but damn it’s a compelling story and I just loved how everything tied together nicely at the end, all those bits of thread woven throughout the tale pulled tight to give the reader that wow moment they are looking for.

Being a fan I had high hopes for this book and Owen Mullen delivered! Mullen constantly delivers high-pressure, fresh and exhilarating tales

The only downside to the book is that it had to end.. the good news is there’s already a new book planned for July

Well, this book starts off with an explosive start and we are pulled straight into the world of the Glass family, we're only a few pages in when we see Luke Glass get revenge for an attack on his brother's family.

Luke is sent to prison and upon his release he decides he want's to leave behind the gangster life, his brother, Danny has other ideas and no sooner is Luke free from prison that the family is under attack. With sister Nina making up the rest of the crime Dynasty this is a rollercoaster read, we've got bent coppers that would more than pique the interest of AC12, illicit affairs and good old fashioned family values!

This was a blockbuster of a read - thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this, this is my honest opinion.

This was not what I expected, but was a great read! Quite chilling, with amazing character development and writing. A bit different from my regular thrillers, but quite captivating. Will definitely be looking for more by this author! I also highly recommend, even if it’s not your normal cuppa! It’s sure to thrill and chill you!

An action-packed gangland thriller that will make your heart pound, Owen Mullen’s Family is a brilliantly written tale of power, passion and vengeance.

The Glass family is synonymous with crime and the South London underworld is their domain. They rule their kingdom with an iron fist and everybody knows that nobody crosses the Glass family and lives to tell the tale. Crime is all the family has ever known and it’s also been the reason why Luke Glass has ended up behind bars. Having done his time and served his sentence, Luke had vowed never to set foot inside a prison ever again. He values his freedom and independence far too much and determined not to be shackled to the family’s shady line of business forever has vowed to break free and go straight. But first he has to convince the family that he no longer wants to be part of the family business – and he is positive that this decision will not go down well with his brother, Danny!

Danny Glass is the king of South London and nobody tells him what he can and cannot do. Well known for his penchant for brutality and violence nobody has ever managed to stand in Danny’s way – and that’s just how he likes it. Bent copper DCI Oliver Stanford might try to throw a couple of spanners in the wheel, but Danny simply will not stand for any interference. South London is his kingdom and everybody – even the cops – has to abide by his rules. Family is everything to Danny and his siblings- younger brother and sister Luke and Nina – have him to thank for everything. He expects complete allegiance from them at all costs and he is not going to let Luke unshackle himself from the family business – especially as the ongoing war with an arch-enemy is about to reach a devastating crescendo…

When Danny commits a crime that simply cannot be forgiven, the Glass brothers find themselves torn apart. Pitted against one another, the Glass boys are at war with themselves compelling Nina to choose a side and determine the fate of her family…

Owen Mullen’s Family is one gripping rollercoaster ride where the pace never flags, the tension will keep you on the edge of your seat and the shocks and twists and turns come so quick and fast you simply will not see them coming. A dark, gritty and violent gangland saga where the pages simply turn themselves, Family is the unputdownable story of a larger than life clan that is absolutely impossible to put down.

This is the first book i have read by owen mullen but certainly wont be the last. The Glass family deal in crime, luke glass had been in prison for the last 7 years, he is out and vows never to go back. Will Danny let him go TEAM GLASS is everything to danny., and constantly reminds luke and his sister if it wasnt for him they would have been in the care system.Danny demands loyalty and especially of his family. This is a proper page turner, fans of mandasue heller and martina cole will love this book next book please owen mullen ........

I just don’t know how to put this in to words! I liked the book a lot BUT I’d LOVE for it to be a film or series because I feel like it deserves its own soundtrack and musical scores to go with the suspense, thrills and scares of this story!
It was a good read but as I said earlier, I really feel these characters and their stories would really benefit their own musical scores and sound tracks! I liked the book but sometimes I found it hard to keep up with and separate their individual plots and stories on occasion making it difficult to visualise characters and surroundings. Abs some of these characters are pretty scary nutcases who deserve more focus.