Brixton Hill

Things are never quite what they seem. Took me a while to get into this but once I did I couldn't put it down, full of twists & turns. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this – a very good depiction of prison (although familiar to those who have read A Bit Of A Stretch!); pacey, twisty, enjoyable characters.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This took a darker turn than was expected- Although after the author’s previous works I shouldn’t be surprised. Definitely an enjoyable London Neo-noir.

Rob is an inmate of Brixton Prison. As a category D prisoner, he is allowed out on day release, working in a local charity shop as preparation for his potential parole which is imminent. Imminent, that is, as long as he can keep himself clear of trouble. While walking to the charity shop one morning, Rob has a seemingly chance encounter with Steph and a relationship of sorts develops between the two. Even though this relationship is limited to sharing a walk each day down from the prison to the charity shop, Rob is aware it strictly breaches the terms of his day release. This is the premise for the excellent plot, and it soon becomes obvious that Steph has an ulterior motive.

As the story unfolded, I found myself questioning who exactly the villain is and who the victim. Has Rob's circumstances made him vulnerable and ripe for exploitation? Is Steph the architect of her own actions? Or are unseen forces pulling the strings? This mix, and the craft with which it's depicted, makes for a intriguing and compulsive read. Once started, I didn't want to put this book down.

Lottie Moggach weaves an intricate plot, and the twists that unfolded along the way surprised and kept me guessing. Her narrative is engaging and highly entertaining. I also enjoyed the detail of prison life effortlessly slotted into the storytelling. The monotony and pettiness of sharing a prison cell irks, and I could almost smell the stale air and feel the stultifying claustrophobia of Rob's incarceration. I haven't read a novel which has pulled me so effectively into its fictive world for a long time.

I found this novel a great introduction to Lottie Moggach, and I'll definitely be reading her other books.

This was such a wonderful book that I feel as though I want to thank the author for writing it. I wasn't sure at first and wondered where it was going but nothing prepares you for the shocks later on. It is truly masterful, I couldn't put it down and was sorry when it ended, I would have loved to read more about Rob and Steph, maybe there will be a follow up which would be really well received. I really love it and have no hesitation in giving five stars.

I discovered this author when I saw Kiss Me First advertised on the tv. Although the series was pretty much nothing like the book (aren't they all) I still enjoyed both.
So, Rob is approaching the end of a prison sentence. He is in an open prison in Brixton and every working day he leaves there and walks to his "job" in a charity shop - the backroom, sorting all the donations. One day he bumps into (literally) a women. He helps her up and the speak for a short while. There's something about her that piques Rob's interest and, every day from then on, he keeps an eye out for her, trying to organise another meeting. He is trying to keep where he lives, and his past, secret but it soon becomes evident - to the reader, not Rob - that she has secrets of her own...
This is a very character driven story. As such, the characters have to be strong enough to carry it off. Rob and Steph are definitely in that category. In fact, as more is learned about who they are and where they came from, they become more and more interesting as their layers are slowly unpeeled. I also have to add that so pivotal to the story it is, Brixton itself could almost be counted as a character in its own right too.
All that's not to say that the story is weak. Far from it. This also is well plotted and executed and held my attention very well. I needed to know the truth, I wanted it all exposed. And when it was, well, I had to go back and think about what I had just read with all this knowledge and it just blew me away. And left me wholly satisfied. Exactly what I need from a book in these days of uncertainty.
All in all a cracking read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Life at both its best and its worst. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I really enjoyed this well paced novel. It was interesting to read about prison and prisoners being portrayed in a different way to many thrillers with attention to the minutiae of life and emotions about release and the intensity of friendship. I also found the twists and turns of the plot kept me turning the pages to the satisfying ending
Thank you to netgalley and Little Brown for an advance copy of this book.

This is a well researched story, told via a dual narrative, with more to it than meets the eye.
It begins with us meeting Rob, a prisoner on the verge of release from a 7-year stretch, who is released each week day to work in a charity shop. On his way to the shop he bumps into Stephanie, whom he takes a bit of a shine to. So far, so normal, but as Stephanie’s POV begins we see there’s more to this meeting than meets the eye. Who is she?
The story has plenty of twists that leave the reader wondering whether their empathy is misplaced.
The author has clearly researched prison life thoroughly and carefully, and has applied that knowledge to this story without over-egging the pudding, making it believable and relatable.
For a debut novel especially, this is a superb read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Rob is nearing the end of his prison sentence, he is desperate to keep on the straight and narrow so he can leave prison and go back to his life.
When he meets an attractive woman on the street on his way to his day release job he is instantly attracted to her and wants her to see him as he really is not just a prisoner.
This book shows us societies view on prisoners and the stigma that prison has. The prison scenes are really well researched and realistic. Rob is a likeable character I rooted for him all the way through even though I was as the reader unaware of his crime and the circumstances of his incarceration.
I loved this book a real page turner and a good mix of fiction set in a realistic setting.

Rob is a prisoner in Brixton Gaol, approaching his release and allowed to work in a charity shop.
On day while walking to the shop he literally bumps into Steph, and they have a conversation. The next day they speak again, and slowly start to build a relationship.
However, it appears that all is not as straightforward as it seems. Steph is hiding a lot from Rob and seems to have a plan.
The book is narrated by Rob and Steph, and this works very well. The way the story unfolds enables their characters to develop, and they are both likeable people in difficult situations.
The description of life inside prison was very detailed, and sounded very plausible

As the story progresses we are drip-fed details of Rob’s crime, and start to learn Steph’s true intentions.
The threads of their stories come together in unexpected ways, leading to a not necessarily happy, but fitting, conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a very interesting, different and well-written novel. Rob is coming to the end of a seven year prison sentence and mustn’t do anything to jeopardise his freedom. He’s on day release, working in a charity shop. His life changes when he meets a woman called Steph. The story starts gently with interesting details of prison life but becomes very tense and there are plenty of twists and turns. Who can Rob trust? And who can the reader trust? I felt involved in the characters’ lives and was desperate for things to work out. I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it.

I thought Lottie Moggach's Kiss Me First was a highly original debut novel: offbeat and disturbing. Brixton Hill takes her writing to a new level in a novel that in many ways defies genre identification. In one word it's good - in fact - in two words it's very good.
Rob is an inmate at that awful pre-Victorian mausoleum Brixton Prison. He is nearing the end of a long sentence for a violent crime and is allowed to work outside the prison. He spends his days in the backroom of a charity shop on Brixton Hill with little appreciation for his efforts. In many ways he is a reformed character.
And then he bumps into Steph, a well-dressed woman, apparently on her way to work as an estate agent. Out of his league for all sorts of reasons, thinks Rob. But again and again over subsequent days they walk the hill together. They both have secrets they need to keep.
Lottie Moggach lets her two main protagonists tell their stories in their own voice. A device that works exceptionally well and allows us into their inner thoughts. Character traits are front-and-centre in a plot that shows just how dangerous lies can be. There are shocks, surprises and twists aplenty and as I read the last page I couldn't help wanting to know what happens next ...

Really enjoyed reading this book because it has an interesting premise, focusing on a prisoner nearing the end of his sentence.

The book is well written and conveys the contrasts between prison life and life on the outside well.

Read if you enjoy books about human relationships and intense reads.

Rob is nearing the end of his seven-year stretch inside and is spending the remainder of his time in Brixton’s open prison.

On his way to the charity shop where he volunteers during the week, Rob helps an attractive woman who has tripped in front of him. She makes quite an impression on him and after that day, he looks out for her every morning. Gradually they get to know each other better although Rob needs to keep his past from her. He doesn’t want her to know that he works in a charity shop by day and spends his nights in a prison cell. For that fifteen minutes as they walk down the hill together, she becomes the highlight of his day. As he lies in his bunk at night, he replays everything she has said, the way that she looks, the way she makes him feel and he cannot wait to see her again the following day.

I LOVED this book. I loved the sweetness of the blossoming relationship (the scene in the charity shop with only the curtain between them) and I really didn’t want it to change.

The book makes you think about relationships, loneliness and trust within prisons and how you can perceive situations. Rob’s relationships with his cell mate/best mate Deller and replacement cell mate and irritant Marko couldn’t have been more different. One he trusted with his most intimate thoughts and the other he wanted to strangle. And how prison can eventually be viewed as a safety net. It was extremely insightful.

Rob seems a genuinely lovely guy, I felt sad for him that his mother didn’t visit and I feel almost bereft having finished the book now, I want more!

I rate this book 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and would recommend it for a great read. I’ve heard it likened to A Bit Of A Stretch but the two books for me were like chalk and cheese. I will be searching for more by Lottie Moggach after this book.

Thanks
Thank you to the author and publishers Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an independent review.

This had a very unusual character - a prisoner on daily release, being tested to see if he is a suitable case for parole. There are scenes in the prison contrasted with outside when he goes to his very dull "voluntary" job in a charity shop. He encounters a young woman and things start to happen. This is a very well-crafted plot which reveals secrets gradually. The characters are strong and believable. Lottie Moggach is just as good a writer as her mother.

It was good thriller and mystery in regards to being in a prison! Throughout the book you meet some characters and wonder I how and why they meet and was things are planned or just it happens!

I really enjoyed this book. I found it a compelling read which kept me intrigued to find out what would happen. I enjoyed finding out how the relationship Rob, as a convicted criminal, had despite being on work release from prison at the charity shop. I was on tenterhooks wondering if he would make the right decisions for himself or if his head would be turned. It kept me gripped to the end. Brilliant.

This is a beautiful book, it's not really a thriller in my opinion but a beautiful drama. The story doesn't really get going until you're about 70% in. Before then it reads like a well written documentary of prison life. I loved this book and it's a solid 5 stars for me. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

Things are looking good for Rob. Sentenced to seven years in prison he is now coming up for release and is enjoying his freedom to leave the prison each day for a job in a charity shop. He is hopeful he can get some semblance of a life back and this seems even more likely when he meets Stephanie who, literally, falls at his feet one morning! Tentatively they build up a relationship in just the short time that they see each other on Brixton Hill each day. However, is Stephanie really who she seems? Does Rob tell her the truth about his incarceration? This is a great story and both the main characters are likeable and believable.

Having read Kiss Me First, which I enjoyed, I knew that I’d like this book, but Brixton Hill was in a different league. A clever, well executed novel which tells the story of Rob, a prisoner on day release, and Steph, an attractive older woman, who meet by chance one day. The story was told in alternating chapters by the two main characters and what a story it is. Well written, descriptive, plausible. I read that Chris Atkins, the author of Bit of a Stretch was involved in the research so the scenes set in prison were very believable. This is a book that you will think about after you’ve finished it. I’ll be recommending it to my friends and family. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy. A clear 5 stars.

A really complex book that left me leaping between sympathy for Rob, suspicion about him and loathing in almost equal parts.
The other characters surrounding him as he tries to reintegrate into society are all recognisable in part from small town/suburban life- from the holier than thou attitudes of some to the downright shifty behaviour of others.
I really enjoyed the juxtaposition between the atmosphere and greyness of life inside the walls of the prison compared to the vivacity and vibrancy of the high street outside and how Rob stuck out in both as not quite fitting in and fell headlong into the twists that come along when I was least expecting them!
A great read and a real page turner

In the Author's Note at the end of Brixton Hill, Lottie Moggach says her intention was to write a novel depicting the daily life and routines of prisoners approaching the end of a long sentence. She achieves that with aplomb, and what a vehicle she has hung that detail on. This is a twisty, turn novel that forces the reader to reassess everything they know as each new chapter begins.

So: the story. Rob is applying for parole after seven years of an indeterminate sentence for manslaughter. He is staying in the open wing of a prison in Brixton, leaving every day to do voluntary work in a charity shop. He begins to form a bond with Stephanie, a woman he helps to her feet after a fall on the pavement. The story is about the way that relationship unfolds - and the jeopardy it may hold for Rob's release.

The balance between light and dark is perfectly judged. Prisoners have a bleak life and a bleak future. They have done reprehensible things to land themselves in prison, and generally have some fairly unattractive personality traits. Small things take on high significance in such a spartan life. Rob has some redeeming features, but he cuts a pretty pathetic, clingy character. He is fatalistic and submissive. He leaves himself open to exploitation by his fellow prisoners, his manager in the charity shop, and by those he meets on the outside.

The setting feels very real, the routines authentic. The characters are convincing too, even though they are living in situations that most of us would find extreme. The first person narrative - from both Rob and Steph - is done to perfection. This, more than anything, is what makes this such a compelling read and carries a plot that has moments of improbability. Yes, there is plenty of plot, but it's such a character driven novel.

Brixton Hill doesn't feel like a debut novel - and it reminds me more than a little of Toni Jordan.

I loved reading Brixton Hill. Described as a character study, it also has the pace and tension of a thriller and I was hooked from the first chapter. I was intrigued by both characters (Rob and Steph), and their motives. The writing is rich with observation of prison life, life in London (or any city), and human behaviour. There are a few twists along the way as it's revealed what the characters are really up to. Original and compelling. Highly recommended.