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Lilly Valentine #4
Blood Rush
The UK is gripped by the threat of gang violence and the media is building on that hysteria. So when a member of a notorious girl gang is charged with a brutal murder, sympathy is in short supply. Enter Lilly Valentine, a tough talking lawyer who isn't prepared to take things at face value and is determined to uncover the truth.
319 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 18, 2011
Blood Rush is one of those books you’ll either love or hate and although I wasn’t immediately drawn to the book, partly due to the cover design and partly due to the gang culture that was the overwhelming key element of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Very well written, Blood Rush is a pacey crime thriller that centres on drug and gang related issues. The tone is set in the opening prologue when a young girl (Malaya), out on a gang initiation (or jump in), is brutally beaten up and left in a coma. Lying in the hospital with life threatening injuries, her small and dysfunctional family for support, an investigation is launched when the chief superintendent proclaims he has had just about enough of the gang warfare in Luton.
The UK is gripped by the threat of gang violence – the media is building on that hysteria, convincing us that knife crime is rife and the streets are flooded with guns and drugs. So when a member of a notorious girl gang is charged with a brutal murder, sympathy is in short supply. Enter Lilly Valentine, a tough talking lawyer who is never prepared to take things at face value and is determined to uncover the truth, whatever the cost.
A gripping crime novel that will force every reader to reassess what they think they know about society and gang culture.
Although I’ve touched on it briefly the book jacket made me laugh a little. Every time I looked at the blonde woman in the background I couldn’t, for some unknown reason, get Ulrika Johnson out of my head – a much younger version granted! It’s not the most attractive of book covers but I think I know why – the subject matter isn’t fantasy, this isn’t some glossy Malibu crime thriller – this is grit pure and simple. Faced with an epidemic of violence, drugs and a teenage knife culture we can’t seem to shake, the cover portrays a rather gritty, seedy side to life. If that was the artist’s intention then they succeeded – pick this book up and you know you are ready for a fight – a street fight.
The narrative is sharp and by using long chapters and quick scene changes Helen Black creates a nonstop edgy thriller that leaves little to the imagination. There are very few moments of hilarity and colour in this book (apart from when Lily is caught working in her office in her pyjamas) – it’s a story of survival against the odds, a family born out of necessity, loyalty and choice – not by birth – and a lawyer who has turned her back on teenage cases, preferring the milder divorce cases, drawn back into the murky waters of family law.
Full review on the blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2011/04/19...
Very well written, Blood Rush is a pacey crime thriller that centres on drug and gang related issues. The tone is set in the opening prologue when a young girl (Malaya), out on a gang initiation (or jump in), is brutally beaten up and left in a coma. Lying in the hospital with life threatening injuries, her small and dysfunctional family for support, an investigation is launched when the chief superintendent proclaims he has had just about enough of the gang warfare in Luton.
The UK is gripped by the threat of gang violence – the media is building on that hysteria, convincing us that knife crime is rife and the streets are flooded with guns and drugs. So when a member of a notorious girl gang is charged with a brutal murder, sympathy is in short supply. Enter Lilly Valentine, a tough talking lawyer who is never prepared to take things at face value and is determined to uncover the truth, whatever the cost.
A gripping crime novel that will force every reader to reassess what they think they know about society and gang culture.
Although I’ve touched on it briefly the book jacket made me laugh a little. Every time I looked at the blonde woman in the background I couldn’t, for some unknown reason, get Ulrika Johnson out of my head – a much younger version granted! It’s not the most attractive of book covers but I think I know why – the subject matter isn’t fantasy, this isn’t some glossy Malibu crime thriller – this is grit pure and simple. Faced with an epidemic of violence, drugs and a teenage knife culture we can’t seem to shake, the cover portrays a rather gritty, seedy side to life. If that was the artist’s intention then they succeeded – pick this book up and you know you are ready for a fight – a street fight.
The narrative is sharp and by using long chapters and quick scene changes Helen Black creates a nonstop edgy thriller that leaves little to the imagination. There are very few moments of hilarity and colour in this book (apart from when Lily is caught working in her office in her pyjamas) – it’s a story of survival against the odds, a family born out of necessity, loyalty and choice – not by birth – and a lawyer who has turned her back on teenage cases, preferring the milder divorce cases, drawn back into the murky waters of family law.
Full review on the blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2011/04/19...
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June 11, 2021Fab
I haven't read a book by Helen Black in ages and I'm soo glad I bought this as it's really quite an enjoyable read.
I love the layout the characters and the whole storyline. Demi seems timid through out the whole storyline so I was kinda shocked that at the end it turned out that she was the actual killer considering that she was also China's friend. I'm not sure how it worked out to be her when she was standing on the ground looking up at Chika at exactly the same time that Jack was tho.
Anyway, it was still an enjoyable read that I'd recommend
I haven't read a book by Helen Black in ages and I'm soo glad I bought this as it's really quite an enjoyable read.
I love the layout the characters and the whole storyline. Demi seems timid through out the whole storyline so I was kinda shocked that at the end it turned out that she was the actual killer considering that she was also China's friend. I'm not sure how it worked out to be her when she was standing on the ground looking up at Chika at exactly the same time that Jack was tho.
Anyway, it was still an enjoyable read that I'd recommend
January 25, 2021
Reading group choice. I’ve also seen and enjoyed Helen Black talking about her writing.
However, this series is not for me. It was too real, grim and awful, and I don’t want to venture into the world of those characters again.
Would appeal to a younger adult reader I think.
349
However, this series is not for me. It was too real, grim and awful, and I don’t want to venture into the world of those characters again.
Would appeal to a younger adult reader I think.
349
November 12, 2024
Loved this book
June 19, 2012
I read Helen Black's last book and can honestly say that I like the character Lily Valentine and in this book it was no different. The book opens up with a scene that is familiar for those living or working in and around various parts of the country. Sadly for me it was something that was so realistic I could have read about it in the local newspaper. Local gangs fighting and a young girl sadly becoming a victim of her own surroundings.
Helen Black doesn't hold back in her descriptive narrative and I found myself wincing after the first few chapters. However, this sets the scene for the sort of case that Lily takes on. Lily's personal life is a major factor to the story as her ex-partner Jack gets involved on the other side of the case. He is trying to prove a girls intent to murder, whilst Lily is trying to defend her.
The story continues at a good pace and it soon becomes clear that this case is a lot more involved and includes people a lot higher up the food chain than girls that are part of a local gang. The story from start to finish was very authentic and like I said before, not that hard to imagine being part of your local news report. I particularly like the fact that we see all perspectives of the case, from the police, to the lawyer and also both the victim and the accused.
The book wasn't that big an offering at only 320 pages but Helen Black managed to pack it full from start to finish. I think overall the gritty realism of this story makes it much better than her last offering and for that I was really pleased. I think towards the latter part of the book it really picked up pace and the ending was wrapped up nicely but there was one thing that bothered me. The `major reveal' of the person behind a particular murder didn't make sense to me. I had to go back and re-read the part where it was explained as I couldn't quite imagine the physical murderer being able to do it the way it was written. On reflection, maybe I am being a little too critical there, but the fact that I had to go back and re-read that section means it lost a little of its sparkle from my perspective.
I will still pre-order her next offering as I can't wait to see where Lily's life and career goes next so from that view it was a great overall read.
Helen Black doesn't hold back in her descriptive narrative and I found myself wincing after the first few chapters. However, this sets the scene for the sort of case that Lily takes on. Lily's personal life is a major factor to the story as her ex-partner Jack gets involved on the other side of the case. He is trying to prove a girls intent to murder, whilst Lily is trying to defend her.
The story continues at a good pace and it soon becomes clear that this case is a lot more involved and includes people a lot higher up the food chain than girls that are part of a local gang. The story from start to finish was very authentic and like I said before, not that hard to imagine being part of your local news report. I particularly like the fact that we see all perspectives of the case, from the police, to the lawyer and also both the victim and the accused.
The book wasn't that big an offering at only 320 pages but Helen Black managed to pack it full from start to finish. I think overall the gritty realism of this story makes it much better than her last offering and for that I was really pleased. I think towards the latter part of the book it really picked up pace and the ending was wrapped up nicely but there was one thing that bothered me. The `major reveal' of the person behind a particular murder didn't make sense to me. I had to go back and re-read the part where it was explained as I couldn't quite imagine the physical murderer being able to do it the way it was written. On reflection, maybe I am being a little too critical there, but the fact that I had to go back and re-read that section means it lost a little of its sparkle from my perspective.
I will still pre-order her next offering as I can't wait to see where Lily's life and career goes next so from that view it was a great overall read.
February 7, 2013
Actually an e-book - not Kindle.
Rose colored classes will be unapologetically ripped away!
This dark and unfortunate way of life, far to real for far too many urban youth is the latest Lilly Valentine entry dazzling us with Lilly's legal expertise and battles for the guilty but wrongly accused. Definitely not for the faint of heart or for those looking for a HEA or even a HFN - it ain't happenin' here and this is not that read. As this (in turn) gritty, graphic, violent, brutally grim story peeks into lives derailed from one critical decision continuing to domino until the culmination of a tour through the sometimes unjust Justice system, slowly draws you in - you wonder when you actually became interested in the story itself.
The opening scene with gang violence is the catalyst for a widespread public call to stop the blood running in the streets and the senseless killings that occur all too frequently. Apprehending a seemingly likely candidate for the (opening) crime is the loose thread that once pulled leads to many layers of conspiracies, secrets, scandals and seemingly unrelated crimes, misdemeanors and events. The quick rush to judgment intrigues Lilly and tears her away from her cushion of family law as she is convinced there is more than meets the eye and causes issues for Lilly in both her professional and personal life. While not glorifying the gang lifestyle, enough information is given so that the reader is left with some understanding of making that choice.
The mechanics of this story worked as well as previous Lilly Valentine's books but this story works well as a stand-alone and her previous releases are not necessary to either love or hate this read.
The closer it got to the end, the faster the pace seemed to be although it was flowing well to being with. During the final denouement, it may seem as if the reveal came out of the blue - the answer is there, it's just easy to overlook.
Rose colored classes will be unapologetically ripped away!
This dark and unfortunate way of life, far to real for far too many urban youth is the latest Lilly Valentine entry dazzling us with Lilly's legal expertise and battles for the guilty but wrongly accused. Definitely not for the faint of heart or for those looking for a HEA or even a HFN - it ain't happenin' here and this is not that read. As this (in turn) gritty, graphic, violent, brutally grim story peeks into lives derailed from one critical decision continuing to domino until the culmination of a tour through the sometimes unjust Justice system, slowly draws you in - you wonder when you actually became interested in the story itself.
The opening scene with gang violence is the catalyst for a widespread public call to stop the blood running in the streets and the senseless killings that occur all too frequently. Apprehending a seemingly likely candidate for the (opening) crime is the loose thread that once pulled leads to many layers of conspiracies, secrets, scandals and seemingly unrelated crimes, misdemeanors and events. The quick rush to judgment intrigues Lilly and tears her away from her cushion of family law as she is convinced there is more than meets the eye and causes issues for Lilly in both her professional and personal life. While not glorifying the gang lifestyle, enough information is given so that the reader is left with some understanding of making that choice.
The mechanics of this story worked as well as previous Lilly Valentine's books but this story works well as a stand-alone and her previous releases are not necessary to either love or hate this read.
The closer it got to the end, the faster the pace seemed to be although it was flowing well to being with. During the final denouement, it may seem as if the reveal came out of the blue - the answer is there, it's just easy to overlook.
February 27, 2012
This is a really good read about the stressed out lawyer Lilly Valentine. I found it a very believable story although there were moments that seemed a little over the top. I almost found myself liking some of the very dubious characters.Helen Black then seemed to pull the very surprising conclusin out of nowhere. I really enjoyed the book and will definately be reading more about Lilly Valentine.
June 2, 2013
I thought the story was brilliant and very realistic of inner city gangs and drug use. Some parts were very graphic and gory but that is what you want in a story of this nature. I would definately read another book by Helen Black.
July 2, 2011
Anothe rgood book by Helen Black
March 19, 2013
Well written crime novel with solicitor Lilly Valentine dealing with the seamier side of life in Luton
August 16, 2015
really enjoyed helen black book will read more books by her
July 9, 2012
Grim but fascinating and all too plausible.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews