Billie Jo

by Kimberley Chambers

The Royle Family meets EastEnders, with a touch of Footballers' Wives in this marvellous, down-to-earth first novel, full of humour, warmth, sexual shenanigans - and violence. Kimberley Chambers, bestselling author of Payback, is a talent to match Martina Cole.'Not once had Terry ever been hauled in by old bill. He was sure the filth was aware of him, as he had his fingers stuck in many pies, but he was a background man and that's the way he liked it. He made sure that he kept well away from the dodgy motors, the thieves and the yards...'Terry - the lucky villain with a heart of gold - is riding for a fall. Michelle - the wife he hates and is plotting to leave - knows something is afoot, but not quite what. Billie Jo - their adored only daughter - loathes her parents quarrelling and her mother drinking, but will she understand when Terry tells her the that he is planning to marry his pregnant secretary? Jade is a cut above the rest and waits patiently for the day when she and Terry can live peacefully together on his ill-gotten gains, probably on the Costa del Sol. But fate is about to deal a terrible hand, leaving Billie Jo's protected world in tatters.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller

405 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 3, 2008

About the author

http://www.facebook.com/kimberleycham...

Reviews

[Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Kimberley Chambers. This is her first published book. It was good but I felt it definitely lacked the finesse of her later books. I guess "practice makes perfect"! It did not seem to flow as well as her later books (Butlers, O'Hara's and Mitchells). Maybe it was the editing of the kindle edition I was reading ... felt a bit stilted. One minute you were reading about one character and then had to jump to another one without any real clarity. Saying that, it was a good read and totally in her style.

He never felt Irish and having never really lived there, he classed himself as an Englishman. Irishmen reminded him of his drunken father.

OK. Going on a fucking rant here now.... every fucking Irish character in this book was portrayed as a fucking drunk! WHY? JUST WHY THE FUCK WHY? It really gets my fucking goat up when authors portray the Irish as DRUNKS. Yeah, we enjoy a drink but so do other nationalities... fucking stereotypical SHITE ANNOYS THE FUCK OUT OF ME. There was Nan, Bridie, the brother, Terry's mother, his father .... I really hate it. OK, Chell liked her booze too and she was a Brit but to have EVERY Irish person portrayed as a drunk was as annoying as fuck for me. Oh, by the way, we love to curse too, as I can fucking attest to!!!!

RANT FUCKING OVER!


I like her music references.

As Terry Keane went to sleep that night, he was positive that he'd endured the worst of the festive season. Unfortunately for him, the nightmare had only just begun.

"You dinlo"

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars



Billie Jo is the adored only child of wealthy villain, Terry, and Michelle, the drunken wife he hates. Knowing how much Billie Jo dreads her parents’ fights, Terry imagines that she’ll understand when he tells her he is going to leave Michelle to marry his pregnant secretary.

But fate is about to deal a terrible hand and change everything in a way Terry has not planned at all, leaving Billie Jo’s protected world in tatters.

Set in a world of villains and chancers, Kimberley Chamber’s brilliant first novel is a rollercoaster read you will not want to put down.

My thoughts
What can I say about a Kimberley Chambers book except......

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! As soon as I got hooked it was a page turner. I will read more by this writer.

[~ Cariad ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

These London gangland style audiobooks completely do it for me!
Kimberley Chambers - you are an awesome storyteller.

Without a doubt my favourite audio genre - any recommendations for more of them gratefully received! (But there can't be many left that I haven't listened to!)

Also have to say (again!!) having Annie Aldington narrate them for you... PERFECTION!

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent enough read. The writing style was nice and easy and the story flows well. On the downside none of the characters are particular likeable - Billie and Jamie totally devoid of any personality - and the East End slang gets a bit tiresome. I also found the last 50 odd pages a bit too sugary (and that's coming from a Jojo Moyes fan!)

[Lainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Taken To Read - 1.5 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Billie Jo is the adored only child of wealthy villain, Terry, and Michelle, the drunken wife he hates. Knowing how much Billie Jo dreads her parents’ fights, Terry imagines that she’ll understand when he tells her he is going to leave Michelle to marry his pregnant secretary.

But fate is about to deal a terrible hand and change everything in a way Terry has not planned at all, leaving Billie Jo’s protected world in tatters.

Set in a world of villains and chancers, Kimberley Chamber’s brilliant first novel is a rollercoaster read you will not want to put down.

My Review

This is my first encounter with Kimberley Chambers. I love Mandasue Heller and Martina Cole and was told if I like them I will like this lady, well they weren't wrong. The writing is not the same as Martina (I still like her but in recent time have found things a little samey), but like the other authors mentioned she spins a gritty crime story that pulls you in pretty much from the get go.

Billie Jo is a young girl who dotes on her dad, her mum is a booze addled horrible woman who has little time for Billie Jo and filled with hate. After an untimely accident their lives are changed and Billie Jo falls for a man who seems to good to be true. What follows is a gritty tale of lies, deceit, sex, drugs and betrayal.

I really found it hard to put this book down, (seriously, I was to be up early for work and 2am was still reading, I was so engrossed) the writing isn't the best I have read but this was the authors first book and the story overshadows any small blips you might come up against. She has a talent that is evident from very early on in the book and the characters (whether you are rooting for them or wanting to deck them) are strong and well shaped. I have another book by this author (I, for once am going to follow the sequence of when they were wrote) and it won't be my last, 4/5 for me this time. P.s this cover isn't the same as the one I have (mine is listed as the kindle cover for some reason).

[Beatriz Oliveira · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Don't read this book.)
(This is how much I hated it.. I actually wrote a pseudo review.)

Horrible writing, too much slang. I hated the characters a lot. Billie Jo was a promising character but ended up as bad as the others, very disappointing. Nice attempt of a happy ending, but it didn't work in my opinion.

Jane didn't seem like giving any shits to Billie Jo.
Danny should've died in the first chapter.
Billie Jo's father, the most humane and loved character compared, dies instead (lol).
Billie Jo could've improved. Instead she ends up as just a wife, with terrible cooking skills that should've cared more about her own education rather than focusing only on possible boyfriends/husbands.

"Her dad's an East End villain.
She's his princess.
And their world is about to crash" CRASH! Lol! Good pun and spoiler right in the front cover of the book.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Martina Cole and Jessie Keane - this is for you. This features the usual cliche characters you find in all the "underworld" books and had a simple approach to the writing. Due to the writing style, I found it very easy to get through this despite it being predictable.

If you're sensitive to bad language and sexual violence, I'd avoid this but these sort of books are all about being shocking and brutal in the descriptions. The storyline wasnt overly riveting but I certainly enjoyed the read!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book and a decent story. I believe it as the first book ever written by the author. I thought that it was a little bit predictable in parts. I have previously read other books by this author which I felt were better written but this was a good debut novel.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first book by this author

[Jane Woodcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. To me, Kimberely Chambers is such an easy read. Good story, good characters. Makes you smile, cringe and go aaah all through this book. Can't wait to read the next one of hers.

[Chrissie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book from Kimberley Charles....Although I am a late comer to the charms of this author and also having read many of her other books before this. I would still have been as hooked. Billy Jo and her traumatic life is a must read for anyone, it has it all, romance, violence, heartbreak, there is so much packed into this book.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read. Enjoyed everything about this one, characters, plot, emotion. If this is Kimberley's first book I'm exited to read the rest!

[Sarah Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally couldn’t put this book down. Very well written and if this is Kimberley Chamber’s first book then I can’t wait to read the others.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Kimberley Chambers. I've always loved Martina Cole and after reading a book by Jessie Keane a few years ago, decided that Martina was the best at writing about the London gangland, until now that is. This was a fast paced, enjoyable read. I cared about the characters right away which meant when a twist came into the story very early on, it affected me and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next! I devoured this book very quickly, enjoyed every minute and can't wait to read more by Kimberley Chambers, especially as I've found out since this is her first novel and people are saying her books only get better and better from here.

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shockingly I only picked up my first Kimberley Chambers book at the end of last month. Since then I have gone and brought her first two books and devoured them both. The Betrayer was Kimberley's 3rd book and was a first class read. Her second book published Born Evil I loved but it wasn't a patch on The Betrayer. Seeing as Billie Jo was her debut novel I knew I would enjoy it but figured it wouldn't be as good as her more recent stuff. It is obvious to me whilst reading her books that her writing got better and better with each book she produced. I cannot wait to get stuck into The Feud which is her fourth release. I think I didn't give KC enough credit as this book was a corker too.

Her writing style like I have said before is NOT for the feint hearted. If you don't like swearing then her books are a definite no-no. Her debut novel starts out by introducing us to Billie Jo Keane is a young girl who has to deal with her parents constantly arguing. Not only that, but her mother is a drinker who doesn't care for Billie Jo and thinks only of herself. Within the first 30-40 pages I was enthralled by this eclectic mix of a family. The author has a great way of getting you into their lives very quickly and you feel a certain empathy with people very quickly.

Just as I was getting my teeth into the beginning of the story a shocking twist is thrown straight at you, and was one that I didn't see coming. If I'm honest it threw me off balance and I wondered how the story would carry on. Thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong and you soon realise that this event is the catalyst for Billie Jo's life events.

The story is stretched over a few years and we see large segments of peoples lives lived and the outcome of each bad decision made. In the first third of the book I (as usual) had my favourites and the ones that I loathed. What surprised me is that I didn't realise just how much that opinion would change by the end of the book.

The story itself is like I said pretty fast paced and with the initial shocking twist I wasn't expecting too many surprises. Although there weren't any major plot twists I was quite surprised how things eventually turned out. This book, like the other two I read were everything I want from a great crime read; characters that have real strong personalities, great settings with real authenticity, and a great plot. Kimberley Chambers can do no wrong in my eyes; she is a serious contender for becoming the number one British Crime writer this year. She is showing the public what crime writing should be about and I would imagine making a few of the `old-timers' quake in their boots.

Highly recommended author, if you haven't read her before give her a go and start at the beginning with Billie Jo, you won't be disappointed.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the usual characters, the drunken mum, idolising father, princess daughter, no-good boyfriend with the diamond best mate and the villains in the background, set in the Essex towns. This was actually a very good read. I could feel sympathy with the main character and really wanted things to work out for her in the end. I'm not sure if there is a follow-up, the story did end tidily, but there is scope for another one. I'll have to investigate.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Struggled to get past the second chapter. Full of clichés and the worst dialogue I think I've ever come across. Usually a quick read like this would be no problem and I'd get through it within a couple of hours, but this is just detritus of the highest order. For someone who can say "cunt" easily the main character really gets his middle-class boots on when he alone. "A poxy night" indeed.

[Julie finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb plot


Brilliant read from start to finish couldnt put it down once i started. Cant wait f
or the next book to be published

[Helen Christmas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is first book I've read by this author and I loved it. The characters felt so real they almost leapt off the page and combined with an amusing East End dialect throughout, it was a pleasure to read. I would describe it not as a gangland thriller, but a deeply moving story in a gangland setting. The central character, Billie Jo is one I really came to care about, with scenes that stirred my emotions. This to me is the sign of a good writer, one whose stories evoke intense sadness and burning hate. Danny was such a scum bag, it left me feeling murderous but at the same time, gunning for Billie Jo, whose sweet innocence shines through. Gripping and moving at the same time, I couldn't put it down and enjoyed every page right up until the end. Parts of the story struck a nerve...
I will definitely be reading more books by this author and delighted to discover someone new.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this book after listening to an interview with the author on the radio. I liked her interview and decided I’d start my journey with her books from the first one.

I thought that the book was good. It had believable characters and a good plot. It was easy to read and a page turner even if the story line was slightly predictable. It had a similar base line to many other books I’ve read.

Certainly not a book for someone who dislikes bad language though as it has a lot of swearing. So I won’t recommend it to my Nan!

I am looking forward to reading her books in chronological order as I think there is a huge scope for improvement in her writing. For a first book for someone who’d never written before and writes all her stuff by hand this is a good starting point!

[Holly Salisbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book and lots of positive reviews. Although, I found the storyline very predictable and did not like how the main characters were portrayed. I saw one comment saying “A good attempt at a happy ending” this is very true and I found the author tried too hard to make it a happily ever after. After finding out this was her first book, and written by hand, I think she did a very good job at keeping the reader engaged. Definitely a page turner. I would still recommend this book to a friend 3/5 stars and I look forward to reading more of her books.

[Bert Bardoel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Without question the worst book (if it can be called that) I have read in years. Nothing to offer: child-level English but without the spontaneity or joy. One dimensional characters. Simple. The adjectives are ‘great, nice, wonderful, bad’ etc. It fails to create. It uses simple words to describe what isn’t worth describing in the first place. The ratings baffle me.
But hey, many others obviously love it and that’s great. Fair play to Kimberly but definitely not for me.

[Emma Macaulay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story would be such a good TV series, it’s predictable but a page turner nonetheless.

I wasn’t keen on how the book was written, It felt as though I was reading something a teen had written, not a published author, that’s said, I believe it was her first book.

Because I enjoyed the story so much, I’m definitely going to read Kimberley Chambers again

[Carol Mageean · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG what an absolute fantastic book read it in two days could not put it down and did not want to finish it. from page one I was totally absorbed. Loved the grittiness and the characters - hate to give the story away but all I would say is if you enjoy a fast moving page turner then you will love this from beginning to end.

[John Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant book. I can see why Kimberley is adored by crime fiction fans. The book was very emotive at times n even left on a knife edge with Danny plotting revenge. I highly recommend this book! What a great way to start the year off!

[Ben Hurren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good story. I've only read two of Kimberley Chambers' books so I'm not a massive follower but this was great. Bit heavy on the language at times but the story came together well and it was a good read.

[David Taplin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won't bother detailing the 'plot' nor mention any of the 'characters'. Sufficed to say this is storytelling of the most puerile, infantile kind. This is 'literature' for Sun readers, and that's being extremely unkind to Sun readers. Complete garbage.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was addictive and kept you interested but comparing her debut novel with her later books there is no comparison, she has definitely improved with time. I love Kimberley Chambers books one of my favourite authors but not everyones cup of tea.

[Pamela Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book four times. It is one of my favourites!. I love Kimberly's style of writing about the east end. I collect all of her books but Billie Jo is still my favourite. It's quite a page turner and will have your attention from page 1 I can't recommend it enough