Louise Alden learnt from a young age that you can't change the cards that life deals you; you just have to learn how to play the game. With money in her pocket and a new boyfriend at her side, life on the estate has never been better. Until Louise uncovers a deadly secret; now nothing will ever be the same again.
Jerell Morgan was born evil. Even his Bible preaching grandma, who raised him back home in Kingston, Jamaica, couldn't drive away the wickedness that festered inside him as a child. Now busy making a name for himself, Jerell is prepared to do whatever it takes to live the life that he has always dreamt of. He is on the rise, and London doesn't know what’s about to hit it.
“Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” ~ William Shakespeare
Casey Kelleher was born in Cuckfield, West Sussex. Growing up she became an avid reader, loving in particular gritty crime thrillers and gangland books.
The Books
Standalone Psych Thrillers The Perfect Guest The Missing Mother The Babysitter's Secret MINE I'll Never Tell Only Child The Babysitter's Secret
Gangland/crime thrillers
standalones Bad Blood The Taken The Promise Rotten to the Core Rise and Fall Heartless
Griffin Estate Trilogy No Escape (book 1) No Fear (book 2) No Going Back (book 3)
The Byrne Trilogy The Betrayed (Book 1) The Broken (Book) The Forgotten (Book 3)
Louise Even with her good looks and business mind... Louise still ends up on the run down estate. Living there she finds herself caught up with all the goings on but with money in her pocket and a home of sorts she tells herself things could be worse. But when Jerrell enters the picture things do take a new turn and not always in a good way. A secret she comes across will not be easy to keep and will put her in danger.
Jamie At 15 Jamie knows he has had enough, enough of his mother, screaming, drunk and neglectful. Leaving home is the only thing left for him to make something of his life before its too late. But leaving will come at a price.
Jerrell
After leaving his birth country Jamaica. He arrives in the UK looking to make money, dealing in drugs, theft, this is nothing to what he will do to stop a secret coming out. Out to be top dog he is sure to upset his competitors and makes sure no one will get in his way.
And Tyler..
Caught up in the gang world so young to escape his home life.
In a world of gangs drugs and violence....This story spans over 10 years. I love the way the author brings all these characters together for an explosive story. As like her other books the supporting characters play just as big of a part. Exciting until the end Casey Kelleher is in my opinion up there with the best of these type of crime stories.
This is the first time I have listened to a Audible recording and I have to say I was really surprised. I still felt the same suspense you get from reading a book and I know I will be downloading another one soon..
After reading this book a few years ago and loving it. I was thrilled when I got the chance to listen to it on Audio. Not being sure what to expect, I took my phone and headphones, on a walk, then took it to work, then It ended up going everywhere with me. It was funny as although I had read the book, with it being a few years ago, I had forgotten a lot of what happened, and found listening to this, interesting and exciting. Many kindle books have the text to speach enabled, and if you have ever listened to it, you will know it sounds very robotic and hard to follow. This is not the case witht he audio version, it was like having someone with a great soothing voice follow me around reading to me. Great for when you want to read, but haven't got the chance to sit down. I'm now listening to this for the 2nd time while i get stuck into my housework. The audio book is brilliant and I would love to listen to more books in future
Having just finished this book, my emotions are all over the place.
I don't think a story has ever chilled me to the bone like this one has, yet I am experiencing a mixture of happiness, sadness and anger.
Having read the book description, I don't think it prepared me to the true horror of how evil Jerrell is. I think some readers will find part of the story line quite upsetting as I certainly did, yet the author writes about a subject that is truly awful without going into to much detail but just giving the reader just the right amount of information.
I loved Jamie, he really is a strong character. He leaves home at the age of fifteen, after years of enduring a waste of space for a mother and basically being neglected. Luckily for Jamie he falls on his feet when he walks into Gary's garage who then takes him under his wing and becomes like a father figure to him.
Unfortunately the trade of dodgy cars that has kept the garage going is drying up due to rival Jerrell trying to make his mark in the area. Jamie and Gary decide it's time to take Jerrell out but things don't go to plan and Jamie makes a shocking discovery that totally rocks his world.
Jerrell I hated! I am not a violent person but boy did I want something really bad to happen to him. He has no thought for anyone but himself. He uses everyone and has no respect for Louise and the others that work under him. He truly is a nasty piece of work.
I really enjoyed the bond between Gary and Jamie. By the end of the novel a few of the other characters had grown on me also and I would love for there to be some sort of follow up novel to this one so the reader could catch up with them a few years later.
Rise and Fall is a novel that really grabs hold of you. It took me on an emotional roller coaster of a ride. Some parts were uncomfortable to read and I did find them upsetting, but I don't think the story would have been anywhere near as brilliant if the author had dusted over the harrowing subject.
It’s no secret that I am a huge Casey Kelleher fan and I have recently, finally, downloaded her earlier books and having loved Rotten to the Core, I couldn’t wait to read Rise and Fall. It once again was another harsh, gritty and brutal read, but one that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from.
Rise and Fall opens with Jamie escaping from the clutches of his dreadful mum, Maura. We see him making a name for himself with his boss Gary, shipping stolen cars to Uganda for serious money. A spanner is thrown into the works in the shape of a vicious Jamaican by the name of Jerrell and soon Jamie has made himself an enemy and both men are out for revenge.
I stormed through Rise and Fall because it was such a gripping read, however I felt that it was almost a little bit rushed and normally in this genre we get 500+ page books spanning decades or featuring multiple storylines within one but this story just seemed to have the one main thread running through it with little subplots connected to it throughout. I suppose it’s only a fault to me because I love Casey’s writing and the way she tells her stories that I always just want them to go on that little bit longer. It seems the days of the Martina Cole epics like The Jump and Goodnight Lady are a thing of the past. That said the story that is here is absolutely fantastic, it does make for uncomfortable reading in places but it’s addictive and moves at a relentless pace.
Jamie is an instantly likeable character who I think all readers will root for as they read. Jerrell is probably one of the most hateful characters that Casey has created and, if you’ve read one of her books before, she has created some truly despicable characters so that should be some sign of how ruthless Jerrell is. How everything would come to be connected was kind of obvious however it made me like Jamie more, and feel more emotion for the characters involved. The ending had a nice little twist and rather than be annoyed at what could have felt like a cliche, I enjoyed how things were wrapped up for all concerned by the end of the story. It’s only when reading Rise and Fall and comparing it to Casey’s later work that it becomes evident just how much her books have improved and how her storytelling has evolved from what we see here. This is a fantastic book that holds its own within this genre, but her later work is where we really see Casey shine as one of the genre’s most exciting authors.
After reading Casey’s debut novel Rotten to The Core I was really looking forward to her second book. Her first and second books were self-published and after her debut novel sold more than 20,000 copies (I’m not surprised there) she was ‘snapped up’ by an agency (yay). Her first book was really good and you could tell that she was aiming for the same type of feel to her books as some of the bigger British Crime legends such as Mandasue Heller, Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole. The writing was good, the story was great and overall it took me now time to finish.
When I started her new book I have to be honest and say I wondered if she could produce second good book. Was it a one off her original book, or would she rise to the occasion. Thankfully Casey Kelleher has produced a book that is better than the first! Jamie Finch is a fifteen year old that leaves home and tries to make it on his own. He approached Gary West and a few years later we see him as an integral part of Gary’s firm. Sadly for Gary and Jamie, Jerrell Morgan is the new kid on the block and he is causing havoc. Being born and raised in Jamaica, Jerrell has come to London to take out other firms and lead it all his was. He has no issues with doing things the hard and violent way and makes this known to everybody.
I have to say that I immediately loathed Jerrell and got a real sense of the danger lurking behind his personality. I found myself a few times leaning forward and turning my pages with a bit too much haste (I get like that when things get a bit tense)! The characters Casey has created are very believable and I liked the fact that we got to see the nicer side ti both Gary and Jaime. There was plenty of action and lots of dramatic events. One word of warning though, Casey does touch on a pretty sensitive subject in the book (hard to say what without spoilers) so if you are of the sensitive nature, please don’t moan about it because I have warned you! Having said that, it’s in keeping with the story and to be honest it just made me want a certain type of outcome even more!
Overall, I am thought this book was even better than her debut and think it won’t be long before Casey can join the ranks amongst some of the other legends of British crime such as Lady Heller, Kim Chambers and Martina Cole. Casey, just keep ‘em coming and your fans will follow, just hurry up and get the next one written!!!
Loved this kept me gripped and read it in a day Fab characters and storyline A must read this is the 3rd book I’ve read from this author doesn’t disappoint
Rise and Fall is a wonderful read. The plot of this crime thriller races along not unlike the classic cars that are being ripped off and stolen through out the early part of the story. The story is interesting because it is told from the perspective of the criminals, rather than the police or the detective trying to solve a case. Kelleher wields three different stories with great skill, intermingling the narrative to give the reader a truly disturbing sense of the murky crime world that characters Jamie, Jerrell and Louise inhabit.
Jamie is the most fun character by far; harsh and cruel on one level, he is also strangely principled – wanting to make money but not necessarily hurt or kill anyone, which is a very different attitude to many of the other criminals in the tale. He also has a sense of humour and thus is very identifiable with, even more so when he reveals a sweet side through his loyalty to his semi-adopted father and petty crime boss Gary. Louise also adds an interesting element to the story, perceived as a flirt by the men around her – her own internal monologue is reveals that she is the brains behind the crime organisation that they all work for.
If I had to, my one and only bone to pick with this tale is that the characters sometimes lack motivation. The three protagonists are all vicious in their own way but at some points the narrative doesn’t give enough explanation of their actions and motives. However, the story is still a great read and an interesting window into the scummy world of crime, the failure of the system and those who get caught in the crossfire
Review by Eleanor Whalley on behalf of BestChickLit.com
Wow, absolutely triple wow, another fantastic gripping read from Casey. She really does know how to keep her readers entertained.
Having read a lot of Casey’s newer books, 2017 onwards and loving them all, I knew that I wanted to read her earlier books too, one of which is this one Rise and Fall which was published in 2015. Well as stated in my opening sentence of this review, I think you can tell that I loved this book.
Just like all of her later books, it was truly well written and darn brilliant characters. Absolutely gripping and fast paced, full on entertainment, action and drama, gritty going ons and plenty of intense moments. I swear if you like author Martina Cole, then this book is highly recommended.
I've only just recently found this author, but I'm so happy that I did. This is another fantastic book by Casey Kelleher, yet average first chapter grabs you and keeps you turning page after page! The story is fast moving and keeps the reader wanting to read just that little bit more, then before you know, your at the end of the book with a reasonably happy ending! I would have liked to have seen Jamie and Louise get together, but who knows! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a gritty crime novel. 😀
Well written. Full of plots twists and turns. Believable characters. Casey kelleher.....Martina Cole...mandasue heller...my favourite writers...there's nothing better..goodies versus baddies.
I have read this book in two days as I couldn’t wait to find out if justice was going to be served. Totally believable characters my heart was pounding out of my chest as the story was coming to an end.
Really enjoyed this book,although must say I didn't like the details of jerels attack on tyler were needed... Great characters and storyline.have read Casey Kelleher before and enjoyed them immensely
I had never read any books by this author. Very goog story line. Bringing into the headlights a subject which is still taboo. Good twists in the story. Will read more by this author.
Id say this has been the best book out of the 3 that I have read. Didn't want it to end and i can see that there could be a follow up book from this. Hint hint 😀
Rise and Fall, being the authors second piece of work did not disappoint. I will admit that the first few chapters started out a little slower than 'Rotten to the Core' but the book quickly took speed and I ended up reading it at any chance I got. I liked how each of 'Jerell' lap dogs had a past which led them to their place in the story and if I could have gone into the book I'd have gladly rescued them all and taken them home. I'm not very much looking forward to Casey's next novel and wish her all the luck in the world. Another cracker Ms Kelleher, well done.