The Kings Head

by Kelly Frost

A fierce story about friendship and competition set among London's forgotten girl gangs

We never ran the place on paper, but we had reigned here as Kings, reigned over the world we created for ourselves.

1957, London. A gang of girls called the Kings rule the bomb-struck streets of Finsbury Park. When Harry, their unpredictable but charismatic leader, tries to encroach on the territory of the rival Seven Sisters gang, the Kings know they're in for a fight.

Armed with flick knives and fists, they do battle in dancehalls and on football fields. But with the authorities closing in and conscripted boys threatening to reclaim what was once theirs, the Kings must ask if they're willing to pay the price of loyalty.

Bound by wild friendship and brutal competition, these young women will do anything to carve a space for themselves in this ruthless city.

Genres: Audiobook, Historical Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published February 6, 2025

Reviews

[Andy Weston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for some sort of Ted Lewis-esque London noir writing, as this is also a crime band-related novel of the 1950s/60s. But this certainly isn't that.

[Lore]

A well-written debut; with interesting female friendships and a slice of my local history I knew absolutely nothing about. It didn't always go in the direction I was personally rooting for but I found it an easy read with entertaining references to both 50s and modern Finsbury Park. Will be reading up on the Teddy Girls in the future, 100%
Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Samantha Noonan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got most of the way through this but had to stop because it was making me cringe. I think it was the characters (caricatures!) and their hammy, cliche dialogue. It’s like the author maybe read a few books or saw a few films and ‘learned’ that this is how people in gangs talk / behave and just reproduced it, rather than injecting any nuance or originality. You can’t just make these characters female and expect readers to receive this as something fresh. Disappointing.

[Greg Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to stop this a third of the way through as it was written in quite a juvenile way. I'm sure it'll appeal more to a young teen audience. I felt the narrative and dialogue was a bit naff and cliche and interactions between the individuals were quite boring and didn't go anywhere. It's a shame as the premise of the book sounded quite interesting.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but it didn’t fully draw me in. The King’s Head does a great job capturing the athmosphere of 1950s London — the street gangs, dance halls, class divides, and shifting city mood all feel vivid and authentic. However, the characters lack some emotional depth; at times they seem to fade into the backdrop of the setting.
Kelly Frost’s writing is fluid and her attention to period detail is impressive, but the story occassionally loses focus. Some scenes are gripping, others drag on a bit too long.
Overall, an interesting slice of postwar London, but not a story that stays with you.

[Andy Moss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hoped to like this more than I did as the subject is a good one. It didn't feel that authentic though and the writing was more evocative of a cheap TV drama where the costumes or sets wouldn't stand up to much scrutiny.

[reading_corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! Fresh and exhilarating. The characters jumped off the pages for me and the prose was sometimes disarmingly good.