Fans of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers will be captivated by BURIED's powerful, gritty story of crime, loyalty, and betrayal.
Some secrets won't stay… BURIED
Jolie Conway’s world is shattered the day her boyfriend, Steve Jenkins, is arrested for a brutal murder. Clutching her new baby to her chest as the police drag her first love and father of her child away, Jolie can’t believe what they’re Steve is a killer with blood on his hands, and darker secrets than she could imagine. Fragile, broken and left to raise baby Kane alone, Jolie hopes the worst is behind her.
But she is wrong. Dead wrong.
Trouble in East London has a name. And that name is King. Brothers, Wesley and Lance King, claim they’ve gone straight, but when a body shows up on their territory, it’s clear that someone’s still playing dirty. With the police sniffing around, the Kings need to find out who it is, and fast, before everything comes crashing down.
But now Lance’s attention has been caught elsewhere. He’s got his sights set on Jolie, and when Lance wants something, he takes it. No questions. No mercy. Dragged into a world of betrayal and deadly secrets, Jolie is about to learn the hard way that her living nightmare is only just beginning. The real monster is still out there. And he’s coming for her.
The Kings built their empire on violence and power. Now it might bury them all.
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)
After 4 years break from ‘Gangland’ books the author is back with a bang and good and proper ganglanged again 😎
A riot of a tale that includes murder and mayhem and a host of characters for us to meet and greet, like and loathe
Talking of loathing wait till you meet Lance King ( one of the 2 King brothers ) insidious and evil doesn’t describe how bad he is and the disgusting things he does, I really disliked him ( the author did her job brilliantly )
We also meet Jolie and Steve whose lives are about to be turned upside down and Jolies Mum, a fiesty woman who isen’t afraid to speak her mind
Its raw and real, eye wateringky so and is gangland/family drama thriller perfection
My only Argghhh was when it finished on a cliffhanger and I was like NOOOOOO now got to wait, but the wait will be worth it
This is a brilliant start to a gritty, gangland crime series. Jolie and Steve are expecting their first child but money is tight. Steve is offered the chance to earn some extra money by his boss at the building site by helping him load up some building materials on a van, so agrees to do it, as they desperately need the money. Jolie’s Mum, Maggie, has never liked Steve and thinks her daughter can do better than him, but Jolie loves him. Steve loves her too but unwittingly gets involved with the Kings, who are two brothers renowned for being violent criminals, and he is in way over his head. Wesley King is more level headed than his brother Lance and is concerned about Lance’s aggressive behaviour and his treatment of women, but can’t seem to get through to him. There’s lots going on in this book and after the nail biting ending, I can’t wait to find out what happens next. This is a great gangland thriller that I’d highly recommend. Thank you to Casey Kelleher for sending me an early copy of this book.
Buried hooked me right from the start with Jolie Conway’s world falling apart in an instant. One minute she’s a new mum, the next her boyfriend Steve is arrested for a brutal murder. The shock and devastation are so raw, and you can’t help but feel for her as she’s left to raise baby Kane alone.
But Casey Kelleher doesn’t let you breathe for long, because then we meet the Kings. Wesley and Lance are East London brothers whose reputation is built on violence and power. Wesley is more measured, but Lance? He’s a chilling mix of charm and menace, and once he sets his sights on Jolie, the tension skyrockets.
What really kept me gripped was the mix of gritty gangland drama with Jolie’s fight for survival. She’s fragile, yes, but she’s also determined, and I found myself rooting for her even when the odds looked impossible.
Casey Kelleher’s writing is sharp, fast-paced, and brutally honest, she paints East London’s underworld so vividly you can almost feel the danger creeping off the page. Dark, raw, and addictive, Betrayed is a rollercoaster of fear, buried , and survival. If you love gritty thrillers with characters that stay with you long after the last page, this is one you shouldn’t miss.
I absolutely loved this book. I’m so happy that this book is the first in a new gangland series and that we get to find out more about the King brothers. I can’t wait for the next instalment.
Wesley and Lance King are known by everyone in the East End and are feared by most. Chase works at one of their building sites and is playing a very dangerous game by stealing materials and tools from the site.
Chase trusts in the wrong person and soon things are spiralling out of control for him. Chase makes a big mistake but the brothers have a solution and one that impacts many lives.
A fab read, full of surprises and twists. Another triumph by Casey Kelleher and I am very excited about the second book in this series.
Some secret's won't stay buried. East London. Jolie Conway is left to raise baby Kane alone in the most devastating way. Her babies father Steve Jenkins is dragged away and arrested for a brutal murder. The known Lance King has got Jolie in his sights, the King's built their empire on violence and power, he is one dangerous man. Now it might bury them all. A dark gangland crime thriller with so much more involved as you read right to the end. I just cannot wait now for the next instalment of more of Jolie and Steve. This book just stole my heart. A cracking start to a new series from this unique author. And like I said this has so much as readers will find out. Booklover BEV loved it.
The queen of gangland is back. Jolie wants the best for her baby, and Steve, though struggling, will do everything he can to support her. Chase and his friend are willing to do anything to make money. Liam and Lesley King, the gangland bosses ruling over everyone's territory, are ruthless, with one being especially dangerous. Jolie has never forgotten her sister, who has been missing and unheard from for a long time. Each character becomes entangled with the merciless King brothers. It's a gripping and thrilling read that ends on a cliffhanger—a real page-turner I highly recommend.
It all started so well. Last Monday treated us to the sort of blazing sunshine that tradition says is strictly not allowed on bank holidays, and I had the wonderful promise of a few hours to waste before having to reluctantly prepare for work the next morning. Time to get the deckchair out, and lie back and relax with a cold drink, an ice cream and a book.
The book in question was Buried by Casey Kelleher, and I breezed effortlessly through about the first half of it, putting it down with reluctance only after the entire garden had been cast in the shade and the midges had come out to play. I enjoyed reading about the hapless Steve who, whilst clearly no saint and perhaps a bit stupid, was really just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But his choices have his pregnant girlfriend Jolie, and his domineering mother-in-law Maggie, dragged into a world where they really don't belong. Then there's the horrifically cruel and out-of-control Lance, who is wonderfully entertaining to read, and no doubt write about because he has no boundaries. He won't do that ... will he? He can't ... he has!
The problem for me was that, from that point on, things started to go wrong. And I don't mean with the book, I mean with real life. An argument with a neighbour, followed by further arguments on social media over the same issue, and then that awful speech by the man who, for reasons of political neutrality, I shall call Voldemort, but if you're in the UK you'll know what I mean. Suffice to say that it was worryingly reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s, and it left me feeling depressed and distracted to say the least.
It might largely be as a result of this that I couldn't enjoy the rest of the book in the same way. But I think it's also because I was introduced to Casey Kelleher through her psychological thrillers, and as a result, I've become used to storylines that grip me with both hands, so hard and for so long that I remember them for days afterwards. To characters whom I can really understand, and relate to. To plot twists that leave me gasping and perhaps even bring tears to my eyes.
Buried doesn't really deliver that. And whilst I understand that perhaps it isn't meant to, I wanted it to. But I didn't find a character that I liked, or wanted to cheer on. By the end, Lance had started to feel more comic than terrifying. And there seemed to be rather too many instances of characters suffering injuries that initially appeared fatal, only to end up not being so. At the final such incident, I could feel my eyes rolling.
The ending, too, was a bit of a 'hmm' moment. I get that the book is the first instalment of a planned series, and that's fine. But you've only got to read any crime fiction series to know that there needs to be some sort of resolution by the final chapter, even if there is another ongoing storyline. Here, everything is left unfinished. I honestly thought 'is that it?'
I will say that at the time of writing, this book has an average of 5 stars on both Amazon and Goodreads. I'm happy to accept that it may be this genre, rather than this particular book, that isn't really for me. However, my key issue is this: as entertainment, Buried is fine. But that's really all I took from it.
Think of it as going for lunch to a pub that you haven't been to in ages, but which you really enjoyed the last time you visited. Only to discover that, since then, it's been converted into a fast food restaurant. It's not wrong. It's just not what you were hoping for.
My thanks to Casey and to Bookfunnel for the gifted digital copy of the book, and I'm really sorry that my review is not more positive. I will post this review on my blog (www.mycosybooknook.wordpress.com) and, with her blessing, share to my social media pages, but will refrain from publishing on Amazon.
It has been a number of years since Casey Kelleher has written a gangland crime thriller. So when I heard she had a new one coming out I was beyond excited to read it. And even more so when it was the first book in a brand new series. Buried is based around two brothers Wesley and Lance King and boy are these two the perfect examples of gangland characters, with one in particular being evil personified. There are also other characters we are introduced to. I love getting to know the characters in any book I read and especially in a series where these characters will be recurring throughout the series. Buried had me gripped right from the prologue and that feeling didn’t stop until I had finished the book. There were twists and turns with some having me gasping out loud at times. To sum up Casey has absolutely knocked it out of the park with this first book and I can’t wait to see what’s in store in the next book, which I believe will be published in 2026.
Some secrets can’t stay hidden. And some enemies won’t stop until you are BURIED.
Jolie Conway’s world is shattered the day her boyfriend, Steve Jenkins, is arrested for a brutal murder. Clutching her new baby to her chest as the police drag her first love and father of her child away, Jolie can’t believe what they’re saying: Steve is a killer with blood on his hands, and darker secrets than she could imagine. Fragile, broken and left to raise baby Kane alone, Jolie hopes the worst is behind her.
But she is wrong. Dead wrong!! 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Casey Kelleher … yet again Casey has presented a fantastic book, that makes you want to keep reading. When you finally finish her book, .first thought is “oh there better be another book in this series (imagine that in a Scottish accent 🏴 😂!). Thanks Casey for allowing me to read & review this book ❤️ x. #myself #caseykelleher #bookouture #follow #likes
This is the first book in a start of a new gangland crime series and I loved it. If you love books by Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers, Kerry Barnes then definitely pick this book up. Casey Kelleher is an auto read author for me and I have read all of her books
Let me remind you the law of the criminal world
1. You do not see or hear anything 2. Going to the police is useless 3. Being caught stealing or speaking about anything leads to death.
Meet Lance and Wesley King. A well known deadly duo who instil fear in everyone.
However
Beware of Lance, he is evil personified. He is an equal opportunity killer where he will not shy away of abusing girlfriend. His legacy after an interaction is either murder or a hospital bed.
Meet Wesley. He is constantly cleaning up after Lance but is also just as deadly.
If you are on the fence of reading this book I will drop you some helpful hints.
A brand new series from Casey Kelleher. I have read all Casey Kelleher’s books from Rotten to The Core onwards and think you’re very lucky if only finding Casey’s books now as you have a good few to read. If you like the original early books of Martina Cole, or like Kimberley Chambers and Mandasue Heller then you’ll love this author. Buried is another #1 read. This is a real gangland thriller, I enjoyed the characters, some you love, some you dislike but all had good depth and a back story introducing you to them. I read this quickly, it’s a good length and to be honest I didn’t realise I was near the end till I turned for the next chapter…. That in itself makes this book a success. This Book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger (bugger!) so can’t wait for book 2! Well done, a pleasure to read.
I have read a few books by this author and love her writing style, gritty, dark, dirty, and always hard-hitting subjects. Buried is no different, a new series about London crime brothers Lance and Wesley King. They are well written, and you absolutely love to hate them, one more than the other. This book should definitely come with some warnings ⚠️, it covers some very dark subjects that definitely make you think. I wanted it to continue, so I am looking forward to the next instalment with the kings.
Wow what a read I absolutely love Casey kellher as an author both in gangland and psychological thrillers as it’s been a wee while since we’ve had any gangland genre from Casey I was so excited for this and it’s safe to say it did not disappoint I loved the way she brought in all of the characters building on the plot as you got to know them it had me totally gripped and needless to say was finished it in record time here leaving me with a bloody book hangover thank you Casey can’t wait for the next installment of the kings
Hi, Buried... Casey kelleher is back !!!! The first is in a new gangland series, and what a book it is, too. I loved it it was exciting, fast-paced, and a glimpse into the main characters. An ending I dont think I saw coming, I can't wait for the next one, casey kelleher do we really have e to wait till next year lol? What's in store for the King brothers Wesley & Lance and Jolie and steve?. This definitely made my heart pump faster, highly recommended. 5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read from me.....
Oh my goodness, what a captivating book! It will draw you in with every page. It’s a thrilling gangland story featuring some shady characters and some who are a bit more trustworthy. Wesley and Lance King are feared throughout the East End, known for violence, corruption, and more. This is a fantastic start to a new series. I love Casey's books; they are always gritty and engaging! books; they are always gritty and engaging!
Legitimately couldn't put this book down, I was utterly hooked. The prologue ALONE messed me up more than any other Crime/Thriller book.
To me it kind of read like a David Fincher's Seven film with just how dark and gritty this book gets - and you best believe it goes into some pretty dark places.
I'm absolutely gutted I've finished this book as the story is over, and all I want is more.
Another fantastic read by a brilliant author. I simply could not put this book down a rollercoaster ride from start to finish and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
I was gripped from the first page and couldn't put it down. There were plenty of twists and turns. But the ending didn't deliver. It stopped dead, as if there was a chapter or two missing. More than a cliffhanger.
Wow Casey I’m so pleased you wrote another gangland book. You know I love all your books and Buried didn’t disappoint, I was hooked from page one to the very end. I didn’t realise this was a series so when I got to the end I was like WHAT !! then I knew there was going to be a book 2 and I can’t wait to read it 😊 5 star ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ read xx