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Collins and Griffiths #3
Gallowstree Lane
Please don't let me die. Please don't. The final words of teenager Spencer Cardoso as he bleeds out on a London street, his life cut short in a single moment of rage.
Detective Inspector Kieran Shaw's not interested in the infantry. Shaw likes the proper criminals, the ones who can plan things.
For two years he's been painstakingly building evidence against an organized network, the Eardsley Bluds. Operation Perseus is about to make its arrests.
So when a low-level Bluds member is stabbed to death on Gallowstree Lane, Shaw's priority is to protect his operation. An investigation into one of London's tit for tat killings can't be allowed to derail Perseus and let the master criminals go free.
But there's a witness to the murder, fifteen-year-old Ryan Kennedy. Already caught up in Perseus and with the Bluds, Ryan's got his own demons and his own ideas about what's important.
As loyalties collide and priorities clash, a chain of events is triggered that draws in Shaw's old adversary DI Sarah Collins and threatens everyone with a connection to Gallowstree Lane...
"Kate London, the new rising star of crime fiction, is the real thing. Read everything she writes." --Tony Parsons
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 7, 2019
60 people are currently reading
436 people want to read
About the author
Kate London
9 books116 followersKate graduated from Cambridge University and moved to Paris where she trained in theatre. In 2006 Kate joined the Metropolitan Police Service.
Like all police officers she started in uniform, working for two years on a response team, and then moved into the CID. She qualified as a detective constable then went on attachment with the police nationale in France and finished her career working as part of a Major Investigation Team on SC&01 - the Metropolitan Police Service's Homicide Command.
She resigned from the MPS in August 2014. Post Mortem is her first novel.
Like all police officers she started in uniform, working for two years on a response team, and then moved into the CID. She qualified as a detective constable then went on attachment with the police nationale in France and finished her career working as part of a Major Investigation Team on SC&01 - the Metropolitan Police Service's Homicide Command.
She resigned from the MPS in August 2014. Post Mortem is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
January 12, 2019
I didn't realise this was the third in the Collins and Griffiths series set in London, but this works just fine as a standalone. Kate London writes a exceptionally pertinent novel of the real life nature of policing in London, the complexities and the current real life heartbreaking rise in knife crime and the consequent murders, and the conflicts the police service faces and the differing priorities within the force. The insights and observations that the author provides in the novel smacks of personal experience and knowledge, and it turns out there is good reason for this with the author having a personal history as a serving police officer. The book begins in 2016 in Gallowstree Lane with the young 15 year old Spencer Cardoso being stabbed whilst accompanied by his traumatised friend, Ryan Kennedy.
Spencer is a low level street drug dealer, a member of the Bluds gang. A passing black paramedic does his best to save his life, but to no avail as the boy dies. Ryan takes off with the paramedic's phone. The narrative hones in on the reverberations and consequences of this murder, conveyed from the perspective of Ryan, the committed DI Sarah Collins determined to find the murderer who sees Ryan as a witness, single mother DC Lizzie Griffiths determined to prove herself who focuses on Ryan and a past assault, and the hard bitten, implacable DI Kieran Shaw, hellbent on protecting a two year undercover operation, Perseus, aimed at cutting down on the huge influx of guns and gun crime in the area. Ryan's is a vulnerable young boy drawn into the life of gangs, given the few life opportunities on offer for the likes of him and so many others, facing a future that is written in blood. The gang provides a sense of belonging, a kind of family, with the leader, Shakiel, reeling in the young boys, intent on planning risky activities to raise profits.
This is a gritty police procedural that is brilliant in depicting certain parts of London and its communities, and the conflicting goals in contemporary policing. It is not often I come across a crime read that just seems to reflect the issues that beset the London of today with its desperately unfortunate rise in knife crime and murder, often committed for the slightest of reasons. With wonderful characterisations, Kate London gives us an uncomfortable and harrowing glimpse into London gangs and the boys that get caught up in that world and a police force that has to deal with this. This is a compulsive, unforgettable and gripping read. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.
Spencer is a low level street drug dealer, a member of the Bluds gang. A passing black paramedic does his best to save his life, but to no avail as the boy dies. Ryan takes off with the paramedic's phone. The narrative hones in on the reverberations and consequences of this murder, conveyed from the perspective of Ryan, the committed DI Sarah Collins determined to find the murderer who sees Ryan as a witness, single mother DC Lizzie Griffiths determined to prove herself who focuses on Ryan and a past assault, and the hard bitten, implacable DI Kieran Shaw, hellbent on protecting a two year undercover operation, Perseus, aimed at cutting down on the huge influx of guns and gun crime in the area. Ryan's is a vulnerable young boy drawn into the life of gangs, given the few life opportunities on offer for the likes of him and so many others, facing a future that is written in blood. The gang provides a sense of belonging, a kind of family, with the leader, Shakiel, reeling in the young boys, intent on planning risky activities to raise profits.
This is a gritty police procedural that is brilliant in depicting certain parts of London and its communities, and the conflicting goals in contemporary policing. It is not often I come across a crime read that just seems to reflect the issues that beset the London of today with its desperately unfortunate rise in knife crime and murder, often committed for the slightest of reasons. With wonderful characterisations, Kate London gives us an uncomfortable and harrowing glimpse into London gangs and the boys that get caught up in that world and a police force that has to deal with this. This is a compulsive, unforgettable and gripping read. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.
February 9, 2019
"Gallowstree Lane" is the third in the Collins and Griffiths series written by Kate London and although I haven't read any in the series before, I feel this could still work as a standalone if wished. However, the more familiar you are with the returning characters the more I expect you'd enjoy this book and connect with them personally, which I sadly didn't and therefore affected my overall enjoyment of the book.
"'Please don't let me die!'....When a teenage boy is stabbed and killed in Gallowstree Lane, it threatens to derail Operation Perseus, a covert police investigation into an organised criminal network. Detective Kieran Shaw won't allow that to happen but fifteen year old Ryan has other ideas. He's witnessed the death of his best friend Spencer and now he wants someone to pay. As loyalties collide, a chain of events is triggered that threatens everyone with a connection to Gallowstree Lane"
A gritty, police procedural set in London, this is a very realistic and up to date modern story with true to life characters and events. I did feel some sympathy for Ryan and for the situation he and many others find themselves in. Such a young age to be witnessing murder and be involved in gang related activities and sadly no opportunities to escape the inevitable way of life so many young and troubled kids are embroiled in.
Although I can't say I particularly enjoyed the story, as at times I did struggle with parts I found laborious, I can see it has been very well written, thought out and plotted and there's been an obvious amount of research carried out to convey the authenticity of the events. I would still recommend this book to die hard, police procedural readers, I just wasn't overawed with it even after an intriguing and promising start and therefore unfortunately have no interest in reading the first two in the series.
2.5 stars
"'Please don't let me die!'....When a teenage boy is stabbed and killed in Gallowstree Lane, it threatens to derail Operation Perseus, a covert police investigation into an organised criminal network. Detective Kieran Shaw won't allow that to happen but fifteen year old Ryan has other ideas. He's witnessed the death of his best friend Spencer and now he wants someone to pay. As loyalties collide, a chain of events is triggered that threatens everyone with a connection to Gallowstree Lane"
A gritty, police procedural set in London, this is a very realistic and up to date modern story with true to life characters and events. I did feel some sympathy for Ryan and for the situation he and many others find themselves in. Such a young age to be witnessing murder and be involved in gang related activities and sadly no opportunities to escape the inevitable way of life so many young and troubled kids are embroiled in.
Although I can't say I particularly enjoyed the story, as at times I did struggle with parts I found laborious, I can see it has been very well written, thought out and plotted and there's been an obvious amount of research carried out to convey the authenticity of the events. I would still recommend this book to die hard, police procedural readers, I just wasn't overawed with it even after an intriguing and promising start and therefore unfortunately have no interest in reading the first two in the series.
2.5 stars
January 16, 2020
Oops! I missed out book two. I thought there were a few unexplained items in this book and that would be why.
Never mind because Gallowstree Lane was still an entertaining book in its own right. The characters are excellent, especially Sarah who constantly struggles to play by the rules in a police force which unfortunately bends them all the time. She still has to look away when information is deliberately buried or there are occasions of police brutality. I wonder if this was a reason for Kate London to have left the force herself!
The author has no qualms about killing off her own characters which is a bit of a shock. The last part of the book is intense and nerve racking. I think I let my breath out in a big rush at the end. I know I closed the book, gave it a pat and said "wow".
If you enjoy your mysteries with lots of detail about police work then this one is for you. Now I have to go find book 2.
Never mind because Gallowstree Lane was still an entertaining book in its own right. The characters are excellent, especially Sarah who constantly struggles to play by the rules in a police force which unfortunately bends them all the time. She still has to look away when information is deliberately buried or there are occasions of police brutality. I wonder if this was a reason for Kate London to have left the force herself!
The author has no qualms about killing off her own characters which is a bit of a shock. The last part of the book is intense and nerve racking. I think I let my breath out in a big rush at the end. I know I closed the book, gave it a pat and said "wow".
If you enjoy your mysteries with lots of detail about police work then this one is for you. Now I have to go find book 2.
March 5, 2019
Fifteen-year-old Ryan and his best friend, Spencer were on Gallowstree Lane but had no idea trouble was stalking them. Until Spencer was knifed by one of the two hoods who stood in front of them. From then on, Ryan’s life changed from bad to much worse. Persecuted, guilty, fearful and courageous – he wasn’t sure what to feel at any given time. But he missed his friend…
The two year case which was named Operation Perseus was almost at a conclusion. DI Kieran Shaw was head of the operation, with one of his most trusted men successfully under cover. What he was bringing to the case was pure gold. The arrests were so close they could almost taste them. But then Spencer was murdered, and things started to get messy.
DI Sarah Collins and DC Lizzie Griffiths had rubbed each other the wrong way in the past, but it was pertinent to the case that they work together, though not often if they could help it. What would be the outcome for Shaw’s operation with the craziness that was happening across London, threatening everything they’d worked for?
Gallowstree Lane is the 3rd in the Collins & Griffiths series by Kate London and it was a complex and intense police procedural which is set in London. It revolves around gangs, drugs, prostitutes, petty criminals and more with knife fights being the weapon of choice in most instances. The author herself is an ex police officer and knows her stuff. Recommended.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin AU for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
The two year case which was named Operation Perseus was almost at a conclusion. DI Kieran Shaw was head of the operation, with one of his most trusted men successfully under cover. What he was bringing to the case was pure gold. The arrests were so close they could almost taste them. But then Spencer was murdered, and things started to get messy.
DI Sarah Collins and DC Lizzie Griffiths had rubbed each other the wrong way in the past, but it was pertinent to the case that they work together, though not often if they could help it. What would be the outcome for Shaw’s operation with the craziness that was happening across London, threatening everything they’d worked for?
Gallowstree Lane is the 3rd in the Collins & Griffiths series by Kate London and it was a complex and intense police procedural which is set in London. It revolves around gangs, drugs, prostitutes, petty criminals and more with knife fights being the weapon of choice in most instances. The author herself is an ex police officer and knows her stuff. Recommended.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin AU for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
February 8, 2019
Gallowstree Lane is the third novel to feature DI Sarah Collins and DC Lizzie Griffiths of The Metropolitan Police, but it works perfectly well as a standalone, too. What I enjoyed the most was the shining authenticity, the dark, often oppressive atmosphere and the originality; I have never read a crime novel quite like this before. It has more substance and intellect than most in the genre and is as gritty and realistic as they come; it's clear the author's previous job as a Met officer has informed her work and injected it with power and believability. I was gripped from the very beginning and had no problem polishing it off in a single sitting.
It explores the lives of gang members and the impact the violence, which has become second nature to the youngsters involved, has on them. We then take a look at the difficult nature of policing the streets when there are conflicting priorities and politics. Told from multiple perspectives, we see the impact a murder has on the different characters, and each of said characters is developed well and interesting. With the current knife crime epidemic, this is a timely read and although bleak and merely fiction it does feel refreshingly real and raw, and it reflects what is going on in society right now.
Many thanks to Corvus for an ARC.
You can also find my reviews posted here on my blog.
It explores the lives of gang members and the impact the violence, which has become second nature to the youngsters involved, has on them. We then take a look at the difficult nature of policing the streets when there are conflicting priorities and politics. Told from multiple perspectives, we see the impact a murder has on the different characters, and each of said characters is developed well and interesting. With the current knife crime epidemic, this is a timely read and although bleak and merely fiction it does feel refreshingly real and raw, and it reflects what is going on in society right now.
Many thanks to Corvus for an ARC.
You can also find my reviews posted here on my blog.
February 10, 2019
Gritty gangland police procedural that proved a struggle to finish and failed to hold my interest.
Gallowstree Lane is a gritty and highly authentic police procedural set in London and the third novel in Kate London’s series featuring DI Sarah Collins and DC Lizzie Griffiths of the Met Police. The novel takes an uncompromising look at gang culture, organised crime and the realities and difficulties of policing such matters in contemporary Britain when more teenagers than ever are carrying a knife. Despite its obvious authenticity I found the novel a struggle for a variety of reasons, not least because of my lack of interest in the largely motiveless crime of postcode wars and tit for tat reprisals between gangs fighting for territory. Kate London’s novel takes this scenario further when a turf war and the stabbing of a teenage boy threatens to escalate and potentially disrupt a secretive two year operation into the Eardsley Bluds and their leader, Shakiel Oliver, who is intent on illegally trafficking guns into the country and onto the streets named Operation Perseus.
The novel gets off to a flying start and launches the reader straight into the midst of the action when a fifteen-year-old low level member of the Eardsley Bluds, Spencer Cardoso, is fatally stabbed and his best friend, Ryan Kennedy, flees the scene after calling an ambulance. As tenacious DI Sarah Collins struggles fo make progress in identifying the witness to Spencer’s murder or gaining an insight into his life, beleaguered DC Lizzie Griffiths is struggling to juggle single parenting with the demands of a career in the force. After Lizzie arrests Ryan for a previous assault in a shopping centre and discovers that he is flagged as part of a highly sensitive high-level operation, she inadvertently stumbles upon the answer to Sarah’s question and her opportunity to do justice to the murdered Spencer. When Lizzie is seconded to work on the confidential and specialist policing of Operation Perseus it reunites her with the father of her child and married ex-lover, flashy DI Kieran Shaw and hands her the knowledge to scupper his ambitions and potentially solve a brutal murder. As Sarah’s investigation threatens to jeopardise Operation Perseus and alert Shakiel Oliver to the interests of the undercover police, tensions between departments and distinct investigations threatens to muddy the waters as the competing egos of the detectives fight to prioritise their cases.
Extensive parts of the narrative make clear the characters rationale and conflicting line of thinking throughout and these interludes serve as a brake on what should have been a pulsating and fast-paced read and border on overexplaining much of the story. I was neither swept up but the urban atmosphere or convinced by Kate London’s need to use “dem”, “dat” and “diss” when recounting from Ryan’s perspective. The perspectives of earnest Sarah and impetuous Lizzie, rather consumed by her personal woes with baby son, Connor, dominate the story with occasional interludes from DI Kieran Shaw. Kate London’s cast of detectives all share the very human quality of fallibility and mistakes of judgement and oversights are present throughout the story, however arrogance in the case of DI Shaw and the frosty demeanour of DI Collins make it difficult to sympathise with either.
Having read neither of the two preceding novels I was dismayed to find that Gallowstree Lane did not make for seamless reading as a stand-alone and there is extensive referencing of history between the characters which is alluded to and yet goes unexplained throughout and alienates new readers. Although alliances and hostilities based on previous encounters can be inferred from reading between the lines, this proved a source of frustration and limited my investment in the story. I struggled to identify with any of the characters throughout and I found DI Sarah Collins to be the epitome of politically correct and sanctimonious policing who seemed to clamp down on any banter and had little camaraderie with her team. Other characters, such as DI Kieran Shaw who is heading up Operation Perseus, seem to tread a finer line and I suspect offer a more realistic view of the attitudes of many fighting the perpetrators of inner city knife crime.
Whilst the subject matter and storyline failed to capture my enthusiasm I suspect others with a keener interest in gangland culture and the practicalities of policing in modern cities may well enjoy this insight. Whilst Kate London’s awareness of the underworld that she depicts is clearly evident and her knowledge of current police procedures is head and shoulders above many authors of the genre, I began to loose track of which of the police were really working to the same objectives and a united team the longer the story went on for. My takeaways from reading were the now familiar topics of poor parenting and cuts to police numbers and whilst I am intrigued to learn the backstory of the police characters I have no interest in reading more of this series. It may be the reality of life today but criminals killing criminals and the gangland ethos of Gallowstree Lane sadly proved far from thrilling for me and even finishing the book became a feat of endurance!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Gallowstree Lane is a gritty and highly authentic police procedural set in London and the third novel in Kate London’s series featuring DI Sarah Collins and DC Lizzie Griffiths of the Met Police. The novel takes an uncompromising look at gang culture, organised crime and the realities and difficulties of policing such matters in contemporary Britain when more teenagers than ever are carrying a knife. Despite its obvious authenticity I found the novel a struggle for a variety of reasons, not least because of my lack of interest in the largely motiveless crime of postcode wars and tit for tat reprisals between gangs fighting for territory. Kate London’s novel takes this scenario further when a turf war and the stabbing of a teenage boy threatens to escalate and potentially disrupt a secretive two year operation into the Eardsley Bluds and their leader, Shakiel Oliver, who is intent on illegally trafficking guns into the country and onto the streets named Operation Perseus.
The novel gets off to a flying start and launches the reader straight into the midst of the action when a fifteen-year-old low level member of the Eardsley Bluds, Spencer Cardoso, is fatally stabbed and his best friend, Ryan Kennedy, flees the scene after calling an ambulance. As tenacious DI Sarah Collins struggles fo make progress in identifying the witness to Spencer’s murder or gaining an insight into his life, beleaguered DC Lizzie Griffiths is struggling to juggle single parenting with the demands of a career in the force. After Lizzie arrests Ryan for a previous assault in a shopping centre and discovers that he is flagged as part of a highly sensitive high-level operation, she inadvertently stumbles upon the answer to Sarah’s question and her opportunity to do justice to the murdered Spencer. When Lizzie is seconded to work on the confidential and specialist policing of Operation Perseus it reunites her with the father of her child and married ex-lover, flashy DI Kieran Shaw and hands her the knowledge to scupper his ambitions and potentially solve a brutal murder. As Sarah’s investigation threatens to jeopardise Operation Perseus and alert Shakiel Oliver to the interests of the undercover police, tensions between departments and distinct investigations threatens to muddy the waters as the competing egos of the detectives fight to prioritise their cases.
Extensive parts of the narrative make clear the characters rationale and conflicting line of thinking throughout and these interludes serve as a brake on what should have been a pulsating and fast-paced read and border on overexplaining much of the story. I was neither swept up but the urban atmosphere or convinced by Kate London’s need to use “dem”, “dat” and “diss” when recounting from Ryan’s perspective. The perspectives of earnest Sarah and impetuous Lizzie, rather consumed by her personal woes with baby son, Connor, dominate the story with occasional interludes from DI Kieran Shaw. Kate London’s cast of detectives all share the very human quality of fallibility and mistakes of judgement and oversights are present throughout the story, however arrogance in the case of DI Shaw and the frosty demeanour of DI Collins make it difficult to sympathise with either.
Having read neither of the two preceding novels I was dismayed to find that Gallowstree Lane did not make for seamless reading as a stand-alone and there is extensive referencing of history between the characters which is alluded to and yet goes unexplained throughout and alienates new readers. Although alliances and hostilities based on previous encounters can be inferred from reading between the lines, this proved a source of frustration and limited my investment in the story. I struggled to identify with any of the characters throughout and I found DI Sarah Collins to be the epitome of politically correct and sanctimonious policing who seemed to clamp down on any banter and had little camaraderie with her team. Other characters, such as DI Kieran Shaw who is heading up Operation Perseus, seem to tread a finer line and I suspect offer a more realistic view of the attitudes of many fighting the perpetrators of inner city knife crime.
Whilst the subject matter and storyline failed to capture my enthusiasm I suspect others with a keener interest in gangland culture and the practicalities of policing in modern cities may well enjoy this insight. Whilst Kate London’s awareness of the underworld that she depicts is clearly evident and her knowledge of current police procedures is head and shoulders above many authors of the genre, I began to loose track of which of the police were really working to the same objectives and a united team the longer the story went on for. My takeaways from reading were the now familiar topics of poor parenting and cuts to police numbers and whilst I am intrigued to learn the backstory of the police characters I have no interest in reading more of this series. It may be the reality of life today but criminals killing criminals and the gangland ethos of Gallowstree Lane sadly proved far from thrilling for me and even finishing the book became a feat of endurance!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
January 8, 2019
I enjoyed Gallowstree Lane very much. It had it’s little oddities, but it’s a well written, thoughtful and gripping police procedural.
This is the third in the series. I haven’t read the preceding two but it works fine as a stand-alone book. It’s a story of gang activity in London, including a murder, and of a major police operation to prevent guns being delivered to a gang leader. The two investigations overlap with conflicting interests and needs, which presents a genuine and well-delineated problem for the protagonists.
It’s a cracking story, told largely from the point of view of two female police officers, Sarah and Lizzie, one in each investigation, and also of Ryan, a very young gang member who becomes caught up in events which are well beyond him. All are well painted, but it is Ryan’s story and character which really makes this special; I found the picture of him, his circumstances and his actions completely convincing and in many ways sympathetic. It’s something we really need to understand and Kate London really does show insight into this serious current problem. The police procedure was also excellently done, with a detailed understanding of the issues and plausible behaviour by the officers (yes, really!) while still making it a gripping read.
I did have some niggles. The personal life of Lizzie dominated to an unwelcome extent, especially in the first part of the story. I know Kate London needs to flesh out her characters, and the issues she raises are very important, but it felt like a bolt-on intrusion, it was more irritating than illuminating and for a while it got in the way of the story quite badly. A street girl, far gone in crack addiction, takes inspiration from her memories of Shakespeare plays (seriously?), there is the odd over-ambitious simile and so on. For a while I dithered between four and five stars, but there is so much good stuff here and it became so good in the second half that it’s still a five star book for me. It’s much more intelligent and well written than many of the huge slew of crime novels around now, and I can recommend it very warmly.
(My thanks to Corvus for an ARC via NetGalley.)
This is the third in the series. I haven’t read the preceding two but it works fine as a stand-alone book. It’s a story of gang activity in London, including a murder, and of a major police operation to prevent guns being delivered to a gang leader. The two investigations overlap with conflicting interests and needs, which presents a genuine and well-delineated problem for the protagonists.
It’s a cracking story, told largely from the point of view of two female police officers, Sarah and Lizzie, one in each investigation, and also of Ryan, a very young gang member who becomes caught up in events which are well beyond him. All are well painted, but it is Ryan’s story and character which really makes this special; I found the picture of him, his circumstances and his actions completely convincing and in many ways sympathetic. It’s something we really need to understand and Kate London really does show insight into this serious current problem. The police procedure was also excellently done, with a detailed understanding of the issues and plausible behaviour by the officers (yes, really!) while still making it a gripping read.
I did have some niggles. The personal life of Lizzie dominated to an unwelcome extent, especially in the first part of the story. I know Kate London needs to flesh out her characters, and the issues she raises are very important, but it felt like a bolt-on intrusion, it was more irritating than illuminating and for a while it got in the way of the story quite badly. A street girl, far gone in crack addiction, takes inspiration from her memories of Shakespeare plays (seriously?), there is the odd over-ambitious simile and so on. For a while I dithered between four and five stars, but there is so much good stuff here and it became so good in the second half that it’s still a five star book for me. It’s much more intelligent and well written than many of the huge slew of crime novels around now, and I can recommend it very warmly.
(My thanks to Corvus for an ARC via NetGalley.)
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December 30, 2020Finished - review coming soon!
November 18, 2018
I would like to thank Netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of Gallowstree Lane, the third novel to feature DI Sarah Collins and DC Lizzie Griffiths of The Met.
The stabbing death of 15 year old Spencer Cardoso causes ripples far beyond the norm for the death of a low level drug dealer, much of it centred around Ryan Harris, his friend and witness to the killing. DI Sarah Collins is interested in Ryan as a witness to her murder investigation, DC Lizzie Griffiths is interested him for a previous assault case she is investigating and DI Kieran Shaw isn’t sure what his interest is but he has one in case the situation messes up Operation Perseus, his two year old investigation into gun running in the borough.
I thoroughly enjoyed Gallowstree Lane which examines the aftermath and ramifications of a straightforward crime, if murder can be regarded as straightforward. It is told from four points of view, Sarah, Lizzie, Kieran and Ryan and far from being distracting it is absorbing, giving the reader different takes on the same incident and a comprehensive overview. I loved the personality and priority clashes which give a good picture of modern policing in all its dysfunctional glory. I found the plot convincing and very relevant, given the current soaring level of knife crime in London. I don’t think there was a single moment that it didn’t ring true.
The novel is peopled by strong characters who are all very human and make mistakes (not always a given in fiction). It makes the novel very readable. My heart went out to the teenage Ryan who has been brought up in the gang culture and doesn’t know any different. His pain over the death of Spencer is raw and well expressed but it’s not the turning point this reader naively hoped it would be, instead it is the impetus for a series of poor decisions. I really enjoyed this portrayal of a troubled teen. Initially I didn’t take to Kieran, seeing him as selfish, task orientated and highly manipulative, the kind of person who seems plausible and you find yourself agreeing with until you analyse what has been said. It is not until much later in the book when he becomes reflective that I came close to liking him. Sarah is a fairly typical detective, dedicated with little life outside work and yet she has a strong sense of right and wrong which works against her this time. Lizzie is the smart detective trying to juggle single motherhood with a demanding career. Typically she’s feeling like a failure.
Gallowstree Lane is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
The stabbing death of 15 year old Spencer Cardoso causes ripples far beyond the norm for the death of a low level drug dealer, much of it centred around Ryan Harris, his friend and witness to the killing. DI Sarah Collins is interested in Ryan as a witness to her murder investigation, DC Lizzie Griffiths is interested him for a previous assault case she is investigating and DI Kieran Shaw isn’t sure what his interest is but he has one in case the situation messes up Operation Perseus, his two year old investigation into gun running in the borough.
I thoroughly enjoyed Gallowstree Lane which examines the aftermath and ramifications of a straightforward crime, if murder can be regarded as straightforward. It is told from four points of view, Sarah, Lizzie, Kieran and Ryan and far from being distracting it is absorbing, giving the reader different takes on the same incident and a comprehensive overview. I loved the personality and priority clashes which give a good picture of modern policing in all its dysfunctional glory. I found the plot convincing and very relevant, given the current soaring level of knife crime in London. I don’t think there was a single moment that it didn’t ring true.
The novel is peopled by strong characters who are all very human and make mistakes (not always a given in fiction). It makes the novel very readable. My heart went out to the teenage Ryan who has been brought up in the gang culture and doesn’t know any different. His pain over the death of Spencer is raw and well expressed but it’s not the turning point this reader naively hoped it would be, instead it is the impetus for a series of poor decisions. I really enjoyed this portrayal of a troubled teen. Initially I didn’t take to Kieran, seeing him as selfish, task orientated and highly manipulative, the kind of person who seems plausible and you find yourself agreeing with until you analyse what has been said. It is not until much later in the book when he becomes reflective that I came close to liking him. Sarah is a fairly typical detective, dedicated with little life outside work and yet she has a strong sense of right and wrong which works against her this time. Lizzie is the smart detective trying to juggle single motherhood with a demanding career. Typically she’s feeling like a failure.
Gallowstree Lane is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
January 27, 2019
Although Kate London joined the metropolitan police service and worked in major investigation team on SC& 01 the metropolitan police service's Homicide command, it doesn't matter what your background is or what your job is is you do, it's still difficult to put scenes in your head and write them, it is without question a hard process to tell a story. I can tell you it's hard to write a novel with characters that will keep the reader glued to every chapter.
Kate London does just that her characters are convincing. It doesn't matter where you live we are all aware that knife crime has hit a high time level. Knife crime has happened for all sorts of reasons. This story broke my heart.
Without giving too much away Spencer a young teenager boy is stabbed, with losing lots of blood. His friend Ryan withheld his name when calling for help. At the time of the call Spencer was conscious and breathing. But once the paramedics arrive Spencer had died. Ryan is now the only witness to who stabbed Spencer, but will he tell the police who killed his friend? A lot goes on during the run up to finding out who killed Spencer and why? I have read post Mortem by Kate London that I gave five stars too and now I just have to give Gallowstree Lane five huge stars. I recommend both of these titles of books that I have read for the marvellous writing.
Kate London does just that her characters are convincing. It doesn't matter where you live we are all aware that knife crime has hit a high time level. Knife crime has happened for all sorts of reasons. This story broke my heart.
Without giving too much away Spencer a young teenager boy is stabbed, with losing lots of blood. His friend Ryan withheld his name when calling for help. At the time of the call Spencer was conscious and breathing. But once the paramedics arrive Spencer had died. Ryan is now the only witness to who stabbed Spencer, but will he tell the police who killed his friend? A lot goes on during the run up to finding out who killed Spencer and why? I have read post Mortem by Kate London that I gave five stars too and now I just have to give Gallowstree Lane five huge stars. I recommend both of these titles of books that I have read for the marvellous writing.
February 5, 2019
This is the first book I’ve read by Kate London and I really enjoyed it.
The story involves DI Sarah Collins, DC Lizzie Griffiths and DI Kieran Shaw.
The story starts with the stabbing of 15 year old Spencer Cardoso and his death causes ripples around the Met and also in the criminal underworld.
Ryan Harris, witnesses his friend’s murder and is left reeling by his death and panics when he’s arrested for a fight he got into, a few days before.
Once Ryan is released interest in him intensifies as he could be involved in something much bigger. DI Kieran Shaw is also soon interested but he has to work out his link to Operation Perseus, his two year old investigation into gun running investigation.
We also learn that Lizzie is a single mother bringing up Kieran’s son and they also have history with Sarah from a previous incident.
I really liked this book and will definitely read more of the series.
Thanks to Corvus and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The story involves DI Sarah Collins, DC Lizzie Griffiths and DI Kieran Shaw.
The story starts with the stabbing of 15 year old Spencer Cardoso and his death causes ripples around the Met and also in the criminal underworld.
Ryan Harris, witnesses his friend’s murder and is left reeling by his death and panics when he’s arrested for a fight he got into, a few days before.
Once Ryan is released interest in him intensifies as he could be involved in something much bigger. DI Kieran Shaw is also soon interested but he has to work out his link to Operation Perseus, his two year old investigation into gun running investigation.
We also learn that Lizzie is a single mother bringing up Kieran’s son and they also have history with Sarah from a previous incident.
I really liked this book and will definitely read more of the series.
Thanks to Corvus and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
February 26, 2019
An expertly written, gritty police procedural that grabs you from page one. I highly recommend this thoroughly riveting read.
November 19, 2018
A young lad is stabbed and dies on the street. His best friend wants to get revenge and involves his ‘friend’ but with an undercover op in place who is safe on the streets.
This was a good read especially on today’s time with knife crime and gang culture but I think because I hadn’t read the previous ones I struggled with the characters.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review:
This was a good read especially on today’s time with knife crime and gang culture but I think because I hadn’t read the previous ones I struggled with the characters.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review:
February 7, 2019
'We think we know our friends
We think we know our family
We think we know our children
Until one of them carries a knife…
Until one of them bleeds out on a London street’
Gallowstree Lane is the latest book from Kate London and is her third in this series featuring members of the Metropolitan police force, Sarah Collins and Lizzie Griffiths.
Just published today with Corvus Books, it is described as ‘an explosive police procedural about the epidemic of gang violence in London’.
Kate London is a former murder detective, having worked with the Major Investigation Team of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Homicide Command, which I feel gives this novel an edge.
Although Gallowstree Lane is the third book in this series, at no point did I feel I was missing out on anything, as, for me, all back stories were sufficiently dealt with. This is a book about the gangland warfare in London and how young people and drug users are influenced by these thugs who roam the streets, picking out vulnerable folk for their own gratification.
Ryan Kennedy and his friend Spencer Cardoso are two young teenage boys from the wrong side of the tracks. Two boys who see their only way out of the ghetto being to infiltrate themselves with a drug gang. Ryan’s father ran in the same circles and it is his father’s old friend, Shakiel, that takes Ryan under his wing, showing him the ways. Ryan introduces his friend Spence to his new world and together they set out on a path that would be short lived. A job goes wrong and Spencer is stabbed. Ryan watches his friend bleed out on the path of Gallowstree Lane and, after ensuring help is there for his friend, he runs.
Meanwhile, Detective Kieran Shaw is heading up a major two-year operation that will blow open one of the gangs that are slowly destroying these streets, the Eardsley Buds. When Shaw is made aware of the death of this young man, he immediately clamps down on how the case is handled. He is on the verge of a major coup and has no intention of letting the stabbing of a juvenile become the obstacle that will collapse his case.
Lizzie Griffiths and Sarah Collins, two members of the force, are both also involved in this case but coming at it from very different angles.
As all three collide over how Spencer’s case is handled, there is one very vulnerable and exposed fifteen-year old, who is a vital witness, roaming free and unprotected. Ryan Kennedy is angry. Ryan Kennedy is fragile. Ryan Kennedy is a loose cannon.
Gallowstree Lane is like an expose, a behind-the-scenes look at gangland warfare. While the book focuses on the London streets, I think it’s fair to say that incidents in this book are replicated in many towns and cities across the globe. Gangs are nothing new, traditionally associated with violence, yet oft times, providing a family for the disenfranchised. Ryan is a defenseless young man, coming from an under-privileged background. He is surrounded by adults who are all claiming to know what’s best for him, what is the right thing to do. Ryan is confused and alone and he seeks vengeance for the death of his best friend.
As the conflict continues between the various sections of the force, personalities clash and voices are raised. Is it better to sacrifice a small cog in a big wheel to achieve the bigger goal?
Kate London writes from her own experiences on the force and this brings a real authenticity to the story. I felt for Ryan. I hoped for a better future for him. I began to understand Kieran Shaw and to get into the minds of Lizzie Griffiths and Sarah Collins. These people all felt quite real to me which is an absolute credit to the author.
Gallowstree Lane is a complex tale and it is one that you definitely need to keep your wits about you when reading. There are different gangs with equally despicable characters and it is important to the story to keep track of who’s who. There is quite an amount of police procedural work described within the pages, giving a very fascinating insight into the incredible work and cross coordination of departments that takes place when a case is active.
Gallowstree Lane is a very convincing and gritty account of life on the streets. It’s quite a compelling and gripping read and one I am very happy to recommend.
We think we know our family
We think we know our children
Until one of them carries a knife…
Until one of them bleeds out on a London street’
Gallowstree Lane is the latest book from Kate London and is her third in this series featuring members of the Metropolitan police force, Sarah Collins and Lizzie Griffiths.
Just published today with Corvus Books, it is described as ‘an explosive police procedural about the epidemic of gang violence in London’.
Kate London is a former murder detective, having worked with the Major Investigation Team of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Homicide Command, which I feel gives this novel an edge.
Although Gallowstree Lane is the third book in this series, at no point did I feel I was missing out on anything, as, for me, all back stories were sufficiently dealt with. This is a book about the gangland warfare in London and how young people and drug users are influenced by these thugs who roam the streets, picking out vulnerable folk for their own gratification.
Ryan Kennedy and his friend Spencer Cardoso are two young teenage boys from the wrong side of the tracks. Two boys who see their only way out of the ghetto being to infiltrate themselves with a drug gang. Ryan’s father ran in the same circles and it is his father’s old friend, Shakiel, that takes Ryan under his wing, showing him the ways. Ryan introduces his friend Spence to his new world and together they set out on a path that would be short lived. A job goes wrong and Spencer is stabbed. Ryan watches his friend bleed out on the path of Gallowstree Lane and, after ensuring help is there for his friend, he runs.
Meanwhile, Detective Kieran Shaw is heading up a major two-year operation that will blow open one of the gangs that are slowly destroying these streets, the Eardsley Buds. When Shaw is made aware of the death of this young man, he immediately clamps down on how the case is handled. He is on the verge of a major coup and has no intention of letting the stabbing of a juvenile become the obstacle that will collapse his case.
Lizzie Griffiths and Sarah Collins, two members of the force, are both also involved in this case but coming at it from very different angles.
As all three collide over how Spencer’s case is handled, there is one very vulnerable and exposed fifteen-year old, who is a vital witness, roaming free and unprotected. Ryan Kennedy is angry. Ryan Kennedy is fragile. Ryan Kennedy is a loose cannon.
Gallowstree Lane is like an expose, a behind-the-scenes look at gangland warfare. While the book focuses on the London streets, I think it’s fair to say that incidents in this book are replicated in many towns and cities across the globe. Gangs are nothing new, traditionally associated with violence, yet oft times, providing a family for the disenfranchised. Ryan is a defenseless young man, coming from an under-privileged background. He is surrounded by adults who are all claiming to know what’s best for him, what is the right thing to do. Ryan is confused and alone and he seeks vengeance for the death of his best friend.
As the conflict continues between the various sections of the force, personalities clash and voices are raised. Is it better to sacrifice a small cog in a big wheel to achieve the bigger goal?
Kate London writes from her own experiences on the force and this brings a real authenticity to the story. I felt for Ryan. I hoped for a better future for him. I began to understand Kieran Shaw and to get into the minds of Lizzie Griffiths and Sarah Collins. These people all felt quite real to me which is an absolute credit to the author.
Gallowstree Lane is a complex tale and it is one that you definitely need to keep your wits about you when reading. There are different gangs with equally despicable characters and it is important to the story to keep track of who’s who. There is quite an amount of police procedural work described within the pages, giving a very fascinating insight into the incredible work and cross coordination of departments that takes place when a case is active.
Gallowstree Lane is a very convincing and gritty account of life on the streets. It’s quite a compelling and gripping read and one I am very happy to recommend.
February 12, 2019
...just a boy on a bike with somewhere to go.
I didn't know what "He's in theatre" meant in that one particular scene so I had to look it up. And then I was suddenly filled with worry and dread with a touch of irony, because wasn't I just hating hard on this guy some chapters back?! Why would I be worrying about what happened to him now?!
And this is exactly what "Gallowstree Lane" will do to you. Aside from allowing a peak into the dark, gritty sides and corners of policing and gang disputes in London, it is also populated with characters that talk, think and feel in ways that are so real that you just get drawn to them regardless of which side of the law they're on - or that this is the third book in a series, for that matter.
Who knew that the death of one boy could bring out and test so much of the good sides, the bad sides, the vengeful sides and even the ambitious sides of the people that got involved in his case? In his life? Who knew that the success of one operation could inadvertently lead to the falling apart of everything else?
I didn't. And I only fully realized how deep I have gotten invested in this book after finding out what "theatre" meant (this Pigeon has been learning quite a handful of British words and expressions from this app. Additional thanks for that!) and knew that I cared for this guy. He can be such an asshole, but then so could anyone else. Because just as those who were on the other side of the law did have selfless intentions, so did the ones on the side of good have their own selfish failings. It's never entirely black and white. And this is what really got me. T.T
This book made me care for its people. It made me care for what happens to them next, what happened to them in the past. What will become of their families now? How will these experiences affect them in the long run? So much to catch up on, and still so much to look forward to in the future, I hope? ^^
Thank you, The Pigeonhole and Ms. Kate London~! Such great and immersive writing! This has truly been a moving, mind-opening experience for me. <3
February 4, 2019
Gallowstree Lane is the third book in the series, I haven’t read the previous two and apart from curiosity on my part I had no problem following the storyline.
I think the main reason was because whilst the recurring characters who are the police do feature much of the novel concerns Ryan, a young teen who is a drug runner for a local gang. It was Ryan’s story that captivated me but also upset me. At the start of the novel when he witnesses his co runner and best friend die after being attacked by a member of a rival gang he is distraught. He still feels loyal to the gang leader, Shakiel, but also for the first time feels guilt and fear.
His isn’t the only sad story. There is also Lexi, a drug addicted prostitute whose life is far from what she imagined it being. And Loretta, Ryan’s mother, who can see her son’s life being destroyed by the same thing that took her husband. All three you see far too often on the news.
I liked following the two police investigations. Both of them wanting the same results for different reasons. And both struggling to accept that one may be more important than the other. This part of the novel was more detailed than many others I have read. It was easy to follow, and I found it interesting and informative without being overpowering.
I hope to read the previous books soon, Lizzie especially is a character I want to know more about.
I think the main reason was because whilst the recurring characters who are the police do feature much of the novel concerns Ryan, a young teen who is a drug runner for a local gang. It was Ryan’s story that captivated me but also upset me. At the start of the novel when he witnesses his co runner and best friend die after being attacked by a member of a rival gang he is distraught. He still feels loyal to the gang leader, Shakiel, but also for the first time feels guilt and fear.
His isn’t the only sad story. There is also Lexi, a drug addicted prostitute whose life is far from what she imagined it being. And Loretta, Ryan’s mother, who can see her son’s life being destroyed by the same thing that took her husband. All three you see far too often on the news.
I liked following the two police investigations. Both of them wanting the same results for different reasons. And both struggling to accept that one may be more important than the other. This part of the novel was more detailed than many others I have read. It was easy to follow, and I found it interesting and informative without being overpowering.
I hope to read the previous books soon, Lizzie especially is a character I want to know more about.
February 2, 2019
My Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. I requested it based on the description. It sounded like my sort of book. Only a short way in I realised that I’d probably made a big mistake. I was tempted to give it up several times, but I’d requested it so I persevered. I found that I was being given too much information. I was being asked to follow different parts of the story happening simultaneously and was feeling no empathy with any of the characters, although experience told me that it would probably all come together at the end. It was an unpleasant story in an unpleasant setting. Rival London gangs and casual fatal knifings is very much a story of today, but it doesn’t mean that I want to read a fictional account of it as well as listen to it on news items. I was beginning to wonder how I could even justify two stars for this book. All the characters, gang members and police, seemed selfish and unlikable. One of the main characters, Ryan should evoke our sympathy. He’s a member of a gang, used by them, with a father also a gang member who was murdered years before and a mother who is an addict. But we know there’s no hope for him. In fact, he was doomed before he was born. There seems little point in wasting sympathy on him. The story, the descriptive passages, the conversations all seemed sordid and depressing. There was just nothing to lift the spirit. But I reckon for a writer to induce any mood in a reader requires skill. Which at least was a positive thought. We were being given gritty reality and the author’s experience was starting to show through, but for me, it was just a bit too grim.
Then, wow!! At somewhere, about sixty per cent in all the disparate strands began to come together and I found I just had to keep reading. The two different police investigation came to a head as the arms deal was about to be carried out and evidence is hardening on other crimes. How Kate London managed to weave together all these hitherto separate parts of the story and keep them running in real time, I don’t know. It required huge skill. I now felt that I was reading a five-star novel. I’m so glad that I persevered. Would I recommend it to anyone? I’m not sure. If you are looking for some uplifting escapism, this isn’t for you. But if you want a fictional account of the reality of gang life in an inner city today written in a gritty style by an author who knows her stuff, this could be your sort of book.
Then, wow!! At somewhere, about sixty per cent in all the disparate strands began to come together and I found I just had to keep reading. The two different police investigation came to a head as the arms deal was about to be carried out and evidence is hardening on other crimes. How Kate London managed to weave together all these hitherto separate parts of the story and keep them running in real time, I don’t know. It required huge skill. I now felt that I was reading a five-star novel. I’m so glad that I persevered. Would I recommend it to anyone? I’m not sure. If you are looking for some uplifting escapism, this isn’t for you. But if you want a fictional account of the reality of gang life in an inner city today written in a gritty style by an author who knows her stuff, this could be your sort of book.
December 2, 2018
Gallowstree Lane by Kate London a four-star read that will take you down a dark path. This is my first read by this author and I hope it wont be the last, this book just seems to be so relevant at the moment as our capital is suffering a similar fate young men being stabbed gang violence in many boroughs and the author just adds a engaging twist to the story, keeping just the right side of being realistic and powerful. I haven’t read the first two novels in the series, but I do plan on adding them to my TBR pile to plough through. I enjoyed getting an insight into the police as well, they had a reality to them and the procedural aspects were very well done and fully explained so you didn’t feel lost in them. Overall a very well-done story that had enough twists and turns to keep you hooked and thrilled to the end.
February 7, 2019
2.5 Stars
This book starts off in an extremely promising way. A young black man is stabbed in the thigh and his best friend witnesses it, terrified of the repercussions he fades in to the night and leaves his friend with an off duty paramedic. The young man dies on the roadside and as the police arrive it initially looks like just another turf war but it soon becomes apparent that it reaches much, much further than that.
I was so excited about this book until I got about 70 pages in. First off, whilst being authentic, it has my pet peeve - British youth speaking like they are from South Central Los Angeles, all this blud and calling police the Feds. Yes, I know they do it but it makes me irrationally angry so seeing either (or both) term cropping up every few pages grated. This, however, is purely personal and has not affected the rating I have given this book.
The low rating is simply because I really did not enjoy the story. It is clear from our first introduction to Sarah Collins that we are already supposed to know these members of the Police Force. I have not read either of the previous two books by Kate London so Kieran Shaw, Lizzie Graham and Sarah are completely new characters to me. Because there is no narrator here you are relying on the text to provide you with clues to their personalities. Sadly, it seems to be assumed that we already know these people. There are references to previous cases but these shed no light on the people.
With no way of getting in to a character's personality you are left with a series of events. Undoubtedly the procedures described are realistic and describe accurately how investigations in the 21st Century are run. Regrettably, this means that there are long periods of sitting around doing little with sudden bursts of activity. Normally I would expect this to be filled with a sense of camaraderie between officers (think Lynda La Plante or Carol Wylie) but there is none of that here. This downtime is used for an insight in to mental waffling about the case which neither furthers the readers understanding of events or moves the plot on.
Fortunately the story swaps between the police and the members of the Eardsley Bluds that are being investigated for 3 crimes that all somehow link. Because these are clearly new people on the author's stage we do get a sense of Shakiel and learn quite a lot about Ryan. It was these sections (even if their language irritated me) that kept me reading.
Suffice to say I will not be going back and reading this author's first two books. I found myself just not interested enough in the recurring characters to want to try and find out more about them.
THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED FROM READERS FIRST.
This book starts off in an extremely promising way. A young black man is stabbed in the thigh and his best friend witnesses it, terrified of the repercussions he fades in to the night and leaves his friend with an off duty paramedic. The young man dies on the roadside and as the police arrive it initially looks like just another turf war but it soon becomes apparent that it reaches much, much further than that.
I was so excited about this book until I got about 70 pages in. First off, whilst being authentic, it has my pet peeve - British youth speaking like they are from South Central Los Angeles, all this blud and calling police the Feds. Yes, I know they do it but it makes me irrationally angry so seeing either (or both) term cropping up every few pages grated. This, however, is purely personal and has not affected the rating I have given this book.
The low rating is simply because I really did not enjoy the story. It is clear from our first introduction to Sarah Collins that we are already supposed to know these members of the Police Force. I have not read either of the previous two books by Kate London so Kieran Shaw, Lizzie Graham and Sarah are completely new characters to me. Because there is no narrator here you are relying on the text to provide you with clues to their personalities. Sadly, it seems to be assumed that we already know these people. There are references to previous cases but these shed no light on the people.
With no way of getting in to a character's personality you are left with a series of events. Undoubtedly the procedures described are realistic and describe accurately how investigations in the 21st Century are run. Regrettably, this means that there are long periods of sitting around doing little with sudden bursts of activity. Normally I would expect this to be filled with a sense of camaraderie between officers (think Lynda La Plante or Carol Wylie) but there is none of that here. This downtime is used for an insight in to mental waffling about the case which neither furthers the readers understanding of events or moves the plot on.
Fortunately the story swaps between the police and the members of the Eardsley Bluds that are being investigated for 3 crimes that all somehow link. Because these are clearly new people on the author's stage we do get a sense of Shakiel and learn quite a lot about Ryan. It was these sections (even if their language irritated me) that kept me reading.
Suffice to say I will not be going back and reading this author's first two books. I found myself just not interested enough in the recurring characters to want to try and find out more about them.
THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED FROM READERS FIRST.
February 9, 2019
This is number 3 in the Collins and Griffiths series by Kate London, but can easily be read as a stand-alone.
It’s set in 2016 London and covers gang culture, crime and the knife crime prevalent at the moment amongst young men. Gallowstree Lane is a grim place, which just bristles with unseen tensions.....not a place to walk alone.
One evening 15 year old Spencer is fatally stabbed, his friend, Ryan is distraught and turns to The Bluds leader, Shakiel for help. Shaks is an old family friend as he knew Ryan’s dad before his untimely death and exacted revenge on the person responsible. Ryan wants him to do the same for Spence......he’s told it will happen but there’s other things to do first.....and here’s where the tension begins.
DI Kieran Shaw is part of Operation Perseus, undercover to finally get the evidence needed to arrest and charge Shakiel, to bring an end to his reign and stop guns getting on the streets. Not a particularly nice guy, but good at the job he does.
Lizzie is a likeable young cop, she has a son, Connor after an affair with Kieran and she is assigned to Perseus and is integral to the investigation due to her ability to link different pieces of intelligence together.
DI Sarah Collins, is investigating Ryan’s murder and while doing this her operation mixes with the undercover Perseus and there is further tension as neither want the others to jeopardise either investigation.
Kate London has written a police procedural but with a difference, it has a realistic feel, totally believable with a human touch. It shows the emotional pressures and stress the police officers are under all the time, the mention of dealing with a rail crash it so real.....I know from experience, the ringing of unanswered mobile phones amidst the devastation brought many officers nightmares. This also has the story of the young men involved in these gang and knife crimes, and while I appreciate they are violent and lawless, I felt such sympathy for the clearly troubled Ryan and this is a credit to Kate London’s brilliant, creative, and emotional writing. I loved every heart thumping moment.....
I would like to thanks to The Pigeonhole, Netgalley, the author Kate London and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this ebook for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. (I do also have a hardback copy of my own)
It’s set in 2016 London and covers gang culture, crime and the knife crime prevalent at the moment amongst young men. Gallowstree Lane is a grim place, which just bristles with unseen tensions.....not a place to walk alone.
One evening 15 year old Spencer is fatally stabbed, his friend, Ryan is distraught and turns to The Bluds leader, Shakiel for help. Shaks is an old family friend as he knew Ryan’s dad before his untimely death and exacted revenge on the person responsible. Ryan wants him to do the same for Spence......he’s told it will happen but there’s other things to do first.....and here’s where the tension begins.
DI Kieran Shaw is part of Operation Perseus, undercover to finally get the evidence needed to arrest and charge Shakiel, to bring an end to his reign and stop guns getting on the streets. Not a particularly nice guy, but good at the job he does.
Lizzie is a likeable young cop, she has a son, Connor after an affair with Kieran and she is assigned to Perseus and is integral to the investigation due to her ability to link different pieces of intelligence together.
DI Sarah Collins, is investigating Ryan’s murder and while doing this her operation mixes with the undercover Perseus and there is further tension as neither want the others to jeopardise either investigation.
Kate London has written a police procedural but with a difference, it has a realistic feel, totally believable with a human touch. It shows the emotional pressures and stress the police officers are under all the time, the mention of dealing with a rail crash it so real.....I know from experience, the ringing of unanswered mobile phones amidst the devastation brought many officers nightmares. This also has the story of the young men involved in these gang and knife crimes, and while I appreciate they are violent and lawless, I felt such sympathy for the clearly troubled Ryan and this is a credit to Kate London’s brilliant, creative, and emotional writing. I loved every heart thumping moment.....
I would like to thanks to The Pigeonhole, Netgalley, the author Kate London and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this ebook for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. (I do also have a hardback copy of my own)
February 2, 2019
Thank you to Atlantic Books/Corvus for this eARC via NetGalley of ‘Gallowstree Lane’, due to be published on 7th February.
The novel opens with a teenage boy approaching a stranger in Gallowstree Lane, North London as his blood flows out onto the street. The stranger tries to help Spencer while his friend, Ryan, calls 999 with a borrowed phone and then flees. Both lads are low-level members of the Eardsley Bluds, a local street gang involved in a violent turf war with another gang.
D.I. Kieran Shaw is heading up a two-year covert investigation, code name Operation Perseus, into the Bluds that is nearing completion. However, the D.I. Sarah Collins’ investigation into Spencer’s murder is threatening to derail Perseus. Clearly there’s bad blood between them. D.C. Lizzie Griffiths, who has a complicated history with both of them, is caught in the middle. Plenty of inter-departmental politics complicate things as well.
Ryan, the 15-year old boy, who witnesses his friends stabbing emerges as a tragic figure. I won’t say more but he and others caught up in this life come across as very real and complex characters rather than one dimensional stereotypes.
I wasn’t aware until I started reading that this was the third in Kate London’s series of London-based police procedurals but expected as with other series that it would likely work as a stand-alone apart from some aspects of character development.
It became quickly clear that there was tension between several of the main characters that had been established in the earlier books. I just flowed with this and plan to read them so that I can understand their backgrounds as well as reading two more excellent police procedurals from Kate London.
It was no great surprise to read that Kate London had worked for the Metropolitan Police and this novel (and presumably the series) feels very authentic in its depiction of police work. A very gritty, down-to-earth, and gripping police procedural that while fiction does address very real contemporary issues.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
The novel opens with a teenage boy approaching a stranger in Gallowstree Lane, North London as his blood flows out onto the street. The stranger tries to help Spencer while his friend, Ryan, calls 999 with a borrowed phone and then flees. Both lads are low-level members of the Eardsley Bluds, a local street gang involved in a violent turf war with another gang.
D.I. Kieran Shaw is heading up a two-year covert investigation, code name Operation Perseus, into the Bluds that is nearing completion. However, the D.I. Sarah Collins’ investigation into Spencer’s murder is threatening to derail Perseus. Clearly there’s bad blood between them. D.C. Lizzie Griffiths, who has a complicated history with both of them, is caught in the middle. Plenty of inter-departmental politics complicate things as well.
Ryan, the 15-year old boy, who witnesses his friends stabbing emerges as a tragic figure. I won’t say more but he and others caught up in this life come across as very real and complex characters rather than one dimensional stereotypes.
I wasn’t aware until I started reading that this was the third in Kate London’s series of London-based police procedurals but expected as with other series that it would likely work as a stand-alone apart from some aspects of character development.
It became quickly clear that there was tension between several of the main characters that had been established in the earlier books. I just flowed with this and plan to read them so that I can understand their backgrounds as well as reading two more excellent police procedurals from Kate London.
It was no great surprise to read that Kate London had worked for the Metropolitan Police and this novel (and presumably the series) feels very authentic in its depiction of police work. A very gritty, down-to-earth, and gripping police procedural that while fiction does address very real contemporary issues.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
February 2, 2019
Another Kate to add to my list of ‘Writers I like Called Kate’! But Gallowstree Lane had me fooled initially because for some inexplicable reason the title conjured an image in my mind of Victorian London. I was right about London but that’s where it ended. For nothing could be further from the reality. This is very much a book of our times, raw, contemporary dealing, with similar incidents that are probably happening as I write. The author does insist at the end of the book that this is a work of fiction but given her previous career in the police I feel fairly sure that experience has fuelled her imagination significantly.
A little research tells me that this is not the first book featuring the two female policewomen and indeed reading it infers a dynamic between the two that suggests a history. Nevertheless this book can be enjoyed as a standalone. It’s an extremely authentic and gripping police procedural where gangs, organised and knife crime merge and blur posing infinite demands on the overburdened shoulders of our main police protagonists.
There is some attempt at the psychology of crime in the character of Ryan, maybe even some hints of how radicalisation can occur in the vulnerable. You pause to wonder how the cycle can be broken. But there’s no attempt to deflect from the hard truths and devastation that crime can produce. Plenty of action, plenty to think about and you need to stay on your toes to follow the thinking and the moral and immoral motivations of the police as well as the criminal factions!
It’s highly topical book no less relevant because it’s fiction There’s a sense of inevitability running through it. It isn’t a feel good read, nor should it be. But it’s a gripping read, you’ll be reluctant to put it down.
Thanks to Readers’ First for a copy.
A little research tells me that this is not the first book featuring the two female policewomen and indeed reading it infers a dynamic between the two that suggests a history. Nevertheless this book can be enjoyed as a standalone. It’s an extremely authentic and gripping police procedural where gangs, organised and knife crime merge and blur posing infinite demands on the overburdened shoulders of our main police protagonists.
There is some attempt at the psychology of crime in the character of Ryan, maybe even some hints of how radicalisation can occur in the vulnerable. You pause to wonder how the cycle can be broken. But there’s no attempt to deflect from the hard truths and devastation that crime can produce. Plenty of action, plenty to think about and you need to stay on your toes to follow the thinking and the moral and immoral motivations of the police as well as the criminal factions!
It’s highly topical book no less relevant because it’s fiction There’s a sense of inevitability running through it. It isn’t a feel good read, nor should it be. But it’s a gripping read, you’ll be reluctant to put it down.
Thanks to Readers’ First for a copy.
July 31, 2021
After having fallen in love with Death Message, this book was unfortunately a bit of a let-down.
What I loved about the previous book was that it was solid and realistic but still exciting and with engaging characters. This one lacked the latter two IMO.
It's still plenty realistic, but perhaps too much so. Going too much into the details and the thoughts and explanations and losing track of the fact that this is supposed to be fiction. It should have a story beyond "a crime happened and this is what the police did to solve it".
And although it deals with the same main characters as the previous book I found myself not really caring about them now. They have become bland and lacking in personality somehow. Also I'm not sure if London is trying to build some sort of relationship (romantic or otherwise) between Collins and Griffiths, but there is absolutely no progress on that front in this book. They're just two police women who once again happen to be working on related cases and therefore are in touch with each other. It's just kind of empty.
Admittedly I've never been big on "drugs and gangs" kind of storylines, so this may appeal more to you if you find that kind of thing exciting. And sure, I still felt sympathy for Ryan, but not enough to keep me engaged and connected to the story. The ending was kind of sad but should have been heartbreaking, if the writer had managed to make the characters come alive.
I'm still giving it three stars because it's solid, coherent and as far as I can tell seems realistic and well-researched, but that's just not enough to make a great book. I would probably try another one in the series if the main storyline appeals to me more.
What I loved about the previous book was that it was solid and realistic but still exciting and with engaging characters. This one lacked the latter two IMO.
It's still plenty realistic, but perhaps too much so. Going too much into the details and the thoughts and explanations and losing track of the fact that this is supposed to be fiction. It should have a story beyond "a crime happened and this is what the police did to solve it".
And although it deals with the same main characters as the previous book I found myself not really caring about them now. They have become bland and lacking in personality somehow. Also I'm not sure if London is trying to build some sort of relationship (romantic or otherwise) between Collins and Griffiths, but there is absolutely no progress on that front in this book. They're just two police women who once again happen to be working on related cases and therefore are in touch with each other. It's just kind of empty.
Admittedly I've never been big on "drugs and gangs" kind of storylines, so this may appeal more to you if you find that kind of thing exciting. And sure, I still felt sympathy for Ryan, but not enough to keep me engaged and connected to the story. The ending was kind of sad but should have been heartbreaking, if the writer had managed to make the characters come alive.
I'm still giving it three stars because it's solid, coherent and as far as I can tell seems realistic and well-researched, but that's just not enough to make a great book. I would probably try another one in the series if the main storyline appeals to me more.
January 30, 2019
A thrilling read!
Awesome story line, lots of "main" characters, all interlinked and coming together at the end to inevitably catch the baddie!
Lizzie; young, single parent, struggling with work and childcare, trying to do the right thing and failing.
Sarah; all work and no play, passionate, determined, willing to risk her personal life to catch the criminal.
Kieran; married, father, adulterer, wanting more, never happy.
Ryan; teenager, gang member, niave.
A game of cat and mouse with only one conclusion, someone's going to die, and someone's going to have to pay.
A really good read, each character playing an important part to the story, naturally picking up pace at the end for the ultimate show down.
A thrilling read!
Awesome story line, lots of "main" characters, all interlinked and coming together at the end to inevitably catch the baddie!
Lizzie; young, single parent, struggling with work and childcare, trying to do the right thing and failing.
Sarah; all work and no play, passionate, determined, willing to risk her personal life to catch the criminal.
Kieran; married, father, adulterer, wanting more, never happy.
Ryan; teenager, gang member, niave.
A game of cat and mouse with only one conclusion, someone's going to die, and someone's going to have to pay.
A really good read, each character playing an important part to the story, naturally picking up pace at the end for the ultimate show down.
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Awesome story line, lots of "main" characters, all interlinked and coming together at the end to inevitably catch the baddie!
Lizzie; young, single parent, struggling with work and childcare, trying to do the right thing and failing.
Sarah; all work and no play, passionate, determined, willing to risk her personal life to catch the criminal.
Kieran; married, father, adulterer, wanting more, never happy.
Ryan; teenager, gang member, niave.
A game of cat and mouse with only one conclusion, someone's going to die, and someone's going to have to pay.
A really good read, each character playing an important part to the story, naturally picking up pace at the end for the ultimate show down.
A thrilling read!
Awesome story line, lots of "main" characters, all interlinked and coming together at the end to inevitably catch the baddie!
Lizzie; young, single parent, struggling with work and childcare, trying to do the right thing and failing.
Sarah; all work and no play, passionate, determined, willing to risk her personal life to catch the criminal.
Kieran; married, father, adulterer, wanting more, never happy.
Ryan; teenager, gang member, niave.
A game of cat and mouse with only one conclusion, someone's going to die, and someone's going to have to pay.
A really good read, each character playing an important part to the story, naturally picking up pace at the end for the ultimate show down.
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January 20, 2019
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Oops, I appear to have committed the most heinous crime of diving in mid-series. Oh well, I don't think it marred my enjoyment of this book at all though so I think I've got away with it. I am intending to restore balance to my world and have already purchased the previous two books to sneak in sometime.
This book hit the ground running for me and didn't let up until the very end. We start with a stabbing which turns out fatal and then, as more and more layers of this crime is uncovered, we see that actually, this incident is the very small tip of a very big iceberg with multiple interconnected crimes and perpetrators. And, as these crimes vastly differ in nature, different police departments are all vying for information, all keeping things close to their chest and actually not really playing nice with each other, almost as if they aren't even on the same side at all. After all, the investigation into death of a single person from a knife wound can't possibly be able to undermine a two year investigation into much more far reaching crimes... That was the bit that piqued my interest the most in this book. Especially when the author added the extra bit of relationship intrigue between two of the opposing Police factions! What also scared me a little was that the story being told felt so real. With knife crime and gang warfare on the up, especially in London, this book does reflect that culture very well.
Characterisation was excellent and each person came across as completely real. There are a lot of emotions flying round in the book, from the young boy mourning his friend and regretting what he is all caught up in, to the single mother juggling home and work, I was well able to connect to the majority along the way and this made for a better read for me.
Plot development was also good and the pacing fitted the action all the way. There was enough character development included to progress them towards their next outing without being too intrusive to the story - basically what you'd expect from a series book.
All in all a cracking read that I do not hesitate to recommend to lovers of police procedurals, especially those that want a little something extra than the norm. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Oops, I appear to have committed the most heinous crime of diving in mid-series. Oh well, I don't think it marred my enjoyment of this book at all though so I think I've got away with it. I am intending to restore balance to my world and have already purchased the previous two books to sneak in sometime.
This book hit the ground running for me and didn't let up until the very end. We start with a stabbing which turns out fatal and then, as more and more layers of this crime is uncovered, we see that actually, this incident is the very small tip of a very big iceberg with multiple interconnected crimes and perpetrators. And, as these crimes vastly differ in nature, different police departments are all vying for information, all keeping things close to their chest and actually not really playing nice with each other, almost as if they aren't even on the same side at all. After all, the investigation into death of a single person from a knife wound can't possibly be able to undermine a two year investigation into much more far reaching crimes... That was the bit that piqued my interest the most in this book. Especially when the author added the extra bit of relationship intrigue between two of the opposing Police factions! What also scared me a little was that the story being told felt so real. With knife crime and gang warfare on the up, especially in London, this book does reflect that culture very well.
Characterisation was excellent and each person came across as completely real. There are a lot of emotions flying round in the book, from the young boy mourning his friend and regretting what he is all caught up in, to the single mother juggling home and work, I was well able to connect to the majority along the way and this made for a better read for me.
Plot development was also good and the pacing fitted the action all the way. There was enough character development included to progress them towards their next outing without being too intrusive to the story - basically what you'd expect from a series book.
All in all a cracking read that I do not hesitate to recommend to lovers of police procedurals, especially those that want a little something extra than the norm. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
August 30, 2021
Gripping police procedural - full review to follow
December 28, 2024
For Jess: I couldn’t put this down - an absolute page turner. If you like BBC cop shows then this will be right up your street. I’m keen to read the first two books in the series now.
January 12, 2019
This is a gritty crime procedural novel that’s investigating the murder of a teenage boy with gang connections. The chapters alternate in perspective, so we can see the incidents through the eyes of the boy’s best friend and police officers at different levels of the hierarchy in the investigation. This gives a much wider view of knife crime and how it affects different people, especially the teenagers at the bottom of the totem pole.
Between you and me, I didn’t particularly like any of the police officers in this book. They’re all cold, self-serving and surprisingly callous given that a child has been killed out on the street. I found myself sympathising completely with Ryan, the victim’s best mate as you could really feel how little the authorities cared for the situation.
The pacing of this novel was quite slow to start off with, with plenty of the mundane and kinda depressing details about the personal lives of the investigating officers. At the end, however, everything comes to a boil and ends very rapidly.
If you’re a fan of police procedurals with gritty and realistic characters, this is going to be a great series for you to pick up.
Between you and me, I didn’t particularly like any of the police officers in this book. They’re all cold, self-serving and surprisingly callous given that a child has been killed out on the street. I found myself sympathising completely with Ryan, the victim’s best mate as you could really feel how little the authorities cared for the situation.
The pacing of this novel was quite slow to start off with, with plenty of the mundane and kinda depressing details about the personal lives of the investigating officers. At the end, however, everything comes to a boil and ends very rapidly.
If you’re a fan of police procedurals with gritty and realistic characters, this is going to be a great series for you to pick up.
December 6, 2018
To begin, a disclaimer that I didn't realise this was part of a series before I started reading it, so I was slightly thrown off by some of the backstory that didn't make sense, but ultimately it can really be read as a stand-alone story.
Gallowstree Lane follows a web of people involved in a gang in London, and a team of police who are planning a bust to take down the leaders of the gang who are moving weapons. Where the book really shined was in the descriptions of police procedure and the complexities of gang politics. However, the use of so many main characters in the book threw me off, because some of them only get one or two passages from their POV and then they're not returned to again, and there probably would have been more intrigue if their experiences of events was concealed - Lexi, for example.
Also, it was only afterwards when I revisited the description for this book that I saw Kieran is implied as the main character, which didn't come through in the book at all - I thought Sarah and Lizzie were meant to be the main characters. I checked the previous two books on Amazon where it's more obvious that Sarah and Lizzie are the main characters from the description, so I don't know why this was overlooked in the description for Gallowstree Lane . The description also doesn't accurately portray the structure of the novel by positioning Ryan and Kieran in opposition to each other, when really they couldn't care less about each other for the majority of the plot. Also, I'm glad that Kieran wasn't the main character of the book because frankly he's one of the most irritating and condescending characters I've ever come across, with a huge ego, and I wish Lizzie had just told him to piss off in the beginning of the novel and been done with it, but I guess it's an accurate portrayal of manipulation that she was unable to do that.
I just want to give a shout-out to Elaine who was a great character, and Sarah who in my opinion was the only character there with an actual moral code. I would definitely consider reading further books entirely from her POV and her clashes with police procedure and corruption. Also, the fact that her and Kieran clashed so strongly in terms of ideals and ethics makes the last chapter in the book ring very falsely in my opinion.
Overall I did enjoy reading this book and it's far better than the last few crime novels I've read, so I would recommend it
Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
Gallowstree Lane follows a web of people involved in a gang in London, and a team of police who are planning a bust to take down the leaders of the gang who are moving weapons. Where the book really shined was in the descriptions of police procedure and the complexities of gang politics. However, the use of so many main characters in the book threw me off, because some of them only get one or two passages from their POV and then they're not returned to again, and there probably would have been more intrigue if their experiences of events was concealed - Lexi, for example.
Also, it was only afterwards when I revisited the description for this book that I saw Kieran is implied as the main character, which didn't come through in the book at all - I thought Sarah and Lizzie were meant to be the main characters. I checked the previous two books on Amazon where it's more obvious that Sarah and Lizzie are the main characters from the description, so I don't know why this was overlooked in the description for Gallowstree Lane . The description also doesn't accurately portray the structure of the novel by positioning Ryan and Kieran in opposition to each other, when really they couldn't care less about each other for the majority of the plot. Also, I'm glad that Kieran wasn't the main character of the book because frankly he's one of the most irritating and condescending characters I've ever come across, with a huge ego, and I wish Lizzie had just told him to piss off in the beginning of the novel and been done with it, but I guess it's an accurate portrayal of manipulation that she was unable to do that.
I just want to give a shout-out to Elaine who was a great character, and Sarah who in my opinion was the only character there with an actual moral code. I would definitely consider reading further books entirely from her POV and her clashes with police procedure and corruption. Also, the fact that her and Kieran clashed so strongly in terms of ideals and ethics makes the last chapter in the book ring very falsely in my opinion.
Overall I did enjoy reading this book and it's far better than the last few crime novels I've read, so I would recommend it
Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
December 15, 2018
Gallowstree Lane
I enjoy getting into the nitty gritty of a crime procedural from time to time. There’s something about reading about the details of an investigation that consumes you fully.
I have not read the other books in the series (there are two I believe), so the characters were new to me. I found the characters generally readable and likeable. I did find Lizzie’s role as a working mother difficult to believe at times. The pressures of her job were evident, but having been on the receiving end of having to deal with ill children in childcare, some of it didn’t ring true. And, reading this book, it was hard to believe that Lizzie and Kieran had ever even liked each other, let alone had an affair!
The style of writing, hopping from one officer to another, is effectively used here. The author is brave to challenge our perceptions of the characters by clearly stating that the main narrators just don’t like each other. Rather than sticking with one narrator, this style enables you to be a bit more critical of the narrators, and this encourages you to think more critically about the situations they find themselves in.
The details of the criminal underworld were realistic and well thought out. I really felt for Ryan - wrong kid, wrong place, wrong time. The author was clearly using her experience as a police officer to inform her creation of these characters. A tragic end for some of these young people caught up in worlds too big and serious for them to navigate.
So all in all, I really enjoyed this book. I will be going back to read the others at some point and I will be very interested to reflect on the characters and how they are formed from the beginning.
I enjoy getting into the nitty gritty of a crime procedural from time to time. There’s something about reading about the details of an investigation that consumes you fully.
I have not read the other books in the series (there are two I believe), so the characters were new to me. I found the characters generally readable and likeable. I did find Lizzie’s role as a working mother difficult to believe at times. The pressures of her job were evident, but having been on the receiving end of having to deal with ill children in childcare, some of it didn’t ring true. And, reading this book, it was hard to believe that Lizzie and Kieran had ever even liked each other, let alone had an affair!
The style of writing, hopping from one officer to another, is effectively used here. The author is brave to challenge our perceptions of the characters by clearly stating that the main narrators just don’t like each other. Rather than sticking with one narrator, this style enables you to be a bit more critical of the narrators, and this encourages you to think more critically about the situations they find themselves in.
The details of the criminal underworld were realistic and well thought out. I really felt for Ryan - wrong kid, wrong place, wrong time. The author was clearly using her experience as a police officer to inform her creation of these characters. A tragic end for some of these young people caught up in worlds too big and serious for them to navigate.
So all in all, I really enjoyed this book. I will be going back to read the others at some point and I will be very interested to reflect on the characters and how they are formed from the beginning.
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