Betrayed

by Roberta Kray

TO SURVIVE, SHE MUST TRUST NO ONE. The brand new gangland crime novel from bestseller Roberta Kray.

IN THE EAST END OF LONDON . . .

After losing her mum in a tragic accident when she was young, Chrissy Moss had to find out the hard way how to survive on one of the East End's most notorious estates. When a fifteen-year-old girl disappears, hours after delivering a message for local gangland lowlife Eddie, the residents take the law into their own hands, forcing old secrets to resurface.

OLD LOYALTIES RUN DEEP . . .

With rumours flying - not just about the girl's disappearance, but about Laura Moss's death years earlier - Chrissy begins to suspect what happened to her mother was no accident: it was murder. But people on the estate are too scared to talk, and to find answers Chrissy must unravel an age-old web of deceit that runs right into the heart of London's East End.

AND YOU MUST FIGHT TO SURVIVE.

Chrissy's search leads her to shady club owner Luther Byrne, rumoured to have once been one of London's most notorious gangsters, and one of the last people to see her mother alive. But as Chrissy grows nearer to the truth, she unwittingly inches closer and closer to danger.

Could it be that Chrissy, like her mother, put her trust in the wrong person?

Full of the same danger and grit as it's London's setting, this is bestselling author Roberta Kray at the top of her game. Get ready for a KILLER read . . .

Praise for Roberta Kray:

'A cracking good read' Jessie Keane
'Well into Martina Cole territory' Independent
'Great writing, gripping story, loved it' Mandasue Heller

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction

400 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2021

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betrayed is the latest gangland crime thriller from grit-lit Queen Roberta Kray — who through her marriage to Reggie Kray, has a unique and authentic insight into London's post-war East End underworld. It's 1975 and Chrissy Moss and best friends Zelda Graham and Dawn Kearns are the tender age of fourteen. Living on the rundown, poverty-stricken Mansfield Council Estate in Kellston, with her Nan Elsie and Uncle Pete who took her in when she was orphaned at four years old. Despite understanding that where she lives is surrounded by crime, drugs and the shady criminal dealings of local underworld figures, Chrissy’s remaining family have always maintained that her mother, Laura, died as a result of a tragic accident. She had apparently fallen under a train at age twenty-three after going off the rails (no pun intended). Then a short time later, one of Chrissy’s close school mates, Dawn, goes missing and they report it to the police. What follow is a lot of convoluted rumours claiming that both her mum and Dawn were murdered and Chrissy decides that it's about time she discovered the truth.

This is a captivating and addictive read from the start with plenty of exciting reveals and developments. It's gritty gangland crime at its best with a couple of equally interesting plot threads and it touches on issues of poverty, gentrification, adversity and more. It's a story full of intense drama and imminent danger seemingly lurking around every corner. It's a tough street scene for anyone to brave never mind a female, not to mention there being an endless array of tested loyalties, betrayals, double-crosses and shifting allegiances. For the majority of the time, my heart was simply pounding,nand I noticed myself turning the pages more and more rapidly and anxiously. I found it impossible not to admire Chrissy, the kick-ass feisty female at the centre of it all, and despite her flaws, she's a superb amateur Detective who wears her heart on her sleeve and is very relatable. A cracking, fast-paced crime thriller with a palpably tense atmosphere, an action-packed plot and the setting of the Estate, which draws you in instantly. Many thanks to Sphere for an ARC.

[Nemo ☠️ (pagesandprozac) · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good writing, and definitely a page-turner, but let down by the anticlimatic ending. not fantastic, and not terrible: a true 3 star book.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first choice to read for 2025. It took me ten months to get through. The first part was slower than a snail moving in molasses, but I really enjoyed the second half of the book.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping right through.
Chrissy Moss along with her two mates Zelda Graham and Dawn Kearns are fourteen year old teens its 1975 and they hung out on the Manfield Estate Kellston London.
Chrissy was orphaned at four years old and lived with her Nan Elsie and her uncle Pete.
But then her mate Dawn goes missing, she doesn't turn up for school and the two girls worry, her mums no better so they report her missing to the police.
D.S. Will Sutherland and her Nan go way back what really happened to her mum Laura all those years ago falling under a train was it suicide, accident or was she pushed murder?
Chrissy has got a lot of soul searching to look into she isn't going to let anything rest about her mum or Dawn, so much has been unanswered.
So much is unfolding in every chapter of this book as you read, lies as well as secret's.
i enjoyed all of it.

[Lucy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chrissy Moss was just 4 years old when her mother was hit and killed by a train.

Now 1975 living in on the Mansfield estate with her Nan and Uncle Pete, when her school friend Dawn goes missing.

Chrissy is listening to too many rumours on the estate that her mum was murdered. Nan Elise tells her to let things lie, she is determined to find out the truth and get the answers she so desperately wants.

Another fantastic page turning read by Roberta, so good to back in Kellston with familiar names and places, the Streets and Connolly's the Cafe.

Gripping and as always a twist in the tale.

[Pol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg does Roberta Kray know how to write a book that keeps you wondering what is going to happen when you turn to the next page. Fanastic

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* rounded up

I have found that the book was well written, but the reason for a low rating is due to feeling that the storyline ended abruptly regarding lack of conclusions to specific subplots within the book.

I was totally invested in the lead characters and what happened

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chrissy Moss and her two teenage friends are whiling away a boring Sunday afternoon when the arrival of a handsome older boy shakes them out of their lethargy. When he asks them to deliver a message, this, seemingly innocent action, sets off a chain of events which has repercussions for each of the girls' in the future but it also has links to hidden secrets which have been buried for far too long.

Not for the faint hearted, Betrayed brings into sharp focus a rundown London estate where neither hope nor charity is allowed to linger and where poverty and abusive behaviour is considered normal. Chrissy and her friends seem to be caught in a quagmire with no escape, so when one of them goes missing, it's only a matter of time before the tinder box of unrest and disquiet goes out of control.

Filled with an abundance of twists and turns, Betrayed rolls along with gusto, cleverly moving forwards in time as we get to know Chrissy, the feisty protagonist of the story, in some detail and it is her voice which comes across loud and clear as she tries to make sense of what happened on that fateful Sunday in 1975, when her best friend went missing.

In Betrayed, the author brings to life the seamier side of life in London's East End with a sense of drama and intrigue and with a palpable tension which lasts from first page to last.

[Chromatic Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living on a tough East End estate isn’t easy and young teenager Chrissy Moss and her two mates live in that cesspit, with junkies and drunks and thugs all ready to take a piece of you.
Chrissy lost her mum when she was four, and she never really knew what happened to her, her Nan won’t tell her, and nobody likes a grass….a woman is murdered and when her mate disappears, locals take the law into their hands…questions are being asked, who can you trust, everyone knows Gaul the local plod is bent and gets back handers. Chrissy has questions she needs answers to ….was her mum murdered….was it an accident? …. if that means taking chances that could take her into dangerous waters, is she brave enough to find out?
I do enjoy a Roberta Kray story, you know they are going to be page turners and gritty, this one is no exception, so read and enjoy.

[Nicky Mottram · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, though I did feel disappointed with the ending of the book. I felt that it ended suddenly and would like to have had seen how things turned out with some of the other characters. I also liked that there was no swearing in this book as a lot of this genre tend to have swearing every other word !!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Little Brown Book Group for the arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Khurshid Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Martina Cole, Jessie Keane, Mandasue Heller,
Kerry Barnes, Cathy Kelleher, add Roberta Kray to your list and you won’t be disappointed.

A young child wanting to find out about her mum has to uncover deceit, figure out who to trust. When Chrissy tries to find answers when she is older it takes her to a different world.

[EILEEN SHEPPARD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsure

As I said in unsure if this book was for me or not. I felt that it took a while to get the story going then the ending was the opposite it just finished, leaving you wondering well was it him on the tracks ( I don't want to say who and spoil it for future readers ) and What happened to Gault?

[Debs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read a few pages but already disappointed in her writing. Its 1975 and the girls are just 'hanging'.. well hanging wasn't a term used in 1975!! I know I was 15 then. Then, "It's not rocket science"... again a phrase not used in 1975. This is a very recent phrase not around in the 70's.
I will try to persevere with the book but so far the characters really don't sound like 1970's kids

[Sarah Portsmouth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I really enjoyed this books as it had familiar characters and settings to RK’s previous novels alongside a great storyline. But I didn’t like the ending as it was very abrupt and unexpected.

[Jody Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I just love this author. She just knows how to write a great story. Just wish the books were written quicker. I don't have a lot of patience waiting for next one it can't come soon enough.

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad read .

I found this book to be a bit boring in the first half but once I read 10 years later it blew my socks off and was looking forward to finishing the book off .so I will give this book 4stars .

[Theweebarrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

have read other Roberta Kray books which I enjoyed and I enjoyed this one too. I found this one started off at a slower pace to her previous ones but it soon ramped up and and became fast paced ,gripping and quite addictive to read

[Mohammed Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece

Eat your heart out Martina Cole. This is one of the best London thrillers that I have had the privilege to read in a long time. A good strong storyline that kept me riveted until the last page.

[Robert Burgon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am surprised how much I enjoyed this book- although it wouldn't normally be something which I would choose to read. Set in the ganglands of East London in the 1970s and subsequent decades, it is an interesting tale of loyalty and rivalry with a fair sprinkling of dodgy policemen.

[Gemma Deary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chrissy’s mum died years ago when she was a child, she was always led to believe it was an accident but now Chrissy is starting to believe that she may have been murdered. A good gritty story set in the mean streets of the west end with lots of colourful characters introduced along the way.

[Vidhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't why they haven't made a movie or a series on this! God! This book is too good to be kept discreet only to readers!

Only if I could trade anything to read it again for the first time! God!! 😩<3

[Emma Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent couldn't put it down so many twists would recommend

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got a little boring I'm places but an ok read

[Loraine Curry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cracking read!

Another brilliant story from Roberta Kray. Couldn’t wait to find out what happens but then stopped reading so quick as I didn’t want to finish the book! A must read!

[Annah Gregson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turnet

As always a compulsive page turned couldn't put down, always the last person you would expect and left open to continue

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.75) A surprisingly decent page turner

[Jenny Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my thing

[Kristeen Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Round up to 4.5 stars.

[Ruth Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me 2attempts to read this book but I enjoyed it in the end,it's one of the Terry streets books

[Paul Shepherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cracking thriller, enough said