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Gang Girl
The Gang stole her childhood.
She won’t let them claim the rest of her life.
New Zealand, 1970. Born into the gang, Alicia longs to escape the misery of her childhood. The daughter of a notorious gang leader, her dream of freedom falls apart when she’s pledged in blood to her cousin Mickey.
Happiness seems further away than ever once Mickey grows into a ruthless gangster—until a chance meeting with a hotshot business executive promises Alicia a new life away from the gang.
Immediate reprisals plunge Alicia into a deadly war. Shot down at her wedding ceremony and fighting for her life, she despairs that Mickey will ever let go.
Can Alicia break free from her brutal past, or is she destined for a legacy of bloodshed? The only person Alicia can turn to is a Māori diviner … who has a message she doesn’t want to hear.
David Whittet’s gripping story of love, betrayal and redemption is set on New Zealand’s spectacular West Coast. Gang Girl will capture the hearts of readers who love books featuring strong women determined to take charge of their own destiny.
She won’t let them claim the rest of her life.
New Zealand, 1970. Born into the gang, Alicia longs to escape the misery of her childhood. The daughter of a notorious gang leader, her dream of freedom falls apart when she’s pledged in blood to her cousin Mickey.
Happiness seems further away than ever once Mickey grows into a ruthless gangster—until a chance meeting with a hotshot business executive promises Alicia a new life away from the gang.
Immediate reprisals plunge Alicia into a deadly war. Shot down at her wedding ceremony and fighting for her life, she despairs that Mickey will ever let go.
Can Alicia break free from her brutal past, or is she destined for a legacy of bloodshed? The only person Alicia can turn to is a Māori diviner … who has a message she doesn’t want to hear.
David Whittet’s gripping story of love, betrayal and redemption is set on New Zealand’s spectacular West Coast. Gang Girl will capture the hearts of readers who love books featuring strong women determined to take charge of their own destiny.
465 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 13, 2021
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
David Whittet
4 booksDavid Whittet is a family doctor, an independent filmmaker and author.
Medicine is a constant source of inspiration for David’s writing. Like writing, general practice is about being interested in people’s stories. The Road to Madhapur draws on David’s personal experience of family medicine in both New Zealand and India. While the novel is a work of fiction, his first-hand knowledge of medicine in the raw, together with many real-life events, helped shape the story.
Storytelling has been in David’s DNA since childhood. A dramatisation of Oliver Twist on television profoundly affected him as a child. In its day, Dickens’ novel brought reform to the poor law, which convinced David of the written word’s potential to change the world. He decided then that he wanted to be a writer. Subsequently, A J Cronin’s novels inspired David to become a doctor, especially The Citadel, which pre-empted the National Health Service’s foundation in the UK and beyond.
David’s work as a GP brings authenticity and gritty realism to his writing. IndieReader described his debut novel Gang Girl as ‘a memorable tale filled with drama, conflict and intrigue ... deftly painted characters, multilayered, and unique ... an extraordinary read.’
Indeed, the colourful cast of characters David has met throughout his career––colleagues and patients alike––breathe life into his writing.
Medicine is a constant source of inspiration for David’s writing. Like writing, general practice is about being interested in people’s stories. The Road to Madhapur draws on David’s personal experience of family medicine in both New Zealand and India. While the novel is a work of fiction, his first-hand knowledge of medicine in the raw, together with many real-life events, helped shape the story.
Storytelling has been in David’s DNA since childhood. A dramatisation of Oliver Twist on television profoundly affected him as a child. In its day, Dickens’ novel brought reform to the poor law, which convinced David of the written word’s potential to change the world. He decided then that he wanted to be a writer. Subsequently, A J Cronin’s novels inspired David to become a doctor, especially The Citadel, which pre-empted the National Health Service’s foundation in the UK and beyond.
David’s work as a GP brings authenticity and gritty realism to his writing. IndieReader described his debut novel Gang Girl as ‘a memorable tale filled with drama, conflict and intrigue ... deftly painted characters, multilayered, and unique ... an extraordinary read.’
Indeed, the colourful cast of characters David has met throughout his career––colleagues and patients alike––breathe life into his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 4, 2022
These characters will consume you and keep you locked in their world. You will be sucked into the past and to a land far away as the protagonist, Alicia recounts her past.as she tries her best to leave a life of crime.
Alicia is the only child of a notorious gang leader, Reggie. Reggie is bitter because he doesn’t have a son to take over his legacy and thus he’s abusive to wife, Naomi and his daughter. Reggie has forced Naomi to home-school Alicia and because of that she doesn’t socialize much with the other kids in her community.
On the other side of town lives Ronnie, Reggie’s brother who is also a part of the gang. Ronnie and Reggie never got along as kids and their hatred continued to adulthood. And to make the situation worse Ronnie had a son. Ronnie wasn’t much different from his brother, he was just as abusive to his family. He would beat his son, Ronnie often for not being manly enough. He even
kicked his wife out of their home when Mikey was only seven years old. Mikey was a good boy with a good heart and he didn’t want to be like his father nor did he want to be in the gang.
The one place that made Alicia feel good was the waterfalls in the town and that’s where she met and spoke to her cousin, Mickey for the first time. The cousins hit it off immediately and became best friends but their friendship was short lived as their fathers rejected their relationship. Alicia was stubborn so she refused to give up the relationship she had but on the other hand Mikey stayed away in fear of his life.
After frustration with the gang, Maureen, the leader of the township decides the best way to save themselves and stop the feud between brothers is to let Alicia and Mickey get an arranged marriage. Alicia is happy about the news, Mickey, not so much. After hustle and tassels, Mickey falls under the wings of his uncle Reggie and he changes from the sweet boy Alicia had once known. What happens next?
I really don’t want to get into the story because that is not fair to the author or you. Read the book and enjoy the story for yourself. I will say that this book was truly amazing to read. I love reading as Alicia matured and shared her story. I also loved how the story flowed effortlessly. The writing style is fantastic, like music to my ears.
This book had me hanging off its pages. I read the entire thing in less than two days, I couldn’t stay away. There was nothing predictable in this book. I love the grittiness of this story and the twist and turns. I really enjoyed reading it and 100% sure you will too.
Highly Recommend!
Alicia is the only child of a notorious gang leader, Reggie. Reggie is bitter because he doesn’t have a son to take over his legacy and thus he’s abusive to wife, Naomi and his daughter. Reggie has forced Naomi to home-school Alicia and because of that she doesn’t socialize much with the other kids in her community.
On the other side of town lives Ronnie, Reggie’s brother who is also a part of the gang. Ronnie and Reggie never got along as kids and their hatred continued to adulthood. And to make the situation worse Ronnie had a son. Ronnie wasn’t much different from his brother, he was just as abusive to his family. He would beat his son, Ronnie often for not being manly enough. He even
kicked his wife out of their home when Mikey was only seven years old. Mikey was a good boy with a good heart and he didn’t want to be like his father nor did he want to be in the gang.
The one place that made Alicia feel good was the waterfalls in the town and that’s where she met and spoke to her cousin, Mickey for the first time. The cousins hit it off immediately and became best friends but their friendship was short lived as their fathers rejected their relationship. Alicia was stubborn so she refused to give up the relationship she had but on the other hand Mikey stayed away in fear of his life.
After frustration with the gang, Maureen, the leader of the township decides the best way to save themselves and stop the feud between brothers is to let Alicia and Mickey get an arranged marriage. Alicia is happy about the news, Mickey, not so much. After hustle and tassels, Mickey falls under the wings of his uncle Reggie and he changes from the sweet boy Alicia had once known. What happens next?
I really don’t want to get into the story because that is not fair to the author or you. Read the book and enjoy the story for yourself. I will say that this book was truly amazing to read. I love reading as Alicia matured and shared her story. I also loved how the story flowed effortlessly. The writing style is fantastic, like music to my ears.
This book had me hanging off its pages. I read the entire thing in less than two days, I couldn’t stay away. There was nothing predictable in this book. I love the grittiness of this story and the twist and turns. I really enjoyed reading it and 100% sure you will too.
Highly Recommend!
October 3, 2022
Alicia is a young woman who doesn’t have an easy childhood at all, growing up in a gang environment, in an abusive place, where people she trusted ended up betraying her, with the dream of one day getting away from that world, it’ll be a difficult goal, which will put her life in danger, but she will do everything possible to get out of there, survive, and forge her own destiny.
It’s a reading with a very well elaborated plot, full of secrets, hate, revenge, betrayal, violence, showing us a little about the dynamics and reality of gangs. It’s obvious that the author really did a great job of researching the background of the gangs. This book also has life lessons, as well as love, hope and second chances.
Alicia's character is a very complex one, she was my favorite character, I admire her a lot, she is a very strong woman, she knows that life is cruel sometimes and she wear this armor to protect herself against the pain of loss and the hardships moments she had face. We’ll get to know her story since she was a little girl, until when she becomes an adult, we will grow with her, accompanying her in all these situations that marked her life.
The connection he has with Mickey and how this relationship developed through the pages is something that kept me hooked during the book, both have a story that was incomplete in their childhood, he also wears this mask every day, he has made mistakes that are easily forgiven, behind those veneers are two people who are struggling in their own worlds. They’re those souls that try to be separated and in spite of everything, they meet again, with a bond that isn’t easy to break.
'Don't fight the truth. Listen to your heart.’ I really this quote.
The rest of the characters added the flavor and depth to this amazing story, like Kāterina, Emir, Reggie, Naomi, Ronnie. But some of the people in both Alicia and Mickey's life are not good for them, people they really trust may not be what they seem.
It is a book in which you won’t get bored at any time, once you start you want to continue reading to know what will happen, I think it’s the type of book that you should consider reading at least one time in your life time. You won't come out of this book without having your heart touched.
It’s a reading with a very well elaborated plot, full of secrets, hate, revenge, betrayal, violence, showing us a little about the dynamics and reality of gangs. It’s obvious that the author really did a great job of researching the background of the gangs. This book also has life lessons, as well as love, hope and second chances.
Alicia's character is a very complex one, she was my favorite character, I admire her a lot, she is a very strong woman, she knows that life is cruel sometimes and she wear this armor to protect herself against the pain of loss and the hardships moments she had face. We’ll get to know her story since she was a little girl, until when she becomes an adult, we will grow with her, accompanying her in all these situations that marked her life.
The connection he has with Mickey and how this relationship developed through the pages is something that kept me hooked during the book, both have a story that was incomplete in their childhood, he also wears this mask every day, he has made mistakes that are easily forgiven, behind those veneers are two people who are struggling in their own worlds. They’re those souls that try to be separated and in spite of everything, they meet again, with a bond that isn’t easy to break.
'Don't fight the truth. Listen to your heart.’ I really this quote.
The rest of the characters added the flavor and depth to this amazing story, like Kāterina, Emir, Reggie, Naomi, Ronnie. But some of the people in both Alicia and Mickey's life are not good for them, people they really trust may not be what they seem.
It is a book in which you won’t get bored at any time, once you start you want to continue reading to know what will happen, I think it’s the type of book that you should consider reading at least one time in your life time. You won't come out of this book without having your heart touched.
July 20, 2021
Fantastic debut novel for this kiwi author.
A powerful tale of a girl desperately trying to have a better life away from the gang life she was born into. Aroha spends her life watching her father, Tautaru, the leader of the Mahiti Gang, tormenting those around him. He's vicious and mean, but above all, he is a power unto himself. People fear him, including his daughter.
In this story, we watch Aroha grow from a child to a woman, fighting at every turn to become a better person and encourage others to do so too. But the gang life is one that, once you're in, is almost impossible to get out of.
Aroha has a strength that simmers below the surface, and she has a lot of strong females around her, trying to do their best by her.
It can be a difficult read at times, as it covers some intense parts of gang life - beatings, the ritual bone chiseling tattoo of the ta moko, death threats, predators... It's a hard life.
I loved the use of Maori language throughout too. It's good to see it being used more frequently in books, and with this story, it's clear to see how powerful some of those words can be.
Well worth the read.
A powerful tale of a girl desperately trying to have a better life away from the gang life she was born into. Aroha spends her life watching her father, Tautaru, the leader of the Mahiti Gang, tormenting those around him. He's vicious and mean, but above all, he is a power unto himself. People fear him, including his daughter.
In this story, we watch Aroha grow from a child to a woman, fighting at every turn to become a better person and encourage others to do so too. But the gang life is one that, once you're in, is almost impossible to get out of.
Aroha has a strength that simmers below the surface, and she has a lot of strong females around her, trying to do their best by her.
It can be a difficult read at times, as it covers some intense parts of gang life - beatings, the ritual bone chiseling tattoo of the ta moko, death threats, predators... It's a hard life.
I loved the use of Maori language throughout too. It's good to see it being used more frequently in books, and with this story, it's clear to see how powerful some of those words can be.
Well worth the read.
October 2, 2022
Alicia is a woman on the short end of the stick. Life hasn’t been kind to her from the beginning. A bad home life pushes her into the dark world of gang life, but even that isn’t good enough to bring her up. What follows is a tragic story of how Alicia struggles through a seemingly never ending string of bad times. Yet instead of breaking, Alicia grows and develops. She eventually becomes a strong woman with a future just in grasp.
Gang Girl is written well. The story flows and the author has clearly invested research, talent, and good storytelling. Not for everyone, there is room in your library for this one. I tend to stick with fantasy and science fiction but this one caught my eye and got me hooked within a few chapters. What struck me most is the determination of the main character to escape her life and, though she is faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, continues pushing until the promise of a better tomorrow is just within grasp.
Give this one a read. You won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t.
4 out of 5 stars.
Gang Girl is written well. The story flows and the author has clearly invested research, talent, and good storytelling. Not for everyone, there is room in your library for this one. I tend to stick with fantasy and science fiction but this one caught my eye and got me hooked within a few chapters. What struck me most is the determination of the main character to escape her life and, though she is faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, continues pushing until the promise of a better tomorrow is just within grasp.
Give this one a read. You won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t.
4 out of 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews