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Gangland Girls #1
Geezer Girls
The start of a new series set in London's gritty underworld, this urban noir was nominated for Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year
Ten years ago, 15-year-old Jade Flynn and three other girls were forced to become the sole occupants of the fourth floor of St. Nicholas Care Home for Children, forced to take part in "special community projects," and forced to work for a man they nicknamed "The Geezer." Finally, a shocking event made them rebel, and steal something that didn't belong to them. They ran, and they disappeared. Now Jade is living a respectable life as Jackie Jarvis. She's getting married, and her three best friends are her bridesmaids—but then the Geezer turns up. He'll kill them, unless they do one last job for him. Then they can return to their everyday lives. But can they trust him? This time if they disappear, they won’t be coming back.
Ten years ago, 15-year-old Jade Flynn and three other girls were forced to become the sole occupants of the fourth floor of St. Nicholas Care Home for Children, forced to take part in "special community projects," and forced to work for a man they nicknamed "The Geezer." Finally, a shocking event made them rebel, and steal something that didn't belong to them. They ran, and they disappeared. Now Jade is living a respectable life as Jackie Jarvis. She's getting married, and her three best friends are her bridesmaids—but then the Geezer turns up. He'll kill them, unless they do one last job for him. Then they can return to their everyday lives. But can they trust him? This time if they disappear, they won’t be coming back.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
84 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Dreda Say Mitchell
46 books520 followersHer Majesty, The Queen appointed Dreda an MBE in her 2020 New Year’s Honours’ List. Dreda scooped the CWA’s John Creasey Dagger in 2004, the first time a Black British author has received this honour. Dreda and Ryan write across the crime and mystery genre – psychological thrillers, gritty gangland crime and fast-paced action books Spare Room, their first psychological thriller was a #1 UK and US Amazon Bestseller. Dreda is one of twelve acclaimed and bestselling international female writers contributing to a new Miss Marple anthology. Dreda is a passionate campaigner and speaker on social issues and the arts. She has been a frequent guest on television and radio including BBC Breakfast,, Celebrity Pointless and Celebrity Eggheads, The Stephen Nolan Show, Front Row and Woman’s Hour. She has presented Radio 4’s flagship books programme, Open Book. Dreda was named one of Britain’s 50 Remarkable Women by Lady Geek in association with Nokia. She was the 2011 chair of the Theakston Harrogate Crime Fiction Festival. Dreda was born and raised in the East End of London where she continues to live. Dreda’s family are from the beautiful Caribbean island of Grenada and her name is pronounced with a long ‘ee’ sound in the middle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 18, 2022
I should note that I actually read this series in reverse order and was not confused at all. Curious, yes, but not confused, so you can easily read this series out of order.
Geezer Girl is about four girls who find themselves in a horrible situation and what they do to get out of it (and the ramifications of that choice). Of the four girls, two stand out - Jackie (Jade) and Ollie (Grace/Opal). The other two, Roxy and Amber are a little less individualistic.
Look, honesty, if you loved Claws (the TNT show) you might like Mitchell and should check her out. Mitchell is more serious and has less humor, far less humor than Claws, but one of the things that Claws did well was showcase the importance of female friendships and relationships (that aren't romantic) and how those non-romantic relationships are more important than romantic ones. This is true even if that family includes drug addicts or people who make mistakes (and trans woman are included as part of that female family. For instance, in this book, Misty who is actually part of two of those female family units).
Perhaps in this book a couple of the plot twists are a little too unbelievable, but the book is still great fun to read (though a bit too much in some places, it could have been a little tighter).
Geezer Girl is about four girls who find themselves in a horrible situation and what they do to get out of it (and the ramifications of that choice). Of the four girls, two stand out - Jackie (Jade) and Ollie (Grace/Opal). The other two, Roxy and Amber are a little less individualistic.
Look, honesty, if you loved Claws (the TNT show) you might like Mitchell and should check her out. Mitchell is more serious and has less humor, far less humor than Claws, but one of the things that Claws did well was showcase the importance of female friendships and relationships (that aren't romantic) and how those non-romantic relationships are more important than romantic ones. This is true even if that family includes drug addicts or people who make mistakes (and trans woman are included as part of that female family. For instance, in this book, Misty who is actually part of two of those female family units).
Perhaps in this book a couple of the plot twists are a little too unbelievable, but the book is still great fun to read (though a bit too much in some places, it could have been a little tighter).
September 27, 2017
Gripping
It was a gripping story. The first book I have read by this author.
To be honest I found parts of it, very difficult to read, the abuse part,however, that been said I know that it goes on in the real world.
It was a gripping story. The first book I have read by this author.
To be honest I found parts of it, very difficult to read, the abuse part,however, that been said I know that it goes on in the real world.
October 18, 2016
very good got me from page one the suspense of the story had me thinking who they are can't wait to read book two
January 12, 2018
Gripping
Very good story line keeps you wanting more. Fantastic ending not what you would be expecting. Really enjoyable read. Slow at the beginning but then it really gets you hooked
Very good story line keeps you wanting more. Fantastic ending not what you would be expecting. Really enjoyable read. Slow at the beginning but then it really gets you hooked
August 3, 2023
I read the majority of this book at an airport waiting for a delayed flight and I was so engrossed in the story, that I finished it on the flight. Looking forward to reading the next one in the trilogy!
June 15, 2018
It was ok but slow getting started and ending was disappointing
February 20, 2019
Excellent, love the gangster books, by this author.
October 14, 2019
It was an okay read, went on a bit in places.
September 22, 2020
Really good book
September 29, 2021
Absolutely brilliant get you gripped all the time so much action
March 16, 2022
Absolutely fantastic! A mixture of humour, loyalty and almost every emotion you can think of!
October 1, 2023
Brilliant
February 18, 2014
3.5 stars.
Firstly, it's not a comment on the book itself but the audio version is really grating. A male voice narrating normally isn't a problem for women's voices, but when he's voicing several Cockney female protagonists with really harsh 'Eastender'-stereotype accents, it really affects your enjoyment of a story. Really poor decision, in my opinion. I'd go for a paper copy of this book if I had the choice again.
The book itself is... well, alright. There' s a great story in there (begging to be made into a BBC mini-series), about four teenagers dragged into the world of a London gangster and his drug-running by force, and the mothers who they are trying to save. We start at the wedding day of a 25-year-old, where the bride and bridesmaids are all concealing guns.... At a pivotal moment we flash back for half the book to the lives of a group of 15-year-olds, when Frankie Sullivan forces himself into their world. It does keep you reading, you do want the girls to best the 'Geezer', though you can't see how that's going to happen.
It's an ambitious book - with diamond and drug smuggling, prison scenes in (fictional country) Zankura, child abuse and children's homes, kidnapping, cross-dressers, a court case and murder.
It's also a book where sometimes, I felt the author didn't know how to make the reader understand all the plot twists. There are some great bluffs and twists in there, but after they've happened and we're wondering "how?!", a character comes in and spends a few pages simply explaining it, Bond-villain style. I found some dialogue clunky and unrealistic too, which is more obvious when you listen to a book.
But there's no denying that I enjoyed listening to this, I wanted to get to the end and see how the girls faired.
It's not a genre I read a lot of, but I tried this after seeing it on the 2014 World Book Night list. It's enjoyable, with lots of action and lots to grip someone who doesn't read a lot (despite its length, it's not a difficult read). If you're a fan of crime/thriller/gangster/action stories, you'll love this.
Firstly, it's not a comment on the book itself but the audio version is really grating. A male voice narrating normally isn't a problem for women's voices, but when he's voicing several Cockney female protagonists with really harsh 'Eastender'-stereotype accents, it really affects your enjoyment of a story. Really poor decision, in my opinion. I'd go for a paper copy of this book if I had the choice again.
The book itself is... well, alright. There' s a great story in there (begging to be made into a BBC mini-series), about four teenagers dragged into the world of a London gangster and his drug-running by force, and the mothers who they are trying to save. We start at the wedding day of a 25-year-old, where the bride and bridesmaids are all concealing guns.... At a pivotal moment we flash back for half the book to the lives of a group of 15-year-olds, when Frankie Sullivan forces himself into their world. It does keep you reading, you do want the girls to best the 'Geezer', though you can't see how that's going to happen.
It's an ambitious book - with diamond and drug smuggling, prison scenes in (fictional country) Zankura, child abuse and children's homes, kidnapping, cross-dressers, a court case and murder.
It's also a book where sometimes, I felt the author didn't know how to make the reader understand all the plot twists. There are some great bluffs and twists in there, but after they've happened and we're wondering "how?!", a character comes in and spends a few pages simply explaining it, Bond-villain style. I found some dialogue clunky and unrealistic too, which is more obvious when you listen to a book.
But there's no denying that I enjoyed listening to this, I wanted to get to the end and see how the girls faired.
It's not a genre I read a lot of, but I tried this after seeing it on the 2014 World Book Night list. It's enjoyable, with lots of action and lots to grip someone who doesn't read a lot (despite its length, it's not a difficult read). If you're a fan of crime/thriller/gangster/action stories, you'll love this.
August 31, 2016
So this book was next up in my World Book Night reading challenge and was definitely one I wouldn't have picked for myself as I didn't find the title or cover that appealing (never judge a book and all that....).
"Any woman who's got balls bigger than a bloke is a Geezer Girl"
East London Saying
The first thing to say about this is that it's not for the faint hearted, there are some quite difficult scenes to read and with subject matters of child abuse, drug smuggling, trafficking, torture and gangland violence it was never going to be a light hearted easy read.
Narrated in the third person the book is split into 3 parts: firstly when the girls are 15 years old and how they end up in care and what they're expected to do. The next part is 10 years later when Jackie is preparing for her wedding and also living with the consequences of their pasts. During this part the girl's change their names and identities and on one page during part one, one of the main characters was being called by her later name (obviously a typo) but it did confuse me at the time. The last part finishes everything off quite nicely - nothing is left hanging.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about the characters, the mothers or the daughters. They're not exactly relatable being involved in the care system, drug smuggling etc but they still have something that engages you in their story and makes you care what happens to them.
The actual story itself I really enjoyed, it's full of twists and turns with parts that had me on the edge of my seat eagerly wanting to find out what happened next; however some parts made me feel sick if I'm honest!
If you love gangster, vengeance, vigilantism and crime novels then this is for you. But as this isn't something I'd normally read I'm not really sure what other authors this is similar too. I would think if you like stuff like Reservoir Dogs and Spooks, you'll like this! There is also a follow on book called Gangster Girl which is the story of one of the minor characters of this novel.
"Any woman who's got balls bigger than a bloke is a Geezer Girl"
East London Saying
The first thing to say about this is that it's not for the faint hearted, there are some quite difficult scenes to read and with subject matters of child abuse, drug smuggling, trafficking, torture and gangland violence it was never going to be a light hearted easy read.
Narrated in the third person the book is split into 3 parts: firstly when the girls are 15 years old and how they end up in care and what they're expected to do. The next part is 10 years later when Jackie is preparing for her wedding and also living with the consequences of their pasts. During this part the girl's change their names and identities and on one page during part one, one of the main characters was being called by her later name (obviously a typo) but it did confuse me at the time. The last part finishes everything off quite nicely - nothing is left hanging.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about the characters, the mothers or the daughters. They're not exactly relatable being involved in the care system, drug smuggling etc but they still have something that engages you in their story and makes you care what happens to them.
The actual story itself I really enjoyed, it's full of twists and turns with parts that had me on the edge of my seat eagerly wanting to find out what happened next; however some parts made me feel sick if I'm honest!
If you love gangster, vengeance, vigilantism and crime novels then this is for you. But as this isn't something I'd normally read I'm not really sure what other authors this is similar too. I would think if you like stuff like Reservoir Dogs and Spooks, you'll like this! There is also a follow on book called Gangster Girl which is the story of one of the minor characters of this novel.
January 24, 2015
I once vowed that I would never read a book called ‘Geezer Girls’ – then I made a promise I would!
Following a review I made of ‘Vendetta’ – one of the best books I’ve read in some time, the author, Dreda May Mitchell offered me a copy of ‘Geezer Girls’.
So, touched by the gesture I decided I would read and review it.
Three fifteen year old girls are left alone after their mothers were caught attempting to smuggle drugs into Sankura – the penalty of which is death. The three women thought they were taking money out of the country in exchange for diamonds however they were ‘set-up’ by their ‘boss’ Frankie as they had refused to allow their children to become involved with him.
With the mothers out of the way Frankie arranges for a social worker to take the children into care. While at the home Frankie manipulates the 15 year olds to agree to work for him in the belief that he will be able to help release their mothers.
‘Geezer Girls’ is so far removed from my usual genre of choice as I would not usually read a book about Gangsters, Gangland, Drug Trafficking and violence.
I anticipated the experience would be ‘painful’ - therefore why could I not put the book down once I started it?
It was compulsive reading, a roller-coaster ride, action packed, fast paced, at times a truly heart stopping experience. I cannot praise the work of Dreda Say Mitchell enough.
After reading this it has left me thinking how does an individual discern which books to read with the vast array of titles on the bookshelves, if you can’t tell what a book promises by the title or cover?
Does this mean I am destined to read books on which the cover depicts a hunky six-pack or entwined half naked bodies???
Following a review I made of ‘Vendetta’ – one of the best books I’ve read in some time, the author, Dreda May Mitchell offered me a copy of ‘Geezer Girls’.
So, touched by the gesture I decided I would read and review it.
Three fifteen year old girls are left alone after their mothers were caught attempting to smuggle drugs into Sankura – the penalty of which is death. The three women thought they were taking money out of the country in exchange for diamonds however they were ‘set-up’ by their ‘boss’ Frankie as they had refused to allow their children to become involved with him.
With the mothers out of the way Frankie arranges for a social worker to take the children into care. While at the home Frankie manipulates the 15 year olds to agree to work for him in the belief that he will be able to help release their mothers.
‘Geezer Girls’ is so far removed from my usual genre of choice as I would not usually read a book about Gangsters, Gangland, Drug Trafficking and violence.
I anticipated the experience would be ‘painful’ - therefore why could I not put the book down once I started it?
It was compulsive reading, a roller-coaster ride, action packed, fast paced, at times a truly heart stopping experience. I cannot praise the work of Dreda Say Mitchell enough.
After reading this it has left me thinking how does an individual discern which books to read with the vast array of titles on the bookshelves, if you can’t tell what a book promises by the title or cover?
Does this mean I am destined to read books on which the cover depicts a hunky six-pack or entwined half naked bodies???
May 3, 2014
This was the book I had to give on World Book night. I chose a book I had not read as I thought I would read a copy and then still be able to pass it on.
I am not sure how they choose World Book Night books as they are supposed to be books to hand to people who do not read to encourage them to read.
I was not that fussed on this book to start with. it was very East End London Cockney gang style language. The setting was seedy and the characters girls who had been dealt a bad hand in life.I don't really enjoy the underground drug, smuggling type of book so that was always going to have to fight hard for me to like it.
About half way through I was really thinking it was not one for me but towards the end I started to feel a bit more positive towards the girls and the twist in the plot and shock ending was also a positive.
About the half way point when one big event was being planned I did wonder why they had not gone to the police, they seemed like they were really making some silly decisions but then I thought they hadn't had the best advice from their adult friends and relatives. It is hard as an educated person from a 'nice middle class home' to really understand what children in a very dodgy care system and having got caught up with criminals would feel like.
It was well written and in the end a better story than I originally thought. Despite that I am not sure I would go out of my way to find another book but Dreda Say Mitchell as it isn't a genre I enjoy much.
I am not sure how they choose World Book Night books as they are supposed to be books to hand to people who do not read to encourage them to read.
I was not that fussed on this book to start with. it was very East End London Cockney gang style language. The setting was seedy and the characters girls who had been dealt a bad hand in life.I don't really enjoy the underground drug, smuggling type of book so that was always going to have to fight hard for me to like it.
About half way through I was really thinking it was not one for me but towards the end I started to feel a bit more positive towards the girls and the twist in the plot and shock ending was also a positive.
About the half way point when one big event was being planned I did wonder why they had not gone to the police, they seemed like they were really making some silly decisions but then I thought they hadn't had the best advice from their adult friends and relatives. It is hard as an educated person from a 'nice middle class home' to really understand what children in a very dodgy care system and having got caught up with criminals would feel like.
It was well written and in the end a better story than I originally thought. Despite that I am not sure I would go out of my way to find another book but Dreda Say Mitchell as it isn't a genre I enjoy much.
May 28, 2016
I found Geezer Girls a bit hard to get into to start with. I think it’s because thanks to the blurb, you know the girls get away from the Geezer so it’s the story where they’re older that I was more interested in. Also I found it frustrating as Geezer Girls is one of those books where the reader knows more than the characters (at least during the first section) so it’s frustrating when they trust someone who you know is the bad guy.
All the girls were different and each had their strengths and weaknesses and they all balanced each other out very well. It was great to read a book that’s essentially about female friendships and found families. My favourite out of the four was Opal, she had been through terrible things but still managed to find love and friendship.
There’s heists and deception, violence and surprises in Geezer Girls. I loved to see how the girls worked together to protect each other and to plan various schemes. There were some great secondary characters too and I liked looking into the world of gangs and crime.
If you like crime thrillers with great female characters then you should check out Geezer Girls. It is the first part in a series but luckily it doesn’t end on a cliff-hanger (I thought it would) so I will probably be checking out the other books in due course.
All the girls were different and each had their strengths and weaknesses and they all balanced each other out very well. It was great to read a book that’s essentially about female friendships and found families. My favourite out of the four was Opal, she had been through terrible things but still managed to find love and friendship.
There’s heists and deception, violence and surprises in Geezer Girls. I loved to see how the girls worked together to protect each other and to plan various schemes. There were some great secondary characters too and I liked looking into the world of gangs and crime.
If you like crime thrillers with great female characters then you should check out Geezer Girls. It is the first part in a series but luckily it doesn’t end on a cliff-hanger (I thought it would) so I will probably be checking out the other books in due course.
May 16, 2016
This isn't my normal reading (I'm more of a Henry James girl) and I found some of it alarmingly gritty. But it scores a perfect 5 because it was utterly gripping throughout, and must be in line for the prize for most dramatic first line, "The bride and bridesmaids stared at their guns." Our four heroines have been brought up in an extremely dodgy care home following the loss of their mothers, and are in thrall to an extremely unpleasant bloke, The Geezer. Every time I thought things were working out for them, there would be another plot twist, and I couldn't stop reading. It's very cinematic, and written in a clipped, deceptively easy style that suits it perfecctly. Dreda Say Mitchell keeps up the pace throughout and delivers a very satisfying ending.
December 31, 2013
Great new voice, good if you like Martina Cole.
My sister gave me this to read. The title didn't 'pull me' and I hadn't heard of the author before but I gave it a go. I started it whilst waiting all day at the latter stages of the queue for an operation. Time soon flew by as this was really easy to get into and an action-packed read. If you like Martina Cole then this writer should appeal to you. Great pace and I couldn't put it down. There is a follow-up to this book-'Gangster Girl' so I will certainly be reading that on the strength of this.
My sister gave me this to read. The title didn't 'pull me' and I hadn't heard of the author before but I gave it a go. I started it whilst waiting all day at the latter stages of the queue for an operation. Time soon flew by as this was really easy to get into and an action-packed read. If you like Martina Cole then this writer should appeal to you. Great pace and I couldn't put it down. There is a follow-up to this book-'Gangster Girl' so I will certainly be reading that on the strength of this.
June 14, 2014
I'm still not really sure what to make of this book which I received for World Book night. I'm undecided as to its target audience- it is written in a way that makes me think it was for teenagers, but covered themes and used language that were very challenging. At times it felt as if the author was trying to cover as many difficult subjects as she could in one book- sexual violence, lesbian relationships, domestic violence, transgender issues, crime, drugs........ Having said that, it was a real page-turner which kept my attention.
August 26, 2025
Couldn’t put it down
I haven’t yet read a bad book of dreda but this was fast paced exciting story there were bits that I suspected but it far from ruined the story Dreda say Mitchell is more than up and coming she is along side Casey Kelleher kimberley chambers and in my book (excuse the pun) superior to Martina Cole keep it up can’t wait to read the next one
I haven’t yet read a bad book of dreda but this was fast paced exciting story there were bits that I suspected but it far from ruined the story Dreda say Mitchell is more than up and coming she is along side Casey Kelleher kimberley chambers and in my book (excuse the pun) superior to Martina Cole keep it up can’t wait to read the next one
October 20, 2013
excellent read! if you are a fan of Kimberley chambers or Jessie keane you will love this authors books. very similar sort of novelist - gangsters, east end, that sort of thing. look forward to reading the next one in the series
August 12, 2016
This was a BRILLIANT BOOK!
Another hit from Dreda - she captures the story so well and really sets the pace in this book making you turn each page sat on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen - great twists and loveable characters. Even the baddies.
Another hit from Dreda - she captures the story so well and really sets the pace in this book making you turn each page sat on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen - great twists and loveable characters. Even the baddies.
November 20, 2012
an absolutely amazing book! twists and turns in every chapter. can't wait to read another of dreda's books!
April 29, 2013
I thought this book was pretty good. It had loads of twists and turns I really liked the story and the Characters but it was a good book to read.
September 20, 2014
very good read
August 22, 2014
Despite the fairly naff title I really enjoyed this book. There were a few editing issues which were a bit annoying so hope the 2nd book is an improvement on this.
March 14, 2016
Couldn't take it seriously, it was so far removed from any Britain I know. The scenarios seemed so forced and the characters didn't seem real to me either.
January 4, 2015
Easy to read thriller, bit twee and clichéd in places, as well as sickly sentimental. But enjoyed it. Some good twists and turns.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews