This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Debs Carr
Fifteen years ago, ten-year-old Minnie Bright was murdered. Desperate to be included in the gang of girls who live near her on the Mansfield estate in East London, Minnie readily goes into Donald Peck's house to look for treasure. It's the last time anyone sees her alive. Donald Peck is a known 'flasher' and hangs himself in prison when he's found guilty of the crime that he insists he didn't commit. Now, fifteen years later, investigative journalist Jessica Vaughan, is determined to discover what really happened that day and why the girls from the gang are now being warned to keep quiet. She asks her friend, Harry Lind, a private detective to help her and together they become involved in far more dangerous situations than either could have expected. Not only do people start dying, but Jessica and Harry realize that maybe Donald Peck was innocent after all. So, who did kill Minnie, and how did they manage to get away with it for so long?
This faced-paced book really takes you into the seedy underworld where to talk to a journalist or policeman is the quickest way to get yourself killed. Not only does the book follow Jessica's investigations into Minnie's death and the suspected cover-up, but we also learn about Harry being hired by a local gangster to follow his beautiful wife over the course of a weekend. There's also a mysterious person who's travelled from his home in Spain back to the old life he'd hoped never to see again. He has a debt to repay and is determined to do the job he's been asked to before his luck finally runs out.
The three plots are cleverly interwoven. The story is well-written, at times violent, but there wasn't a moment when I thought I knew who Minnie's murderer actually was. If I had attempted a guess, I would have been wrong. This is a faced-paced thriller with a satisfying ending.
Nothing But Trouble was published in paperback by Sphere on 16th August.
8/10
ROBERTA KRAY'S WEBSITE