With ever book that Kimberley Chambers writes, is yet further evidence of why she is known as the Queen of Gangland Crime Fiction. The Sting her latest does not let the reader down in any way. The ending may come as a surprise, but does add to it, and even made this cynic smile. Tommy Boyle has had a tough life and he has not reached puberty yet. His dad is violent, especially towards his mother calling her many names as well as hitting her. Things are even worse when he is drunk. Tommy loves his two sisters Hazel and Linda as well as his trusted dog Rex. When one night his mother goes out, little do Tommy and his sisters know that is the last time they will ever see her. From then on, events over take him and his sisters, especially when Hazel is sent away and he finds out his dad is not actually his father. He is then sent to live with an Uncle, who at best can be described as weird, and in a different part of London. When Danny Darling comes to Tommy little does, he realises a lifelong friendship has been born, even when removed to a children’s home. At Maylands there is a small group of them, and Tommy gets especially close to Scratch, a tomboy who hates her life, but knows and understands what Tommy has been through. As they fight there way out of the gutter, they make a pack to stick together, but once Tommy leaves care, he becomes distant. He throws his lot in with the Darlings and leaves everyone else to the Wolves. Scratch is broken hearted, but eventually moves on and to the opposite side of the street when she becomes a police officer. Tommy has created a reputation on the streets of East and South London and is a noted face that the police want. When Scratch’s boss hears she knows Tommy her life takes a turn, she is being sent undercover to take down Tommy and the Darlings. On opposite sides of the law little does she know what changes in her life to come, for her and Tommy. Such a fantastic book, that grabs you from the beginning, this is gangland crime fiction at its best.

I’ve only read 2 Kimberly Chambers novels, but I can see why she has such a huge following. I saw an interview that she did for the BBC a couple of months ago, and she’s just so down to earth, and that’s something that transfers to her writing with great success. 12 year old Tommy Boyle had a fairly happy home life until his mother was killed in a car accident. He’s sent to live with an uncle, but for reasons I won’t go into, it doesn’t work out well for Tommy. He then finds himself in a children's home, where he meets Scratch. They’ve both had let downs and trauma in their lives but their friendship is something that they cherish, they know that unlike previous relationships, they can totally rely on each other. On his 16th birthday Tommy leaves the children’s home but he promises to come back for Scratch on her 16th. That doesn’t happen because Tommy is now part of the notorious Darling family ‘firm’, (think the Krays) and you won’t be far wrong. Scratch can’t believe that Tommy would let her down like that, but eventually she gets on with her life and becomes a copper, and she’s about to come face to face with Tommy, but not in a way that she could ever have predicted. Scratch finds herself going undercover in an attempt to bring down the Darling gang, but it goes without saying that this puts her in a very dangerous situation. These really are the bad guys! If you want to know the real meaning of gritty then you have to read Kimberly Chambers. The characters come fully fleshed, but you don’t necessarily have to like them, indeed they’re everything you hope you aren’t. In some strange way though, they aspire to exactly the same things that your average everyday person does - a nice house, car, good schools for the kids, it’s just that they achieve these things in an unacceptable and terrifying manner to say the least! This was a terrific read, really gripping, and worth every one of those 5 stars!

What a roller-coaster of a ride that was! I'm sure I experienced all the emotions known to man whilst reading this book - joy, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, anticipation and fear to name but a few. The characters are believable and brilliant although not all of them are particularly likeable. The story is gripping and had me hooked from start to finish and although I anticipated the end, it didn't disappoint or spoil it for me. The only complaint I have is the epilogue ... what the heck?!?! I found it cheesy and, in my humble opinion, totally unnecessary apart from tying up a couple of loose ends which could have been put elsewhere in the book however, this didn't ruin it for me it just made me "tut" and roll my eyes. Kimberley Chambers isn't known as the "Queen of Gangland Crime Fiction" for nothing and I would definitely recommend to readers who enjoy a gritty story that's not all about violence and hate. Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.