Family – might be the death of you…
[ About the Book ]
The Glass family business is crime, and they’re good at what they do. Vengeance took Luke Glass behind bars – but now he’s free and he’s never going back. Luke wants out of the gangster life – all he has to do is convince his family to let him go.
His brother holds the reins of the South London underworld in his brutal hands – nobody tells Danny Glass no and expects to live – not even DCI Oliver Stanford, bent copper and one of the Met’s rising stars. The way Danny sees it, his younger brother and sister Nina owe him everything. The price he demands is loyalty, and a war with their arch enemy gives him the leverage he needs to tie Luke to the family once more.
Luke can’t see a way out, until Danny commits a crime so terrible it can’t be forgiven. Love turns to hate when secrets are unearthed which pit brother against brother. Left with no choice but to choose a side, Nina holds the fate of the family in her hands.
In the Glass family, Owen Mullen has created a crime dynasty to rival the Richardsons and the Krays. Family is perfect for fans of Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers and Mandasue Heller.
[ My Review ]
Family is the latest novel from Owen Mullen and his first gangland thriller with Boldwood Books. Just published (Jan 21st) it is rightfully described as ‘heart-pounding, jaw-dropping with non-stop action’. I started it and quite simply could not and would not stop reading it until the final page. There is a new family in town and, trust me, you do not want to get on their wrong side.
The Glass family has a nasty reputation. Two brothers, Danny and Luke Glass, stalked the streets of London, causing mayhem, from a young age. The product of a dysfunctional family, Danny took over as head of the family when their parents passed on. Danny is a vicious, hard-hearted individual who has absolutely no qualms in using any means to justify the end. Machiavellian in every move he makes, Danny takes no prisoners and fears no one. He is a dangerous man with tentacles stretching far and wide right into the core of the Met Police. He fronts a pub but behind the doors he runs an empire, one filled with thugs, violence, prostitution and drugs. He owns people. He owns parts of London. He owns the cops and, in Danny’s mind, he is the King, the man everyone should fear.
Luke Glass has been in prison for a number of years following his involvement in the death of another gang leader. There were reasons for this, for Luke’s anger and subsequent reaction. It was personal, very personal. Now, out of jail, Luke wants a clean sheet. He hopes to disassociate himself from his brother and his nefarious activities, to move on with his life. But no one leaves Danny Glass….ever.
Nina Glass, their younger sister, is also now involved in the family business but, like Luke, Nina isn’t happy and wants to veer off in her own direction, be in control of her own destiny. But Nina can’t do this alone.
Danny is no fool, very much aware that Nina and Luke are not as committed as he would wish. Danny, in his mind, has done everything for them, for Team Glass, and he is not going to let them go without a fight. But it’s not the only fight Danny has on his hands. A rival gang, now controlled by a young, irresponsible and explosive individual, has revenge on their hands, revenge against the Glass family. With Luke now released, this revenge must be enacted, but with enormous consequences for all parties involved.
I’m struggling to put into words just how bloody marvellous Family is. It is a VERY gritty London gangland thriller with lots of violence and some very disturbing scenes throughout, Owen Mullen threw everything at this book delivering an amazing novel with an outstanding execution. If you follow Owen Mullen on social media you will see how he has approached the launch of this book with a character expansion of all the main players. In doing so he brings them alive for the prospective reader, these individuals who will populate your mind long after you read the final page. Gangland thrillers need to be written with a rawness that can be difficult to express but Owen Mullen has captured it in spades.
As the cards begin to fall Danny Glass shows his true colours as an extremely nasty piece of work. When he orders one particular job to go ahead, my mind had difficulty coming to grips with the devastation, the horror, the fear. This is a man with a compulsion to be almost God like in his actions. Danny Glass determines who lives and who dies. Collateral damage is incidental. Folk know not to show him up, not to embarrass him, as a price will be paid. A reckless act leaves a catastrophic trail in its wake with repercussions that ripple outward to the greater community.
Family is the beginning of a new crime series and is one that is sure to put Owen Mullen’s name on the bigger stage. I did a wee jump when I heard there were more books on stream and I seriously cannot recommend Family enough. Passions run deep throughout this book, one that kept me awake late into the small hours. Family is an exciting, heart-pumping, adrenaline-fuelled read from the get go. Filled with very unsavoury characters, it grips the reader as you try, and fail, to comprehend the actions taken by these really menacing and very frightening individuals.
Breath-taking. Provocative. Thrilling
[ Bio ]
Owen Mullen is a highly regarded crime author who splits his time between Scotland and the island of Crete. In his earlier life he lived in London and worked as a musician and session singer.
He has now written seven books and his first gangland thriller for Boldwood, Family published January 21st 2021.
Twitter – @OwenMullen6
