Poison By Jacqui Rose

‘Poison’ is the latest book by Jacqui Rose.

In a life of crime, loyalty means everything – even if you don’t always see eye to eye. But when Vaughn Sadler speaks up to get Franny Doyle sent down, he’s broken every rule in the book to win checkmate. Holed up in prison, Franny has more than one score to settle – but she’s starting with Vaughn. Because you don’t grass on your own, no matter what. And though she may be behind bars, she will get revenge – whatever the cost.

‘Poison’ is the first ever book that I’ve read by popular crime author, Jacqui Rose and it was a gripping story of divided loyalties and revenge. It’s the latest book in the Alfie Jennings saga and thankfully, Jacqui give ample background information and great detail about the characters and the situations that they are in.

The story is seen through multiple narratives, but is primarily seen through the perspective of Franny as she adjusts to life in jail, being harassed why the cruel and top prisoner Christine as well as deal with the unrelenting rage that she feels towards Vaughan for putting her in prison in the first place. On the outside, her boyfriend Alfie is dealing with being a first time father for a child that he feels no connection with whilst Vaughan is trying to look after his best friend.

This book is a really gritty and dark story about the dark side of gangs and repercussions when things don’t go right. It’s violent in parts, particularly in scenes in the prison when Franny is faced with Christine, a cruel and terrifying woman who rules the prison with her gang of followers. Franny is a strong character who refuse to stand down when Christine confronts her and these scenes make for intense and gripping reading as the pair come face to face. The prison scenes are unsettling and fascinating in equal measures as women fight for dominance and leadership within the prison walls. Outside Alfie has his own issues with new parenthood as well as dealing as rival gangs that he owes money to.

Cleverly written with blood, drama and revenge, ‘Poison’ is the perfect gangland thriller that I found compelling from the first page. There are many strands to the story with each character having their own issues, but Jacqui ties them together with a cliff-hanger that leaves the reader bursting for more. Jacqui Rose is a new author for me and the Alfie Jennings series is also new to me but the book could be read as a standalone with no confusion. Jacqui is an author, I look forward to reading more off, she writes vividly with wit and her character development is on point with troubled characters that you really feel a connection with.

You can buy ‘Poison’ by Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.