Soho 4AM By Nuala Casey

[amazon_link id=”178206348X” target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’Soho 4A.M’ is the first book by Nuala Casey.

Dreams, drugs, debauchery, Soho is London’s red light district, where any desire can be satisfied in an blink of an eye. But behind it all there is a permanent community of residents whose own sins are concealed by the partying excess. Zoe, an aspiring model looking for her big break, will discover the sinister world behind the bright lights, artist Seb is hoping he can forget the past drinking himself into oblivion while his friend Ade is about to take extreme measures to save his livelihood and relationship. Meanwhile, Stella, Ade’s girlfriend wonders if this is the night to escape.

For the last couple of days, I have been embroiled in the sordid, messy and miserable lives of four individuals, gripped by their problems in busy area of Soho. The story follows the lives of these people, on the momentous day when when Great Britain was announced as the hosting city of the 2012 Olympics and excitement turned to terror when the city is suddenly under attack.

The four main characters are Stella, a young singer who is unhappy with her life, harbouring secrets behind every corner, she regularly thinks about the life that she thought she could have had and love that got away and that she never got over. Unknown to her jazz musician boyfriend Ade, who after years of struggling to be a established character in the music industry that tonight is the night that his talents will finally be recognised and will be able to give Stella the security and comfort that he thinks she secretly longs for. Zoe has come to the bright lights of London with the intention of becoming a glamour model after years of being lusted after at home in Middlesborough, she comes to the big city, but rapidly finds out she is just another pretty face and it isn’t going to be as easy as she thought. Struggling to find the confidence and courage to stand out and adjust to the fast-paced life of the city, Zoe adds an element of innocence to this dark tale. Finally there is Seb, a talented artist with a drink problem. Trying to block out his misery and heartache of a past life that he longs to return to, he regularly finds solace in alcohol to help him through the day.

The story is intelligently written, flowing from character to character with great ease, that you settle comfortably into this intense story and rapidly get caught up in the complex lives of the characters. A gritty story from the very start, ‘Soho 4A.M’ is a grippingly intense book about the day when London was at its most highest and then tragically brought down to its most lowest. A wonderful debut and a unique new voice, Nuala Casey is definitely an author I will be looking out for again.

You can buy[amazon_link id=”178206348X” target=”_blank” ] Soho, 4 a.m. from Amazon [/amazon_link]and is available to buy from good bookshops.