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Long Reach (Eddie Savage #1)

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 67 ratings · 16 reviews

17-year-old Eddie Savage is shocked to learn that the body of his brother Steve has just been washed up in the Thames. But he soon discovers something even more disturbing - that Steve had actually been working undercover for the police and was probably murdered in the line of duty.

Paperback, 401 pages

Published 2011 by London : Walker, 2011

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Mar 13, 2013 Rhys rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review was originally posted on ThirstforFiction.com

In the world of espionage, things are never as they seem. Eddie Savage, – a 17 year old school boy, – is not who many think he is. He’s neither Eddie or Savage, and he isn’t a schoolboy either. : He is a spy, taking revenge on the man that murdered his brother: Tommy Kelly, pack leader of London’s largest and most dangerous group of criminals…

I can’t claim to be a heavy reader in YA thrillers, but I like to think that I’ve read and enjoyed...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, thriller, review-copy

When he is seventeen Eddie Savage learns two things: the first is that his brother Steve has been working undercover. The second is that his brother is dead. Eddie is suspicious about the circumstances of Steve's death and decides to follow in his footsteps, taking on a job to infiltrate the Kelly family and try to find out more about Tommy Kelly, the boss. He does this through Tommy's beautiful daughter, Sophie - but is he falling for her? And is he getting in too deep?

This was a BRILLIANT book...more When he is seventeen Eddie Savage learns two things: the first is that his brother Steve has been working undercover. The second is that his brother is dead. Eddie is suspicious about the circumstances of Steve's death and decides to follow in his footsteps, taking on a job to infiltrate the Kelly family and try to find out more about Tommy Kelly, the boss. He does this through Tommy's beautiful daughter, Sophie - but is he falling for her? And is he getting in too deep?

This was a BRILLIANT book! The undercover and shady world of Tommy Kelly, and the equally rather sinister department trying to get their man, are brought to pulse-pounding life by the intimate style of first person perspective writing. We are in Eddie's head the whole time, watching through his eyes and feeling the pain and panic of the events that he gets caught up in.

The style of writing is as though someone had sat you down and was telling you this story verbally, which makes it compelling and insistent to read. I devoured this book in two sittings - and it would have been one if I hadn't had to do my day job goddamit! I started it on my lunch hour at work, and found myself immediately caught up in Eddie's life, to the point that I was almost late returning to work because I wanted to read just a little more.

There are some harrowing scenes in Long Reach, some that shocked me to the core. Peter Cocks does not hold back in his portrayal of the very nasty world of underground crime. I actually found myself cringing as I read the book, wanting to look away but not being able to.

For me, the best part of Long Reach is Eddie wondering about his own moral compass. As he is drawn into the Kelly family and their daily life, he finds himself enjoying their company and is forced to address those ideas that no one is completely evil. Crime bosses will go home and enjoy time with their families, cooking Sunday lunches and taking dogs for a walk. As Eddie's moral compass becomes confused, I found myself contemplating the ideas that he is dwelling on, which provides a real warmth to this novel which was in danger of being all glamour and no heart.

I also loved the ending - there are no clean final scenes where Eddie is sat down and everything explained. We leave Eddie hanging - and this tremendous climax makes me want the second book NOW! Write faster Mr Cocks!

DEFINITELY read this book. It is brilliant, heart-stopping fun, with a fantastic protagonist in the form of Eddie Savage. Awesome compelling writing that deserves to be widely read. Go buy it now! (less)

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Dec 28, 2010 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books, uk-author

This book is fast paced, gritty and a crackingly good read.

The thing that I love about this book is that it is so different from any other Young Adult book I have ever read. I've seen books with similiar concepts in the Adult section but nothing of its kind aimed at teenagers.

The book follows the story of Eddie, a young man who, after the death of his brother, is drafted in to work for a private security firm. His assignment is to get close to a girl of his age who is the daughter of a local cr...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Joanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

As a young adult book, it of course has the young protagonist and a love story. The problem I found with these two aspects is they were both so unlikely not least because the author failed to explain convincingly why these two situations arose. So, your brother is an investigator of sorts and is found dead - would you expect to be asked by the chief investigator to become an under-aged detective to take his place? No. Do you walk into an unexplained situation and know who you're supposed to get...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Finn Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book because someone told me it was better than Cherub so I wanted to see for myself. It is on my bingo board under the category of "A book written by a male." It is about a a seventeen year old named Eddie Savage who finds out that his brother is dead and it could have been suicide. He then finds out that his brother was working undercover spying on a a dangerous con-artist. Eddie is sent by the spy organization to date the con-artists daughter and it turns into an epic and thrillin...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Clover (Fluttering Butterflies) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, ya, british-reading-challenge, books-read-in-2011, sent-for-review

I was absolutely thrilled when the email from Walker came through about this book. The product description actually made me really excited to read it. I wouldn't say that it's the normal type of book that I read (though perhaps it should be!), but this book is incredible. Very past-paced and gritty and believeable.

There's something about this book that made me unable to put it down once I'd started. I really loved Eddie as a character. The news of his brother's death and what Steve had really be...more I was absolutely thrilled when the email from Walker came through about this book. The product description actually made me really excited to read it. I wouldn't say that it's the normal type of book that I read (though perhaps it should be!), but this book is incredible. Very past-paced and gritty and believeable.

There's something about this book that made me unable to put it down once I'd started. I really loved Eddie as a character. The news of his brother's death and what Steve had really been up to left a big mark on Eddie. It's never nice being told your older brother has committed suicide, or that he lived an entire life in secret. Still, Eddie decides to follow in his brother's footsteps, go undercover and work with this government agency. At first, his assignment is as simple as getting close to another student at school, the daughter of a crime lord, and then things progress further and further and Eddie realises that his assignment is so much more complicated and dangerous. Possibly even deadly.

Eddie is only 17 and already he's been thrown into something possibly more than he can handle. I love watching him struggle to adjust to this new life and to his new identity. He's living on his own, with more money than he's used to, with iPhones and laptops thrown at him. He's told to become friends with this hot girl at school. It really sounds like he's landed into something good. But things don't stay easy for long. There was a rather painful and arduous training session before things got started. His handler, Ian doesn't approve of Eddie being in the field. When communications between Eddie and his old family friend, Tony and with Ian slow down to an almost complete stop, Eddie is mostly isolated.

Eddie begins to wonder if Tommy Kelly, the leader of this crime organisation in London is really such a bad guy after all. He seems to take care of his family, cooks, has an interest in art. Would it really be so bad, working with him? I love Eddie's confusion, but it is very understandable, especially as he's told so little from Ian and Tony. Eddie's been manipulated into going really deep undercover with no previous experience. The stakes are high, and Eddie's life seems to hang in the balance.

Honestly, Long Reach is really gripping stuff. It's really interesting seeing this experienced through Eddie's eyes. He's got a very authentic teenage voice. During training before going undercover and also during a long few weeks training for an important boxing match, it's really shown how hard-as-nails and tough Eddie really is. He's got a great sense of humour and a huge curiousity to know what exactly happened to Steve and how and why he ended up like he did. But things are bound to go wrong, they have to, especially with Eddie being so new to all. My heart kept jumping into my throat at Eddie's near-misses with catastrophe. I cared for Eddie and his well-being right from the start. As well as Eddie's perspective, we're also shown snippets from the point of view of Donnie, a hired thug of Tommy Kelly's, which reinforces for the reader that Tommy Kelly and his gang are really up to no good and that Eddie is constantly in danger.

Long Reach really is a perfect fast-paced, gripping thriller for the YA audience. It has me incredibly excited to read more in the series. A huge thank you to the lovely folk at Walker for sending this book for me to review. (less)

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Jan 20, 2011 Carole rated it 4 of 5 stars

When 17 year old Eddie learns about his brother's untimely death and is offered the chance to work undercover for an organisation who "operate somewhere in the gap between the police and the more covert government agencies" he doesn't hesitate. Especially when he has to 'get to know' the pretty teenage daughter of the local ruthless killer and psychotic crime lord and try to infiltrate their notorious gang!

This is a real Boys Own adventure story with a likeable hero in Eddie Savage, beautiful bu...more

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Feb 22, 2011 YA Reader rated it 4 of 5 stars

This year Walker Books are releasing a new range of YA fiction and the first of these publications is Long Reach by Peter Cocks. At just over 400 pages it's pretty big but surprisingly it didn't take long to read.

Peter Cocks' YA debut is gripping and from the beginning places you right inside the world of Eddie Savage - a teenager involved in infiltrating the most notoriously dangerous family in London.

The book takes you on a journey of love, trust and betrayal. The main focus is that of crime...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Lyndsey Rushby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Although not a book I would normally pick up myself, I was excited to hear about it and be offered it for review. I’m always on the look out for books I wouldn’t normally read to try and this one was definitely one of them. I loved the sound of it and what it was about so couldn’t wait to dive right into the story.

Eddie was a character that I liked immediately. It cant be easy under any circumstance to be told that your brother is dead, let alone to find out that you didn’t really know him at a...more Although not a book I would normally pick up myself, I was excited to hear about it and be offered it for review. I’m always on the look out for books I wouldn’t normally read to try and this one was definitely one of them. I loved the sound of it and what it was about so couldn’t wait to dive right into the story.

Eddie was a character that I liked immediately. It cant be easy under any circumstance to be told that your brother is dead, let alone to find out that you didn’t really know him at all so I was immersed quickly into Eddie’s newly complicated life. Thrown into a world he has no business being in, Eddie doesn’t quite realise just quite what he has gotten himself in to. Working for a government agency undercover sure sounds like a pretty cool job for a 17 year old boy but it is far from fun and games.

As his first assignment progresses, getting close to the daughter of a crime lord, Eddie’s confusion comes through clearly. As he gets to know some new people in his life, he begins to question everything he has been told about the people he shouldn’t trust. Are they really as bad as they’re made out to be or is someone lying? I really enjoyed watching Eddie try to cope with the new things and people in his life and how he tries to figure out who he can really trust. Throughout this aspect of the story, I really felt like I got to know Eddie well and the kinds of things that he believed in and wanted.

What was refreshing was to see that nothing was dumbed down. Being a YA novel, usually certain aspects or situation wouldn’t have been as fully described but Peter Cocks isn’t afraid to tell things exactly as they happen. I loved the inclusion of some quite violent and gritty scenes, making Eddie’s life seem extremely dangerous. Also, the use of British slang was a welcome addition as reading a majority of American books makes me miss some of our own colloquialisms. The use of British slang made the characters a lot more believable and real to me because they weren’t ‘fake’ teenagers. I could picture these people in their settings and talking exactly the way that they did.

Long Reach is a fantastic start to what could be an even better series and one I will continue to want to read. Following Eddie’s life is fast paced and exciting with twists and turns all over the place. Each page was a new adventure and I couldn’t turn them fast enough to find out what would happen next. I will be extremely excited to find out more about Eddie’s adventures and how he copes in new situations. A great read and highly recommended.
(less)

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Jan 18, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own-print, read-in-2011, for-review-read, british-author

When Eddie finds out that his brother Steve is dead he also discovers that Steve has been working undercover for a government agency. Eddie is convinced that his brother wouldn't have killed himself but the only way he can prove that is if he accepts the offer to take Steve's place. His first assignment is to befriend Sophie Kelly the daughter of crime lord Tommy Kelly and try to find out as much as he can about the family's illegal businesses. As Eddie gets to know Sophie and starts working for...more When Eddie finds out that his brother Steve is dead he also discovers that Steve has been working undercover for a government agency. Eddie is convinced that his brother wouldn't have killed himself but the only way he can prove that is if he accepts the offer to take Steve's place. His first assignment is to befriend Sophie Kelly the daughter of crime lord Tommy Kelly and try to find out as much as he can about the family's illegal businesses. As Eddie gets to know Sophie and starts working for her father he discovers that being a spy isn't as easy as he thought it would be and he may need to use questionable means if he is going to survive his mission.

Long Reach is the first book starring Eddie Savage as the main character and is an exciting start to what promises to be a popular new series. The world Eddie enters is gritty and frightening, definitely not one he will survive in one piece if he doesn't keep his wits about him. Although this is a young adult series it doesn't hold back on the gritty side of the criminal underworld and includes some quite violent scenes. Long Reach is an exciting and pacy read that I'm sure will be very popular with older teens and adults.

The story has a similar feel to Martina Cole's adult books and doesn't feel dumbed down for it's younger target audience. As I read a lot of books by American authors I found the British slang made a refreshing change and it made the book feel more real to me. I loved the fact that it is set in and around places I know and have visited (even my home town gets a brief mention) and thought that Peter Cocks has done a great job describing these areas and the people who live there. Each of the characters feel as if they could walk out of the pages and you could bump into them walking down the high street.

Eddie may be only 17 but his training when he joins the agency is brutal and punishing. He has to be prepared both mentally and physically for the job he is going to undertake and you are left with no doubts that he is putting his life at risk. Some of the team are worried about having someone so young involved but they need him to find a way into the Kelly family, something they have been trying to do for a long time. I did find I had to suspend belief a little to accept that someone of his age would be employed for this particular job but the story is so good that you soon stop worrying about that fact.

When Eddie agrees to work for the agency he is doing it mainly to learn more about his brother's life and to find out what happened to him. The new skills he is taught and the gadgets that go along with them made me think of a young James Bond but I found him a much more believable character. As Eddie goes deeply undercover it is interesting to watch his attitude shift as he realises that the criminals aren't all bad and that even the good guys do questionable things for the sake of their long term goals. Nothing is black and white and it's the shades of grey that make the story so interesting to read.

Most of the story is told from Eddie's point of view but I also really enjoyed the sections that were from Donnie's perspective. Donnie is a muscle man for the Kelly family who does whatever Tommy Kelly asks him to and reading about his daily life really helped give an insight into what Tommy was capable of. The Tommy that Donnie sees is totally different to the family man that Eddie sees in the Kelly household. Eddie knows about Tommy's criminal activities via the agency but it isn't long before Tommy takes him under his wing and starts to draw him into his world. This is when things start to get complicated and Eddie finds himself questioning everything. But what will happen if Tommy discovers who Eddie is really working for?

Long Reach is a great start to a new series and I'm really looking forward to reading more of these books in the future. I think this series will be popular with teenage boys but it is something that girls will enjoy reading too and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced thrilling read. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more by Peter Cocks in the future.(less)

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Apr 13, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books, read-before-2012

Couldn't put this down. Described as a gritty, fast-paced thriller, it didn't disappoint. Some shocking scenes, some humour, romance and some great characterisations plus great writing and a nail biting cliff hanger ending make this an exciting, pacey read. Think Alex Rider but much more hardcore.

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Apr 06, 2013 Peter Taylor rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book, it is fast paced and well written AND it is set in an area of South East London that I know well. Although, I must admit, I do not know the criminal element or any people as vicious as the Kelly gang, but they are believable

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Sep 02, 2012 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

A perfect book if you fancy a not too demanding page turner. The author keeps the suspense going throughout and whilst the plot is a little unbelievable and flimsy the characters are believable.

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Feb 27, 2011 Millie22 rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Fast-paced, action-packed and thrilling. I think it's perfect for YA readers but would also be great for adults as well - definitely perfect crossover materials.

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Oct 04, 2012 Shahrun rated it 5 of 5 stars

Strap your self in because this book will take you on one awesome, yet bumpy ride, with many unexpected twists and turns along the way! In other words, just the kind of book I like!

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Sep 30, 2012 Chantal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, family-and-friendship, thriller-ya

I will admit right now...crime is not my thing! But I think that our teens will love the violence, teenage protagonist, suspense and action.

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About Peter Cocks

Also writes as Will Peterson with Mark Billingham.

Peter Cocks was born in Gravesend, Kent and studied History of Art at UEA. He worked in interior design, antiques, fashion and performance art in London, New York and Japan before becoming a TV writer and performer in the 1990s. Peter has since performed in and written many BAFTA-nominated shows, such as 'Globo Loco', 'Basil Brush', 'Ministry of Ma...more

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Long Reach (Eddie Savage #1)

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