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Gangland Girls #3
Hit Girls
FROM THE BESTSELLING AND CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF SPARE ROOM, GANGLAND GIRLS TRLIOGY and the FLESH AND BLOOD SERIESDreda Say Mitchell was awarded an MBE in Her Majesty The Queen's 2020 New Year's Honours List'Dreda Say Mitchell is right up there at the forefront of British crime fiction' Simon KernickTwo kids are murdered . . .Their gangland family want revenge.Ten-year-old twin sisters are murdered outside their school. But they aren't just anyone's kids, they're gangster Stanley Lewis' daughters. When a rival gangster is arrested Stanley vows to take revenge. But his dad, feared villain Kenny Lewis, thinks there's more going on. So he contacts the one group of people who he trusts to help him find the truth . . .Jackie, Anna, Roxy and Ollie. Four women with shady pasts who take the cases people don't take to the cops. They enter a world of easy sex and even easier violence where everyone, including the Lewis family, are hiding secrets. Then Jackie's son, a friend of the dead girls, disappears.Praise for Dreda Say 'As good as it gets' Lee Child'Thrilling' Sunday Express Books of the Year'Awesome tale from a talented writer' Sun'Fast-paced and full of twists and turns. ' Crime Scene Magazine
401 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2011
31 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Dreda Say Mitchell
48 books523 followersHer Majesty, The Queen appointed Dreda an MBE in her 2020 New Year’s Honours’ List. Dreda scooped the CWA’s John Creasey Dagger in 2004, the first time a Black British author has received this honour. Dreda and Ryan write across the crime and mystery genre – psychological thrillers, gritty gangland crime and fast-paced action books Spare Room, their first psychological thriller was a #1 UK and US Amazon Bestseller. Dreda is one of twelve acclaimed and bestselling international female writers contributing to a new Miss Marple anthology. Dreda is a passionate campaigner and speaker on social issues and the arts. She has been a frequent guest on television and radio including BBC Breakfast,, Celebrity Pointless and Celebrity Eggheads, The Stephen Nolan Show, Front Row and Woman’s Hour. She has presented Radio 4’s flagship books programme, Open Book. Dreda was named one of Britain’s 50 Remarkable Women by Lady Geek in association with Nokia. She was the 2011 chair of the Theakston Harrogate Crime Fiction Festival. Dreda was born and raised in the East End of London where she continues to live. Dreda’s family are from the beautiful Caribbean island of Grenada and her name is pronounced with a long ‘ee’ sound in the middle.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 19, 2012
First off I want to explain a couple of things. This book can be read on its own and is by no means part of a series that you have to read in order. Having said that, this book by Dreda Say-Mitchell, features people from past stories. We meet Schoolboy (featured in Running Hot), Daisy Sullivan (Gangster Girl), and the four girls Jackie, Anna, Roxy and Ollie (Geezer Girls). The great thing about this book is that if you have had the pleasure of reading the others you feel like you have already bonded with (and in my case loathe or love) the characters.
In the very short space of 3 or 4 chapters you feel like you have been through the wringer. The tension is so high at such an early stage I wondered how much more my heart could take. Thankfully the book continued in this pace but gave us dips and highs with the tension leaving my heart room to breathe a little easier through certain parts of the book.
There are a number of storylines threaded throughout the book, and I mean throughout from the very beginning to the very end. Although there are numerous storylines they all link together but are easy to follow and they just add to the increasing drama of the book.
The characters are great from all previous books and I love the fact that DSM has kept them true to their previous form (there is nothing worse than characters having a personality change overnight). We see pieces of the puzzle begin to form but none of them are straightforward and as you progress through the book more and more secrets reveal themselves.
This book is exciting, thrilling, full of suspense, gritty, compelling, hell there aren't enough adjectives to describe it all. If there is one thing I will say about this book, it's that if you do not buy it, borrow it or at least consider it you are seriously missing out. This book was one that kept me breathless with anticipation, scared of what may or may not happen, and excited at the prospect that people would get what was coming to them. It has been a while since I have read a book that is such a rollercoaster and I loved every single second of it.
I have read all bar one of her books and if I'm being 100% honest my least favourite was Running Hot (her first book). Her 3rd and 4th books (Geezer Girls and Gangster Girls) were top notch and I think those of you who have not read her before should start with these and finish with this one her latest book Hot Girls.
I have said in the past that Dreda Say-Mitchell is a new rising star in the Crime World. I have to be honest and say that I was wrong. She isn't a rising star, she is already there. This is the top of her game and to be honest it makes the likes of Martina Cole and Mandasue Heller pale into comparison. I can only hope as I wait with baited breath for the next one that she continues the work she has started as it doesn't get much better than this!
In the very short space of 3 or 4 chapters you feel like you have been through the wringer. The tension is so high at such an early stage I wondered how much more my heart could take. Thankfully the book continued in this pace but gave us dips and highs with the tension leaving my heart room to breathe a little easier through certain parts of the book.
There are a number of storylines threaded throughout the book, and I mean throughout from the very beginning to the very end. Although there are numerous storylines they all link together but are easy to follow and they just add to the increasing drama of the book.
The characters are great from all previous books and I love the fact that DSM has kept them true to their previous form (there is nothing worse than characters having a personality change overnight). We see pieces of the puzzle begin to form but none of them are straightforward and as you progress through the book more and more secrets reveal themselves.
This book is exciting, thrilling, full of suspense, gritty, compelling, hell there aren't enough adjectives to describe it all. If there is one thing I will say about this book, it's that if you do not buy it, borrow it or at least consider it you are seriously missing out. This book was one that kept me breathless with anticipation, scared of what may or may not happen, and excited at the prospect that people would get what was coming to them. It has been a while since I have read a book that is such a rollercoaster and I loved every single second of it.
I have read all bar one of her books and if I'm being 100% honest my least favourite was Running Hot (her first book). Her 3rd and 4th books (Geezer Girls and Gangster Girls) were top notch and I think those of you who have not read her before should start with these and finish with this one her latest book Hot Girls.
I have said in the past that Dreda Say-Mitchell is a new rising star in the Crime World. I have to be honest and say that I was wrong. She isn't a rising star, she is already there. This is the top of her game and to be honest it makes the likes of Martina Cole and Mandasue Heller pale into comparison. I can only hope as I wait with baited breath for the next one that she continues the work she has started as it doesn't get much better than this!
May 20, 2015
This is not normally a book I would pick up, but I say Drea Say Mitchell on a BBC show. It was shortly after the London riots due to a police shooting. I was impressed, and eventually tracked down this book – which is not readily available here in the U.S. I normally wouldn’t pick up a book like this simply because of its similarity to Black Urban Fiction. This isn’t to say that Black Urban Fiction isn’t good – Sister Soujah’s and Sapphire’s work are literature – but much of the genre that is sold here in Philly and much of the genre that I have seen and read at the request of my students is good in terms of plot but lacking in terms of writing style/grammar (and no, I am not referring to slang. There has been (and might still be for all I know) a debate over this problem with Terry Woods (one of the founders if not high masters of genre) weighing in. In fact, you are more likely to find such books on a street corner than in a regular run of the mill bookstore, for a variety of reasons ranging from racism to sales to literary value.
But if all the Black Urban was written this way, there is no doubt it would be shelved in with mysteries and thrillers and whatnot.
Hit Girls is about a group of friends, the focus is mainly on Jackie Jarvis, and their quest to discover the truth about a hit and run that killed two girls and left one of Jackie’s children in critical condition. The friends also own a club together, and Jackie has another problem or two to worry about. They live in what many Americans would refer to as a gangland area of London.
My one real complaint about the novel is that I found it difficult to keep Jackie’s girlfriends straight. It’s great that they are a varied bunch, including a transgender (Misty) and a former child solider (Ollie). They are truly friends and not frighten to stand up to each other as well as support each other. It’s just that in this book at least, the others of the group tend to blend a little. Now this is the third in the series, so it is most likely just this book, and outside of that difficulty, I had no trouble following anything that was going on, so you don’t need to read the previous two to get this one. My second complaint, and it isn’t up to the same level is the big reveal about Sunny’s problem.
But anyway, I’m not going to spoil that reveal because in order to talk about this book, I am going to have spoil another thing.
Undoubtedly when some people read this book they will mention the unbelievably of a brothel being run out of a school. Now, I know nothing about the UK’s current education problems or lack thereof, but I do know that there are many schools here in the US that are underfunded, in particular schools in big cities (hello, home town school system). Furthermore, considering that the Walton Foundation is one of the largest funds of charter schools in the US (see Diane Ravitch’s work) and that the foundation is connected to Wal-Mart, there are schools that make deals with corporations that might not have the best issues of the neighborhood in mind. Why is it, therefore, so hard to believe that a school mistress might resort to other ways to raise funds?
It’s not really.
Mitchell does, at least to this American’s view, capture the distrust and conflicting emotions surrounding gangland areas and the police that patrol them. Additionally, she captures the fact that some police are more in the know about the whyfores for this then others who come from a more privileged background. This is aptly shown in the investigation of the deaths, headed by Ricky, a police detective who has ties to Jackie, and Sunny. Honestly, the sad thing is that only real difference between this and the US is the slang language and the lack of guns.
In many ways, Mitchell’s book is like The Wire, with the portrayal of criminal families who are criminal, in part (if not wholly) because of the hand society dealt them. The Wire’s beauty was that you cared as much for the “bad” guys as you did for the “good” guys, and the “bad” guys weren’t all that bad. The same is true here. Jackie Jarvis and her friends, as well as the Lewis family, are not those heroes that make it into the big Hollywood shows. But if The Wire was a look at the disintegration of a city and the effects on the population, the same is true here.
But if all the Black Urban was written this way, there is no doubt it would be shelved in with mysteries and thrillers and whatnot.
Hit Girls is about a group of friends, the focus is mainly on Jackie Jarvis, and their quest to discover the truth about a hit and run that killed two girls and left one of Jackie’s children in critical condition. The friends also own a club together, and Jackie has another problem or two to worry about. They live in what many Americans would refer to as a gangland area of London.
My one real complaint about the novel is that I found it difficult to keep Jackie’s girlfriends straight. It’s great that they are a varied bunch, including a transgender (Misty) and a former child solider (Ollie). They are truly friends and not frighten to stand up to each other as well as support each other. It’s just that in this book at least, the others of the group tend to blend a little. Now this is the third in the series, so it is most likely just this book, and outside of that difficulty, I had no trouble following anything that was going on, so you don’t need to read the previous two to get this one. My second complaint, and it isn’t up to the same level is the big reveal about Sunny’s problem.
But anyway, I’m not going to spoil that reveal because in order to talk about this book, I am going to have spoil another thing.
Undoubtedly when some people read this book they will mention the unbelievably of a brothel being run out of a school. Now, I know nothing about the UK’s current education problems or lack thereof, but I do know that there are many schools here in the US that are underfunded, in particular schools in big cities (hello, home town school system). Furthermore, considering that the Walton Foundation is one of the largest funds of charter schools in the US (see Diane Ravitch’s work) and that the foundation is connected to Wal-Mart, there are schools that make deals with corporations that might not have the best issues of the neighborhood in mind. Why is it, therefore, so hard to believe that a school mistress might resort to other ways to raise funds?
It’s not really.
Mitchell does, at least to this American’s view, capture the distrust and conflicting emotions surrounding gangland areas and the police that patrol them. Additionally, she captures the fact that some police are more in the know about the whyfores for this then others who come from a more privileged background. This is aptly shown in the investigation of the deaths, headed by Ricky, a police detective who has ties to Jackie, and Sunny. Honestly, the sad thing is that only real difference between this and the US is the slang language and the lack of guns.
In many ways, Mitchell’s book is like The Wire, with the portrayal of criminal families who are criminal, in part (if not wholly) because of the hand society dealt them. The Wire’s beauty was that you cared as much for the “bad” guys as you did for the “good” guys, and the “bad” guys weren’t all that bad. The same is true here. Jackie Jarvis and her friends, as well as the Lewis family, are not those heroes that make it into the big Hollywood shows. But if The Wire was a look at the disintegration of a city and the effects on the population, the same is true here.
July 11, 2014
I downloaded Hit Girls when it came within a '2 for 1' offer on Audible, unsure whether it was my type of thing. But I'm so pleased I did. The dramatic start to the story sets the scene for the rest of the novel. When two innocent girls are run down outside school by a 4x4, and a young boy is left seriously ill in hospital, you can't help but want to know more! As I listened to the heart-wrenching description, I realised I'd stopped breathing. This not-so accidental incident leads to individual characters seeking revenge and finding out the culprit of this horrific crime.
I was taken in straight away by Jackie and the other ladies. I loved Jackie and Schoolboy. In fact, I practically fell in love with Schoolboy. The Lewis family had me intrigued from the beginning, I was desperate to know what was going on behind that family, without giving away any spoilers, there were a few shockers! I'm not usually into 'gangster' type films or books, but I can honestly say I loved this. Every chapter had me hanging on for more information. The action was on-going.
In their attempt to find out the killer, they turnover a few stones that many wished were left. I think Dreda Mitchell has done a fantastic job of making all the characters interesting, a busy intertwining plot that is structured so you don't lose who has done what, and a great story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you fancy delving into a story about loyalty, justice and trust this is a book I would definitely recommend.
I was taken in straight away by Jackie and the other ladies. I loved Jackie and Schoolboy. In fact, I practically fell in love with Schoolboy. The Lewis family had me intrigued from the beginning, I was desperate to know what was going on behind that family, without giving away any spoilers, there were a few shockers! I'm not usually into 'gangster' type films or books, but I can honestly say I loved this. Every chapter had me hanging on for more information. The action was on-going.
In their attempt to find out the killer, they turnover a few stones that many wished were left. I think Dreda Mitchell has done a fantastic job of making all the characters interesting, a busy intertwining plot that is structured so you don't lose who has done what, and a great story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you fancy delving into a story about loyalty, justice and trust this is a book I would definitely recommend.
August 21, 2011
Really enjoyed 'Hit Girls', the first of Dreda Say Mitchell's novels that I have read. Compelling, fast paced read. Recommended!
February 10, 2018
Note: This is the only book I've read (well, listened to via Audible) by Dreda Say Mitchell, so I haven't got to know the characters like others have from reading the other books in this 'universe'.
This was so close to getting 4.5 (five) stars - it's a really good read if you excuse some of the soap opera-like elements, such as characters holding back information unnecessarily for 'next time they meet'. The end just totally threw me off, and not in a good way, so I'd like to give it something more like 3.6 stars.
I can't figure out a way of saying why the ending didn't work without majorly spoiling the plot, so here comes the spoiler tags:
Lastly, there were also lots of plot points that weren't needed, it often felt like too much and they weren't add anything to the story, which is probably why it felt a bit like a soap opera to me.
This was so close to getting 4.5 (five) stars - it's a really good read if you excuse some of the soap opera-like elements, such as characters holding back information unnecessarily for 'next time they meet'. The end just totally threw me off, and not in a good way, so I'd like to give it something more like 3.6 stars.
I can't figure out a way of saying why the ending didn't work without majorly spoiling the plot, so here comes the spoiler tags:
Lastly, there were also lots of plot points that weren't needed, it often felt like too much and they weren't add anything to the story, which is probably why it felt a bit like a soap opera to me.
September 8, 2021
Wow, this book does not stop for a breath. It is full of car crashes, dead children, drugs and family dramas but all through this is the bond between the four women who are the Hit Girls. The book starts off with the death of two children and a suspect is quickly chosen. There are so many clues that point to this suspect that it is clear it is a set up. Even though the book is about the 4 women of the title they don't actually start investigating anything until mid way through the story. Another highlight of this story is the relationships between the crooks as none of them know what the other is doing even though they are all related. The plot is terrific as all the threads are tied up and the ending is very satisfying.
April 17, 2018
Interesting read, it did keep me guessing until the very end; I didn't manage to tie all the loose ends together myself. However, I did think that there were too many characters to really delve properly into the backgrounds of each one. I found myself feeling that the book was rather long, but also could have been a lot longer at the same time. It was very strange. The storyline was also nothing like I expected it to be from the blurb.
July 11, 2017
Brilliant as ever
Couldnt put the book down can't wait for the next one.
Wow wow x x xx x x x x
Couldnt put the book down can't wait for the next one.
Wow wow x x xx x x x x
November 10, 2017
Unfinished. Read fewer than10 pages per day. Characters weren’t likeable and dialogue was laughable
November 27, 2017
Audio version of this book: enjoyed
January 4, 2018
Bri!liant
I would definetly recommend this book couldn't put it down , stayed up most of the night to finish it.
I would definetly recommend this book couldn't put it down , stayed up most of the night to finish it.
May 5, 2018
I just wasn’t engaged in this book and didn’t finish it. The story line and the dialogue didn’t appeal.
June 24, 2018
Hope there's another instalment, couldn't put it down they just keep getting better.
March 20, 2019
All three books brilliant
April 27, 2020
Highly recommend this book
March 4, 2017
3.5, I had this as a listening book and felt that it was much better for me as the accents worked really well. The story line started with the killing of two 10 year old twins and then developed into East End gangsters with family secrets. A strong group of women are core to the story which is engaging but then the men start to take centre stage. The first half of the book was the best. The ending was a bit far fetched for me but well worth reading (or listening to!).
February 20, 2014
There was a little too much of the "unbelievable" in this book and way too many people with too many personal hang ups, agendas and sorry stories. The book is ok, but with a red pen it could have been reduced by over 100 pages and be more realistic.
I didn't like that the main protagonist jetted all around town "solving crime" because her boy got hurt, but I didn't think she behaved at all like someone who is concerned about her child. She hardly ever stayed at the hospital by his side. She was too caught up in other stuff.
She paid no attention to her other child at all.
None of the people involved ever did a days work. 4 girls running a club, but none of them serves a drink or entertains or does the books or makes sure staff are there, or anything. These clubs to not run themselves.
Neither did "schoolboy" ever actually work in his restaurant.
A man with an uzi shoots up half his restaurant but he doesn't seem to mind, neither is the police making a big deal about it and the guests don't seem to be too concerned about it either. One would think that an incident would have a bad impact on business, but it is not even mentioned.
To much running to and from the "ossi" ( =that's how it sounded on the audio book and is meant to be short for "hospital" - one can overdo the local dialect.)
Too unbelievable in too many ways.
It's ok if the reader doesn't require too much from a book.
I didn't like that the main protagonist jetted all around town "solving crime" because her boy got hurt, but I didn't think she behaved at all like someone who is concerned about her child. She hardly ever stayed at the hospital by his side. She was too caught up in other stuff.
She paid no attention to her other child at all.
None of the people involved ever did a days work. 4 girls running a club, but none of them serves a drink or entertains or does the books or makes sure staff are there, or anything. These clubs to not run themselves.
Neither did "schoolboy" ever actually work in his restaurant.
A man with an uzi shoots up half his restaurant but he doesn't seem to mind, neither is the police making a big deal about it and the guests don't seem to be too concerned about it either. One would think that an incident would have a bad impact on business, but it is not even mentioned.
To much running to and from the "ossi" ( =that's how it sounded on the audio book and is meant to be short for "hospital" - one can overdo the local dialect.)
Too unbelievable in too many ways.
It's ok if the reader doesn't require too much from a book.
September 2, 2011
One thing about gangland thrillers is that if you don’t get the trick right with all the slangs and clichés you end up writing a book for gangsters rather than the wider audience.
Hit Girls is an example of that. I just didn’t connect with the characters. Two innocent kids were brutally murdered and another hospitalized, a tragic event that should have created emotionally charged story lines but didn’t. The victims’ families-gangsters or not- didn’t show genuine emotion and proper grieving.
I didn’t enjoy the story. The characters didn’t appear plausible and I found it impossible to feel for any of the characters other than the poor kids.
Where are the thrills? Who am I supposed to feel for? Jackie Jones who was trying to be the grieving mother and a vigilante, her friends who were taking abuses from her or gangster Stanley Lewis who carried out unnecessary violent against a defenseless man in a club?
Hit Girls is an example of that. I just didn’t connect with the characters. Two innocent kids were brutally murdered and another hospitalized, a tragic event that should have created emotionally charged story lines but didn’t. The victims’ families-gangsters or not- didn’t show genuine emotion and proper grieving.
I didn’t enjoy the story. The characters didn’t appear plausible and I found it impossible to feel for any of the characters other than the poor kids.
Where are the thrills? Who am I supposed to feel for? Jackie Jones who was trying to be the grieving mother and a vigilante, her friends who were taking abuses from her or gangster Stanley Lewis who carried out unnecessary violent against a defenseless man in a club?
March 24, 2013
Book was a page-turner and I read it all in one sitting. Setting is well done, principal characters well-etched. Plot develops well. Only thing is that the gang, which is investigator, to the novel was hardly useful to its client to 'solve' something. The murder mystery would have worked just fine without the weight of the gang solving it for somebody else. The literary device of connecting the gang to Lewis family and investigating 'for them' is bit too lame. It seems they needn't have done anything to investigate, their client seemed to have enough of his information. Their investigation was always by chance.
As an aside, Jackie's character was confusing, though sort of understandably like most women would be in her position, on the subject of Schoolboy gunning for who hurt his boy. On on hand, she wants him to be 'man' to avenge her son's murder attempt on the other she does not really want him to go back to his old gang ways. Otherwise, story was well-written.
As an aside, Jackie's character was confusing, though sort of understandably like most women would be in her position, on the subject of Schoolboy gunning for who hurt his boy. On on hand, she wants him to be 'man' to avenge her son's murder attempt on the other she does not really want him to go back to his old gang ways. Otherwise, story was well-written.
January 16, 2012
A gripping story, once I started found it difficult to put down. Will now look for the earlier books to obtain a greater insight in to the characters. The relationships between the characters were convuluted but it makes a good read. Highly recommended.
April 29, 2017
Compelling read. I found the style of writing made the relationships between characters feel a bit juvenile.
January 21, 2012
Absolute drivel, only got to chapter 3 and I gave up its not my kind of thing. It claims to be akin to martina cole but if I were her I'd take that as an insult!
September 6, 2012
This was more of a 2.5 than a 3 star - it felt like it was about to be "made for television, with extra gritty drama".
February 2, 2014
Exuberant and rather implausible. The motivation of some of the characters is muddled. Probably better as an audio book.
February 22, 2015
This has just reminded me why i dont read teenager stuff. Just awful.
August 5, 2015
a great book
November 1, 2011
enjoyed this as much as her others
December 28, 2012
just did not like it all
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews