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noveldeelights's review
4.0
3.5* --> 4*
Frankie Verdi’s name may sound like some 1960’s crooner but he’s anything but. From a young age, he and his friends Eddie and Tony seem destined to find themselves on the wrong side of the law. All three of them have quite the temper and an unhealthy tendency towards violence. Frankie may have watched too many The Godfather movies, Eddie has a secret he’s desperately trying to hang on to and Tony, who in this day and age may be diagnosed with having learning difficulties, is taken advantage of and will do anything for his friends.
Set in the 1980’s, we watch their rise towards criminal kingpin status through the eyes of Detective Jim Hacker. Jim is an excellent narrator and becomes a bit obsessed with The Three Dogs, as dubbed by the media. Convinced they are behind a multitude of crimes, he wants nothing more than to see their empire fall but without proof, he’s having to sit back and wait until The Three Dogs slip up.
Meanwhile, Jamie Strange finds himself unwillingly caught up with The Three Dogs when his fiancé, Lauren, leaves him to be with Frankie. Lauren had a horrible childhood and desperately wants a better life but while she proves herself to be quite the savvy business woman, her relationship with Frankie isn’t what she thought it would be. But once you’re part of that circle, can you ever really leave?
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. It’s dark and gritty, quite brutal and harsh, yet well-paced and hugely entertaining. The music and the fashion immediately transported me right back to the 80’s and along with the realistic, believable characters and an interesting plot, this would make an excellent movie. All in all, an authentic, action-packed, well-written and enjoyable crime thriller!
Frankie Verdi’s name may sound like some 1960’s crooner but he’s anything but. From a young age, he and his friends Eddie and Tony seem destined to find themselves on the wrong side of the law. All three of them have quite the temper and an unhealthy tendency towards violence. Frankie may have watched too many The Godfather movies, Eddie has a secret he’s desperately trying to hang on to and Tony, who in this day and age may be diagnosed with having learning difficulties, is taken advantage of and will do anything for his friends.
Set in the 1980’s, we watch their rise towards criminal kingpin status through the eyes of Detective Jim Hacker. Jim is an excellent narrator and becomes a bit obsessed with The Three Dogs, as dubbed by the media. Convinced they are behind a multitude of crimes, he wants nothing more than to see their empire fall but without proof, he’s having to sit back and wait until The Three Dogs slip up.
Meanwhile, Jamie Strange finds himself unwillingly caught up with The Three Dogs when his fiancé, Lauren, leaves him to be with Frankie. Lauren had a horrible childhood and desperately wants a better life but while she proves herself to be quite the savvy business woman, her relationship with Frankie isn’t what she thought it would be. But once you’re part of that circle, can you ever really leave?
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. It’s dark and gritty, quite brutal and harsh, yet well-paced and hugely entertaining. The music and the fashion immediately transported me right back to the 80’s and along with the realistic, believable characters and an interesting plot, this would make an excellent movie. All in all, an authentic, action-packed, well-written and enjoyable crime thriller!
ljwrites85's review
4.0
This book follows the story of The Three Dogs, Tony Thompson, Eddie Williams and Frankie Verdi, the most feared gang on the street of early eighties Preston.
Now this is a book slightly out of my comfort zone (only slightly though). I’m not really a huge fan of gangster type books and I have to be honest from the blurb I thought it was going to be of a police thriller but it ended up being focused on the gang itself. I was quite surprised that I ended up enjoying it.
Although the book had a lot of violence, with almost graphic detail at times, but it had me close to tears on several occasions which was a bit of a shock.
I thought the author paid good attention to detail, using really historical events and adding them into the story to give it authenticity.
I enjoyed the fact that every character was unique and complicated too. Like for instance, Tony, Eddie and Frankie were violent psychopaths but they had their own individual traits. Frankie was power hungry, Tony was a little ‘slow’ (author’s words not mine) with a surprising soft side and Eddie was secretly gay.
The only thing that I didn’t really enjoy was the policeman, Jim Hacker’s, perspective. Written in the first person, it felt more like it was telling me things in the way of a narrator than being part of the story. The best way I can describe it was a bit like someone pausing the TV in the middle of a programme just to explain things to you when you don’t really want them to. I would have preferred the detective to have been more part of the story than a casual bystander.
Overall this is a story that will suck you into a different place and time and not let you go even after you’ve finished the book.
Now this is a book slightly out of my comfort zone (only slightly though). I’m not really a huge fan of gangster type books and I have to be honest from the blurb I thought it was going to be of a police thriller but it ended up being focused on the gang itself. I was quite surprised that I ended up enjoying it.
Although the book had a lot of violence, with almost graphic detail at times, but it had me close to tears on several occasions which was a bit of a shock.
I thought the author paid good attention to detail, using really historical events and adding them into the story to give it authenticity.
I enjoyed the fact that every character was unique and complicated too. Like for instance, Tony, Eddie and Frankie were violent psychopaths but they had their own individual traits. Frankie was power hungry, Tony was a little ‘slow’ (author’s words not mine) with a surprising soft side and Eddie was secretly gay.
The only thing that I didn’t really enjoy was the policeman, Jim Hacker’s, perspective. Written in the first person, it felt more like it was telling me things in the way of a narrator than being part of the story. The best way I can describe it was a bit like someone pausing the TV in the middle of a programme just to explain things to you when you don’t really want them to. I would have preferred the detective to have been more part of the story than a casual bystander.
Overall this is a story that will suck you into a different place and time and not let you go even after you’ve finished the book.
karlou's review
4.0
Breaking Bones opens with a preface told from the perspective of Detective Jim Hacker and tells of the origins of a criminal empire. Frankie Verdi, Eddie Williams and Tony Thompson meet as small children and soon become inseparable. At just fifteen they are sentenced to six months in an Approved School (a Borstal in all but name) following a sustained and brutal attack on fellow pupil. A headline gives them the name they will become notorious for; the 'Three Dogs' came out of Kirklevington Approved School stronger, fitter - and with a grudge.
The narrative from here mostly switches to the third person and follows the exploits of the 'Three Dogs' but occasionally there are chapters from Jim's point of view detailing his rise through the ranks and his growing obsession with the gang. Set in the late Seventies and early Eighties, the era is vividly brought to life through the music, fashions and cars that feature prominently throughout.
The three gangsters plot a meteoric rise to power and nothing will stop them. They manipulate a small-time local villain to help announce their arrival at on the criminal scene as they handle that aforementioned grudge; at just seventeen they are already murderers and have a burgeoning drug empire. Frankie is the leader of the gang, he is the brains of the group, and has the 'power to strike genuine fear into another human being without saying a single word.' Eddie is the drug dealer of the gang and develops the contacts that take them deeper and deeper into the criminal underbelly. He has a short fuse and a violent temper but still accepts Frankie as their leader. Tony struggles intellectually but becomes a skilled builder. Frankie and Eddie are very protective of Tony, sometimes with devastating results. However, although the only member to arguably have some redeeming qualities, Tony is still a vicious criminal who commits some truly heinous acts.
The visceral brutality of the gang is never glamorised, there is nothing lovable about the Three Dogs, they are shown throughout to be merciless killers. Frankie's relationship with Laurie perhaps demonstrates his - and by turns their - terrifying nature most sharply. When she leaves her young Royal Marine fiancé Jamie Strange for Frankie she knows he's a gangster and at first the lifestyle dazzles her. However, Frankie's jealous rages and monstrous ego eventually sees her trapped in an abusive relationship and regretting having ever left Jamie. Jamie's own life has taken a few unexpected turns since they last met, his career in the army really give a sense of the times as he serves first in the Falklands War on the Sir Galahad and then in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.
Breaking Bones is a gripping account of the criminal careers of the members of the Three Dogs. It's not especially tense, often the most violent acts are recalled through Jim Hacker's reports. This more detached telling of the story actually gives the gang a more sinister air - there's no sympathy felt for actions committed in the heat of the moment, instead the plain facts detail the grim and savage reality of exactly what they're capable of. Cleverly plotted and with superb characterisation I really enjoyed Breaking Bones and thoroughly recommend it.
The narrative from here mostly switches to the third person and follows the exploits of the 'Three Dogs' but occasionally there are chapters from Jim's point of view detailing his rise through the ranks and his growing obsession with the gang. Set in the late Seventies and early Eighties, the era is vividly brought to life through the music, fashions and cars that feature prominently throughout.
The three gangsters plot a meteoric rise to power and nothing will stop them. They manipulate a small-time local villain to help announce their arrival at on the criminal scene as they handle that aforementioned grudge; at just seventeen they are already murderers and have a burgeoning drug empire. Frankie is the leader of the gang, he is the brains of the group, and has the 'power to strike genuine fear into another human being without saying a single word.' Eddie is the drug dealer of the gang and develops the contacts that take them deeper and deeper into the criminal underbelly. He has a short fuse and a violent temper but still accepts Frankie as their leader. Tony struggles intellectually but becomes a skilled builder. Frankie and Eddie are very protective of Tony, sometimes with devastating results. However, although the only member to arguably have some redeeming qualities, Tony is still a vicious criminal who commits some truly heinous acts.
The visceral brutality of the gang is never glamorised, there is nothing lovable about the Three Dogs, they are shown throughout to be merciless killers. Frankie's relationship with Laurie perhaps demonstrates his - and by turns their - terrifying nature most sharply. When she leaves her young Royal Marine fiancé Jamie Strange for Frankie she knows he's a gangster and at first the lifestyle dazzles her. However, Frankie's jealous rages and monstrous ego eventually sees her trapped in an abusive relationship and regretting having ever left Jamie. Jamie's own life has taken a few unexpected turns since they last met, his career in the army really give a sense of the times as he serves first in the Falklands War on the Sir Galahad and then in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.
Breaking Bones is a gripping account of the criminal careers of the members of the Three Dogs. It's not especially tense, often the most violent acts are recalled through Jim Hacker's reports. This more detached telling of the story actually gives the gang a more sinister air - there's no sympathy felt for actions committed in the heat of the moment, instead the plain facts detail the grim and savage reality of exactly what they're capable of. Cleverly plotted and with superb characterisation I really enjoyed Breaking Bones and thoroughly recommend it.
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