Toxic by Jacqui Rose.

And welcome to Essex, all human life is here. In Toxic we have a range of characters who are NOT the most law abiding in the county. We have a gypsy lifestyle with their mobile home site, some criminals involved in drugs and theft, plus an ex-prostitute and ex-wifes thrown into the mix. What we have is one violent but very exciting thriller about people who live on the wrong side of the law.

I found Toxic to be a refreshing change from your average British crime thriller. In Toxic you only read about the bad guys. There are no good guys in this story AND the police do not get involved as these people look after their own.

Toxic is a violent novel and Jacqui has chosen her title well. She sets the scene straight off and the torture will make your eyes water. There is no please or thank you in these conversations, they are vulgar as the characters believe actions are stronger than words.

The dialogue used in Toxic is local which adds to it’s realism. How Jacqui managed to write paragraph after paragraph of conversation between characters with the same poor grammar, is a wonder. Each character says “me” instead of “my” when they speak! I also loved the Cockney slang sprinkled throughout this novel, my favourite being…

“Ten per cent is just a sniff of a cockerel’s arse.”

...I also loved the attitude of this book, my favourite comment from one of the characters was…

He didn’t impress anyone. Women wanted real men. Flash cars and a bit of bling not a gutless muppet and a pub lunch with a ten-year-old Ford Focus parked outside.

...Although Toxic is written by a woman, Jacqui tells a great misogynistic tale from a man’s point of view. Henpecked husbands are going to love Toxic, where the male characters are strong and put their women firmly in their place. I liked the humour of the man’s world and could engage with the resentment many of the men felt towards women.

Toxic was a refreshing and thrilling read. There were many shocks as the nitty gritty of gypsy life was revealed. Toxic created a big impression with me as the characters lived a life far away from the mainstream. Toxic was violent but in your own private pleasure, simply a joy to read. I thought this book was a great escape into another world and it gets the top score of 5 stars from me. I have NOT read a Jacqui Rose novel before but after reading Toxic, count me in!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Avon Books for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.