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maybe the comparison to the soprano's hurt the book. it took a few pages for me to adjust to martina coles writting style and that is probably because she is english but i have really enjoyed the book and do not believe it deserves the poor reviews it has recieved. i for one found it very entertaining. i will look down the road for more of her books as well.

This over-long novel about a very unusual family and the London underworld is a good candidate for some serious editing. That doesn't mean it isn't an interesting read--it is. But it is wordy and repetitious and at times wearies the reader. Despite it all, the plot is interesting and the characters well-drawn. It is the story of the Brodie family and how they took over the London rackets not once but twice. Originally Pat Brodie Sr. muscled his way to the top of the heap only to be murdered. Then Pat Jr. repeated his father's `achievement.' It also is the tale of the family, the stalwart woman Pat frere married, the children she bore and her role in the family's survival following the death of her husband. Probably the most interesting parts of the book are the intrigues, plotting and double-crosses as various gangsters jockey for position. Although reservations have already been voiced about the writing, for the most part it is excellent and graphic, with dialogue in keeping with the cast of characters and the Soho setting, and the book is recommended.

In 1960s swinging mod London bodacious Patrick Brodie takes control of the East End in-clubs where he peddles high class hookers and sells illegal alcohol. He quickly becomes a man to respect or else regret. Patrick marries factory worker, Lily Diamond. They have several children together over four decades, but it is she who runs the home through tough love while he runs his criminal empire through violence. Their motto is only trust family warily. The Sopranos and Godfather connections are obvious though Anglicized. This is a deep look into an English crime family over a span of decades and the area of their control. The story line engages the audience from the moment that Patrick establishes his BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) to take over the East End scene and never slows down over the next forty years as he and his family fight to maintain their lofty position. Filled with violence that add realism, fans of the Sopranos will appreciate the equivalent across the big pond. Harriet Klausner