Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Butler Collection: The Trap, Payback, The Wronged

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Then we have Michael the youngest, dreams of becoming a mechanic but gets drawn into the families seedy world of crime. Anyway, the story starts with the introduction of several characters, plots, subplots and sub-subplots, which takes some concentration to wrap your head around. The main characters include the Walker family who recently opened a caf�� in 1960's Whitechapel and the matriarchal Butlers sisters, Queenie and Vivvy with their offspring. Queenie's gangster wannabe sons Vinny and Roy feature prominently in the start of the book and over the space of a few weeks, Vinny's crimes seem to escalate which forms the basis on the main plot. Then you have Roy, Brenda and Michael. I wish I could say there was one good apple in the group but they were all a bit crazy. Though cousin Lenny was kind of sweet. And I can’t forget Albie. He was the dad. He wasn’t much of a man though. The poor bastard. Not much went right for this guy. And the family grows. Yes, there are marriages and little Butler’s running around. But Vinny seems to have crossed the wrong person and his cards are marked. And with the brothers joined at the hip, Roy may just be in the firing line too…

The gifted novelist only has nine books, but her impact on London and around the world has been huge. Chambers has a three book series: The Traitor Chambers, Victim and The Feud. The series revolves around a long time feud between two families; the Mitchells and the O’Haras. Queenie and Vivian are sisters. Queenie rules the Butler Empire ... well at least she thinks she does. Her four children love her and she loves them. Vinny, Roy, Michael, Brenda - some of them likeable enough characters but mostly not so much, especially Vinny and Brenda, the heifer. Albie Butler, the dad, really didn't have much say in the family. Their mother's advice they followed and at 19 Vinny and Roy (17), opened their first Club with the money they made from a robbery or two. Vinny managed a smile for the first time that day. "We're hardly that family out of Little House on the Prairie, Mum, but I do know where you're coming from."Both families are a part of the seedy underbelly of the East End and Stratford. Jessica Smith and Eddie Mitchell become engaged, against the wishes of Jessica’s father. The two are swept away into a world of crime, murder, and deception. The Feud

That said, it is a very gripping saga and I could not put it down. I'm beginning to realise that most books by this author are not necessarily about gangsters, but the effect their behaviour has on their victims, so you constantly find yourself gunning for them. But what I like most is that all her characters have depth and feel like real people, who you start to love or hate. Unfortunately I can only think of one description for this book...tedious. The characters, plot, writing style and dialogue...all tedious. It felt like I was reading the screenplay to a very boring soap written for daytime telly. The Butler brothers are the Kings of the East End, and their motto is ‘what goes around, comes around’. We return to the Butlers lives following the death of Vinny and Michael’s brother Roy Butler and their cousin Lenny. Vinny Butler is the most ferocious of the Butlers and unfortunately has made many enemies on his journey to become a feared and well known face. Unfortunately some of his enemies are closer than he thinks. Vinny’s younger brother Michael also makes a return along with his wife Nancy and their kids. Nancy hasn’t been well and life has not been straightforward for Michael either. Nancy is trying to recover both in her health, and with her relationship to Michael. She also has the added pressure of trying to bond with Michael’s son Lee. Joanna is married to Vinny and has her own troubles as she struggles to bond with Vinny’s son (aptly named Little Vinnie) from another relationship. However, when she gives birth to Molly, Vinny changes for the better and Joanna wonders if the birth of his daughter will be the making of him.urn:lcp:trap0000cham:epub:fad88adf-0cd0-4f55-ac4f-1fc03cfb4a2d Foldoutcount 0 Identifier trap0000cham Identifier-ark ark:/13960/s2sw73pkbch Invoice 1652 Isbn 9780007435036 There wasn’t anything the least bit normal about this family. My head spins just thinking about them. At the head of the Butler family we have Queenie. She’s the mum. Where Queenie was there was Aunt Viv. They were a couple of bad ass females that had me laughing and cringing. Vinny and Roy Butler are the apple of their mum’s eye. Queenie knows they can play dirty, but when it comes to family they look after business and make her proud. Nothing and no one can bring them down. It was then I knew that I’d finally found my vocation in life. I mad very little notes, other than some character names. After I finished each chapter, the next came easy.” With the encouragement of friends, Chambers bought a copy of the Writers and Artists Year Book and scrolled through the list of agents. This series starts with The Trap, where we get to know The Butlers. The Trap was a 4 Stars but I must say the end was so good that I went straight to book 2.

If you a fan of British gangster crime you will love this, or if you want to read something different from this talented British writer you will not be disappointed.. I discovered Kimberley Chambers about two years ago when looking for similar books to Martina Cole. I read the synopsis for The Feud, started to read it and after a week of hardly any sleep I finished the trilogy and was telling anybody who would listen how fantastic it was. I then eagerly awaited the release of The Schemer. It was in January 2013 however when Kimberley wrote the book that would give the Mitchell/O'Hara trilogy a run for its money and that book was The Trap. I wrote a review for it where I said it would be the best book I'd read in 2013. Well I read 160+ books in 2013 and The Trap was the best one. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2022-02-07 18:08:49 Bookplateleaf 0010 Boxid IA40336106 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier It was then that she received a phone-call from her friend Hazel, who asked if she wanted to take a hair dressing course. It was then that Chambers decided to try her hand at writing a novel. A few days later, she began writing her premiere novel Billie Jo. When she told her family about her new aspirations, they believed that it was a fad and that she would grow tired of this new venture as well.This fourth novel from Kimberly Chambers introduces readers to the criminal world of two mob families; the Mitchells and the O’Haras. These two families compete against each other for turf and businesses. Caught between the greed and pride of two dangerous families are two children whose lives will never be the same. The Traitor Chambers

As I was muddling through the first chapter of The Trap, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it but seeing as I was having a lot of “firsts” with this one I kept an open mind and it surely paid off. But Vinny seems to have crossed the wrong person and his cards are marked. And with the brothers joined at the hip, Roy may just be in the firing line too… Will the Butlers emerge stronger than ever, or is the East End code of honour as good as dead? The heir to Martina Cole’s crown with a story of murder, the underworld, violence and treachery. When it comes to family they look after business and make their mother proud. Nothing and no one can bring the Butler’s down.

*If you love The Butlers, meet QUEENIE! Kimberley Chambers’ new No.1 bestseller and prequel to The Butler series is out now!*

Chambers was an extremely smart and gifted student in primary and secondary school. Her best subject was English. For reasons unknown, Chambers grades began to plummet. When she was eleven, she states that “things began to deteriorate.” After a few years, her academic life became so stark that she decided to leave her secondary school. Ah I loved this book! There is more to the family than Roy and Vinny but for a large portion of the book they are the main characters although Michael, the other brother, starts to come through strong. It is a story about strong family values amongst violence, murder, prostitution, sex, scandal and villainy. The story is split across an eleven year period and starts off in the mid 1960s. I love when a book is set in a time period and is researched well, from what they wore and drove to the music that was popular and played. We have Albie, a cheating and drunk bastard of a father, Queenie, the head of this crazy bundle and 4 children: Vinny, Roy, Michael and Brenda. It’s 1983 and Stephanie Crouch is desperate to escape the council house she shares with her overbearing family, but at fourteen years old she has nowhere to go. Crime Thriller is not a genre I'm familiar with. When I agreed to review this, I figured it was on the 'police procedural' end of the 'crime' spectrum, rather than a portrait of a criminal gang family. But, I love to try new things and dived into this with an open mind.