The Boss is the first book in a brand new gangland crime series by debut author Caz Finlay featuring Grace Sumner and set in Liverpool, and if this is anything to go by this is indeed an author to keep an eye on. As a qualified Probation Officer, Caz has always been fascinated by the psychology of human behaviour and the reasons people do the things they do, and this feeds beautifully into making a very readable and compulsive story. It has it all — a gripping well-executed plot, a thought through & thrilling backstory, palpable tension and concludes in a truly epic showdown in famous gangland stylee.

The writing flows superbly from one page to the next and once I started reading I was effectively held captive for the afternoon as it was so easy to fly through the short, snappy chapters. Grace is a feisty, strong female and I found myself cheering for her numerous times throughout. At its heart, this is her story and a family drama enriched by the gangland connections her father has. It alternates between past and present telling her story as she struggles to wriggle from her ex-husband Nathan's manipulative grasp. It's absolutely nail-biting and all-consuming with unexpected twists left, right and centre. A truly excellent, must-read thriller.

Recommended, especially to fans of Martina Cole, Jessie Keane, Kimberly Chambers, Casey Kelleher and Jackie Rose. Many thanks to Killer Reads for an ARC.

This is a great first book and I look forward to reading more from Caz Finlay.
Grace has been getting on with her life since her husband went to prison and she has made her own mark in the criminal world.
She’s learnt from Nathan’s mistakes and is making a success of things until he’s released from prison.
Now her ex husband, he still thinks he’s got a hold over her and starts to make her life a misery.
They have a teenage son together who is keen to get to know his Dad but Grace is very wary of this.
Grace has a good support network and any one of them would kill for her but she realises she’s got to be clever to get rid of Nathan once and for all.
The final few chapters will take your breath away and will have you racing to the end to see what happens.
I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more from this author.
Thanks to Harper Impulse Killer Reads and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

What a great read. The only complaint I have is I didn’t want to put it down once I started reading it. Grace try’s to break free from Nathan her gangster husband. While he’s in prison she try’s to beat him at his own game. The only problem is once he’s out he worms his way back into her life through their son Jake. A page turning read as you wait to see who will come out on top Nathan or Grace. I highly recommend this book

This kind of books is really my cup of tea. Due to the short chapters the story is very fast paced and the twisted ending is surely doing what it is meant to be doing : keeping the readers on the edge of their chairs and counting the days untill they can put their hands on the next part.

The author shows us that it is perfectly possible to be hard and loving at the same time depending on who you are dealing with and how a lack of love in one's childhood (once again) can seriously damage one's future and those in the neighbourhood.

I had a love-hate relationship with Nathan as well as with Grace. I can understand where they both were coming from, but that does not mean by far that I agree with how the acted. It sure made this book in to a very good one.

Nathan did not have a good start at all and when he explained his feelings, my heart broke. Grace had a wonderfull childhood but went through a lot afterwards. That explains why she found it in her heart to help others, while Nathan's number one was Nathan himself.

If this first part has set the pace for the rest of the series, the readers will be in for a treat. 5 stars.

Thank you, Caz Finlay and Book On The Bright Side Publicity & Promo

This story alternates between the past and present, giving us an insight into what life had been like when Grace and Nathan were married. Nathan has just been released after serving twelve years in prison. Although Grace was the daughter of a well known gangster, she was a little bit gullible in her younger years. She falls in love with Nathan, but soon discovers after marrying him, that everything in the garden was not going to be rosy. The story focuses mainly on Grace and Nathan's relationship and Nathan trying to build a relationship and get get on his side, their son Jake. The one thing Nathan never realised was that Grace had built a backbone whilst he was serving his time. With a lot of menacing characters on her payroll, Grace has herself a lot of lucrative businesses. I was drawn in quickly to this story, rooting for Grace all the way, wanting Nathan to get his comeuppance. There's twist and turns galore that will make you keep turning the pages. A gritty. Well written de ut novel. Another author to look out for.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and the author Caz Finlay for my ARC IN exchange for an honest review.

The Boss is a story about power. Grace is a powerful strong woman in charge. She wasn't always this way. A nasty ex, Nathan, beat her down. Now, he's out of prison after twelve years and wants her back. Seriously? She's not the same woman he pushed around before. Grace needs to teach Nathan about respect, right? It's a psychological thriller that will keep you enthralled until the end. Grace is a character to root for. The story is engaging and entertaining with realistic feels. I enjoyed it even though it's not what I usually read. I'm glad I gave it a chance. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ohhh my dayzzzz. What a read!
Loved this book, absolutely loved it. I wanted to follow Grace's life forever, I wanted to part of it. Hell there were times in this book I actually felt like I was sat on the bar stool in the Rose & Crown listening and watching the comings and goings.
I really felt like I'd walked into this book, the moment I started reading it, I knew it was one I was going to be lost in.
Grace is taking back her life. Little by little. Having suffered in an abusive marriage it's time for Grace to put on her big girl knickers and tackle the monster that was once her husband, Nathan.
Nathan is a nasty, sly piece of work and you can really see the damage he has done to Grace. He's a typical charismatic villain Unfortunately he's also controlling and manipulative. The good looks, the gift of the gab, but no more, it's now graces to turn to show who is the boss. This is a fight for the top and you won't want to miss out on being part of it.

Set in Liverpool this Gangland thriller has everything you want from a book that is going to keep you reading until the early hours. Great twists and characters you will either love or hate. A fantastic story line with plenty packed into the pages that will keep you rooted.

I'm not always a fan of books that go from past to present, but this was done perfectly to help you get to know the characters and their back story.

Suffering with a chronic illness sometimes has it's advantages as I woke twice during the night, got up made a cuppa and got back in bed with my kindle. It didn't take me to long to get through this bad boy. Trust me when I say 'it's a book that's not to be missed'

Caz Finlay is going to be an author to watch for in this genre. She will soon be up there with some of the best. I really look forward to reading a lot more from this author. Fans of Jessie Keane, Jacqui Rose and Casey Kelleher will absolutely love this book.

this book was really good caz finlay is going to be up there with jessie keane and the like such a good read i couldn't put it down looking forward to the next book

I absolutely loved this book
Read it in one sitting
It’s gripping from start to finish but can’t wait for the next one
A true author to watch out for
Highly recommended

Grace Sumner is a respected crime boss in her own right. Her husband Nathan has just been released from prison. He's a nasty piece of work who beat, abused and belittled Grace before his prison sentence. He's not happy she held him to ransom whilst in prison, threatening to take their son Jake and disappear off the face of the earth if he didn't grant her a divorce. Now after 12 years Grace is no longer the weak woman she once was and is ready to give Nathan a taste of his own medicine.
She owns the Rose & Crown pub, left to her by her parents and after Nathan ran it into the ground, bringing in his violent cronies, she has rebuilt it into a very popular establishment.
.
Nathan soon makes his appearance back into her life and it seems at first he is a changed man, he sweet talks and woos Grace, making her promises. He is looking to step back into his old gangland shoes and take back what she has worked so hard achieved. But Grace has other ideas, she just wants rid of him out of her life once and for all.

I loved this story and the characters, but I wasn't to keen on the flashbacks, I would rather it started at the beginning and flowed smoothly as it became a little confusing at times.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity x

For a debut novel, a very good gangland story.
Grace was once a compliant, downtrodden girl. A strong woman surfaces, commanding respect from some of the most feared men in the criminal world. Nathan, Graces' ex husband is a very dangerous and violent man. Having just been released from prison after serving 12 years he expects to find the same meek and mild Grace he left behind . He wants her back, but Grace has other ideas! The story really builds up to a nail biting finale.

I would like to read more from this new author. Highly enjoyable!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! Wow.
Grace suffered many things through her life,but she came out on top. I really hope there are many more from this author!
Karma is a word defined to this amazing book!

This book was a psychological thriller sprinkled with mafioso themes. I enjoyed the Grace's character development and appreciated how the author played with time lines in order to give some reference to readers as to what is going on and why it's happening a certain way. I felt like the mafia-themes, which is what interested me in the book, were fairly surface level and were basically used as a mechanism to set up and maintain the main characters' relationship in the past and the present. Did the book need more through? Not really--it was enough to feel like a crime novel but not over the top that we lost sight of the main story which is about Grace and dealing with an unhinged ex-husband, Nathan. The ending was genius. I still am wondering about the epilogue and keep trying to figure out who is responsible but I am also content with never knowing for sure. Definitely a good read and glad it was a stand-alone.

This is the first book I have read by this author, will definitely look for others by her. If you like Kimberly chambers books then Caz Finlay's are a must to read.

This is a fantastic debut novel from Caz Finlay. I raced through it and loved every moment. Grace is such a strong character and I found myself rooting for her all the time as she struggled to overcome her ex husband, Nathan. He was such a charismatic villain! If you like great characters and a twisty plot you'll love this book.

Grace and Nathan live together
But he’s in prison now and Grace does not want him now
He’s a man who goes all the way if his crossed at all
I had an ARC from Killer Reads

The Boss – Caz Finlay

This is a really good debut novel from Caz Finlay. I think that this author is one to watch. Its been written in the local family/gangland saga genre. So if you like authors like Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers and Anna Smith you will enjoy this.

I found myself getting caught up in this novel and really wanting things to go the right way for the main protagonist Grace Sumner, Grace is the daughter of a well known Liverpudian gangster and as such receives respect as a given but then again she’s earned it in her own right. Grace is a strong independent woman surviving in a mans world and is treated as an equal.

As a young girl I felt that she was rather gullible and naïve, especially where men are concerned. She met and married a typical gorgeous bad guy Nathan Conlon and believed that he was everything that she needed to be happy. In truth she should have ran a mile in the opposite direction, he turned out to be everything that she didn’t need and then some. The only good thing to come out of the marriage was her son Jake.

I have to say that I thought was Nathan was a complete and utter fud, I couldn’t see any redeeming qualities in him. He was nothing but a controlling bully who used intimidation and violence to get what he wanted. Nathan really thought that he was untouchable, that he could do exactly as he pleased with no consequences. Not even the glimpses into his childhood could either explain or excuse his behaviour. On saying that it also showed in some respects how and why he’s the way he is. (I’m not making excuses for him).

Things began to spiral almost out of control when Nathan gets an early release from prison. One of the biggest problems for Grace was finding out her son has been communicating with him over the years she had tried her hardest to stop it. On his release he was ostensibly trying to make up for lost time with Jake coming round to see him, taking him to his club etc. I have to be honest and say that from the beginning it’s obvious you can see that all he’s really interested in is Grace, Grace and everything that she has because he’s damn sure he’s going to take it from her.

There’s a battle coming, a battle for survival it’ll be a fight to the death. Nathan had better watch his back. I really didn’t think that Grace had biggest balls of all but she proved me wrong.

Read for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Killer Reads

The story alternates between past and present, giving us more insight into what life was like when Grace and Nathan were together before he gets put in prison. It’s understandable why Grace wants nothing to do with her ex husband and my dislike for him grew the further into the story we get.

You can understand why someone like Grace would fall for Nathan. He is good looking and very charismatic. He is also someone who likes to be in control at all times and thinks he is unbreakable. There are glimpses of his past that did make me feel slightly sorry for him but his constant arrogance made sure that didn’t last for long.

Whilst this is a gangland novel and you can very much see that throughout the story, the author has focused on the relationship between Grace and Nathan with tensions getting higher the further into it we get. Boy did it have me hooked and I was dying to pick my kindle back up at every opportunity I could to see what was going to happen next and whether Grace could ever be free from this monster.

The Boss is a truly nail biting and gripping read. The build up of tension was sending my emotions into over drive. The story is set at a steady pace which then sent me hurtling towards the end at full speed whilst it took unexpected twists and turns. All I can say is what an ending and I can still fill my heart thumping now just thinking about it. What a brilliant debut novel!

what a book what a story . this is authors 1st book and its a must read she will go far grace is one sassy lady would do anything to protect her son . but there s Nathan her ex-husband and he is coming out of prison. and grace is not the woman he remembers will say no more I so recommend a must read

An amazing thriller! Had a couple of red herrings that I tried to follow, plus a surprise ending. Highly recommended!