Dying Seconds

A gritty gangland thriller with a twist you won't see coming

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Pub Date 14 Dec 2018 | Archive Date 15 Jun 2019

Description

Killer, rapist, drug dealer and all-round bad boy Arnie Dolan is back – and this time he’s in a wheelchair.

     Ousted from his gang, it looks like his time at the top of the criminal underworld is over... but if you think that, you don’t know Arnie.

     Meanwhile, things are looking much brighter for his former best mate Gareth Prince. The sports reporter has landed a promotion on his newspaper, the Sunday Tribune Despatch, scooped a major award and moved in with girlfriend Anjie and son Max. A life free from Arnie seems to be just what the doctor ordered.

     That is until tragedy strikes to rock both their worlds. Thrust back together, they form an uneasy truce in an effort to find the person responsible for a shocking murder. But soon they encounter hostility both home and abroad as the Brexit debate rages and hooligans go on the rampage in Marseille.

     And as the mystery deepens it leads them to question everything they thought they knew...

Killer, rapist, drug dealer and all-round bad boy Arnie Dolan is back – and this time he’s in a wheelchair.

Ousted from his gang, it looks like his time at the top of the criminal underworld is...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9780993332326
PRICE £1.99 (GBP)

Average rating from 10 members


Featured Reviews

Dying Seconds, the third and possibly final novel in the Boxer Boys series by award-winning, self-publishing phenomenon Nick Rippington, is a stonker of a gangland thriller. Gritty, intense and impossible to put down, this is certainly not for the faint-hearted or those distressed by graphic violence. Arnie Dolan, former gang-leader and an altogether despicable human being, is back is business, although this time is a little different to most. He must strike an uneasy truce with an old enemy in order to solve a heinous murder that affects them both. Although this is a sequel to the first book, Crossing the Whitewash, to experience Arnie and nemesis Gareth Prince's evolution and growth as characters you really need to start at the beginning and read in chronological order.

The 1996 time setting which was wonderfully nostalgic in the first novel is now updated and the events here take place in 2016. The sense of time and place are both fantastic, references to current events help with that, just as they did in previous instalments. The characters are larger than life, demand your attention and truly come alive on the page, and although this is a criminal world most of us will have never experienced ourselves, I felt they characters remained believable and authentic. It has an excellent array of ingredients that added up to a very tasty urban thriller - emotion, humorous moments, an exciting plot, mesmerising characters and a satisfying climax. I am under the impression that this may be the last in the series which saddens me, but if there was a follow-up I would definitely pick it up on the strength of Dying Seconds.

Many thanks to Cabrilon Books for an ARC.

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Dying Seconds by Nick Rippington is the third book in the Boxer Boys series. It’s just as good as the first two.

Once more the story revolves around the Dolans, a nasty East End of London crime family. Drug dealing, and extreme violence are their thing.

Gareth Prince, once known as Gary Marshall in his East End days, is a half-brother to the psychopathic Arnie Dolan, now disabled and confined to a wheelchair. Prince is a sports journalist on a Welsh newspaper, having tried to put his old life behind him.

The murder of Prince’s (Marshall’s) father in faraway Stoke sparks a police investigation resulting in Prince and Arnie Dolan being arrested. They are released eventually for lack of evidence. This leaves the puzzle as to who did kill Stan Marshall and why. It’s also the main thread of the plot.

The story is layered with many sub-plots equally as interesting as the main plot. They are embedded in different locations – London, Stoke, Wales, Australia, and France against a backdrop of Brexit, football hooliganism, and the Lions rugby tour of Australia.

It is the skill of the author in tying in all the pieces that makes this book such a compelling read right through to a surprising and satisfying ending.

The characters are realistically portrayed, and some are simply loveable such as The Legend and the ageing sports editor of the Welsh newspaper.

This is a book that’s hard to put down once started and comes highly recommended – five stars!

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I read this without reading the first 2 and feel like I missed out! When I requested, I didn't realize it "needed" to be read in order. However, I enjoyed the book...its very gritty! Loved the locations and the actions and I will likely read the first 2 and then this one again to really get the feel of the series.

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I jumped straight to the third book of the series and don't feel like it meant I didn't understand the book just would have possibly enjoyed it more if I understand the history of the characters.

A decent gang novel, a few surprises along the way and not filled with violence!

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The third and possibly last instalment in this brilliant series- exploring the criminal underworld, This book kept me hooked from the start. The 2016 setting was well thought out and backed up with references to what was going on at the time. Well written, with humour and grit.

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I really enjoyed the plot. Was very hard to put down.
I give this book 5**** just because i loved it
Cant wait for other books

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