| Title | : | London LargeBlood on the Streets: Detective Hawkins Crime Thriller Series Book 1 (London Large Hard-Boiled Crime Series) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 289 |
| Publication | : | Published November 9, 2015 |
Blood on the Streets is the first in the London Large crime thriller series, featuring the exploits of Detective Inspector Harry ‘H’ Hawkins, an old-school London copper with over thirty years of besting villains under his belt. When a bloody international gang war threatens to rip the metropolis apart, ‘London’s top copper’ finds himself under siege as never before.
Haunted by flashbacks of the horrors he experienced in the Falklands War, held accountable for the unstoppable wave of violent chaos that is turning the streets of his city red with blood, hounded and ridiculed by a media he cannot understand and continually thwarted by an establishment cover up of he knows not what, the big man is bang in trouble.
As the chaos in London reaches boiling point can H, against all the odds, bring the streets under control, see through the fog of a high-level conspiracy and rescue his partner Amisha before she is killed by her ruthless kidnappers? And will he himself be forced to step outside the law to do so?
If you like hard-boiled, gritty and action packed novels with terrific twists you’ll love Blood on the Streets – let it take you through a thrilling rollercoaster ride through the dark underbelly of criminal London.
London LargeBlood on the Streets: Detective Hawkins Crime Thriller Series Book 1 (London Large Hard-Boiled Crime Series) Reviews
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4.5 Stars
I think I need a debrief after reading this!
Harry Hawkins, a London cop and Falklands veteran, finds himself embroiled in a gangland war and the murder of two socialite sisters. As Harry “H” digs deeper into the murders chilling truths are uncovered that send “H” off the rails. “H”’s violent actions and disregard for the rules get him suspended. His partner takes over and does some digging of her own. When she is kidnapped it’s a race against time to find her alive.
Harry Hawkins, as a winning crime protagonist, ticks all the right boxes. Alcoholic ✓ ex army ✓ broken ✓ divorced ✓ disregard for authority ✓ strong morals ✓
Harry was easy to like, flaws and all, and I was quickly on his side. Harry is yesterday’s hero – he hadn’t changed, the world around him had. He was a seething mass of anger, resentment and frustration. He had an old school moral compass; an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
I rarely come across a omniscient narration that is done well, however the Robsons have pulled it off. The story flows seamlessly through the various perspectives.
This is an action packed story with shocking twists at every turn but there are also plenty of laugh out loud moments delivered with perfect timing.
Frequent coarse language, graphic violence, rape and torture render this novel not for the squeamish.
Highly recommended for fans of the Australian TV series “Underbelly”. -
Crime readers are always searching for books that have fast action, intriguing characters, and a plot that pulls you in. In "London Large: Blood on the Streets" authors Roy and Garry Robson accomplish all of this and more. The story of an old school London copper that finds himself under siege in a gang war. Can he see through a high-level conspiracy and rescue his partner from kidnappers? And will he step outside the law to do so? Populated with complex characters and plenty of action this novel is the first in a 3 part series that follows Inspector Harry 'H' Hawkins. Not quite Dirty Harry, but the next best thing. Even seasoned readers will be surprised by some of the twists as they are guided through the dark streets of London.
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Overall, this was a fun, quick read. I hope the authors keep writing and keep getting better. Their future work is poised to be very good and sufficiently deep.
The Good: The writing was incredibly fast-paced. I loved the speed because it made me feel claustrophobic at key moments. The chapters flew by in gulps of breath as much of the "fluff" you get in other stories was simply cut out. That was awesome...for the most part.
I love plot-based stories. We get action scene after action scene with some rather artful violence. The violence itself was handled nicely. It was enough to be called hardboiled but not enough to be campy.
The Bad: One of the quickest ways to irritate me is the appearance of deus ex machina while the protagonist is smack in the middle of a shit sandwich. This book featured a limp justification for what I would qualify as a savior from the ether who saves the day. I chose to forgive but I did so reluctantly.
I didn't love many of the characters. In fact, a supporting character (Big Ronnie) was easily my favorite and the most dynamic of all. I should have ached for Amisha's pain but I merely grommaced at her situation.
It's book one of a series, I get that, but what happened to half of the cast? They all disappeared and even in denouement, we were given absolutely nothing about Stone, Jupiter, Marchant, Olivia, Amisha...and that's not a good enough reason to read book 2. This book could have stood on its own but falls just short of the mark.
The Miscellaneous: The book was not re-edited and formatted for a U.S. audience. Quotation marks were identified by a single inverted comma ('), rather than two ("). Also, the use of the em dash was substituted for a single hyphen mark, rather than the full grammatical em dash. I don't know if that is a function of UK English grammar, or if the authors penned the novel on a smartphone lacking that partuclar special character. I love indie authors and I love reading indie author works but some of these things exaggerated the point. -
Harry "H" Hawkins, a war vet and now a hard living Met cop who does things his own way gets the case when the wife of his best friend and co former vet is murdered along with her sister in broad daylight in a London park. Throw in 2 violent drug gangs fighting over turf and some very powerful, yet seemingly untouchable, British elite doing who knows what with impunity, and you have a good action thriller.
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This book has all the ingredients to make it a very good noir crime novel. A couple of high society ladies are murdered in St. James Park by a deranged killer. You would think that is not an unusual crime. There are a lot of novels with that plot. Wait a minute, Detective Hawkins, also known as “H”, is the first one at the scene. He has responded because this incident may be related to an investigation involving Eastern Europeans gang war, but is it? “H” is a veteran of the Falklands, technology challenged, bad tempered, impetuous and all kinds of family troubles. His partner is a young female of Indian descent who is completely his opposite but fiercely loyal. The book is populated by all kinds of characters such as snitches, bad and incompetent cops, gangsters, journalists, high society and terrified police bosses. The characters are well crafted and the descriptions of London are wonderful. To top it off the action is non-stop and the intrigue is high pitched. Highly recommended to lovers of crime noir.
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I was given a free copy of the book some time ago but was unsure if I would like it or not as I am not normally a fan of gang warfare and military fiction however, I have really enjoyed reading it and will be reading further books in this series.
The story begins back in time when Harry and Ronnie were serving in the Falkland's. Ronnie saved Harry's life and they therefore became blood brother forever sworn to help each other. Fast forward several years and Harry is a detective with a reputation for getting results by whatever means he sees fit and Ronnie is part of the elite of London when his wife and her sister are savagely murdered in St James Park. This puts in motion a sequence of events with far reaching consequences and brings the reader into the dark underworld of paedophiles, people trafficking and drug running making a web of crimes for the police department to untangle. Unfortunately, the discovery of Tara throws Harry back into the grip of Post Traumatic Stress and he ends up out of favour with his superiors in the police department.
It is a very well written book with characters who are very complex and develop very well throughout the book without needing a large amount of descriptive text which makes for a gripping, action packed read. The book examines many issues of relationships and the problems experienced by servicemen who try to live a civilian life and the impact this has on their families'.
Rating this was very difficult as it isnt my usual type of book but I cant really find much to mark it down on so it earns 4.7 rounded up to 5 stars and I look forward to reading book 2. -
A new author for me. An old fashioned cop in modern London UK.It involves the cops, the British Establishment, the Russians and the Albanians in a fast action gritty story. I would definitely recommend this book to any one who likes good fast paced stories. Will definitely be reading more from Gary and Roy. Can,t wait for the next one in the series.
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Not exactly Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
Good cop story based in London. Lots of action and bodies pile up as H works the case. If you like John Sandford's Lucas Davenport, you'll like this story. -
DNF. Meandering plot. Too much head-hopping. Solid writing though.
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London Large, Blood on the Streets #1 - A well written, action filled, suspense novel set in present day London. The multiple battles of old school vs. new police, Russian and Albanian mafias, and the elites of government. The pace is fast and the reader is intrigued by what is on the pages. I couldn't put the book down. I contacted the authors to review their books after reading Tipping Point, the intro of the old school raising of several of the major characters. Tipping Point should be read first, if possible. 5*
London Large, Bound by Blood #2 - A well written, action filled, suspense novel set, in present day London, that picks up from Blood on the Streets a few months later with the same characters plus. The prime focus is still the continuing battle against the Albanian mafia. I couldn't put this book down any more than I did the first book. I contacted the authors to review their books after reading Tipping Point, the intro the old school raising of several of the major characters. Tipping Point should be read first, if possible. 5*
London Large, Bloody Liberties #3- Blood and thunder, to borrow a British phrase. A well written, action packed, suspense filled novel that grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go until the end. Then you think about what you've read. I couldn't put the book down; I was immersed in the horror that is so possible today. Good old fashion soldiering, new technology and human perseverance; the combination making a great read. The twisting plot was well thought out and believable; the dialog realistic; and the technology spot on. If you haven't read the prequel and the first two books, you need to do so. Liberties can be read without them, but they enhance the story and you understand the viewpoints of the characters better. 5*
London Large, American Lockdown #4 - Absolutely the best of this good series. Fast paced; action packed; suspense filled; evil and deadly. It's even harder to put this book down, the others were difficult to stop reading, but this one makes the others look like child's play. Every character is well developed and we have the gang from previous books. The plot is a roller coaster ride of horror, hate, revenge, anger and love. Full of emotions: simmering to full blown; you name it, it's covered. How much can H take? I wonder what the next book will be since it will be difficult to top this one, but I'm sure the Robson Brothers can handle it. This is a 10 star book! 5*
London Large, Tipping Point, Prequel- Must read Tipping Point first before LL Blood on the Streets. The introduction of the old school raising of several of the major characters of the London Large series. This intro clarify any confusion the reader may experience in LL, Blood on the Streets. 5*
Sharp and Short: A collection of shorts about Harry 'H' Hawkins, which should be read, in the sequential order of time, before and during the London Large series, especially Tipping Point. Tipping Point will explain a lot about the type of man he is and how he became Harry of the London Large series. Also, there's some information in this book that is mentioned in the first book and causes confusion for the reader that hadn't read TP. The other books have background about how H develops his feelings, good and bad, of the people, good and bad, in his life and work. Also, his mates are featured. Good background stories. 5*
Home Front - November, 2003. Age 45. Harry's reaction to a string of violated, murdered young girls and health scare and his marriage.
Counter Punch - October, 1984; February, 1985. While still in the army, H handles an extended family problem against a crime lord, with an American GI by H's side.
On Tour - 1978. Nineteen year-old H, Shy Nervous John and Ronnie as part of the Anglers Athletic under-21s on tour in Amsterdam and Hamburg. Their first time out of England.
That's Life - November, 1995. Little Ronnie is born and H lives his code about his friends, his "own".
Unsafe Space - November 2017. As a private investigator, a case leads him to a university where the students are brainwashed by their professor into destruction and hatred.
Tipping Point - January, 1974. Prequel - Must read Tipping Point first before LL Blood on the Streets. The introduction of the old school raising of several of the major characters of the London Large series. This intro clarify any confusion the reader may experience in LL, Blood on the Streets.
Sharp and Short: End -
Flashback: 2/12/1977, Battle of Stamford Bridge. Harry “H” Hawkins & Ronnie watched in horror as their unit was being shot at.
St. James’ Park. Queen’s Gardens. What were Tara Ruddock (sister, Ronnie Sr’s wife, nee Fortescue-Smythe, wealthy), & Jemima (sister) discussing?
Elemes Aliyev was keeping a close eye on the 2 of them.
Jack Thornton (Queen’s protection unit) & Mike Richards (Queen’s protection unit) just happened to be patrolling the area.
Mike’s partner, Elemes & the 2 girls were brutally murdered.
Olivia (Harry’s secretary) informed DI Harry “H” Hawkins Amisha Bhanushali (28, f, Harry’s partner, Cambridge) came to pick him up.
Bermondsey manor. Harry & Amisha went to pay Confident John Viney a visit.
Instead; Chief Inspector Hilary Stone (lesbian) met the 2 at St. James’ Park.
Operation Point Blank will be put into place.
What was Basim Dragusha speaking to Ronnie Ruddock Sr. (widower/father, Ronnie Hawkins, wealthy) about?
What happened to Tara?
Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written Crime Thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Crime Thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free London Large Publishing; Instafreebie; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons (Washburn) -
Blood on the Streets: London Large, by Gary and Roy Robson.
This is a violent and bloody tale about two tough Bermondsey pals--Harry Hawkins ("H") and Ronnie Ruddock. It involves a corrupt high level pedophile ring, and a violent gang war between Albanian and Russian mobs for control of London's drug, slavery, human trafficking and prostitution fields.
Harry is a Detective Inspector suffering from untreated PTSD and job-related burnout as well as a well-founded suspicion that the rule of law no longer applies in London because so many crucial investigations are being blocked and vicious criminals are avoiding prosecution.
What triggers a rage that takes him over the edge is the assassination of Tara, Ronnie's high-society wife, and Jemima her sister in a brutal execution in St. James Park.
In a tangled web that involves some of the highest and most influential peers in the land, a fabulously wealthy Russian oligarch, and two hard-nosed mafia bosses, one Russian and one Albanian, heads begin to be severed and blood begins to flow all over the place.
Caught in the middle are some of Harry's pals, including his partner Amisha, a 28-year-old Cambridge graduate detective, who is waterboarded and raped in the action.
I found this book hard to read, and was definitely not happy over the fate of Amisha (Ames to Harry). The violence sometimes left me feeling ill, but the thrust of the action shoved the book forward with a vengeance.
Because of its violence, I am not sure I want to read other books in the series. I certainly give it five stars for its momentum, but am reluctant to give it more than three for content. I realize the some of what is being described is actually happening in Britain's capital city, but dwelling on gratuitous violence does not make a happy read--even if the villains in the piece come to a well deserved end--outside the rule of law. Harry is the British version of Make-My-Day Clint Eastwood in his Dirty Harry movie. Good fiction but poor law-making. -
Top cop DI Harry Hawkins finds himself stuck in the middle of on an international gang war in central London, but his past and the media conspire to get in the way of catching the bad guys. With a possible conspiracy in the offing and a level of violence he hasn’t seen since the Falklands, Harry faces a seemingly impossible task. Will his old-school ways bring him the justice and revenge he desires?
This is the first in the London Large series, written by Gary and Roy Robson. I bought the paperback version of the book simply because I liked the cover, and a quick read of the opening pages led me to believe it would be an entertaining read. I liked the protagonist a lot in the beginning, but quickly found him getting on my nerves. That old nugget of crime capers, the generic old-school, unstable detective, has worn thin over the years and the Robson brothers don’t bring anything new to the pot. On top of that, the text is littered with errors and has enough clichés to burn the bridges of several bad novels. And given that this first book has a few hundred reviews (many of which highlight these same issues), I’m surprised the authors haven’t done something about it by now.
Having said this, I loved the unified cover designs for the books and the characters (apart from Harry), were an interesting lot. With a bit of editing and character development, this could be a cracking series. -
Blood on the Streets is the first story in the series, London Large. The story is an over-the-top romp around London trying to solve some major crimes. The main character, "H," reminded me of Frank Burnside from the TV series, "The Bill," but with a much darker streak. He is an odd character that has so many flaws he can be hard to like, and yet I was still routing for his success. He has a good heart but tossed all the rules and morality out the moment they got in his way.
I had to work at believing some of the actions that the characters decided to take, often without really explaining the sudden change in their behavior. The changes were just convenient for the plot at that time. There were also odd plot-holes that don't add up, like someone printed out documents and an intruder entered there premises right after that, and yet somehow they managed to put those documents in an envelope and send them off, presumably by a courier, just so the right person could receive them when all hope seemed lost.
There are also moments where the graphic violence or torture is too much, and delivered so casually it doesn't really further the story but makes the reader uncomfortable for shock factor or something. This story also includes instances torture and rape, along with many deaths.
Overall, those issues aside, I did still enjoy the story, but that may be partially because it passes through areas I grew up in. I do recommend this book, but with a cautionary note about the gratuitous violence and odd plot-holes. -
This is apparently the first book in a series, and certainly left me wanting to read more - I am eager to see what happened between the Falklands War, when we are introduced to our main characters, and the period when the story unfolds. The lead character, Harry 'H' Hawkins, must have exceptional police skills, but we don't see a lot of that for about the first third of the book; mostly he seems overwhelmed by the events of this case, and abuses alcohol to cope. But it all comes right in the end, and the bad guys receive payback - some especially memorable payback, if you've ever been in a London skyscraper.
I know London well, so I enjoyed the locales ranging from St James' Park to Bermondsey. The plot is well constructed and the supporting cast strong, especially Ronnie Ruddock and H's younger partner on the beat, Amisha - I liked the way she is shown using social media to assemble details about a crime scene before she and H even arrive there, an ingenious way of illustrating how policing, and life, have changed since H's heyday. I'll admit I found H hard to warm to: he is extremely abrasive, has some pretty large political chips on his shoulder and by the time we meet him is definitely not at his peak, physically or career-wise. But he commands the loyalty of some memorable friends, and this speaks well for him. I will definitely read the next book. -
Immediately beginning this book, I was captivated by the main character. His reactions and decisions intrigued me. I wanted to know him more, and the authors certainly made that happen. This book is a fantastic start to a great series. A couple of warnings though:
This book in particular in the series contains graphic imagery and adult themes. I would not recommend this series to the faint of heart or the very young.
Also note that these books are VERY British. Locations and jargon abound with very little explanation. I assume this is all very thrilling for a Londoner, but to someone who has been to Europe only on layovers, I found some parts a bit hard to follow. The kindle dictionary and wiki were sometimes helpful, but often I was left guessing and searching for context clues. It didn't really detract from the book, and not including those phrases and locations would remove some of the authenticity, so I would not recommend a change, but non-British readers should prepare for a bit of a tough read. -
This was an intense, gripping read. "H" as Det. Hawkins is known is an old world copper in the today's London. He is a "functioning alcoholic" who is called to a brutal crime scene. His best friend's wife and her sister have had their throats cut and heads almost severed. Aside from the brutality of the scene, the impact of seeing his friend's wife, having to inform him, tear H further. He battles corruption, bad cops and good cops, gang wars. Garry and Roy, I loved the ending...but I was mad as a hornet! It left the book wide open for more books, questions that I wanted answered and plots all sewn up. Instead, I galloped to the ending... and then anxiously looked down two more paths to travel through other books by Garry and Roy Robson. Thanks GoodREads for this book in exchange for an honest review.
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A tough as nails old school detective falls apart at the scene of a grisly murder in the park. Finding the wife of his best friend murdered, H suffers some sort of meltdown on camera. Subjected to criticism from the blogger and targeted by his superiors, H is taken from the case and moved to the attack on the Albanian camp. As one massacre leads to another, Harry stumbles on a connection between the Russians and the park murders and goes as only Harry can - full frontal assault. The only negative I can give for this book is the over exaggerated similes. Not being British, some of the terms are strange but the story is good enough that I will want to follow more of Harry's escapades
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Sometimes, the law of the jungle is the only way to go. I know that social rules and laws are made to contain society's order, but when those given the duty to enforce these laws, are the actual persons doing the most despicable things, and using their exalted positions to ensure that they are not brought to judgment for their atrocious. Then, the laws of the jungle may the last resort to save humanity.
This book outlines abuse and corruption, at our society's highest levels. It takes guts to stand up to such corruption. It takes Valor of the highest order.
An excellent read. -
This book is a good page turner right out of the gates! It starts with a bloody crime scene right outside the Queen's residence in London, and as the story unfolds, Detective Hawkins and his partner Amisha, uncover corruption of some of the most influential people in London's population. In order to save his partner's life, Detective Hawkins has to race against the clock to reach her before she becomes one of the many people that lose their life to cover up the crimes of the rich and powerful. This is a fast paced mystery story right from the first page, and as the story progresses, the level of corruption gets deeper and deeper.
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Harry Hawkins is an older detective in a digital world in which he refuses to embrace the modern technology. Fortunately he has a younger partner who is a wiz with the computers. They find themselves investigating murders between Albanian and Russian mafias which they find is connected to the mutilation of 2 upper class sisters. I loved old Harry the super cop who does things the old fashioned way and his partner Alex who has spunk. They compliment each other well. The story was very interesting. I had a little trouble understanding some of the “English” terms. I got a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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An absolutely stunningly good book! Perfectly fleshed out characters, quick witted, gritty dialogue, and the most beautifully painted descriptions. You really feel like you're running around the streets of London with H and his crew. Some brilliant twists had me screaming, and the fast paced, all consuming action was spectacular. It's a book you'd love to see on film, but you absolutely know it wouldn't hold a candle to the Robsons' words. Crime novel fans are ABSOLUTELY missing out if they don't read this one.
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I enjoyed this two-fisted crime thriller. It evokes images of London and its people that I think is fast disappearing. Although I liked 'H' I think I would prefer to keep him at arm's length. Plenty of language that I used to hear on the back streets of the capital. Harry isn't a nice man, too many head problems, but a decent copper with his heart in the right place. Probably a breed that has already died out. I would recommend this to anyone who likes an old fashioned crime thriller set contemporary London.
