Vice — Karen Woods

Betrayal, family loyalties, secrets: not all gangsters live in the east end.

Two families run this part of Manchester: the Johnsons and the Bennetts. With the head of the Johnson family banged up, the Bennetts have made their move. But power comes at a price…

Now Charlie Johnson is out of prison and he wants his empire back. But the Bennetts have had a taste of the money and the control. Charlie's sons want to strike now and destroy their rivals but Charlie wants to wait. He has a personal score to settle.

Charlie's wife Janey hates that her controlling husband is home from prison and is hatching a plan to leave him, but she knows he won't let her go easily â€" not with the secrets she carries. She needs allies â€" and through her daughter and her passionate affairs, she may have found the way out she needs.

But for all of them, getting what they want will mean risking everything.

Reviews

‘The Northern Martina Cole. Karen Woods writes about Manchester with a pageturning fierceness.' Melanie Blake

‘Wow! Karen Woods has delivered a gripping read full of grit and with characters to keep you turning the pages. And that ending! I didn't see that coming at all. Loved it. 5 huge stars from me.' Caz Finlay, author of the Bad Blood series

About the author

Karen Woods left school at 15 with no qualifications but she always knew she had a story to tell. An adult literacy course when she was 40 opened the gates and she's written over 20 novels since. She is now a passionate literacy campaigner who also works in schools empowering children to write and tell their story. Karen lives in Manchester with her family.