Crime Fiction

Roberta Kray is a graduate of the University of North London in Classics and English Literature.  She was working as a partner in a PR company, when she was asked to do some promotion work for Reg Kray in 1996.  By the following year, they had fallen in love and were married in the Chapel at Maidstone Prison on 14^th July 1997.  Roberta met some of Reg’s friends from the old days in London’s East End, and the couple met and talked about their lives as often as prison regulations would allow over the next three years.  Reg died of cancer in 2000, but during his last few weeks, he and Roberta were together in Norwich General Hospital as the cancer tightened its grip.  Reg was released on compassionate grounds, and they were able to enjoy his last ten days together in private.

Sidgwick & Jackson published Roberta’s memoir of Reg in 2002, Reg Kray: A Man Apart.  Soon, she was developing her writing ambitions in another direction, and her first novel, The Debt, was published by Constable & Robinson, now an imprint of Little, Brown, in 2006.  She moved to Little, Brown for her fourth novel (Strong Women, 2009).  Her seventh, Nothing But Trouble, made it to the official Top 50 in 2012 (over 50,000 copies sold).  With her new book, Deceived, to be published in November 2018, she will have 16 crime thrillers in print with Little, Brown, including two ebook serialisations, Honeytrap and The Payment.

After her murderous ex-boyfriend who she turned in to the police was released from prison, Jem Byrne fled to London, desperate to hide herself in the hustle of the big city. Now she spends every day watching her back, waiting for him to catch up with her. But The Mansfield estate is far from a safe place to hide, and Jem soon learns she’s only ever one wrong move away from being found out – and sold out.

Private Investigator Harry Lind makes a living out of other people’s secrets. When he meets Jem, he can tell she’s hiding something big and he’s desperate to find out what. But his talents have already been enlisted by another: an aging mother hoping to discover the truth about her daughter’s disappearance fifty years earlier. There’s also the two kids from The Mansfield pestering him to find their missing dad. Could Jem be the key to cracking both cases?

And then there’s Philip, The Mansfield Estate’s newest resident. He’s lurking in the shadows, watching it all unfold. Or is he doing more than just watching?

Full of the same danger and grit as its London setting, this is author Roberta Kray at the top of her game. Get ready for a KILLER read . . .

SHE MUST FIND THE TRUTH BEFORE THE KILLER FINDS HER

Stealing from the rich is what Cara Kendall does for a living. She’s twenty-four, bold and fearless, convinced that she’ll never get caught. But everyone’s luck runs out eventually. When she breaks into a house in Hampstead, she gets more than she bargained for – a body in the study and the law on the doorstep.

As rumours start to circulate about her part in the killing, she finds herself under increasing pressure to give up what she hasn’t got and tell a truth she doesn’t know. With danger growing by the day, and a killer still on the loose, Cara can’t afford to lose any time. She has to find the answers before her enemies catch up with her. .

ON THE STREETS OF LONDON, DANGER LURKS EVERYWHERE . . .

Liv Anderson can take care of herself and she knows how to make money in a man’s world. The daughter of a convicted murderer, she’s made her way in one of the roughest parts of London by entrapping men and extorting them for money. But Liv is playing a dangerous game and soon finds herself in trouble with the city’s most notorious gangster . . .

To repay her debt, Liv is forced to pose as a secretary for a local property developer and report back on his movements. She has no idea what she’s looking for, but she’ll do anything to stay alive. And after the murder of a local prostitute and the disappearance of a friend, Liv is starting to think survival may be harder than she realised.

But Liv isn’t only concerned with repaying her debt – she also wants to know more about her father. As she desperately tries to uncover the truth about his past, her suspicious behaviour places her in grave danger. But when you’re working with gangsters, who can you trust?

After losing her mum in a tragic accident when she was young, Chrissy Moss had to find out the hard way how to survive on one of the East End’s most notorious estates. When a fifteen-year-old girl disappears, hours after delivering a message for local gangland lowlife Eddie, the residents take the law into their own hands, forcing old secrets to resurface.

OLD LOYALTIES RUN DEEP . . .

With rumours flying – not just about the girl’s disappearance, but about Laura Moss’s death years earlier – Chrissy begins to suspect what happened to her mother was no accident: it was murder. But people on the estate are too scared to talk, and to find answers Chrissy must unravel an age-old web of deceit that runs right into the heart of London’s East End.

AND YOU MUST FIGHT TO SURVIVE.

Chrissy’s search leads her to shady club owner Luther Byrne, rumoured to have once been one of London’s most notorious gangsters, and one of the last people to see her mother alive. But as Chrissy grows nearer to the truth, she unwittingly inches closer and closer to danger.

Could it be that Chrissy, like her mother, put her trust in the wrong person?

Lolly Bruce spent several years in the lap of luxury, but now she’s back in a world she knows: London’s East End. Her guardian Mal Fury is doing time, so Lolly is working on the wrong side of the law to get by. She’ll need to use all her street smarts to keep her safe in Kellston.

Then one day the Old Bill turn up on her doorstep. Mal is on the run, but why when he has only months left to serve? Lolly is convinced the only thing Mal would escape for is news about the daughter he lost nineteen years ago. She’s the only thing he has left to lose.

Private Investigator Nick Trent knows better than to get involved with the Furys, but his better judgement doesn’t count for much when it comes to Lolly. Before he knows it he’s agreed to help her track down Mal, and take on whatever the East End underworld throws at them…

STOLEN is the sequel to Roberta’s Kray’s SURVIVOR, but can also be read as a standalone.

Judith Jonson has been a widow for five years. At first, she hoped Dan would return, but her dream turned to a nightmare as the war ended, and she had to accept her beloved husband was never coming home.

Then one day she sees a picture in the paper – the aftermath of a dramatic robbery in London’s West End – and Judith can’t believe her eyes. It’s Dan, she’d stake her life on it, or rather his life, the traitor.

Betrayed and desperate for answers Judith begins a hunt for the man she thought she married. And in amongst the lowlifes of the East End’s gangland underworld she finds more than she bargained for.

But Judith had better be careful whose business she meddles in. The rule of law doesn’t apply in Kellston. She had been deceived, but she doesn’t want to end up dead…

Lolly has always known her mum was different. Sometimes Angela Bruce was ill in a quiet sort of way, but other times she roamed the Mansfield estate shouting about whatever had wormed its way into her head that day. Either way, Lolly was on her own so she learned how to look after herself pretty quickly.

Mal Fury has never got over the disappearance of his daughter all those years ago, but there’s still hope because the police never found Kay’s body. So when his private investigator turns up a lead that connects Kay to Lolly, Mal needs to find out more. But in doing so, he’s delving into a decades-old mystery that could throw Lolly’s entire world into chaos and she’ll need every ounce of her survival instinct if she’s to make it out the other side . . .

THE FIRST PART IN THE ADDICTIVE NEW 4-PART EBOOK-SERIAL FROM ROBERTA KRAY: NO ONE KNOWS CRIME LIKE KRAY

You think you know who I am. Five seconds is all it takes to sum me up and dismiss me. But a man needs company, and I want a woman who’s worth the effort. There’s no rush, though. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. As I’ve found to my cost, bodies are hard to get rid of.

Ava Gold is working the late shift as a cabbie when she picks up a passenger, a young woman named Holly, who’s worse for wear. Not knowing where to drop her off, Ava ends up letting Holly crash at her place – but she will regret this act of kindness come the morning. Because opening her home up in this way sets Ava on a dangerous path. It’s a path that leads to missing women, murder and the one man she’s been trying to stay away from: local nightclub owner, Chris Street. And it also brings her to the attention of another man, a man no one is watching but who’s been watching Ava for a very long time . . .

THE SECOND PART IN THE ADDICTIVE NEW 4-PART EBOOK-SERIAL FROM ROBERTA KRAY: NO ONE KNOWS CRIME LIKE KRAY

I’m more than aware that Ava Gold isn’t the perfect choice, but I can’t resist a challenge. I’m the sort of man who likes to throw a little danger into the mix. Now that the decision’s made, I feel at ease, almost peaceful. It won’t be long before my cage has an occupant, an exotic bird to keep me company. Let the game commence.

Ava Gold is beginning to wish she’d never tried to help Holly, but now that her coat has turned up covered in what could be Holly’s blood, Ava knows she can’t just walk away. Holly is missing and the police don’t know where to start looking for her, but Ava does. As Ava begins her own hunt for Holly, she’s unaware that another hunt is about to begin – one in which Ava is the hunted . . .

THE THIRD PART IN THE ADDICTIVE NEW 4-PART EBOOK-SERIAL FROM ROBERTA KRAY: RELEASED ON JULY 17TH SO PRE-ORDER NOW!

NO ONE KNOWS CRIME LIKE KRAY

I’m keeping an eye on Ava Gold just in case her routine changes. The attack will be swift and silent, a lesson in efficiency. If you’re going to do a job, you have to do it properly. It’s a satisfying feeling having everything in place. I know there’s always room for error, but careful planning goes a long way towards a successful outcome. The devil, as they say, is in the detail. 

Ava Gold is in trouble. Holly is still missing, there are now two dead bodies, and Chris Street is in the frame for at least one of those murders. Then there are the anonymous notes she keeps receiving, not to mention that Lee Bullen won’t leave her alone. She knows that she should tell the police what she knows about Holly, but there’s so much going on she doesn’t know what to deal with first. And that means she’s too distracted to notice that the most dangerous threat is getting closer and closer . . .

THE FINAL PART IN THE ADDICTIVE NEW 4-PART EBOOK-SERIAL FROM ROBERTA KRAY: RELEASED ON JULY 24TH SO PRE-ORDER NOW!

NO ONE KNOWS CRIME LIKE KRAY

I don’t mind a challenge, especially when the odds are stacked in my favour. My last guest was a snivelling wretch, always crying, always pleading, as if any of that nonsense was going to make a damn bit of difference. Ava Gold is going to make up for all the disappointments of my life, all the tedious days and tiresome nights. If she behaves, I’ll treat her well – I’m not in the business of making people suffer unnecessarily – but I won’t be disobeyed . . .

Ava wants to believe Chris is innocent of the crime he’s accused of but the more digging she does, the worse it looks for him. And there’s still the issue of Holly and what Ava’s been hiding from the police to sort out. Ava doesn’t think things can get any worse but she has no idea how wrong she is, because the man who’s been watching her has decided the time for watching is over. He’s ready to act .

Eden Chase is head over heels in love with her husband Tom. He’s the sort of man who doesn’t give much away but Eden doesn’t mind that – Tom is worth the effort. So when he’s accused of a years-old robbery and murder, Eden won’t believe it. No, not her Tom – he’s not capable of the things they’re saying he did.

With Tom in prison, it’s up to Eden to clear his name. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she uncovers about her husband’s past. Does she really know him, after all? As Eden goes deeper into the ugly underworld that holds the answers, the more danger she’s exposed to and she’s not sure she can save her husband in time. But is he even worth saving?

When Sadie Wise strikes up a seemingly innocent conversation with a stranger on a train, the only thing on her mind is finding her husband Eddie and making him sign their divorce papers. She tells Mona that Eddie has been avoiding her for years but now Sadie knows where he is, she can finally be free from him. In Sadie’s mind, it’s a throwaway moment. In Mona’s mind, Sadie is asking Mona to do something very dangerous for her.

That one chance encounter sets off a chain of events involving murder, deception and danger and Sadie soon realises that Mona has taken their meeting very seriously. Because now Mona is everywhere and she won’t leave Sadie alone until she’s fulfilled her side of their ‘deal’ . . .

The first part in this four-part ebook-serial from Roberta Kray – no one knows crime like Kray.

Harry Lind isn’t a huge fan of the honeytrap side of his detective business so when there are no male ‘honeytraps’ available for a client he takes a hell of a lot of convincing to step up. And then he runs into an old acquaintance when he’s on the job and things get a lot worse. Ellen Shaw is trouble with a capital T but why is she talking to Danny Street, one of the most notorious gangsters in the East End? Suddenly, Harry feels as though he’s about to get involved in a different kind of trap altogether . . .

Full of strong characters and authentic East End gangland action, The Honeytrap is an enthralling read from the author of No Mercy and Streetwise.

When Harry gets the call from Jess telling him that Sylvie is missing, he’s not too concerned. He’s certain Jess is overreacting. It’s more likely that Sylvie had to make a hasty exit than she’s been targeted by her honeytrap mark. And he has other things to worry about – like Danny Street and Ellen Shaw.
Still, better safe than sorry. But when he joins Jess at the bar, it soon becomes clear that something really is wrong. Sylvie is nowhere to be seen and Jess and Harry can’t get through to her. Is there something more sinister going on than a simple honeytrap gone wrong?

A woman has been murdered and Harry was one of the last people to see her alive. Sylvie is still missing and even though Harry’s in a bind with the police, he’s relieved that the body they’ve found isn’t his friend. But all these women keeping causing him nothing but trouble – Ellen, Sylvie, and now one of them has turned up dead. Not to mention that another one is out there somewhere, trying to buy a gun . . . But who’s the priority? Which one is in the most peril?

If Harry had known bumping into Ellen Shaw after all this time would end up like this, he would’ve turned around and walked away without a backward glance. She is a woman on the edge and he wants to help her, but he needs to get her to open up first. And that’s not the only thing he’s worried about. Jess is becoming increasingly concerned about Sylvie, especially now that it looks like she was involved with someone shady. Can Harry and Jess find her, and help Ellen, before it’s too late?

Maddie Layne’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister was murdered. The police never found Greta’s body so all Maddie was left with was unanswered questions – and her orphaned nephew, Zac, to look after. She works hard to make sure Zac has everything he needs; she even tends graves for some extra cash. Maddie isn’t looking for any trouble.

Lucy Rivers died decades ago under suspicious circumstances and the people responsible believe the entire affair is over. And then the mysterious Cato hires Maddie to tend to Lucy’s neglected grave. Maddie starts asking innocent questions, but when she learns that the deaths of her sister and Lucy are linked she knows she must dig deeper.

Lena Gissing, matriarch of one of the East End’s most vicious families, has a vested interest in making sure the truth stays buried. She’s not about to let a nobody like Maddie Layne get in the way . . .

Ava Gold’s employment options are rapidly shrinking and, not wanting to go back to driving minicabs, she lands herself a trial run as nightclub owner Chris Street’s personal driver.  Chris is one of the men about town in Kellston, east London, and has his doubts about employing a female driver, but Ava soon proves her worth and beyond.  Still, working for one of the notorious Streets, who have a past history of violence reaching back to the sixties, was never going to be easy.  Chris’s ex-wife is newly involved with his worst enemy, and his younger brother Danny is up to something that will pull Ava into a world of blackmail, murder, sex and greed…

The Quinns are one of the most feared criminal gangs in London’s East End. So the reaction of Joe Quinn to the news that his daughter, Lynsey, is involved with a policeman is predictable and swift, and a pregnant Lynsey finds herself out on the street, bruised and alone. At the age of eleven, Lynsey’s daughter Helen is returned to the clan. Hated by her grandfather, loved only by her uncle, she struggles to fit into a world she doesn’t understand. As warring factions battle for control of the East End, tragedy is about to strike again. How can Helen survive? And who can she trust when the Quinn family’s criminal past comes back to haunt her?

A wild gang of girls live for terrorising their Estate in London’s East End.  They bully the weakest of their group into breaking in to an empty home.  Two days later, her broken body is found in the house, and the loner who lives there is charged with her murder.  Nearly fifteen years later, Jess Vaughan senses something doesn’t add up about that afternoon.  Roping in detective Harry Lind, Jess starts stirring up all kinds of trouble, asking questions that someone will kill to leave unanswered.

Hope Randall leads a quiet life, but that peace is about to be shattered.  When a stranger turns up on her doorstep, bringing news of a half-sister she never knew she had, he’s going to change her world for ever.  Connie’s in deep trouble and the mysterious Flint needs Hope’s help in finding her.  Returning to London, Hope is forced to confront old demons – and new ones.  But when she enters the dark underworld of the East End, it’s not only the notoriously savage Street family she’ll have to worry about: there’s also a psychopath on the loose, attacking working girls.

Small-time villain Sean O’Donnell walked out on his family almost twenty years ago and hasn’t been heard of since.  Now his daughter, Iris, has returned to the East End to find out just what happened.  But it isn’t going to be easy.  Everyone close to her seems to be keeping secrets.

Jo Strong is the youngest widow in the East End.  Running her late husband’s jewellery shop, mercilessly bullied by her evil mother-in-law, she is trying to get her life back together again.  But then the fourteen year-old daughter of one off the East End’s most notorious gangsters is kidnapped, and Jo finds herself in a deadly race against time to rescue the girl.

Private investigator Harry Lind doesn’t believe in ghosts and so doesn’t think twice about the ramblings of a drunken old hack.  Little Grace Harper went missing over twenty years ago and missing girls can’t just reappear…or can they?  It takes a brutal murder to make him think again.

Eve, the 34-year-old daughter of recently deceased conman Alexander Weston, knows a good deal when she sees it – and this one doesn’t even come close.  However, with her vulnerable brother Terry being beaten up in jail, she can’t afford to be fussy.  She needs to organise protection for him.  The intimidating con, Martin Cavelli, seems the perfect solution, but how high a price is he going to exact?

An anonymous phone call was all it took to alert the police to a body at lap-dancing club The Palace.  Now, eighteen years later, Johnny Frank is coming out of jail with only one thing on his mind – to kill the man who put him there.  But first he’s going to make him suffer…