The New Friend by Alex Kane
Arabella MacQueen had a tough start to life. Growing up with an alcoholic mum, taken into care at the age of 8, getting into trouble as a teen, now she’s in her late-twenties and has turned her life around.
Until the night of madness that sees her imprisoned for 10 months.
Little does she know that prison would be the turning point of her life. Roxanne Barr quickly takes her under her wing, and the two women forge a friendship that lasts beyond the prison walls. Now Arabella is running her own hair salon and excited to see how her life of freedom looks, building a future with boyfriend Eddie and a friendship with Roxanne and her boyfriend, Jake.
But Arabella doesn’t know the truth about Roxanne: her reputation as the head of Glasgow gangland, not afraid to turn to violence to keep her status. She doesn’t know that her new best friend is keeping secrets from her - and that she has plans for Arabella that might lead her into some very dangerous places.
In this dirty game, Arabella is going to have to learn you can’t always trust those closest to you.
About the author
Alex Kane is a psychological thriller writer who lives in Glasgow. She is a huge fan of the genre, with her favourite authors in the genre being Lisa Hall, BA Paris and Sarah Stovell. If she is not writing, she can be found playing with her cat, reading, or drinking tea and/or gin (sometimes all of the above).
Follow her at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexkanewriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexkanewriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexKaneWriter
Review
I love fiction that is set in my.home city of Glasgow so I get very excited when I know there is a new Alex Kane book coming. The New Friend was slick, compelling, dark and twisted. I devoured it in one sitting whilst I was having a bed day and it really helped pull me through the pain. It's definitely a page-turner and held my attention all the way to the end.
Arabella has just been released from prison and her boyfriend picks her up in a fast car and then announces that he has bought her a hair salon! Lucky girl. Her cellmate was an older woman Roxanne, who kindly took her under her wing and is due to be released very soon. Arabella can't wait for her probably only true friend to be let out! However, Arabella doesn't know the truth behind the persona that Roxanne maintain - a hard as nails criminal who only thinks about what they can get! Will Arabella get sucked into her world???
I don't think I liked any of the characters, apart from the saloon manager! All the main characters sucked - but that is the sign of good writing. The individuals may be bad examples of the human race but it doesn't mean they aren't interesting! I enjoyed that the action flicked between Spain and Scotland as it helped pull all the plot points and characters together.
This is another example of Alex’s great stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Let me know if you pick it up!
