"Gangland fictionwith characters to die for – discover the Queen of Urban Crime, Heather Burnside.
When your enemies get close, family loyalty is all you can trust.
Brother and sister Peter and Adele Robinson never stood a chance. Dragged up by an alcoholic, violent father, and a weak, beaten mother, their childhood in Manchester only prepared them for a life of crime and struggle. But Adele is determined to break the mould. She studies hard at school and, inspired by her beloved grandmother Joyce, she finally makes a successful life for herself on her own.
Peter is not so lucky. Getting more and more immersed in the murky world of crime and gangs, his close bonds with Adele gradually loosen until they look set to break altogether.
But old habits die hard, and one devastating night, Adele is forced to confront her violent past. Dragged back into her worst nightmares, there's only one person she can turn to when her life is on the line – her brother Peter. After all, blood is thicker than water...
Don't miss all the books in the bestselling gritty Manchester-set trilogy.
#1 BORN BAD
#2 BLOOD TIES
#3 VENDETTA C 2017 Heather Burnside P 2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"Bloomsbury presents Blood Ties by Heather Burnside, read by Penelope Rawlins.
From the bestselling author of BORN BAD.
Adele Robinson is locked up – convicted for the murder of her abusive father. She quickly realises that she’ll have to play it tough if she's going to survive, and soon gains a reputation for standing her ground.
Meanwhile, her brother Peter is building his criminal empire on the outside – running protection rackets, seedy nightclubs and all manner of schemes to make a fast buck. He soon comes to the attention of not only the police but also Manchester's rival gangs, and a turf war breaks out.
And when things start to get bloody, only Adele can step in to protect the family business. Will she get out in time to save Peter? After all, blood is thicker than water, and when family's in trouble you can't look the other way. C 2018 Heather Burnside P 2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"Bloomsbury presents Vengeance by Heather Burnside, read by Nikki Patel.
WILL JUSTICE BE SERVED?
Hannah Conway overhears a lot while working behind the bar of a nightclub – friendly gossip, lovers quarrels, bad business deals – but nothing that usually involves anyone she cares about.
Until she hears Jez Reilly, a corrupt businessman who runs the club, talking about the street her grandma lives on. Jez wants to buy the land for a new luxury development, and most of the residents and businesses have already agreed to sell up. But for those who refuse, something sinister is in store.
When violence hits close to home, Hannah swears revenge, working with handsome nightclub regular Russ Coles to bring the mobsters down.
But these men don’t take kindly to people messing with what’s important to them – especially their money… P 2024 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC C 2024 Heather Burnside"
"Growing up in one of Manchester's roughest council estates Mark (Macca) McNeil's life seems already written for him until joining forces with rough boy Todd Brown to form a gang offers him a way out.
He is finally changing his life but then, there is Joanne… She is more than a fling and although they come from the same estate, but she is heading places. She loves his lavish gifts and the life he is promising her, but she doesn't want to see what Macca is capable of.
And when the gang leads him down an irreversible path, what will Macca choose, his past or his future?"
"A DEVASTATING ATTACK.
Beth is walking her dog in a secluded wooded area around Manchester, when she's viciously attacked. After fighting the man off, she gets away with her life, but is left with a horrifying secret.
A LOVER'S BETRAYAL.
As Beth moves on from her trauma with new husband Brady, she seems a happy, successful career girl. But he senses she is harbouring something dark... And when the truth is finally revealed, Brady blackmails Beth into bankruptcy.
A CHANCE TO FIGHT BACK.
When Beth meets wealthy crime boss Martin, he sets her up in business, dotes on her and gives her everything she wants. But Beth is plotting revenge on the man who tried to ruin her... Will her plan come together? Or, this time, will she lose everything for good?
Blackmail is the new standalone gangland thriller from Heather Burnside, author of the Working Girls series, that's perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Martina Cole and Emma Tallon."
"When Julie Quinley wakes up after a night out with friends to find herself accused of murder, it proves to be only the beginning of her worst nightmare.
Released by the police due to lack of evidence, Julie nevertheless faces the taunts and hostility of colleagues, as more and more people – including members of her own family – seem convinced she is a cold-hearted killer.
Just when it seems as if all hope has gone, and Julie's mental state reaches rock bottom, her friend Vinny announces a breakthrough; something he has witnessed that could prove Julie's innocence once and for all.
But the police remain unconvinced, and Julie and her friends find themselves having to take bigger and bigger risks to collect the evidence they need to nail the culprit. Will they be in time to save an innocent woman from being convicted of a crime says she didn't commit? Or will a ruthless killer get away with murder?
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Heather Burnside is a Manchester based author. Heather had articles featured in several popular UK magazines before publishing her first Manchester-based crime thriller, 'Slur'. She recently released the sequel, 'A Gangster's Grip', which focuses on the inter-gang rivalry of 90s Manchester. These form the first two books in the 'Riverhill Trilogy' with the third book scheduled for release in summer 2016."
"When Adele's brother, Peter, gets banged up for GBH, she reluctantly agrees to run his nightclub, The Golden Bell. Strong opposition from Peter's thuggish number two, Glynn, who isn't best pleased about answering to a woman, isn't the only challenge she faces.
The Manchester club scene of the 1990s is a dangerous place, at the mercy of illicit protection rackets and rampaging gangs, and, despite Adele's efforts to keep everything legal, the club is beginning to feel like a poisoned chalice. Meanwhile, Glynn is playing his own ruthless game, and when a savage gang attack has devastating consequences, Adele is ready to walk away.
But Peter has always stood by her, and she owes him big time. Besides, where else would an ex-con find work? And someone has to protect her brother's empire from his enemies. Right now, Adele knows she is the only one that Peter can trust, but the stakes may soon get too high...
This gritty gangster novel is perfect for fans of ´Peaky Blinders´.
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Heather Burnside spent her teenage years on one of the toughest estates in Manchester, and she draws heavily on this background as the setting for many of her novels. After taking a career break to raise two children, Heather enrolled on a creative writing course. Heather now works full-time on her novels from her home in Manchester, which she shares with her two grown-up children."
"Five years after the traumatic events witnessed by Rita and Yansis in Manchester, the couple finally agree to return with their young son, Daniel, to attend her brother John's wedding to the beautiful Paula.
But memories are long on the Riverhill Estate, and when Daniel goes missing, Rita realises she has many enemies with a motive for taking her child. Once more she faces a race against the clock to unmask the perpetrators, but this time she has help in the shape of her Special Task Force brother, John.
John has his own – very personal – reasons for being so deeply affected by Daniel's disappearance; a scene he witnessed in the war in Iraq means he is prepared to risk everything he holds dear, including his reputation, to track down his sister's son.
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Heather Burnside grew up in Gorton, a working-class area of Manchester famed as the original location for the TV series, Shameless. She moved from Gorton to a new housing development and spent her teenage years on one of the toughest estates in Manchester. Heather now works full-time on her novels from her home in Manchester which she shares with her two grown-up children."
"It's 1991, and Rita is looking forward to her return to Manchester after a few years in Greece with her husband Yansis. But once back she finds a cuckoo in the family nest – a dope-smoking 'businessman' called Leroy. Worse, he is her sister Jenny's boyfriend, and father of her unborn child.
Rita and Yansis retreat to stay with friends Julie and Vinny, now living in a comfortable suburb of the city. But Rita is anxious to find out just what hold Leroy has over her family, and she'll stop at nothing to find out. The more she learns about Leroy, the more she realises her family are playing a very risky game.
Rita's quest is pitting her against some of the most ruthless
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Heather Burnside is a Manchester based author who formerly worked in credit control and is a qualified Member of the Institute of Credit Management. After taking a career break to raise a family, she swapped credit control for writing and decided to study for a writing diploma.
Heather had articles featured in several popular UK magazines before publishing her first Manchester based crime thriller, 'Slur'. She recently released the sequel, 'A Gangster's Grip', which focuses on the inter-gang rivalry of 90s Manchester. These form the first two books in the 'Riverhill Trilogy' with the third book scheduled for release in summer 2016."
"I know who you are...
Laura Sharples has worked hard for every penny she's earned, and is now a successful businesswoman who runs a handful of designer fashion boutiques. But it wasn't so long ago that she called herself Crystal and worked the streets of Manchester. Though she's put her past firmly behind her, she's never forgotten what it took to beat her addictions and raise her daughter, Candice, to expect better.
I know what you did...
Candice is proud of how her mum turned her life around, but when her boutiques are targeted in a series of attacks, the stress takes its toll on Laura. Candice fears her mum may be falling back into her old habits in order to cope, and it's driving a wedge between them. Luckily, her boyfriend Thomas is on hand to support her, and her troubles don't seem to have put him off.
I'm coming to get you...
As the attacks escalate, the police have no leads and it's making Laura paranoid. It's clear there's someone else out there who hasn't forgotten who she used to be.
Someone who knows what she did...
Someone who won't stop until she loses absolutely everything..."
"Heather Burnside is back with this completely unputdownable, heart-racing series, perfect for all fans of Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole.
Sophie and Kelsey have always had each other. When their mum is diagnosed with cancer and their dad fails to step up, they're forced to move into the care system. But Sophie knows they'll be okay as long as she's there to protect her sister. But when Kelsey is found a foster family and Sophie can't join her, Sophie's left in an unsafe situation in the home, forced to do things against her will. Finding her own foster family feels like a relief, but it's short lived when her trust in her new foster parents is betrayed. With nowhere to turn, Sophie finds herself homeless. But when she finds her new street family, Sophie joins the working girls and her new identity as Sapphire is complete."
"Heather Burnside is back with this breath-taking, heart-racing series, perfect for all fans of Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole.
With a mother unfit for purpose and a brother who despises her, working girl Amber can rely on no one but herself – until the meanest pimp in Manchester, Kev Pike, offers her his protection. Unfortunately, this attracts the fury of Cora, a prostitute no one wants to get on the wrong side of...When Cora is found strangled to death, the late-night city streets feel increasingly exposed with a killer on the loose. And as Amber grows closer to Kev, she realises his security comes at a price she might not be willing to pay...Amber is frozen in fear, knowing one wrong move will risk her life. But then she discovers a horrifying secret that forces her to choose: stay or run?"
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