The Accused by Owen Mullen

Gritty, fast moving gangster thriller

My rating: 4 out of 5 (or 5*s for fans of hard hitting, realistic gangster thrillers)

Dennis Boyd has just got out of prison and finds himself in trouble almost immediately. Sean Rafferty’s wife needs to escape the fear that goes with living with her husband. Can Private Investigator Charlie Cameron help these two scared people?

Dennis Boyd is desperate for help. He has just got out of jail for a murder he says he didn’t commit, and immediately finds himself at the scene of a new crime, and being hunted by the police. Can Charlie find out what happened 15 years ago, and what is going on now?

Kim Rafferty needs to get herself and her daughter away from her gangster husband, but everybody knows it is madness to go against Sean Rafferty.

Two dangerous assignment offers for Charlie Cameron – will he learn to say “no” and just get on with the everyday humdrum cases of a Private Investigator, or will he be drawn in and provide us readers with excitement, twists and turns?

There is no doubt this thriller feels true to life and gets the reader fully involved due to the strong and convincing characters. Sean Rafferty, his gangster dealings and his’s wife’s position provide a dramatic story and Dennis Boyd provides another. So two fast moving action crime stories within one. Owen Mullen is such a skilled writer that the two threads run seamlessly alongside each other, with characters easily recognisable and the storylines easy to follow.

This is definitely a 5* read for those who like gritty and convincing crime/gangster thrillers, however I found the themes and action disturbing and too troubling to make it an enjoyable read for me.

This is the 4th book in the Charlie Cameron series, though all can be read as stand alone, I have read them all (indeed I have read all of Owen Mullen’s thrillers to date) and find The Accused to be the grittiest so far.