A missing shipment of cocaine.
Three street-kids fighting for their lives.
A mafia hit-man intent on killing them.
A naive expat who gets in their way.
Who would you bet on?

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the author.

Don’t Get Involved tells of the struggle of life for the many street kids living rough on the streets of Kiev. Every day is a struggle to find shelter, warmth, food, safety; the children having to beg, scrounge and steal any little scraps they could to get by. Sometimes these children must submit themselves to unspeakable things to earn a bit of money – just enough for a few morsels of food and drink, not enough to break the vice-like grip the corrupt hold over them.

That is until one girl comes into the possession of a life-changing haul of illicit drugs. The money this could sell for is life changing, but the mafia are on the hunt for their lost haul. Nadia, a Scottish expat, her compassion drawing her to the children, like a moth to flame, does what she can to help them throughout her time in the city. Having fled an abusive relationship at home and having forged new friendships and relationships, finds herself drawn into a situation far bigger than herself. She marks herself out to the mafia hit-man and the corrupt military police as she seeks to dig the children out of a situation.

Don’t Get Involved is dark and gritty, providing an insight into the hidden aspects of society that most of us are fortunate enough to not ever have to experience. F.J. Curlew does a fantastic job of painting a picture of the city. From the perspective of outsiders it seems to be a place of wonder, new experiences to be found around each corner. From the side of the street children Kiev appears stark, inhospitable and corrupt to the core. 

The tales told on both sides of this book are tragic for different reasons. The story offers the slightest of glimmers of hope throughout for all involved, and while I was not too sure about the ending, overall I enjoyed this book for the dark, sorrow-filled atmosphere that permeated from the first to the last page.

My rating: