Tony Lambrianu Books in Order

The Tony Lambrianu series is the backbone of Gillian Godden’s fictional world, charting how one boy from a chaotic home becomes a feared London gangster, husband and father. It mixes coming of age crime story with long running family saga.

Dangerous Games opens with Annette Lambrianu, a bored young wife on her family’s vineyard who drags her small son Antonias to London in search of excitement. The streets are harsher than she imagines, and Antonias grows up fighting for survival, learning fast that money and reputation mean safety.

In Nasty Business, Antonias has become Tony, fronting a glamorous West End nightclub and handling protection for a chain of pubs. On paper he is a success story, but he is still driven by the insecurity of a boy who slept rough. He craves respect from figures like Ralph Gold and is willing to launder money, fight rivals and push his luck to get it.

Francesca brings a fresh perspective. The title character is a single mother who takes a job in a strip club to support her baby and ends up in debt to Tony, who sees in her the chance to polish his own image with a respectable wife. As their relationship deepens, she has to decide how far she will go to keep her son safe inside a world built on fear and loyalty.

By Dirty Dealings, Tony is the undisputed head of a far reaching gangland empire, but victory has made him vulnerable. Enemies are circling, his twin daughters Scarlet and Katie are impatient to build an empire of their own, and every decision could either secure the Lambrianu legacy or destroy it. The book pushes Tony to choose between ruthless self preservation and the family he claims to put first.

The more recent novel The Bad Boy shifts focus to the next generation. Adam Lambrianu has grown up rich, entitled and very aware of his father’s reputation. He wants to prove himself on his own terms, even if that means clashing with his capable sister Scarlet and with old allies like Julie Gold, who try to hold the line. It is a natural extension of the series’ long running question about whether anyone can really walk away from this life once blood and money are involved.

Across the Tony Lambrianu books you can expect brutal set pieces, smoky clubs, twisted loyalties and odd pockets of warmth. Foster mother Elle, Tony’s brother in arms Jake and a wide cast of pub landlords, dancers and enforcers build a sense of community that sits uneasily alongside violence. Readers who start with Dangerous Games and read in order will see characters grow older, more powerful and more trapped, which is part of the series’ pull.