D.I. Kate Burrows is a woman with problems. Mothers are murdering their children, and her boyfriend — a local villain — has been shot by the Russian mafia. If that isn’t enough, her boss is inept and, at worst, a crook. In December 2011, readers using madaboutbooks.co.uk voted their favourite Martina Cole book. The Take won by 780 votes and was put at the top of the list of Martina Cole novels. Goodnight Lady came second, followed in third by Maura's Game. This is proving to be a tough case for Kate, Children are going missing, It seems their mothers are seen trying to get rid of them. The actual reveal is comical beyond belief and it simply felt as though Martina had run out of any ideas on how to actually finish the book.

Aiden O'Hara is the oldest, loves his mum but knows she attracts the wrong sort of guys so he has to watch over his family. The characterisation was as good as ever with the feisty, mouthy ex good time girl Reeva mother of the O'Hara family who likes a drink but has a heart of gold and would do anything for her children.Ultimately you believe the story is about that fierce loyalty of family but sometimes pride and jealously can be the strongest emotion. All Reeva's children work for “the firm” - it is impossible, under Aiden's rule, for any of them to work honestly. The one exception is the youngest, Agnes. She is a good girl, beautiful and bright. She is devoted to her Catholic faith, and attends Mass twice daily. When Aiden finally marries and has a son, she devotes herself to looking after him, and seems not to want a life of her own. The cover of this book describes it as a cross between Eastenders and the Sopranos. It kind of is like a 10-hour long episode of Eastenders, just darker and more violent without some comedy gingers for light relief. It's true that the novel is a little too long in places but with tgid spanning three decades and the inclusion of additional references from Thatcher's government to New Labour under Gordon Brown it really helps highlight the passage of time.

The best way to describe it is this story felt very cookie-cutted. The story, the characters, the situations, they were all cookie-cutted. All very tried and tested. While I don't think that this is a bad thing in some books and series, it felt out of place here. And for an author like Martina Cole to use this formula is off. In March 2011 The Runaway, was shown on Sky1 and Sky1 HD. It is based on Cole's 1997 novel of the same name. [8] Three of Cole's novels have been adapted for the stage by the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London: Two Women in 2010; The Graft in 2011, and Cole's first novel, Dangerous Lady in 2012. [11] Other interests [ edit ] Cole regularly holds creative writing classes in UK prisons. [15] She is a patron of the single-parent charity Gingerbread, and also a patron of Women's Aid. [1] Broken is the second book to feature Di Kate Burrows. I first read this book Eleventy billion years ago. Or maybe around 17 years ago when it first come out.

More in Books

Mám rada príbehy z mafiánskeho prostredia. Ten svet ma niečím fascinuje. A Martina Cole mi jeden taký priniesla, i keď nebolo to celkom to, čo som očakávala. Príbeh bol totiž viac zameraný na rodinné vzťahy ako tie mafiánske, našťastie v ňom ale nechýbali rôzne mafiánske praktiky.

Martina Cole: Woke up this morning, launched my own record label". The Independent. 22 October 2011 . Retrieved 5 November 2015. BETRAYAL is the second book of Martina’s I have read (I read THE TAKE early last year) and I cannot wait to devour more of her titles. There’s something about the raw, grittiness of the worlds she creates that pulls you in and pops you right in the middle of it. Although I can appreciate the true nature of the plot and darker side of gang life I didn’t like the writing style. I found Coles writing extremely repetitive and predictable.

It's been years since I last read a Martian Cole novel and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this dark gritty readable gangster thrillers. That said, I did actually like the plot and this book would have probably gotten a higher rating if written by a better writer; someone who can develop characters better and leave out an obscene amount of sexist bullshit. a b c Ross, Deborah (3 November 2011). "Martina Cole: 'I know I don't write literature' ". The Independent . Retrieved 5 November 2015.