I feel annoyed that I wasted my time and money on this apology for crime fiction. Oh the temptation of the station bookshop with a long train journey ahead. When the bodies of missing schoolgirls start turning up, former DCI Kate Burrows is dragged out of retirement. In 2011, Cole also surpassed the 50 million pounds mark in sales of her books. She was the first British female novelist writing for an adult audience to hit this milestone since the records began. 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.

For Michael, loyalty — and crime — pay. Michael Flynn rises to heights beyond anything the criminal underworld has seen. He owns everyone and he rules his empire with an even but fierce hand. I am in agreement with some other reviewers on here. How anyone can read this book and give it 5 stars is beyond me. I like a good thriller/crime story and this is none of the above.Martina Cole was the author that really got me into UK gangland fiction so it is always nice when she releases a new book. I have read many gangland books inc all of the authors previous but got to say this for me was probably the grittiest, hard hitting and genuinely brutal one yet Mari Evans, managing director of Headline, said: "Our thoughts and love are with Martina, it’s important she takes this time to rest and recover her strength. Her loyal readers wouldn’t ask for anything else."

Joseph/Bella and Christina – I am not going to say too much about these except I found Joseph to be a bit weak in his inability to be a man and make a choice. Bella is one crazy b*tch! Loved how that storyline panned out! 😱 and poor Christine – right place, wrong time in life….that is all I am going to say about that! Martina Cole’s debut is a great place to begin reading her books. It documents the exploits of a seventeen-year-old girl, Maura Ryan, taking on the men of the criminal underworld alongside her brother Michael, leaving a trail of notoriety behind them. Cole returned to the characters from her first novel a decade later with another installment following the brutal and ruthless character of Maura Ryan. Got to mention on a lighter note the Mother from hell,Phyllis,is a classic written character, I couldn’t stand her ( the love to hate was strong ) and as for Judy, well you will be shouting at the book about her….

Not sure what anyone else has been reading, but there was no suspense, no drama, and anyone should be able to work out who the perpetrator is by about half way through the book. There are trigger points that deal with chid abuse, sexual and physical, rape, violence towards women, drug taking and if you flinch at the C word be prepared to flinch a lot At Holly Brookes Children’s Home, the two girls unite in the face of horrific abuse and form an unbreakable bond of loyalty.

If you like Martina Cole and have been waiting for this book you will love it but take a breath every once in a while as it is hard going in places with the realism Finally, Martina Cole has also published a digital compendium about her life, passions, and her journey to becoming an author. This was an exclusive ebook containing the first chapters from her books and non-fiction components. However, it is unfortunately no longer available.Dara Tailor has had to grow up fast. With a mother addicted to cocaine, Dara must look after her seven younger siblings, until social services split them up for ever. It is a very dark book and, as well as dealing with gangland crime, there is a lot involving abuse in a children's home, living with cancer, etc, so it can be a difficult read at times and may cause triggers at times. Everyone will probably take different things from the book but it had me crying at the end.

Most of her books take place in London and Essex, which is an area she is quite familiar with from her upbringing. As well, many of her books are standalones, following new characters amid similar themes of family, loyalty, betrayal, and murder. Cole does not shy away from violence and brutality in her writing, painting a grim picture with an inexplicable pull through her storytelling. Who is Martina Cole? This release is a real heavyweight. I was worried that I would notice the changes in writing from Martina and Jacqui but for me it was seamless. You know what you are going to get with a Martina Cole book and this book, although a little different, and darker, did not disappoint. I would recommend it to any crime fiction/urban crime fans as a book to read.At Holly Brookes Children's Home, the two girls unite in the face of horrific abuse and form an unbreakable bond of loyalty. The Jump was made into a four-part mini-series in 1998. It stars Adrian Dunbar, Jonathan Cake, Susan Vidler, and John Light. This brings me on to my final point. The misogyny. This book is rife with it. Women in this book are only written as respectable on the condition that they do not wear makeup, are not sexually active beyond a rigid set of perimeters, and definitely do not have a facebook account. The vast majority of young women in this book are slated as disgusting wrongdoers who have made a huge mistake that will tarnish their name for the rest of their lives if, god forbid, they have consensual sexual involvement with a boy of the same age. The protagonist is disgusted with these girls' application of makeup as if these two are even correlated? It makes no sense what is inferred from these and related aspects in the girls lives, the views (along with the language) were archaic and did not fit; useless in the present day and the present book.