..., going off to my bedroom at various points during the day and even missing Coronation Street!! Yes, you've guessed it, I've been reading another gripping Martina Cole novel!
This one is called Broken and was published in 2000. It is a sequel to The Ladykiller (see my previous review on ... Read review
Leading an investigation into the neglect and abandonment of a number of young Grantley ... more
children throws DI Kate Burrows into contact with the most vile and repugnant of criminals. As a mother herself, Kate finds their crimes almost incomprehensible. An...
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Leading an investigation into the neglect and abandonment of a number of young Grantley ... more
children throws DI Kate Burrows into contact with the most vile and repugnant of criminals. As a mother herself, Kate finds their crimes almost incomprehensible. An...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: A great read, well written, easy to get into... Disadvantages: Only some minor quibbles...
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This one is called Broken and was published in 2000. It is a sequel to The Ladykiller (see my previous review on this!) and once again centres on the life of policewoman DI Kate Burrows and her boyfriend, Patrick Kelly. I enjoyed revisiting their lives and reading more about their family and friends that had featured in The Ladykiller.
Broken is again set in Grantley, but Kate has to face a different case this time - one which ... ...few hours with on a dull day - and, if you've already read The Ladykiller, you'll enjoy it even more.
BROKEN by Martina Cole
Published by Headline
ISBN 0-7472-5541-5
Cover price £6.99
www.madaboutbooks.com
www.martinacole.co.uk
... more
The past few days, I have been behaving rather strangely. Staying up until past 1 a.m., going off to my bedroom at various points during the day and even missing Coronation Street!! Yes, you've guessed it, I've been reading another gripping Martina Cole novel!
This one is called Broken and was published in 2000. It is a sequel to The Ladykiller (see my previous review on this!) and once again centres on the life of policewoman DI Kate Burrows and her boyfriend, Patrick Kelly. I enjoyed revisiting their lives and reading more about their family and friends that had featured in The Ladykiller.
Broken is again set in Grantley, but Kate has to face a different case this time - one which involves young children. First of all, it appears mothers from a certain estate - and with a reputation for being drug addicts and often unable to cope with life - are dumping their children.
Witnesses see them doing so, but the mums themselves deny it, stressing their love for their kids and seeming depressed and worried. When children begin to be found abandoned and murdered, things become even more confusing - and increasingly serious.
Kate and her team are eager to sort out these cases quickly and to prevent more little lives being stamped out. With the help from DI Jenny Bartlett and camp social worker Robert Bateman, they manage to dig deeper and begin to uncover a multi-layered web of deceit and abuse which includes paedophilia.
What's more, Kate's bosses appear to be protecting one of her main suspects and a former policeman seems to be implicated too. Can Kate keep her job, while still solving the many mysteries underlying this difficult case?
As if her professional life wasn't causing her enough worry, her personal life is just as complicated and depressing. Things become difficult in her relationship with Patrick Kelly, as it appears he hasn't been completely honest with her. It also seems he has made some very dangerous enemies, ones who want him dead - at any cost…
The novel is immediately engrossing, probably helped by the familiarity of the characters from the previous novel (although you don't need to have read The Ladykiller before reading this.). Within a few pages, I found myself back in a world I wanted to inhabit - from a safe distance! I wanted to read on and find out what was happening and it was great to catch up with some familiar names from before, including Kate's charming mother Evelyn and Patrick's loyal sidekick, Willy Gabney.
As with all Martina Cole's novels, the subject matter is not for the faint hearted. Expect prostitution, murder and plenty of swearing alongside the themes mentioned above. Mothers with young children might find some of the topics covered to be especially disturbing.
But for those who have not yet been put off by my review so far, you might wish to read Broken, as it is well written and a damn good story. All the characters are described beautifully and vividly, with each one jumping off the page and reappearing in your mind in glorious technicolour and 3D. (Robert Bateman was always played by the camp bloke in Coronation Street though, which was annoying, as I find him really irritating!!)
The novel is very fast-paced and I never found it becoming dull or wanting to skip pages. In fact, I read this 660-page paperback in just a few days, regularly devouring a hundred pages in one sitting! There are so many threads continuing, that you pick up clues as you go along, then need to keep reading, to find out if your hunch was right or not.
If you enjoy crime or thriller novels, I would definitely recommend this. Also if you enjoy novels by such authors as Kathy Reichs, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell and Tess Gerritsen, I am pretty sure you will like Martina Cole too. I have read almost all her novels now and have enjoyed all of them.
Of course, no book is perfect and I do have a few minor quibbles about Broken, which I should mention here, in my aim to write an honest and informative review. I did feel that in some ways, this ended up rather more perfectly than I wanted it to. Cole's books are notoriously good at providing surprising twists and huge shocks throughout, but I felt here that the last hundred pages or so were a bit of a cop-out and things ended up just a bit too nicey-nice.
But overall, I definitely recommend the novel - and in fact, all of Martina Cole's work. It's a great read, ideal for taking on holiday or spending a few hours with on a dull day - and, if you've already read The Ladykiller, you'll enjoy it even more.BROKEN by Martina Cole Published by Headline ISBN 0-7472-5541-5 Cover price £6.99
...Cole before but I found Broken to be one of the most compelling novels that I have ever read. Martina’s writing style is straightforward and easy to read without too many unnecessary flowery descriptions that can be boring to me. Right from the first page my interest was caught and I didn’t want to put the book down and had to force myself to stop reading when dawn was breaking and I needed to get some sleep before my next shift at work.
... ...me and was memorable.
Broken is the follow up to Martina Cole’s previous novel The Ladykiller, the story of how Patrick and Kate meet and fall in love. My only regret is that I didn’t read The Ladykiller first, Broken is a fantastic compelling read that I can highly recommend.
Broken is available on Amazon for £5.59 ...
shewhosmiles 28.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Broken - Martina Cole
Advantages: Thought provoking Disadvantages: Sensitive subject matter which some readers may find upsetting
...the review in hand.
Broken is the second of Martina Cole books involving DI Kate Burrows (The previous one being The Ladykiller, however, the latter does not have to be read to appreciate this offering).
A child has been found at the top of a multi storey derelict building, minutes before it was due to be demolished, saved only by the persistence of a young jogger who spotted him.
Meanwhile, another child is seen being thrown into the back of ... ...her partner Patrick Kelly?
Broken is a harrowing tale of what people will do in order to survive when they are at rock bottom and desperate. It certainly made me question my own morals, and, judgements that I make on people.
Cole writes in such a style where you find yourself truly engrossed in the characters within the book, some of whom do terrible things you or I would abhor. She makes you feel (if not quite empathy), some understanding as to ...
cacalala1971 07.05.2003 (08.05.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Broken - Martina Cole
Advantages: May raise awareness of life’s seedier subjects. Disadvantages: Poorly written. Sensationalist rubbish.
Having read much in praise of Martina Cole’s work, I felt it was time I sampled some of it. Yet, despite reading nothing but praise, I also felt reservations enough to err on the side of caution, so I duly paid a visit to the library and borrowed a copy of Broken! Now, for someone with my passion for books, the library can be a source of both delight and annoyance. Delight when I find a gem, then annoyance when I have to hand it back after the allotted ... ...to see and read a book before parting with too much money. I decided this was one of those occasions.
So! What’s it all about? Well, we open with a young child left on the flat roof of a building which is about to be demolished. Only the sharp vision and even sharper thinking of a passing jogger save his life. His drug addicted mother lives a seedy life in an even seedier council flat, with the boy and two daughters and whatever passing boyfriend ...
alma 19.08.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Broken - Martina Cole
Advantages: Overall good book Disadvantages: A few stale patches in the story
When it comes down to Martina Cole, I cannot wait for her next bestselling book to hit the shelves, or nowadays the internet, before I can get the chance to get my hands on what always promises to be a good book. The book that got me hooked on her writing was 'The Ladykiller' and due to the fact that I wasn't able to put the book down from start to finish, now means that I am one of her many loyal fans.
'Broken' is no exception, as soon as I saw ... ...or what!!) and waited in anticipation for the book to come through my door. When the book arrived, the book I had been reading by a rival author, was cast one side, so that I could start reading straight away.
The story's main characters are D.I Kate Burrows and her partner Patrick Kelly. Kate Burrows is enlisted to find out why local children are going missing and either turning up on top of buildings, which are about to be demolished, found chucked ...
tazzy232 07.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Broken - Martina Cole
Advantages: Realism of plot and characters Disadvantages: Makes waiting for the next Martina Cole novel harder
Martina Cole just gets better and better. D.I. Kate Burrows is in charge of an investigation into apparent child abandonment. By chance several young children have been found abandoned in a series of unlikely places. If they hadn't been found they would almost certainly have died. Kate knows she is working against the clock to solve the case - the next child might not be found in time.
Looking for support from her ex gangster lover Patrick - she ... ...is a suspect in a gangland killing which has taken place in a seedy Soho club she didn't know he still owned!!
Feeling betrayed she leaves him and niggling doubts set in regarding his innocence. Patrick has been a source of embarrassment to her before perhaps this is the time to call it a day.
Kate dedicates herself to finding out why the kids were abandoned and by whom. She can't let Patrick or anyone else get in her way. Time could be running ...
maggs1939 31.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Broken - Martina Cole
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Advantages: A gripping read from a popular author Disadvantages: Strong language and subject matter may offend some readers.
MartinaCole invariably dedicates her novels to family members and friends from her past, a very human touch in my opinion.
For further information about the author and her books, visit Headline and Martina's own website
www.headline.co.uk
www.martinacole.co.uk
Other novels by MartinaCole
Dangerous Lady (1992)
The Ladykiller (1993)
Goodnight Lady (1994)
The Jump (1995)
The Runaway (1997)
Two Women (1999)
Broken (2000)
Faceless (2001)
Maura's Game (2002)
The Know (2003)
The Graft (2004)
The Take (2005)
Close (2006)
Faces (2007)
The Business (2008)
Publishing info
Published by Headline fiction in 2004. Paperback contains 439 pages. ISBN0-7472-6970-X. Cover price £10.99. Available on Amazon.co.uk for £5.99 new or 1p used.
Conclusion
Another gripping crime thriller from MartinaCole. The storyline is enhanced by ...
Advantages: Compelling reading Disadvantages: Some similarities to other novels by the author, strong language may offend some.
she says is her way of putting something back into society.
For further information about the author and her books, visit Headline and Martina's own website
www.headline.co.uk
www.martinacole.co.uk
**Other novels by MartinaCole**
Dangerous Lady (1992)
The Ladykiller (1993)
Goodnight Lady (1994)
The Jump (1995)
The Runaway (1997)
Two Women (1999)
Broken (2000)
Faceless (2001)
Maura's Game (2002)
The Know (2003)
The Graft (2004)
The Take (2005)
Close (2006)
Faces (2007)
The Business (2008)
**The book details**
Published in 2008 by Headline Press. Jacket price £18.99.
Available from www.amazon.co.uk for £4 (used).
506 pages
ISBN 975-0-7553-2865-9
**My thoughts and conclusion**
The Business is a gutsy, gritty tale of a childhood spent against a backdrop of drugs, violence, prostitution and neglect ...
Advantages: Excellent read with lots of suspense Disadvantages: Sickening Violence
Tiffany shows hatred towards her and tells her to stay away.
The only good thing about Marie’s bleak homecoming is a surprise offer of a job in the office at a scrap yard. She takes it but soon starts to realise that there are dodgy goings on that could send her straight back to prison just by association.
The shit really hits the fan when Marie discovers that the father of her granddaughter is pimp Patrick Connor who is also the father of Marie’s son Jason. Patrick was instrumental in introducing Marie to drugs and prostitution and it soon becomes clear that he has deliberately done the same with her daughter.
That’s enough of the storyline of this hard to put down novel. As with Broken, the other book that I’ve read from this author it is well written and absorbed me from the start. MartinaCole again writes ...
