... The Ladykiller was the eighth book of hers that I have read and as I had enjoyed the others immensely, it seemed a safe bet that this one would also meet my high expectations.
But did it? Read on…
Not long after beginning the novel, I was warned it was Cole's most graphic book and this ... Read review
Advantages: A great read, unputdownable!! Disadvantages: Difficult subject matter!
...literary entertainment - Martina Cole. The Ladykiller was the eighth book of hers that I have read and as I had enjoyed the others immensely, it seemed a safe bet that this one would also meet my high expectations.
But did it? Read on…
Not long after beginning the novel, I was warned it was Cole's most graphic book and this needs to be stated clearly. Cole's books are never for the faint-hearted, but The Ladykiller makes ... ...culture, this one also explores the mind and actions of a depraved and sick man. You have been warned.
It is no surprise that there is a strong woman in this book, as Cole is known for this and it is one of the things that attracts me to her writing. The Ladykiller introduces us to a 40-year-old policewoman called DI Kate Burrows. She lives with her teenage daughter, Lizzy and her mother, Evelyn. Kate faces sexism at work, but prides ... more
Having finished reading two good biographies, I wanted to find a good fiction novel to get into. I picked up several and tried a few pages, but couldn't really get into them. So I turned to a reliable source of literary entertainment - Martina Cole. The Ladykiller was the eighth book of hers that I have read and as I had enjoyed the others immensely, it seemed a safe bet that this one would also meet my high expectations.
But did it? Read on…
Not long after beginning the novel, I was warned it was Cole's most graphic book and this needs to be stated clearly. Cole's books are never for the faint-hearted, but The Ladykiller makes her other novels seem like Enid Blyton. While regular readers will expect swearing, violence and gangster culture, this one also explores the mind and actions of a depraved and sick man. You have been warned.
It is no surprise that there is a strong woman in this book, as Cole is known for this and it is one of the things that attracts me to her writing. The Ladykiller introduces us to a 40-year-old policewoman called DI Kate Burrows. She lives with her teenage daughter, Lizzy and her mother, Evelyn. Kate faces sexism at work, but prides herself on her competence and demands respect from her male colleagues.
She is a very hard worker, but at a price. She has no real social life, has had no relationships since her break up with Lizzy's father and she feels guilty about not having spent much time at home being a mum. But Evelyn has been great and it seems that Lizzy has turned out a lovely teenager. But are things how they seem?
Kate's work life soon becomes focused on one particularly nasty case - a serial rapist and murderer, who savagely attacks women, using and abusing them before, during and after death. He is soon dubbed The Grantley Ripper and a vast amount of time, energy and resources are directed towards this aim.
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Meanwhile, George and Elaine Markham live a simple, if not entirely happy, life together. They both go out to work and live in a nice house. George is irritatingly meek and mild, so quiet as to be almost unknown at work and completely subservient to his wife at home. He would never hurt a fly, would he?
He has few interests of his own, but does enjoy spending time in the shed with his gardening magazines. But behind the locked shed door are clues to his state of mind. Underneath the gardening magazines are other forms of reading material. Not just your average girlie mags either. Oh no, these are full of pictures of bondage and sadism.
But even so, he's not hurting anyone, is he?
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Patrick Kelly is a local 'face'. A rich businessman who has made his fortune from repossessions, brothels and several shady deals, everyone knows he lives off the profits of crime, but somehow he always manages to stay on the right side of the law, when anyone important is watching. But then, as he has several very influential figures on his side, is it surprising?
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Patrick Kelly and DI Kate Burrows are destined to meet and to have their lives intertwined. But surely a relationship would be impossible? One a respected figure of authority on the right side of the law; the other firmly planted on the opposing side. But they do say opposites attract…
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It only took a few pages before I was really into the novel. It was compelling and soon became almost impossible to put down, until I was staying up much later than usual and reading over a hundred pages at one sitting. Martina Cole has a gift for making the reader feel drawn to the story and need to know what happens next.
I felt Kate was an excellent character - one to respect and admire, but not without her faults. You soon come to feel you know her and are on her side throughout. I am sure that any working mothers will also understand her guilty feelings at trying to combine her career with her duties as a parent. This side of her was very well described. Personally, I could empathise more with her relationship with her ex and how she tried to keep her daughter happy on that score.
I also liked her mother, Evelyn very much and felt she was also very realistic. Lizzy wasn't quite so well drawn in my opinion. I felt she was harder to picture than some of the other characters and that she appeared more like a light pencil sketch than the full colour detailed painting of Kate.
Another of Cole's traits in her writing is describing the criminal underworld. From tarts with hearts to gun-toting bully boys, each cameo role is stretched well, so we come to form opinions about them and therefore desire a specific outcome for each one.
Many of Martina's male fictional characters are not likeable. They are often violent and aggressive or weak and laughable. But in The Ladykiller, we have Willy (Patrick's friend and 'number two') and Kenneth Caitlin, who works on the murder case with Kate. Both provide some light relief from the general ever-present tension and are warm and engaging.
George Markham must be one of the most despicable and disgusting fictional characters ever. What he does in the story is sickening - but it is believable, because it follows a kind of frighteningly logical progression. At the same time as we see him sinking down to these depths in the present (The novel is set around 1990), we also see flashbacks to his childhood, where his domineering and sadistic mother introduced him to abuse at an early age. This gives credence to how he develops and provides a plausible reason - but not an excuse - for the crimes he commits as an adult.
I am trying to avoid spoilers and don't want to give too much away, but I feel a warning needs to be put in at this point. This novel contains graphic scenes of battery, rape, buggery, necrophilia, bondage, sadism and child abuse. It is NOT a comfortable book to read.
My one real complaint about the novel isn't the level of violence, which - although shocking - did not seem out of context (and if you feel upset by it, you can just remind yourself it's FICTION!). No, the part of the book that annoyed me was Kate's change in character through her romance. While completely believable throughout most of the 600+ pages, the last few chapters seem to destroy all her strong common sense and natural distrust and turn her into a quivering wreck, whenever her lover was around. So that was slightly annoying.
Their relationship also provides a few scenes in the novel which are rather arousing. This is a sex between two consenting adults and isn't the slightest bit unconventional, but it does seem strange to find a rather pleasantly sexy scene in the midst of all the depravity in the rest of it, with enough perverted sex to make Casanova become celibate.
So overall, I would recommend this novel, as it was a really good read and an exciting thriller. But I can only recommend it with some reservations, as the subjects covered are often ones people may prefer NOT to read about. For Martina Cole fans, this is a must read, but for those who have yet to try one of her novels, I would suggest starting with a different book. (Goodnight Lady was the first one of hers that I read.)
THE LADYKILLER by Martina Cole www.madaboutbooks.com Cover price £6.99 Published by Headline
Advantages: Another gripping read, excellent character development Disadvantages: Not particularly original, occasional cliches
To the outside world, George Markham seems like a normal man. In his early 50s, henpecked by his wife, facing redundancy at work and a bit of a loner with few friends, he probably seems a bit of a misfit, but he’s harmless enough. Even his domineering wife, Elaine, thinks he’s harmless, and that’s why she sees no harm in making a new social life for herself – which doesn’t include George.
But while Elaine is out enjoying himself, George is indulging ... ...sexually motivated murders.
Dubbed the Grantley Ripper, George keeps his secret life to himself, and we as the reader are the only ones in on it. Despite an incident 20 years ago that is no longer talked about, even Eileen does not contemplate that her husband could be the violent criminal that everyone is talking about. But George is a wanted man. On his case is DI Kate Burrows, a surprisingly well-respected female detective, who is working to ...
Pumpkin 05.04.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ladykiller - Martina Cole
Advantages: Gritty realistic storyline with believable characters Disadvantages: Couldn't put it down...
George Markham, to the outside world is an unassuming sort of person. At first glance he seems like just another ordinary guy; he’s quiet, has a good job, a nice car and lives with his wife in suburbia. Look a little deeper and you’ll find a man who’s more than a bit hen-pecked and nagged by his wife and thought of by his work colleagues as a bit of a loser, even a bit ‘sad’. He has no real friends; he doesn’t seem to ‘belong’. Some would even go ... ...deceptive. Very deceptive indeed in the case of this particular gentleman. He likes domination and bondage magazines, hardly surprising given his wife’s nature and not exactly perverse; but that is the very least of his hidden traits. George Markham is a misogynist and seemingly no woman is safe from his twisted way of thinking. He has a ‘secret smile’, the one that if you knew what it meant would have you running… You see he also hides a secret ...
rachels_ratty 07.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ladykiller - Martina Cole
Advantages: Good read, great detail Disadvantages: Sometimes repeatative
...with this best seller.
The story starts with a guy called George Markham, and describes his normal living life with his wife, and perfect job. As a reader you get the impression that George is an everyday middle-aged man, but soon come to realise that he has many sexual fantasies involving women, and killing them.
The inspector involved in the case is called Kate Burrows who falls in love with one of George Markham’s victims father, Patrick Kelly, ... ...in a coffin.
As the book goes on, you read of many disturbing murders carried out by George involving young teenage girls, followed by many sex acts. Martina Cole gives the reader a good aspect of what it is like to be inside a maniac’s brain. The best thing I liked about the book, was that to everyone else surrounding George, he was just an average guy. You could call him a “slippers and pipe”, kind of man who wouldn’t hurt a fly.
As I have said ...
KatieMarsh 13.01.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ladykiller - Martina Cole
Advantages: Brilliant suspence read Disadvantages: Hard to put down
I bought The Lady Killer by Martina Cole as i had just finished reading one of her other books that i had got from a carboot sale Two Woman, i enjoyed it so much i just had to get another of her books and i wasn't disappointed.
It had me up again all night reading just another chapter then another as i couldn't put it down.
DI Burrows is an unmarried mum or a teenage daughter, she is hard working and good at her job but finds this hard to prove ... ...disturbing sight is found in the small town of Grantley, a young woman has been brutally murdered and raped, there are no clues. George Markman seems a normal middle aged man, he is married, has a good job and keeps himself to himself. George's wife seems to nag this poor man constantly so he keeps out of her way and spends his time down in the garden shed, pottering with his plants.
In Grantley another body is found, again a young woman bound, ...
quizzeyq 09.01.2003 (22.01.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Ladykiller - Martina Cole
...but this is by far the best one I've ever read! I've read it 3 times now, and I could quite happily read it again! The story is based around the Grantley Ripper, a sadistic, sexual murderer, otherwise known as George Markham. He commits these heinous crimes, all the while trying to maintain his normal, meek existence with his wife Elaine. The other main characters here are Kate Burrows, the detective leading the hunt for the Grantley Ripper, and ... ...for clues to stop him, and Patrick Kelly continues to try to avenge his beautiful daughter's death. Every chapter is easily better and more thrilling than the last, and every time you think you can second guess what's going to happen next, you're proved wrong. Definately worth reading this book! ...
angelik 16.12.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Ladykiller - 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: A great read, well written, easy to get into... Disadvantages: Only some minor quibbles...
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 MartinaCole 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 ...
Product Information for "The Ladykiller - Martina Cole" »
Product details
Author
Martina Cole
Title
The Ladykiller
Genre
Thriller
Type
Fiction
ISBN
0747207682; 074724085X; 0753172623
Manufacturer's product description
Patrick Kelly is a hard man, his one soft spot is his daughter, Mandy. When she falls victim to a sadistic rapist Kelly wants revenge, with or without police help. The DI in charge of the case is Kate Burrows who feels for Kelly being a parent herself, but her growing involvement with him, a known villain is putting her career at risk. See all Product Description
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