The Ladykiller Martina Cole
I absolutely love a good thriller, a book that I can't put down, a real page turner and The Ladykiller did not disappoint. This book is not for the fainthearted, it follows George a cruel and devious man, a serial killer who kills and then rapes random women. The best thing about this book is that the story is told from the perspective of everyone involved, George, Elaine his wife, the detectives investigating the cases,the victims and their families. It goes into George's history and childhood and gives us a real feel for what his life has been like.
A riveting read, once finished I immediately set about reading the other Martina Cole book in my possession....
The Business..Martina Cole
After reading The Ladykiller I was expecting a fast paced thriller, unfortunately this book is a slow burner right until the end. Right the way through I was waiting for the storyline to pick up. In reality I felt this book was without a main plot, there was no real reason to continue reading to find out the fate of the characters.
It follows the lives of three generations of a gangster family. Imelda the daughter of a crime boss becomes pregnant outside of marriage and all hell breaks loose, it results in the murder of her father and the father of her unborn child. The book then tells the tale of her life, her mothers life and the lives of her children. As with the Ladykiller the story is told through the voices off all the main protagonists. Themes such as drug abuse, prostitution, abuse, violence and neglect weave through this book.
This book was a disappointment for me, but if you enjoy reading about the lives of gangsters and their families this may be the book for you!
If you would like more information about Martina Cole and her books her website is here
Oooh the Ladykiller sounds like a good read, my mum read one of Martina Coles books on holiday last year and said it was brilliant but up until now I completely forgot to check it out. Shame about the second one, nothing worse than picking up a book expecting it to be great and it turns out to be crap lol xx
ReplyDeleteThe Ladykiller is not a great book, but will keep you entertained, although there is very little detective work involved. The plot is too closely linked to the real-life case of Colin Pichfork who was the first murderer ever to be captured by DNA.
ReplyDeleteI this fictional account the Murderer, George Markham, should have been cought within days. The police had his DNA and knew that he drove a dark colured Ford Orion and probably lived in Grantley where the crimes took place. Yet we have to endue over 600 pages of Kate Burrows relationship with a local villain which generally has nothing to do with solving the crimes.