Foes from Maura’s past life come back to haunt her when they murder Terry and soon Maura finds herself back in the crime business with the Ryan family especially her brothers. then there's Maura's nephew, Benny, the image of his Uncle Michael, but so similar in character to his Uncle Garry. I am reviewing the gangster thriller Maura's Game by Martina Cole which is a very good novel which I bought from a car boot sale. Eerste deel staat hier tussen aanhalingstekens omdat Martina Cole in eerste instantie niet van plan was om een vervolg te schrijven.

I haven’t read the first book but in this book, we meet Maura at a stage in her life where she has left behind her past in crime and has settled down with her boyfriend Terry. This was a very violent and profance book that's not for every reader, but I found it felt very true to life. Maura's Game is an explosive novel of East End violence and corruption from one of the most original voices in fiction today.They put this down in quite ruthless fashion even killing the adult children of people quite dear to them. Martina Cole's unique blend of emotional drama and shocking realism combine in this electrifying new bestseller.

Benny is an uncertified nutcase, who enjoys inflicting pain and death on those he perceives to be his enemies. I think every woman reading about Maura Ryan would like to think they have a little of her inside them. This was as always full of gritty and informative characters that kept me wanting to read more and could not put down. But then I remember who she is and the bigger picture and I can’t like her but I can certainly see her good qualities. Four of her novels have made it on the screen, with more in production, and three have been adapted as stage plays.I've read many books by Martina Cole and despite falling in love with Cole's writing style, I soon realised that all of her books share a similar story and are all of the same genre. Even though they are gangsters, I expected them to be likable for some of their personal traits or deeds. It could've been a whole lot shorter, though, and there are hundreds and thousands of cliches in Cole's prose and characters' dialogue. The Ryans are one hell of a family and in this Maura has her hands full keeping her brother and Mother under control!

I read a lot of 1 star reviews criticising Martina for the language she uses (or rather her characters, or because she uses too much violence etc) but isn't that why most people read these books? I thought about giving this book 5 stars but then I figured if a book is a 5 star read (in the opinion of the reader) then it doesn't require thinking about and so I give this book 4. But enemies from her past are closing in and they're about to learn that they should never cross Maura Ryan.The thing with Martina Cole is, you know what your getting - gangsters, violence, swearing, predictable characters. I love Martina and am so happy I was introduced to these books about 10 years ago and now I don't have time to sit a read cause of my kids! I'm saying it again, Maura Ryan is a woman you need ❤️The characters will make you believe they are who they are and you travel along with them through all threatenings and killings on the streets of developing East End London. But then again that's what editors are for and I guess nobody messes with a Martina Cole manuscript, she's fabulous and I'm a huge fan. Read Martina Cole’s iconic first novel, Dangerous Lady – the novel that crowned her the Queen of Crime – and its gripping sequel, Maura’s Game.