I loved Cole's earlier books, particularly Burrows and the whole taboo of a copper hooking up with a criminal. Now Burrows is out of the police business and Pat is mostly retired things are going well when Pat has a chap claiming to be his son. Pat is shrewd and suspicious of course but the idea of a family brings it's own happiness and problems. A serial killer is in town and the race is on for DCI Kate Burrows. Stop the killer before more innocent girls die... 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.

At Holly Brookes Children’s Home, the two girls unite in the face of horrific abuse and form an unbreakable bond of loyalty.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.

The final title on this list, Loyalty, has a tentative publication date of June 20, 2024. However, this book was originally scheduled for publication in 2020 before it was pushed out to the following year, then pushed out again. 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.

Read an extract from NO MERCY

But they have no real leads ... and there's more to these murders than meets the eye. Can Kate take the killer down before another schoolgirl dies? One of the initial novels written by Martina Cole was called ‘The Runaway’. It was published in the year 1997 by the Headline publishing house. The plot of the novel revolves around the lives of the main characters Eamonn Docherty and Cathy Connor. In the opening sequence of the novel, the main characters Eamonn Docherty and Cathy Connor are thrown on the streets of London’s sleazy East End and they are left to be on their own. Having grown up as the child of a prostitute, Cathy’s life becomes miserable, which leads to a disturbing ordeal as she does not have any other choice or anywhere else to go. On attempting to run away from her miserable life, she is rescued by Desrae who teaches her how to survive in the society of the criminal underworld. Meanwhile, Eamonn leaves for America along with his father and after some time he becomes one of the deadliest villains of New York. It is believed that when the paths of both of them will cross, they will be a perfect match for each other and it is only a matter of time before this happens. Cathy is beautiful, tough and clever and Eamonn is strong and powerful. Hence, if the two meet they are not going to run away again and will hopefully lead a happy life. 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. 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

It’s unflinching in its portrayal of the characters we meet, and we meet some disgusting, evil, perverted ones who literally have below zero morals and then some It is a big read and, to be honest, I found it a little difficult to keep up with the characters and to get to know them but I persevered and the second half of the book made the characters more believable and realistic, and really brought each strand of the story together.Martina Cole was the author that really got me into UK gangland fiction so it is always nice when she releases a new book. 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.