Product Description

George Markham has a nasty little hobby, one that erupts into an orgy of vicious sexual depravity. Patrick Kelly is a hard man. His one soft spot is his daughter, and when she falls victim to the Grantley Ripper, Kelly wants revenge. The DI in charge of the case is Kate Burrows. She feels for Kelly but her growing involvement with a known villain is putting her career at risk... As the forces of law and order and London’s underworld converge in a huge manhunt, Kate fears she’ll lose everything she’s ever cared about... to the ladykiller.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4090 in Books
• Published on: 1993-07-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Synopsis
George Markham has a nasty little hobby, one that erupts into an orgy of vicious sexual depravity. Patrick Kelly is a hard man. His one soft spot is his daughter, and when she falls victim to the Grantley Ripper, Kelly wants revenge. The DI in charge of the case is Kate Burrows. She feels for Kelly but her growing involvement with a known villain is putting her career at risk...As the forces of law and order and London's underworld converge in a huge manhunt, Kate fears she'll lose everything she's ever cared about...to the ladykiller.

About the Author
Martina Cole was born and brought up in Essex. She is the bestselling author of eleven novels set in London's gangland, and her most recent three novels have gone straight to No. 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller lists.

Customer Reviews

Best book i've read
Absolutely gripping....usually find my interest in books going up and down as chapters go on but this one keeps you excited on every page.
Got all the elements you need....thriller, crime, romance and more!!
Am now working my way through the rest of martina's impressive collection.

This should have a warning label
So where to begin with this suspense/thriller novel??

I am shocked at this book, fair enough the author has an imagination however I do feel that there should be some kind of age restriction or warning label on the cover, I know what you're going to say, read the back cover it clearly states that the horrific character George Markham indulges in "an orgy of vicious sexual depravity" but in places I feel that this book went too far, was too graphic and was not necessary. The need to explain and involve children in the storyline disgusted me and made me feel like crying.

I also feel that novels like these, may make the reader open their eyes to the 'modern' world we live in but can also increase the fear of crime throughout society. I was interested to see the way the Police service was explained in the book, the so called CID which should be renamed the 'boys club' constantly mentioning that DI Kate Burrows may not be up to the case did not work for me. I am not trying with a feminist approach here but felt that the author tried to include as much male chauvinist attitude to niche both the male and female readers of the crime genre.

On a lighter note the reasons for me giving the novel 4 stars are down to the fact that this book was clearly researched and planned. Similar in the way Martina writes her first book, the reader is constantly thrown between the present day, the killers past and the turn of events from his childhood which leaves the reader speculating as to whether or not Markham's past contributed to his sick activities of the main storyline. The fact that a person's natural instinct for revenge for the killers activities are clearly stated and show that Cole has considered a real persons feelings about the activities that go on in the story.

Markham's paranoia about what his is doing is very subtle and so made me feel that if he was a real person then he would be a very dangerous person indeed. The fact that when Markham continues to kill the deaths become more violent. Too conclude I would recommend this book to other readers but would warn them first that in places the book is graphic but is a fantastic read.

One of her best books by far!
This was the first Martina Cole book I read, bit sick in some places but one of the best books I have ever read. I recommended it to a girl at work and she used to read it from her drawer she loved it that much. Bought a copy for my mother-in-law but she said it was a bit rude/sick and never finished it. I would say to read this first if you are going to read any other of her books, this is the best one.