Product Description

DI Kate Burrows thought she’d never face a killer like the Grantley Ripper again. But she was wrong. One by one, children are being abandoned. Thankfully, they’re rescued from harm. Then one victim is not so lucky, and Kate knows she’s in a race against time to save lives. As a parent herself, Kate’s finding the case tough and she needs the support of her lover, Patrick Kelly, more than ever. But Patrick’s got problems of his own...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28963 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 672 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Leading an investigation into the neglect and abandonment of a number of young Grantley children throws DI Kate Burrows into contact with the most vile and repugnant of criminals. As a mother herself, Kate finds their crimes almost incomprehensible. And with the case becoming ever more sinister, she knows she needs to find answers quickly.

Emotionally drained by the rigours of the investigation, it's a real struggle for Kate to find the energy to deal with the complex problems unfolding in her domestic life. Despite assurances to the contrary it seems Patrick Kelly, hardman and love of DI Burrows' life, is still firmly entrenched in the East End underworld. When a body turns up in Patrick's seedy Soho club it seems he has finally got in over his head and the only person in a position to help him is Kate.

Set in familiar Cole territory of East End London, Broken is every bit as gritty and compelling as The Ladykiller. The story as it unfolds is gruesome, uncomfortable and peppered with violence but it is also carefully and thoroughly researched. Martina Cole knows what life in Grantley is and does not shy away from using the strong language of the street in addition to enough cockney rhyming slang to put any would-be pearly king to the test. A well-paced, gripping page-turner with strong, credible female characters, Broken definitely fits the unputdownable category. --Sarah Crawford

Review
'In prose that is always expressive and trenchant, Cole weaves her spell throughout this lengthy and ambitious narrative...Another winner for Cole' Brian Ritterspak, Amazon.

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

A really good novel spoilt by poor editing
Once again, Martina Cole has excelled in yet another story of the seamy side of life in Essex and East London, bringing back the unforgettable D.I. Kate Burrows and her gangster-with-a heart-of-gold lover Patrick Kelly, whom we first met in one of her earlier novels, "The Ladykiller". "Broken" is a well-told story, certainly not for the squeamish, involving paedophiles, serial killers, corrupt policemen and other assorted villains of every description. However, in my opinion the story was spoilt somewhat because there were too many characters, not all of whom were vital to the story, all of whom were named and seemed to pop up on every other page. Also surprising was the fact that the book appeared to be set in 1992, yet everybody was well into using the Internet, mobile phones, etc. These points may not seem important, but should have been sorted out by the editors.

Another Martina Cole winner
This is my fourth Martina Cole book after reading `The Know', `The Ladykiller' and `The Take' and as with the other 3 `Broken' didn't disappoint. Broken has the same feel as the previous three as all the books are set in the same area and all involve the criminal underworld and the evil that pulses through it. In `Broken' the story starts with the discovery of a childs body on a dump. The child can't be identified as nobody has come forward to report him missing, which begs the question `who wouldn't report their child missing'.

DI Kate Burrows is struggling to make sense of what's going on with the children and mothers of Grantley when her relationship with local hardman Patrick Kelly throws up another problem for her to deal with. What follows is a novel that twists and turns from beginning to end and a whole lot of surprises along the way. `Broken' is an excellent book and as with previous Martina Cole books it kept me gripped from beginning to end. There are several stories going on at the same time but it's not until the very end that they're all tied together......I love that aspect of these books. Broken was thoroughly enjoyable and I highly recommended it.

Fantastic follow up to The Ladykiller
This book did not take me long to read as I couldn't put it down. Martina Cole has produced yet another great piece and to be reunited with old names was great. If you read The Ladykiller you will have a better undestanding of this follow on (and George Markham has to be one of my favorites), I would advise reading this before Broken; in fact I would advise reading all of her work. I love her style of writing and the down to earth characters who are not film stars or fancifull artists but gritty, realistic, hard people. The only problem with MC is that she does not write quickly enough and now I have a long wait for her next offering!