Customer Reviews

Dangerous Lady

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The story starts with the birth of a baby girl, Maura Ryan, into the poverty that is South London in the 1950s. Marua is the first female born into a family that lives by its wits in the bomb sites of post war England. Her father is an alcoholic, her mother runs the show, her older brothers are violent. They are thieves.

Marua, who along with her unpleasant brothers, useless father and tough mother, becomes the queen of organized crime in London's gangland. The story take us from the cockroach infested family home of the 1950s to the phenomenal rise to a life of wealth and riches in the 1990s.

DANGEROUS LADY gives us a shocking insight into the life of London's underworld. The story is realistic, believable and an entertaining way to spend a weekend in the country and well worth the read.

Karen Holtz, New Jersey Book Girl

Fantastic.
This book delves into the gang ridden underbelly of British society. Grittingly realistic, it follows one family who build from poverty to establish themselves as one of the most prominant gangs in London. Set in an era when the lifestyles followed by the family were rife throughout large portions of England, the book captures the internal struggles within and gives insight into the different minds at work behind gang warfare. A topic that would have been easy to over dramatise and even easier to glorify is treated with care, graphically detailing the torture and psychological problems born out of such a lifestyle.
A wonderful read, gripping from the start and never letting up in intensity throughout. This is a must read for anyone into crime novel, or gritty realism.
Look forward to reading the sequel.

Dangerous Lady introduces us to the last child for Sara Ryan who grows up to become a fearless leader in the English underworld. Everything she knows was taught to her by her brother Michael Ryan and Maura is an apt pupil. The story is a non-stop ride that takes you through decades of criminal activity with Maura staying on top of her game. Loved this book and the strong woman characters that Martina Cole describes.

starts ok...but does not compare to the lady killer. the writing is horrendous and she repeats the same sentences for different characters...

she's only done well on one book

I`ve read quite a few books from this author and have recommended the books to my friends, who could not put the books down once they started reading them. This one was actually the first of her books that I bought, and I`m so glad I did. I`m now a fan of hers...die hard. My husband and I used to have arguments because he always said I had to time for him once I was reading one of her novels. One day while we were on vacation I gave him one of her books to read and he could not put it down. He understands now, and he looks forward to reading the novels once I`m done with them. If you like crime novels with a touch of romance..then this is the book for you. If you`ve spent some time in the UK you`ll have an even greater appreciation of her work. Her characters and settings are really authentic.

I'm sorry to say this because I sort of enjoyed the story, but this isn't a well-written book. The author's style is clumsy and sort of amateurish. I did find the story interesting (and the TV program based on it is really good) but the book falls rather short of what I think a good book should be. It's also too long and could have used some editing. Not a keeper, unfortunately.