Graft [Hardcover]

Martina Cole (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2004

In her latest novel, Martina tells the story of Nick Leary - devoted father, loyal friend and shrewd business - and what happens when a masked intruder breaks into his home...In her unique style, Martina Cole holds up a mirror to our society, writing about tough and often harrowing subjects in a brutally honest and compassionate way. Her characters are injected with sympathy and warmth and there is an honesty in her books that speaks to millions of people.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'There's some fascinating vernacular. The author is taking the reader into Irvine Welsh territory and beyond' Daily Telegraph, 4/12/04 -- Daily Telegraph 20041204 'A touch of the Tony Martins as Cole thrashes out the repercussions with very little guile but all the usual gumption' Mirror, 15/10/04 -- Mirror 20041015 'Her gripping plots pack a mean emotional punch, and this latest is no exception' Mail on Sunday, 17/10/04 -- Mail on Sunday 20041017 'Martina Cole deals with a gritty contemporary subject in an intelligent and compassionte way that's bound to make you think' Daily Express, 16/7/05 -- Daily Express 20050716 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Martina Cole was born and brought up in Essex. She is the bestselling author of ten novels set in London's gangland, and her most recent two paperbacks have gone straight to No. 1 in the Sunday Times on first publication.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Headline Hardbacks; First edition (October 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747269696
• ISBN-13: 978-0747269694
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,131,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars rubbish and totally useless, November 26, 2010

By 

mermaid "pri" (uk, london) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graft (Paperback)

i read lady killer and boy it was amazing. the GRAFT is soooooooooooooooo annoying. moves like a tortoise and there is NOT one saving grace. it is so shabby and none of the characters seem real . half way thru the book and u know nothing more than u did from the first page.

total waste of my time.

1.0 out of 5 stars A poor effort, June 7, 2006

By 

Vyvien A. Starbuck (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Graft (Paperback)

There's nothing better than settling down on a winter's night with a good thriller, but this isn't it. From a promising start this book degenerates into flabby writing, cliched and unbelieveable characterisation and a plot that moves at a snail's pace. I couldn't finish it, and don't know if I will read another of Ms Cole's efforts. Disappointing.

4.0 out of 5 stars (Actually its 3 1/2 stars), April 14, 2006

By 

C. Hadjipavlou - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Graft (Paperback)

At first I couldn't really get into this book. I thought the writing was really bad and needed a good editing. Also, being Greek,I had trouble understanding some of the British slang. There was too much 'telling' and not enough 'showing'.Phrases and sentences were repeated over and over until you wanted to scream 'Ok, we get it, get on with the plot!'.There were whole chapters where almost nothing was happening because there was detailed description of the characters' thoughts, feelings and flashbacks. Also, at the begining I thought the characters were unconvincing. I couldn't really 'get' them, or understand why they behaved like they did. One minute they were decent people and the next they were complete jerks. Why did 'tough guy' Nick cry like a baby over killing an armed robber that broke into his home and then torture and kill people withought feeling any remorse ? Why did he let his wife sleep around without saying a word ? Why did the couple live with Nick's mother ? Why did everyone feel sorry for that b..ch Junky Jude ? It didn't make any sense.
I was ready to give the book up, but around page 200 something happened. I'm not really sure if the writing got any better or if I got used to the bad writing, but the pace started to pick up and things started to make sense. By the end of the book everything was falling beautifully into place and I couldn't put the book down.
This book explores the criminal underworld in a very realistic and absorbing way and the stories of the young boys selling themselves on the streets will stick to your mind for a long time. Not a masterpiece, but definitely recommended.