The Know

This was the first Martina Cole book which I read and it was absolutely fabulous. The way she described the characters, the emotive language, the harsh reality that is life, it simply blows me away. Cole gives us an insight into what "living on the edge" really means, and makes us realise how lucky we are. Its a novel you can read again and again (which is exactly what I'm doing: currently reading it for the 3rd time) and it still has the same powerful touch to it.

The Know (5/5 people found this helpful)

This is the seventh Martina Cole book I have read. And I am very sorry to say it will be the last. They are getting all very same ish. I agree with one of the other coments, that the proluge spolit it for me knowing that Kira had been murdered. What was the point of the story after that. Two pages and it was over.

Couldnt put it down..... (3/3 people found this helpful)

I read this after being given the book by my aunt. I am a big 'Lynda La Plante' fan, & thought that Martina Coles work sounded similar. Martina's work turned out to be more graphic & harrowing than Lynda, & 'The Know' was gripping. I am part way through 'The Graft' but am struggling to get in to it...a friend has told me it gets better .... much better.... so will try & percivere. The Know is fantstic though, if you like crime thrillers, you need to read this book.

Know good (6/6 people found this helpful)

My only previous experience of Martina Cole's work was Two Women, which covered the trials and tribulations of an East End woman and her associations with paedophilia, prostitution, violence and crime. It was very good and I looked eagerly forward to my second Cole novel, which is about, ahem, the trials and tribulations of an East End woman and her associations with paedophilia, prostitution, violence and crime. OK it's a different story and plot but the parallels are sometimes uncomfortably close and it made me wonder if all of this author's work is built around similar themes. In The Know, I believe a fatal decision on the part of the writer to begin with a Prologue that is effectively the end of the story removes all suspense from the entire novel and in turn means that the reader's emotional involvement in the plot is kept to a minimum right through to the end. I think I would have enjoyed this book a fair bit more had the Prologue been omitted.

Anyway it's another tale of characters who vary between bad and seriously, sickly bad - there are no real heroes at all, with the possible exception of the eleven-year-old girl that the plot is built around. At least she is innocent, but every female older than her - including fourteen-year-old girls - can hardly be described as pure when they take drugs, get pregnant and go on 'the game'. The majority of male characters are pimps or gangsters, with the one exception of DI Baxter who, much as in the other novel Two Women, makes the police out to appear limp-wristed, corrupt and generally useless. The central theme here is sex with children, not the most uplifting of topics at the best of times and while it is not remotely glamourised in the novel, indeed it is clearly reviled by one and all within the criminal underworld apart from those who are either doing it or making money from it, it remains for me a subject that will always be difficult to regard as entertainment fare. Yes, I know it goes on in the real world but I'd rather not read a book about it to pass my leisure time.

Having said that, it's not a bad book but it could have benefited from some more diverse plot development than what we are given, and at least one adult character who we could become emotionally attached to.

A brilliant introduction to Martina Cole (5/5 people found this helpful)

This was my first introduction to Martina Cole and I'm so glad I took the recommendation from Amazon to buy it.

The story is based on a council estate in the East End of London and centers around a prostitute with a heart of gold - Joanie Brewer. While she may have 3 kids by 3 different fathers they are the one constant in her life and she'd do anything for them. The eldest child is Jon Jon, the up-and-coming hard-man who takes the role of the man of the house. Jon Jon may be a gangster in the making but his greatest loyalty is to his family and the love and tenderness with which he treats his mother and sisters is in complete contrast to the side that those who cross him see. Jeanette is the spoilt brat who refuses to do anything without an argument and who shows no love or affection for her little sister, Kira, until it's too late. Kira is the baby of the family and although she's slower than most kids her age her sweetness is what endears her to everyone who meets her. When Kira goes missing everyone rallies round to help find her.

This book is a real page turner and seemingly inconsequential pieces of information all mesh together in the quick-fire ending. The characters are given real depth and you find yourself sucked in and turning pages for hours on end. I enjoyed every second of this book and can't wait to get my hands on another Martina Cole.....if her other books are half as good as this one I'll be impressed.

Martina Cole

Reader Reviews:

Simply stunning! (0/0 people found this helpful)

The Know (5/5 people found this helpful)

Couldnt put it down..... (3/3 people found this helpful)

Know good (6/6 people found this helpful)

A brilliant introduction to Martina Cole (5/5 people found this helpful)

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