In the novel’s opening pages, Cole has chosen a quote from Mary Leapor’s An Essay on Woman about how women are treated like shit once they have had their first flush of youth, and are generally seen as weak, and this theme echoes throughout.

The Know by Martina Cole | Goodreads The Know by Martina Cole | Goodreads

The stable existence and likability that Jackie lacks is ingrained in the character of her sister, protagonist, Maggie. The story and the characters are very interesting and the writing has its own distinctive style but it could have been half as long and just as good.

She has flaws like the rest of them but her flaws aren't as serious, sociopathic or destructive and she has the shittiest luck on the planet. A tale of a London criminal dynasty forever overshadowed by a malevolent female junkie relative in their midst - was my original one sentence review. I got to the end because I never give up on a book that I've started but I trudged through the second half asking myself - "Why am I still reading this? The actual reveal is comical beyond belief and it simply felt as though Martina had run out of any ideas on how to actually finish the book. Martina Cole just shrugs at everything and tries to justify her abhorrent characters committing evil acts one after the other without any consequences.

Damaged by Martina Cole | Goodreads Damaged by Martina Cole | Goodreads

Posso dizer que é uma autora que tenho gostado de conhecer e tenho-me apercebido que tem muita inclinação por escrever livros policiais/thrillers/ criminais, mas da perspectiva dos criminosos, ou seja, as suas personagens principais são sempre criminosos.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. After having re-read books 1-3 you can see a huge difference in the style of writing and it all seemed rushed and not very well put together. We meet his younger, less mentally-unstable cousin Jimmy, Freddie’s wife Jackie and Jackie’s sister (and Jimmy’s love interest), Maggie. Esperava-se, inclusive, que a ascensão de Jimmy e a queda de Freddie levariam a um clímax de violência e tensão da narrativa, mas o encontro decisivo entre os dois ficou devendo. This book, for me, shows how resilient people can be, especially when faced with some of life's worst situations.