Martina Cole was born and brought up in Essex, England. Her first novel, Dangerous Lady, was an instant bestseller and became a highly successful TV drama series. Since then Martina Cole has written 12 more bestselling novels set in the criminal underworld, one of which, The Jump, was also made into a successful British television drama.
Cole, one of the U.K.'s top-selling authors, brings her gritty brand of crime fiction across the Atlantic, and veteran British actress Nicola Duffett takes on the considerable task of juggling the large cast of characters. Duffett especially shines as Lily, the matriarch of the Brody clan, a crime family whose capacity for violence on the streets seems tame compared to their sordid domestic dramas. Duffett also manages to nail the characterizations of sons Patrick and Lance and their complicated brotherly relationship, yet the other siblings and various underworld associates blur in the dizzying pace. The abridgment makes the listening experience grow increasingly choppy as the story progresses. Transitions between decades lack discernable cues, and the span of time is more episodic than epic. The raw creative talent in both the writing and narration remain evident, and dedicated fans of the gangster-on-the-couch concept of The Sopranos will appreciate the motif. But the finished product feels like a 10-CD title forcefully squeezed into five disks. A Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, May 5). (July) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Having topped the UK's adult hardcover fiction charts for two years in a row, Cole finally makes it to America. Criminal kingpin Patrick has everything under control-until he meets beautiful Lily. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
