Maura's Game: A gripping crime thriller of danger, determination and one unstoppable woman

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Maura, one of the main characters of Dangerous lady, came back for a second book when after 10 years of retirement and getting everything she thought she wanted, she couldn't leave her family behind as head of the Ryan crime gang in London. The author manages to give us enough background from the previous book to ensure that this can be read as a standalone.

I haven’t read the first book but in this book, we meet Maura at a stage in her life where she has left behind her past in crime and has settled down with her boyfriend Terry. Dangerous Lady, the prequel to Maura's Game, is a story about a young girl and her family getting heavily involved in the business of London crime. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I am reviewing the gangster thriller Maura's Game by Martina Cole which is a very good novel which I bought from a car boot sale. But then again that's what editors are for and I guess nobody messes with a Martina Cole manuscript, she's fabulous and I'm a huge fan.There were only two things I would have done differently but just the fact that a lot of the book seemed to go on too long prevents me from giving this book 5 stars as I feel it could have been better. There´s a story in that which I gather is detailed in a previous novel about Maura and her criminal family. Cole is brilliant at portraying the good among the bad, and vice versa, so until the very end we never quite know who to trust.

This is the very first novel by Martina Cole that I had the great pleasure of reading and I have been hooked ever since then. I felt that this book however went on too long, it started to get repetitive and I just wanted it to be over. I think every woman reading about Maura Ryan would like to think they have a little of her inside them. But enemies from her past are closing in and they’re about to learn that they should never cross Maura Ryan.On one side she had a softer, kinder side but she was strong and tough when she needed to be and Lee certainly hadn’t married a doormat. However, I would recommend to those who love gritty, realistic and a main character who just gets on with it. Dangerous Lady (the novel prior to Maura's Game) was awesome and I had high hopes for this novel as Maura is a strong, independent woman. It's interesting how the gangster world is so ruthless, parents are told their offspring are to be killed and have no choice but to inform on them.

It wasn't as good as Dangerous Lady which is the first Maura Ryan book and readers should read that book first before this one just for continuity and to understand the characters further than what is written about them in this book.

You get caught up in her family and their lives and it becomes personal, that you start routing for them, even though you know they are bad. We know you’ll be hooked on Maura Ryan, so be sure to first read the gripping prequel to MAURA’S GAME, DANGEROUS LADY. Eerste deel staat hier tussen aanhalingstekens omdat Martina Cole in eerste instantie niet van plan was om een vervolg te schrijven. It does not have a good aftertaste that is when you read the last page feeling that the book affected something personal about you.