Like Martina Cole; read Mark Timlin.

The effervescent Martina Cole has established a new genre of empowered, strong female-led crime books that has taken her to the top of the bestseller liosts, but she is also one of the best chroniclers of modern London and its suburbs and much of the reason for her success is the way the places she writes about are familiar to her readers. Timlin effortlessly pulls off the same trick with his fast-paced tales of South London gangsters and families, and also happens to be a friend of Martina’s!

Recommended:

Martina Cole - HARD GIRLS. A retired policewoman returns to the fray to assist a younger colleague, following the discovery of a young woman’s mutilated body. The challenges that face the duo prove tough and uncompromising. Realistic, gritty and believable.

Mark Timlin - GUNS OF BRIXTON. Best known for his Nick Sharman capers, this is Timlin’s major stand-alone novel, a tough saga of South London families, of cops and villains and loves lost and violence and lives broken. Never less than gripping and a veritable page-turner.

Synopsis

HARD LIVES. HARD LESSONS. IT'S MURDER ON THE STREETS. When a prostitute's body is found lifeless, mutilated and brutally raped, DCI Annie Carr has never seen anything like it and never wants to again. Kate Burrows, retired DCI now consultant, has plenty of experience when it comes to murder -- after all she caught the Grantley Ripper and broke the biggest paedophile ring in the South East. She is determined to help put the killer behind bars. But whoever it is won't be easily caught. And when another girl's body is found, even more horrifically disfigured than the last, it's clear the killer is just warming up...In a ruthless world where everyone's out for themselves, Annie and Kate must dig deep if they hope to catch a callous serial killer who knows no limits and makes no mistakes. For some, prostitution is seriously big business. But how many people will pay the ultimate price? Utterly compelling, HARD GIRLS is a gripping and disturbing thriller that will have you hooked until the very last page.

Reviews

'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 stuff that makes her so compelling'
Daily Mirror

About the Author

Martina Cole is the No. 1 bestselling author of sixteen hugely successful novels. Hard Girls went straight to No. 1 on the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list. The Business was the No. 1 bestselling hardback adult fiction title of 2008 and was a No. 1 Sunday Times hardback bestseller, along with Faces, Close and The Take. The Take also won the British Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year and has been adapted for Sky One - with remarkable reviews - and The Runaway is currently in production. The Know was selected by Richard & Judy as one of the Top Ten Best Reads of 2003. Maura's Game, Faceless and The Graft also shot straight to No. 1 on the Sunday Times bestseller lists, and total sales of Martina's novels are now at ten million copies. Martina Cole has a son and daughter and lives in Kent. Martina Cole is highly acclaimed for her hard-hitting, uncompromising and haunting writing, as well as for her incredible success. Photograph © Geoff Howe More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation