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Tainted Lives: A gritty page-turner that will have you hooked
'One of the bad girls of gritty crime' Daily MirrorSarah Mullen is a beautiful child who at seven years old is put into care by her drug-addicted mother. Trying to live with the rejection is bad enough, but no one could have prepared her for the pain that was yet to come.Harry Shaw is the boy that everyone bullies, the kid whose own mother locked him in a cupboard so she wouldn't have to look at his face, and then left him there.When he meets Sarah for the first time, a friendship is instantly forged. And out of a desire to be loved an alliance is born.Then into their lives comes Vinnie Walker, a good-looking and calculating thirteen-year-old who will change both their lives forever.'A cracking read that will chill you to the bone' Sun on Two-Faced'Mandasue has played a real blinder with this fantastic novel' Martina Cole on Forget-Me-Not
548 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 5, 2004
35 people are currently reading
519 people want to read
About the author
Mandasue Heller
36 books448 followersMandasue was born in Cheshire and moved to Manchester in 1982. She spent ten years living in the notorious Hulme Crescents which have since become the background to her novels. Not only is she a talented writer, but she has also sung in cabaret and rock groups, seventies soul cover bands and blues jam bands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 19, 2020
Really good gripping story.liked the first part of this story most when Sarah taken into care,then you meet other characters at the home,Vinny some nasty peace of work.and Harry being bullied.then they meet again later in life.good read.
December 5, 2025
Was ok. Zero concentration required and not particularly engaging. Just fine.
Two stars.
Two stars.
February 6, 2013
An amazing author, I love all of Mandasue Heller's books and Tainted Lives is one of my favourties. A gritty page turner from start to finish with a twist that I did not expect. Highly recommended.
July 30, 2015
Good
3.5 stars:)
3.5 stars:)
December 20, 2023
I started off disliking this book intensely, there didn't seem to be anything "nice" about it at all. Very dark and gritty. The thing was, I couldn't actually stop thinking about it once I put it down. This for me is a sign of an exceedingly well-written book, so although I was hoping it would lighten up a bit I stuck with it.
Trust me when I say there is nothing fluffy about this book at all. There are scenes in it that are definitely not for the faint-hearted. And the only light part about the whole book is the very end!
How the characters grow and interact with each other is a joy to read. And you can completely understand the decisions and choices that Sarah makes. Vinnie is such a despicable character that you cannot help but loathe him. But he makes an excellent villain, a true psychopath.
I would recommend this book very highly, just not for a light read.
* Verified Purchase ~ January 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 21, 2013
Trust me when I say there is nothing fluffy about this book at all. There are scenes in it that are definitely not for the faint-hearted. And the only light part about the whole book is the very end!
How the characters grow and interact with each other is a joy to read. And you can completely understand the decisions and choices that Sarah makes. Vinnie is such a despicable character that you cannot help but loathe him. But he makes an excellent villain, a true psychopath.
I would recommend this book very highly, just not for a light read.
* Verified Purchase ~ January 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 21, 2013
August 1, 2012
This book was brilliant. It kept me gripped throughout, and the twist.....well I never saw that coming! A must read. Very well written, accept there were no paragraphs but not sure if that was a fault with my copy. Still, I would definitely read another book by Mandasue Heller :-)
February 13, 2013
Time Taken To Read - 3 days
Blurb From Goodreads
Sarah Mullen is a beautiful child who at seven years old is put into care by her drug-addicted mother. Trying to live with the rejection is bad enough, but no one could have prepared her for the pain that was yet to come. Harry Shaw is the boy that everyone bullies, the kid whose own mother locked him in a cupboard so she wouldn't have to look at his face, and then left him there. When he meets Sarah for the first time, a friendship is instantly forged. And out of a desire to be loved an alliance is born. Then into their lives comes Vinnie Walker, a good-looking and calculating thirteen-year-old who will change both their lives forever.
My Review
This tale kicks off pretty quick, a little girl tormented and battered by her mother and subjected to horrors by her friends. She is removed from her mothers "care" after an incident and placed into care. She meets people who will be bound to her life in different ways and will shape the person she will become. Betrayal, friendship, loyalty, brutality, shame, distrust is just a few of the issues covered in this story.
It is split over a few decades although the story flows so you don't miss anything and can follow easily. I could have read this in one sitting had circumstances allowed. Although the story is spread over a significant time period, all the questions you have from one are answered in latter part. This story provokes different emotions from rage and anger at a mother who can behave as she did and treat her child so, to admiration for a girl who bounces back no matter what life throws at her.
The characters are life like and well portrayed, from the bullied geeky Harry who shows how strong friendship can be. To the despicable, calculating and nasty Vinnie who you get to see from a young laddy to a grown man and the lengths one person will go to to get what he wants. It is no secret I love Mandasue Heller's books and writing and sometimes when you go back to earlier stuff you find you don't enjoy it as much or find something lacking. Thankfully this wasn't the case, I loved this as much as her recent writings and will get the others I have missed so far. 5/5 for me, as always if this is a new author to you, there is sex, violence, aggression, swearing, murder and all the usual that follows nitty gritty crime. If you like Martina Cole you will love Mandasue Heller.
Blurb From Goodreads
Sarah Mullen is a beautiful child who at seven years old is put into care by her drug-addicted mother. Trying to live with the rejection is bad enough, but no one could have prepared her for the pain that was yet to come. Harry Shaw is the boy that everyone bullies, the kid whose own mother locked him in a cupboard so she wouldn't have to look at his face, and then left him there. When he meets Sarah for the first time, a friendship is instantly forged. And out of a desire to be loved an alliance is born. Then into their lives comes Vinnie Walker, a good-looking and calculating thirteen-year-old who will change both their lives forever.
My Review
This tale kicks off pretty quick, a little girl tormented and battered by her mother and subjected to horrors by her friends. She is removed from her mothers "care" after an incident and placed into care. She meets people who will be bound to her life in different ways and will shape the person she will become. Betrayal, friendship, loyalty, brutality, shame, distrust is just a few of the issues covered in this story.
It is split over a few decades although the story flows so you don't miss anything and can follow easily. I could have read this in one sitting had circumstances allowed. Although the story is spread over a significant time period, all the questions you have from one are answered in latter part. This story provokes different emotions from rage and anger at a mother who can behave as she did and treat her child so, to admiration for a girl who bounces back no matter what life throws at her.
The characters are life like and well portrayed, from the bullied geeky Harry who shows how strong friendship can be. To the despicable, calculating and nasty Vinnie who you get to see from a young laddy to a grown man and the lengths one person will go to to get what he wants. It is no secret I love Mandasue Heller's books and writing and sometimes when you go back to earlier stuff you find you don't enjoy it as much or find something lacking. Thankfully this wasn't the case, I loved this as much as her recent writings and will get the others I have missed so far. 5/5 for me, as always if this is a new author to you, there is sex, violence, aggression, swearing, murder and all the usual that follows nitty gritty crime. If you like Martina Cole you will love Mandasue Heller.
September 18, 2015
Every time I put this book down I couldn't wait to pick it up again! It was compelling reading. Vinnie is a complete bastard and I hated him with a passion from the start. Poor young Harry, I just wanted to take him home and look after him. Sarah could've done with being a bit harder when she was older, instead of falling in love with Pete then Vinnie, then at the end it was indicated she would marry Harry which doesn't work for me because she was always more of a mother figure to him. Chambers going to prison for a crime he didn't commit, Dandi turning her back on him. A gripping read from start to finish!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2015
This book is absolutely brilliant, from the get go. Perfect characters, written incredibly well with an undeniably skilful writing style. Absolutely worth every single page, with a writing style that grabs you & brings the characters to live in every possible way. Truly a fantastic book! P.S I love Vinnie Walker, he was thee perfect psychopath...
October 23, 2012
One of the BEST books that I have ever read. I was so pulled in by this book that I read it in two days and was sad to put it down once it ended. Hated Vinny, but loved him at the same time. Another fantastic read by Mandasue.
August 4, 2015
great book
June 21, 2015
second time around for me this book great story had me hanging on to every page
October 29, 2012
Great story with strong characters. First I've read of Mandasue Heller. Only thing that rankled was half way through the story it all got too similar to Martina Cole. Once you've read a Martina Cole then you've read them all. If you are into gangland style violence then this book is for you.
March 8, 2014
Though the author takes a while to assemble all the parts of the threads and the characters that seem to be the main ones in chapter 1 don't reappears until the end of the book, it's a good read if your like well developed characters.
June 10, 2014
It has the style of Martina Cole but just a northern version. It was surprising good. Enough action to make you intrigued but not over the top. It's has a few twists and you do want to find out what happens next. Worth a read!
March 12, 2009
Loved it
June 30, 2012
Damn tough story about the hard world of orphans and abandonned children.
Read
August 17, 2012first book of hers iv read and loved it
August 28, 2012
by far one of the best books I have ever read
January 3, 2013
Not bad but a predictable ending!
May 13, 2013
It was an ok read, but I think the book could've been half as many pages and it wouldn't have made any difference.
May 17, 2013
Awesome story
December 8, 2013
Mandasue Heller is an amazing author all her books are great and this one is no exception
April 14, 2014
One of the best books I've read
Absolutely gripping
Mandasue heller clearly is one of the best crime writers out there right now .
Absolutely gripping
Mandasue heller clearly is one of the best crime writers out there right now .
Read
August 2, 2011Really good book, have recommended this to a few friends, Great storyline and great characters too
February 15, 2013
absolutly brilliant! struggled to put this book down
:-D
:-D
April 6, 2013
Gripping from beginning to end
May 4, 2016
Absolutely loved this book . Very well written and drew me right in . A massive 5 stars from me
November 8, 2017
Absolutely brilliant, I loved every page. This compelling story follows the lives of 3 very different children brought up in a care home: Sarah, (the traumatised heroine of the story) is a self-assured but aloof teenager; Harry, an adorable sad little boy, and finally Vinnie, a sadistic and manipulative bully. The story takes several shocking twists that left me reeling. Yet it was so good, I found it impossible to put down! I ploughed through this book on holiday and cannot recommend it highly enough. I will definitely be reading more from this author.
December 1, 2020
This was incredibly hard hitting, with trigger warnings for absolutely everything you can think of (mainly paedophilia, animal abuse, physical assault, sexual assault, drug and alcohol abuse, etc.). I literally could not put it down, reading all 550ish pages in 2 days which I think is a record for me. I would give it 4.5 stars if I could just because there was one character that I feel didn't get the justice/redemption they deserved which was heartbreaking, but aside from that a truly excellent and gritty book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews