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Two Women: An unbreakable bond. A story you'd never predict. An unforgettable thriller from the queen of crime.
Prison will make or break you...Danger and violence have always been a part of Susan Dalston's East End upbringing, but being locked up with another murderess will have consequences that no one could have predicted. TWO WOMEN by Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller Martina Cole tells the truth about prison life, and how far one woman will go for justice...Susan Dalston killed her husband in a final act of desperation.Banged up in Holloway, all that keeps her sane is knowing that her children are now safe from the man who terrorised them. What she can't predict is that the bonds she forms on the inside might just make - or break - her.For more compelling novels about life on the inside, be sure to read Martina Cole's FACELESS, THE JUMP and THE GOOD LIFE
633 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 1999
829 people are currently reading
2329 people want to read
About the author
Martina Cole
112 books1,728 followersMartina Cole was born and brought up in Essex. She is the bestselling author of fourteen novels set in London's gangland, and her most recent three paperbacks have gone straight to No. 1 in the Sunday Times on first publication. Total sales of Martina's novels stand at over eight million copies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
August 11, 2021
“Life’s a big present from God but what you do with it is up to you. You get one crack at it, it’s not a dress rehearsal as me mother used to say.” Martina Cole, Two Women
What would make a woman kill her husband by hitting over 150 times with a claw hammer? This and many other questions are answered as Sue Dalston recounts her East End upbringing whilst serving her sentence in prison, from waiting fearfully some nights to be abused by her father as a child; waiting for her crush as a 14 year old, on a 19 year old wannabe gangster to be reciprocated; waiting for the assaults from her husband to abate; to waiting for her many years prison sentence to end so that she can be with her children again!
This is easily one of Cole's best books, with its unrelenting hardcore, and I mean hardcore travesty, injustice and a dearth of any non-amoral male characters in the East End world of the 'underclass' in an era when police didn't get involved in 'domestics'!. Trigger warnings abound for some of the extreme scenes, in this, which is also probably one of her darkest books! The ongoing theme of (female) durability and strength is taking to the utter limits, until you do a bit of Googling and realise that many women and children have lived such hard lives at the hands of men and 'the system'. 8 out of 12.
What would make a woman kill her husband by hitting over 150 times with a claw hammer? This and many other questions are answered as Sue Dalston recounts her East End upbringing whilst serving her sentence in prison, from waiting fearfully some nights to be abused by her father as a child; waiting for her crush as a 14 year old, on a 19 year old wannabe gangster to be reciprocated; waiting for the assaults from her husband to abate; to waiting for her many years prison sentence to end so that she can be with her children again!
This is easily one of Cole's best books, with its unrelenting hardcore, and I mean hardcore travesty, injustice and a dearth of any non-amoral male characters in the East End world of the 'underclass' in an era when police didn't get involved in 'domestics'!. Trigger warnings abound for some of the extreme scenes, in this, which is also probably one of her darkest books! The ongoing theme of (female) durability and strength is taking to the utter limits, until you do a bit of Googling and realise that many women and children have lived such hard lives at the hands of men and 'the system'. 8 out of 12.
March 30, 2022
I read this in 4 days. Loved it. I always feel like Martina Cole gets right into the nitty gritty of the underworld.
Five stars.
Five stars.
July 11, 2016
This is a long book at 672 pages but I have to say I enjoyed it very much. Two Women opens with us being introduced to Susan Dalston who is now locked up in prison for the murder of her husband. How far would you go to protect yourself and your children? Susan loves her kids more that life itself and she will do everything and anything in her power to keep them safe. This is quite a depressing and brutal story but is very well written. Susan's life is full of sadness, married to a man that abuses and torments her daily and basically has no regard for her at all, she is virtually trash to him. He also rapes his own daughter and leaves her with a venereal disease for life, what more can be said. Eventually Susan kills her husband and she has no quarms about his death and admits she was fully sane when she committed the act and if she had to she would do it again. The story then moves back to the present where Susan is in prison. Enter the second women. This was really quite a strong drama with a bit of mystery thrown in, the characters are strong and the plot well put together. I will now look at Martina Cole's other books.
November 19, 2021
I doubt I’ll ever read another one of this author’s books. It dragged on, was repetitive, lacked cohesion, and contained several contradictions. Super annoying to read. Blech. Also an FYI a huge trigger warning for child rape and abuse.
October 25, 2018
Wow! Wow! Wow!
The story starts off with Susan being locked up and starting her jail sentence, we are then taken back to when Susan is a child and how her life was growing up and to events to where she finds herself back in the present day.
Now this book won't be for everyone. Solely because it deals with abuse. We are talking sexual, physical and mental abuse. It really does make for some uncomfortable reading yet at the same time it was heart breaking and made me soooo angry. Sadly it is something that happens to far too many people every day. This isn't just a story about abuse though. It's about women who no matter what, never give up. It's about friendships and that mother and child bond.
There are some fab characters throughout this novel. Some I loved, others I loathed and others who I very much had a love/hate relationship with. One in particular really shocked me and I loved how the author could make me feel so many emotions when it came to all these characters.
Two Women was a powerful and hard hitting story that had me go through an array of emotions. At times I didn't want to carry on at the injustice of what Susan has to put up with from the men in her life. I felt I owed it to her to carry on and read her story though and I am so glad I did. The author's writing skills will have you well and truly hooked while you get totally immersed in Susan's life. A truly gripping and brilliant story that has made me want to devour the rest of the authors books.
The story starts off with Susan being locked up and starting her jail sentence, we are then taken back to when Susan is a child and how her life was growing up and to events to where she finds herself back in the present day.
Now this book won't be for everyone. Solely because it deals with abuse. We are talking sexual, physical and mental abuse. It really does make for some uncomfortable reading yet at the same time it was heart breaking and made me soooo angry. Sadly it is something that happens to far too many people every day. This isn't just a story about abuse though. It's about women who no matter what, never give up. It's about friendships and that mother and child bond.
There are some fab characters throughout this novel. Some I loved, others I loathed and others who I very much had a love/hate relationship with. One in particular really shocked me and I loved how the author could make me feel so many emotions when it came to all these characters.
Two Women was a powerful and hard hitting story that had me go through an array of emotions. At times I didn't want to carry on at the injustice of what Susan has to put up with from the men in her life. I felt I owed it to her to carry on and read her story though and I am so glad I did. The author's writing skills will have you well and truly hooked while you get totally immersed in Susan's life. A truly gripping and brilliant story that has made me want to devour the rest of the authors books.
July 15, 2016
Es una novela dura, que muestra de forma cruda la realidad de las clases más desfavorecidas e incultas de un barrio de Londres. Se retrata la vida de una mujer que desde pequeña es maltratada por su familia y después por su marido. Es el tipo de obra que te hace pensar.
August 9, 2024
Muito intenso e muito longo… o que salvou a minha sanidade mental foi a Susan ser tão selfless e boa mãe.
A escrita foi o que me fez continuar a ler um livro tão macabro como este, o pior é pensar que o que está retratado aqui foi (e é) a realidade de muita gente.
No meio de tanta violência, crime e personagens tão brutas e animalescas, temos o oposto com personagens tão bondosas!
Also points for the womanhood portrayed!!!!!!!!
A escrita foi o que me fez continuar a ler um livro tão macabro como este, o pior é pensar que o que está retratado aqui foi (e é) a realidade de muita gente.
No meio de tanta violência, crime e personagens tão brutas e animalescas, temos o oposto com personagens tão bondosas!
Also points for the womanhood portrayed!!!!!!!!
February 17, 2025
This is a really well written book, I found it hard to put down. I wouldn't say the book is really about 2 women, that's just a small part of it (and didn't really add anything to the story in my opinion). It's more a story of Susan's life - which is a horrifying read but written so well you just fly through it. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. A solid 4-star read.
June 20, 2019
The titles misleading as the story isn’t about the 2 woman at all. It did take me a while to get into but once I did I really enjoyed it. I love Martina’s style of writing and found the storyline gritty and interesting although hard to read at times.
September 29, 2019
le puse 3 estrellas sólo por el final. el libro me pareció bastante cruel, maltrato desde el minuto 1 hasta prácticamente las últimas páginas.
menos mal que luego de tanto sufrimiento susan pudo tener su libertad, rodearse de sus hijos, amigos y pareja.
yo hubiera hecho lo mismo que hizo ella, creo que los padres no dudaríamos ni un minuto para sacrificarnos por nuestros hijos.
resumiendo, el libro no es recomendable para personas sencibles a los maltratos físicos, psicológicos y el abuso de poder.
menos mal que luego de tanto sufrimiento susan pudo tener su libertad, rodearse de sus hijos, amigos y pareja.
yo hubiera hecho lo mismo que hizo ella, creo que los padres no dudaríamos ni un minuto para sacrificarnos por nuestros hijos.
resumiendo, el libro no es recomendable para personas sencibles a los maltratos físicos, psicológicos y el abuso de poder.
May 15, 2021
When the book is above 650 pages and mostly filled with the lives of criminals and their menacing deeds, there is only one thing that keeps you absorbed-- the writing. Hands down to the absolute brilliance of the author. On one hand, you may feel disgusted with the sheer violence of a certain section of society at a certain time, their brutal nature, selfishness, narrow-minded thoughts. While on the other hand, you wonder how much selfless a mother can be when most of the people around her cannot think of anything other than themselves. There have also been examples of strong friendship, transitions of characters over time. In one word, you can have a set of experiences with this book.
July 19, 2014
I really wanted to enjoy this book. It had so many great reviews. Intact all of Martina Coles books do. However she's just not for me. This was the first and last book of hers that I have read. I actually didn't even finish the book. I hate how it would jump to things happening or certain things would be said in the book and I had no idea how the characters got there and I had no idea what was going on. I can read a lot of gruesome stuff but I cannot read child rape. It's just too much for me. I know that there are children being raped everyday and I cannot bring myself to read about it!
February 26, 2025
Wow this book was a tough read - the violence against women was truly shocking and hard to read at times - but also gripping. I desperately wanted life to get better for Susan. Even the female ‘role models’ growing up were awful to her! She managed to find great female friendships though and I loved the female characters in the latter part of the book. Motherhood meant everything to her and was the true crux of what made her a good person and I loved the dynamics between the children. The storytelling in this book was great and even though a hefty book I thought the pacing was good and had me enthralled to the end. I’ve heard of this author but this is the first book I’ve read of hers, this one will stay with me for some time.
May 25, 2020
This is a meaty book with 552 pages it is a investment on your time but such a surprisingly easy read it really didn’t seem to drag at all.
With believable characters and a strong storyline this novel treated sexual, physical and mental abuse with realistic brutality and yet the characters kept their dignity and respect throughout.
Some passages are truly awful in their depiction but the reader has to go on. I loved the East End connection and it resonated with me being a Londoner myself.
A cleverly crafted novel and immensely worthwhile read. Has to have 5 stars. Read it you won’t be disappointed.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
With believable characters and a strong storyline this novel treated sexual, physical and mental abuse with realistic brutality and yet the characters kept their dignity and respect throughout.
Some passages are truly awful in their depiction but the reader has to go on. I loved the East End connection and it resonated with me being a Londoner myself.
A cleverly crafted novel and immensely worthwhile read. Has to have 5 stars. Read it you won’t be disappointed.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
December 21, 2019
2.75
Probablemente al ver esta calificación podrán decir quizá que hay libros peores, que esto no es nada... y puede que sea así, y los he leído. pero a diferencia de los otros, este libro puede llegar a resultar tóxico e irritante: tanto maltrato, violencia hacia la mujer, por cada página que estés leyendo te encuentras con golpes, insultos y perjurias. no creo que sea necesario contar aquí de lo que trata, pues la sinopsis es muy explícita. Varias veces estuve a nada de dejarlo, pero adivinen? debía terminarlo porque era la lectura mensual de un grupo de whatsapp. encima que soy de los que al presenciar una escena de violencia de ese aspecto en la TV por medio de las películas, telenovelas o similar, suelo temblar de la rabia, así que ya han de imaginar al leeer este libro. Se entiende perfectamente lo que la autora trata de reflejar en este libro, y pese a lo que me produjo, debo decir que lo logró más que bien. La realidad es así y más todavía de lo que se puede mostrar en un libro, en especial teniendo en cuenta que miles de mujeres no suele terminar bien, mucho menos con algún final feliz.
entonces ¿sólo por eso le pongo este puntaje? sí. puedo reconocer que el tema esté bien tratado, quizá que esté bien escrito, pero llega a ser algo que no cualquiera soporta, por lo que no es para leerlo como una novela de entretenimiento o que te pueda gustar por eso. Hay de dramas a dramas.
sobre el libro es cierto que ya rumbo al final esa cadena se detiene, las cosas se apaciguan para la protagonista, y se descubre un secreto que da un giro a la historia respecto del asesinato de Barry. sinceramente no volvería a leerlo, creo que con una sola vez tuve.
Probablemente al ver esta calificación podrán decir quizá que hay libros peores, que esto no es nada... y puede que sea así, y los he leído. pero a diferencia de los otros, este libro puede llegar a resultar tóxico e irritante: tanto maltrato, violencia hacia la mujer, por cada página que estés leyendo te encuentras con golpes, insultos y perjurias. no creo que sea necesario contar aquí de lo que trata, pues la sinopsis es muy explícita. Varias veces estuve a nada de dejarlo, pero adivinen? debía terminarlo porque era la lectura mensual de un grupo de whatsapp. encima que soy de los que al presenciar una escena de violencia de ese aspecto en la TV por medio de las películas, telenovelas o similar, suelo temblar de la rabia, así que ya han de imaginar al leeer este libro. Se entiende perfectamente lo que la autora trata de reflejar en este libro, y pese a lo que me produjo, debo decir que lo logró más que bien. La realidad es así y más todavía de lo que se puede mostrar en un libro, en especial teniendo en cuenta que miles de mujeres no suele terminar bien, mucho menos con algún final feliz.
entonces ¿sólo por eso le pongo este puntaje? sí. puedo reconocer que el tema esté bien tratado, quizá que esté bien escrito, pero llega a ser algo que no cualquiera soporta, por lo que no es para leerlo como una novela de entretenimiento o que te pueda gustar por eso. Hay de dramas a dramas.
sobre el libro es cierto que ya rumbo al final esa cadena se detiene, las cosas se apaciguan para la protagonista, y se descubre un secreto que da un giro a la historia respecto del asesinato de Barry. sinceramente no volvería a leerlo, creo que con una sola vez tuve.
May 16, 2025
Oh my goodness. The first half was abhorrent, the second half made up for it. I was saying to myself, I can’t believe that this could be so true to life, and thought no, not these days. Then I heard on the TV that they were taking DNA samples from the East End to try to track down the parent(s) of three babies that had been abandoned over the past few years. How depressing can life be for people to stoop as low as this to survive.
August 30, 2025
Συγκλονιστικό. Σκληρό. Άκαρδο. Ένα απίστευτο βιβλίο για μια ζωή που ιδέα δεν έχω πως θα ήταν να την ζω (ευτυχώς). Το διάλεξα γιατί νόμιζα πως θα ήταν ένα κλασικό μυστήριο. Που να ‘ξερα. ΠΟΥ ΝΑ ‘ΞΕΡΑ.
Πόσες φορές πιάστηκε η καρδιά μου διαβάζοντας το. Συγκινήθηκα, αηδίασα, ανατρίχιασα. Κοινωνικό θρίλερ θα το χαρακτήριζα. Καμία σχέση με αστυνομικό. Συγκλονιστικό. Δεν ξέρω αν θα μπορούσε κανείς από εμάς να φανταστεί πως θα ήταν να είναι η Σουζαν.
Πόσες φορές πιάστηκε η καρδιά μου διαβάζοντας το. Συγκινήθηκα, αηδίασα, ανατρίχιασα. Κοινωνικό θρίλερ θα το χαρακτήριζα. Καμία σχέση με αστυνομικό. Συγκλονιστικό. Δεν ξέρω αν θα μπορούσε κανείς από εμάς να φανταστεί πως θα ήταν να είναι η Σουζαν.
December 3, 2024
An absorbing and compelling read.
Another of those multi-generational family stories that I love. It's full of violence, cruelty and manipulation, but it also demonstrates the love of a mother for her children and what lengths she goes to in order to protect them.
The characters are memorable and the settings are gritty and realistic.
Another of those multi-generational family stories that I love. It's full of violence, cruelty and manipulation, but it also demonstrates the love of a mother for her children and what lengths she goes to in order to protect them.
The characters are memorable and the settings are gritty and realistic.
September 27, 2024
I’m honestly not sure where to start with this one. Positives: I was hooked and wanted to see where the story went. I almost couldn’t look away like I was watching trash tv 😂
Ok so I won’t go too into why it wasn’t for me but let’s just say it was a lot. I get why others would have enjoyed it but I’m not sure I’ll pick up a Martina Cole again.
Ok so I won’t go too into why it wasn’t for me but let’s just say it was a lot. I get why others would have enjoyed it but I’m not sure I’ll pick up a Martina Cole again.
July 20, 2018
This is by far the best Martina book I have read so far. Totally gripping, raw and heartbreaking!
June 18, 2022
‘Two Women’ is my favourite so far of the books I’ve read by Martina Cole. It was heartbreaking at times and heart-lifting at others. The characters were so well developed you can’t help but love them, or hate them as the case may be.
Well done, Ms Cole. I’m on to the next book now.
Well done, Ms Cole. I’m on to the next book now.
October 1, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! From start to finish there were twists and turns!
The story line was fabulous! And just shows justice can be served! 🥰
The story line was fabulous! And just shows justice can be served! 🥰
July 29, 2025
I never learn
August 9, 2022
Martina never fails to impress..30th anniversary of this novel..I have re read at least 10 times..always a thrilling ride..lots of twists and turns..looking for a new fave author..look no further..all of her books are awesome
January 16, 2023
Brilliant book with an unexpected ending.
March 22, 2023
A brilliant read, had me gripped at all parts I felt like I was reading a true story about Susan's life parts made me laugh, cry and get angry at the injustice for her, but had the biggest grin on my face with the epilogue and the ending.
Warning: as much as this was a good read I would warn there is alot of child abuse and if this is a trigger or something you can't take then I'd bypass this book.
Warning: as much as this was a good read I would warn there is alot of child abuse and if this is a trigger or something you can't take then I'd bypass this book.
April 22, 2024
Been a while since I've read an MC novel.
Emotional, horryifiying and more real than reality. Loved it!
Emotional, horryifiying and more real than reality. Loved it!
December 22, 2019
Susan Dalston, the prologue tells us, has murdered her husband, is in prison and is being transferred between prisons pending an appeal against her sentence. This is an appeal that she doesn't intend to go through with, it's just a means of getting closer to her family for a few weeks to make visits easier.
As is quite usual with Martina Cole novels, we find out the ending, or near ending, in the prologue and the rest of the novel takes us from an early point, through a desparately hard life to the point where we meet the prologue again.
In this case, Susan as a child, is unloved by her mother, disparaged by her gran and abused by her father. On marrying her childhood sweetheart (not giving anything away here as the marriage is mentioned in the prologue) life goes from bad to worse. There are disturbing and black scenes in this novel, to my mind the blackest of Cole's novels that I have read so far. Women reading this book will relate to Susan and will feel for her from start to finish. Men reading this novel will look for the lovable rogue, or the bad son that still looks after his family - but will be disappointed as no such character exists. There are no nice men or partly nice men with any major role in this novel, perhaps a deliberate ploy on Cole's part to make the reader, male or female, relate to Susan and nobody else. Choosing a typical passage is difficult without giving the plot away so, from the prologue we have..........
Matilda left the cell and came back with two large mugs of tea. She opened a packet of digestives and placed a few on the bunk beside Susan.
"Did you really hit your old man......."
Susan interrupted her acidly "One hundred and fifty two times with a claw hammer? Yes, I did, I counted the blows, it gave me something to focus on."
I don't think I could read two Martina Cole's novels in succession and after "Two Women" had to have a break from reading completely, such was the power of the novel, leaving the reader shocked in most chapters.
http://www.StephensonHolt.com
As is quite usual with Martina Cole novels, we find out the ending, or near ending, in the prologue and the rest of the novel takes us from an early point, through a desparately hard life to the point where we meet the prologue again.
In this case, Susan as a child, is unloved by her mother, disparaged by her gran and abused by her father. On marrying her childhood sweetheart (not giving anything away here as the marriage is mentioned in the prologue) life goes from bad to worse. There are disturbing and black scenes in this novel, to my mind the blackest of Cole's novels that I have read so far. Women reading this book will relate to Susan and will feel for her from start to finish. Men reading this novel will look for the lovable rogue, or the bad son that still looks after his family - but will be disappointed as no such character exists. There are no nice men or partly nice men with any major role in this novel, perhaps a deliberate ploy on Cole's part to make the reader, male or female, relate to Susan and nobody else. Choosing a typical passage is difficult without giving the plot away so, from the prologue we have..........
Matilda left the cell and came back with two large mugs of tea. She opened a packet of digestives and placed a few on the bunk beside Susan.
"Did you really hit your old man......."
Susan interrupted her acidly "One hundred and fifty two times with a claw hammer? Yes, I did, I counted the blows, it gave me something to focus on."
I don't think I could read two Martina Cole's novels in succession and after "Two Women" had to have a break from reading completely, such was the power of the novel, leaving the reader shocked in most chapters.
http://www.StephensonHolt.com
August 19, 2012
An absolute doorstop of a book but what else would you expect from Martina? But unlike some of her other work not a single page was wasted and after a slow couple of days I went from 30% read on my Kindle on Saturday morning to finished early this morning (not in one sitting!) because I couldn't stop reading and wanted to see how everything turned out and I was not disappointed. The ending of this book was fantastic. After reading Mandasue Heller's Two Faced and being left disappointed I wanted to read a book by the original gangland author and what a book to pick.
The worlds Martina portrays never fail to shock and make you glad not to be a part of that world, however glamorous certain parts of it may appear. I really felt for Susan but couldn't help being frustrated at times, I suppose to an outsider it's easy to want to tell her to get out and leave her husband but I suppose until you're in that situation it's near impossible to do so. I have to say that I've read many character similar to Barry and Joey but these two vile human beings have to be my most hated characters in a book by far, absolutely despicable characters with no remorse and nothing nice about them at all. Usually villains in these books have something about them that you can like, but not these two. I enjoyed the prison setting too, it was like a nice version of Bad Girls in that it seemed like an okay place to live, perhaps a little too nice? There didn't seem to be a Jim Fenner character lurking around anyway.
A mammoth book that covers many years, absolutely brutal as you would expect from Martina and an excellent read. One of my favourites by her anyway, enough for me to give 5 stars anyway and I've been trying to save that rating for amazing books.
The worlds Martina portrays never fail to shock and make you glad not to be a part of that world, however glamorous certain parts of it may appear. I really felt for Susan but couldn't help being frustrated at times, I suppose to an outsider it's easy to want to tell her to get out and leave her husband but I suppose until you're in that situation it's near impossible to do so. I have to say that I've read many character similar to Barry and Joey but these two vile human beings have to be my most hated characters in a book by far, absolutely despicable characters with no remorse and nothing nice about them at all. Usually villains in these books have something about them that you can like, but not these two. I enjoyed the prison setting too, it was like a nice version of Bad Girls in that it seemed like an okay place to live, perhaps a little too nice? There didn't seem to be a Jim Fenner character lurking around anyway.
A mammoth book that covers many years, absolutely brutal as you would expect from Martina and an excellent read. One of my favourites by her anyway, enough for me to give 5 stars anyway and I've been trying to save that rating for amazing books.
February 18, 2014
Giving it 2 stars as the title is misleading, as it really focus on the horrific story of Susan Dalston, raped and abused by first her father, then her husband. She is a product of her own environment living in the east end (Eastenders it ain't). The story is horrific and gripping and I'm sure even today 2014, there are many Susan Daltsons living the same kind of life today. You cannot help but feel sorry for Susan but at the same time screaming at the choices she makes. However she finds the strength and courage not to let history repeat itself in the upbringing of her children. She ends up in jail, twist at the end, half way thorough the book we meet the 'second woman' who in my opinion does not majorly conceive a character to allow her to be named as the title, merely just a cell mate. I saw and loved first work of Martina Cole called 'The Take' and so this was my first book of hers to read. Don't know if this is her style throughout her books, but similar abuse, horrific, family fueds etc. I was expecting more, something missing can't put my finger on.
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