Guilty: the brand new novel by the legendary author

by Martina Cole

432 pages, Paperback

Published June 5, 2025

About the author

Martina 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.

Reviews

[Sue Hickling]

This is the worst book iv ever read ,just filfth and bad language ,why do people read it . 🙃🙃🙃

[Lainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 432

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Amazon

It's time to confess their sins.

Steph Barker can't forget her past. A single mother, Steph runs a women's shelter for local prostitutes while coming to terms with a tragic loss. And it's people like Joseph Potter, battling with his own grief, who keep her going.

When Hennie, one of her friends from the shelter, goes missing, Steph's convinced Hennie's violent pimp Artie Rogers has something to do with it. Steph and Artie go way back, but his reign of terror throughout the Medway towns is out of control and even she can't do anything to stop him. Then another prostitute disappears and it's time to find out who's guilty.

Everyone has their secrets - but one of them is getting away with murder.



My Review

If you have read Martina Cole you know what you are getting, this one is particularly dark. Steph runs a shelter for prostitutes, she got out of that life and knows just how hard it can be. She has her ex who is just a piece of work but he is the father of her daughter so he will always be around. Her current partner is on support after a hit and run that left him unresponsive and killed her wee baby. His brother runs the girls and rules with an iron fist, drugs and his partner who is a complete deviant with muscles. As some of the girls disappear Steph realises that something much darker than their pimp may well be on the prowl and no one is safe.

The book has some really dark themes, issues, sa, child abuse, murder, coercion, dv, manipulation, absolute deviants they would give you the absolute boke. We see families pushed to the brink and having to make choices so they can survive, threats of violence, being put in unimaginable positions. Prostitution features heavily throughout the book and all the perils that come with it, shady punters, predators, substance issues and a stalker/murderer.

When I finished this I needed to genre switch, a lot of the worst sides of humanity feature in this one as well as strength, love, friendship and family. There is child endangerment and some hard scenes and threats featuring them so be warned, 3.5/5 for me this time.

[Lisa Brueton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and heartbreaking what the girls endured and why they turned to the life they ended up living

[Jane Stachini · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant as always

[Arizona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I couldn’t put this one down!
What a good read!

[Suzie Tubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what you’re getting with Martina. Loved it, read it super quick!

[Geekydumbblonde]

I used to love Martina Cole books, I’ve read them all. But I’ve gone off the way her books are written these days, the deepest darkest cruelty (including children) is just not me…

[Nikita Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Struggled to put it down the story was just soooo easy to read but catching too! Just brilliant

[Kameill Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant storyline of drugs and prostitution and women trying to leave that life and protect their family and children

[Victoria Rokovutoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book.The characters was so believable and the story that interwebed together made it addictive.