The Business

by Martina Cole

Imelda Dooley is scared. Really scared. She's played hard and fast and now she's been caught. She's pregnant and now she's on her own. Her father, not a man to mess with, will see that somebody pays for this. And it's not going to be her. So Imelda Dooley tells a lie. A lie that literally causes murders.

When Mary Dooley's husband is killed in the night's events, she knows she must graft to keep the family afloat. And graft she does, becoming a name in her own right. But she still has to watch her daughter's life spiral into a vicious, hate-fuelled cycle of drugs and prostitution.

Caught up in the carnage that is Imelda's existence are Mary's adored grandchildren, Jordanna and Kenny. Pretty little Jordanna isn't yet three and she already knows far too much. All she can do is look after her baby brother, Kenny, and try not to draw unwanted attention to herself.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery

568 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

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

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've enjoyed her previous books, but this one got irritatingly repetitive, and the constant swearing is wearing.
She spends so long describing her characters personalities and motivation, over and over again, that if you took that out, there'd only be a 100 pages of actual story. The central character is so unrelentingly awful that I really lost interest and only finished it to find out if the ending was as predictable as I'd thought. It was.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors, I loved this book.

Being from Essex myself I just love the characters dialogue, I feel right at home in these pages.

Really recommend this book and all books to be honest by Martina Cole.

Five stars.

[ReaderSP · Rating 1 out of 5]

What has happened to Martina Cole? I used to LOVE her books and would await eagerly for the next one to be published but I have been left so disappointed with her last few attempts at writing.
This story follows Jordanna and Imelda as they battle their way through life. Everything in this book, Martina has written before and I mean EVERYTHING. You can predict exactly what will happen right from the beginning. The repetition is so bad that the book could easily have been reduced by half. I cannot say how disappointed I am...

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of a London criminal dynasty forever overshadowed by a malevolent female junkie relative in their midst - was my original one sentence review. 6 out of 12 Sounds like one worth rereading, if I recall correctly.

[Marg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the book but it was overly repetative - I only needed to be told once how dumb Imeldas brothers were, once how selfish she was, once how fragile Jordana was and please only once how big Kenny Boy was. did not need to be told every page of every chapter!!!!

[Beffcrk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to get into this book at first and it took me quite a while to read as I wasn’t desperate to find out what was going on. I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters but I felt like some of them just dropped of the radar during the book and you don’t hear about again. I got slightly more in to it at the end and although I didn’t love this book I look forward to reading another Martina Cole soon.

[Jane Shambler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Cole manages to put you right there. It's part of society we prefer to ignore. But Cole doesn't allow you to walk away.
It's a very powerful book. She also handles it well. While telling the truth yet trying to be sensitive to the children.
Awesome read.

[Ginny Mcpherson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt it repeated itself over and over again. Storyline was ok but it took 2pages to explain something that could be done well in a paragraph. I have just read reviews from others and have noticed I am not the only person to think this. This was my first Martina Cole book and was not bothered about reading another but maybe I shall now if I believe other reviews, saying this is not like her normally?

[Arwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this straight after 'The Graft' and frankly didn't like it so much. It could easily be 100 pages shorter. I think Martina Cole's strong points are dialogue and action. She doesn't disappoint in either, but there is page after page of character analysis and psychology which I found boring and repetitive. I still enjoyed the book but found myself skipping chunks of it.

[Zoe Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting to be drawn into this book as much as I was. I was gripped to it and it was very real, touched on a lot of truths about addiction that usually get overlooked. This book was written perfectly and it is one I think will stick with me for a long time. Definitely recommend this read. Crime drama with a touch of thriller.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book very repetitive, especially in the first 3 quarters of it!!!!! I got the feeling that I was constantly re-reading pages! I usually love Martina Cole novels, but was very disappointed with this one unfortunately. There wasn't really that much going on with the story (just more of the same throughout) and I think the book could definitely have been shortened by about 150 pages at least!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm...this book is difficult for me to rate. The Business was my first introduction to Martina Cole and one of those impulse buys while doing a weekly shop.

The story took me a while to get into and I found the setting - the heart of London's gangster culture - disturbing and at times, difficult & unpleasant to read. However, Martina Cole's writing makes it a page turner and it gripped me enough to stay with it until the end.

My heart went out to the little two year old Jordanna, and I was horrified by what she had to witness and go through so early on in her life. I think it's this aspect that made The Business initially such an uncomfortable read because it gives the reader a stirring that this is what life is really like for some people.

Whether you like it or love it, Martina Cole has the gift for telling a gritty and unforgettable story. And, yes, I *will* read her books again - but perhaps one that doesn't have such full-on swearing with every character.

[Livros de Vidro]

Li mais um livro de Martina Cole. Com este "A firma" já são três os livros que li da autora, aqui no blogue tenho publicada a opinião de "Os intocáveis" e li também "Ruas escuras".

Posso dizer que é uma autora que tenho gostado de conhecer e tenho-me apercebido que tem muita inclinação por escrever livros policiais/thrillers/ criminais, mas da perspectiva dos criminosos, ou seja, as suas personagens principais são sempre criminosos.

Este "A firma" não foi diferente. Com uma escrita que me prendeu e me fez não querer largar este enredo, Cole mais uma vez traz uma trama que mexe connosco. Violenta, crua e sem papas na língua.

Assistimos à família Dooley, aparentemente perfeita e inserida no meio criminoso de Londres, no entanto, graças à filha mais nova começa a destruir-se. Imelda, uma jovem intempestiva, arrogante, destrutiva e sem escrúpulos tudo faz para levar a sua ideia avante quer isso custe a vida às pessoas à sua volta quer não.

Continuação e classificação: https://livrosdevidro.wixsite.com/liv...

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Martina Cole writes with an incredible knowledge of the sad, but extremely lucrative, world of organised crime in London, with it’s violent involvement in protection rackets, drugs, prostitution and various other anti-social behavioural aspects.
The author lost many friends in the 70’s and 80’s caught up in heroin addiction, and writes with a passionate approach to the innocent parties (particularly children) who suffer dreadfully as a consequence.
Part of the vernacular is rather coarse, which some readers may find offensive, but it captures the environment in which the story is set.
My only criticism is perhaps duplication of various phrases and events throughout the book, but this may be deliberate to reinforce the message.
I found it an excellent book and recommend it as great reading for anyone who is interested in learning more about this dreadful scene.

[Yury · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Extremely ugly writing in ugly language about ugly people. Author has a single most favourite word (starting with F) which she puts in the random places. I am sure pimps and drug dealers use F-word and others more creatively.

Every thought seems to be repeated three times. "She was tired. Really tired. F-ng tired". And then three more after a few pages.

Unfortunately I dropped my pocketbook in the sea, so I was stuck with this book picked up in the hotel lobby. Be warned. F-ng bad.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and grizzly. Typical Martina Cole. I love them!

[Aastha · Rating 4 out of 5]

its a good read. its intense. martina cole is amazing.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

100% Martina Cole fans will love this one

[Tom Thornton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot figure Martina Cole out as an author. I don't know who her target audience is and I can't figure out what it is she's trying to say to them.
Technically, this book is well-written with a readable flow. The technical ability is why I reluctantly add a second star to my review. Okay, this is an author who can turn an inch in to a mile and you can occasionally skip two pages without missing anything important, but the standard of writing is good (albeit repetitive).
It's the content I struggled with.
This is not so much of a "story", It's just a sequence of unpleasant characters doing terrible things. There's not one redeeming character - NOT ONE! I was convinced that at some point some moral high-ground would be taken and the plot might turn around to produce a happy ending or at least a lesson of morals but it never arrives. Themes of drug use, violence, prostitution, murder etc. are valid themes to explore in a work of fiction, but I was hoping for the author to set an example of what's right and wrong. Martina Cole just shrugs at everything and tries to justify her abhorrent characters committing evil acts one after the other without any consequences.
The longer it goes, the more baffling and time-wasting this book becomes. I got to the end because I never give up on a book that I've started but I trudged through the second half asking myself - "Why am I still reading this?"

[Sian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think after this book I'm now done with Martina Cole. The first MC book I read was The Ladykiller and I was gripped from start to finish, predictable in places but overall I enjoyed the read. It lead me on to her other books, which to start with were quite good, but now they are all the same, once you've read two or three they start to become the same book. Change the names of the characters and set it in a slightly different part of London and it makes for the same monotonous reading, book after book, and The Business is by far the worst of them all. It was boring, predictable, repetitive, and no depth to any of the characters nor storyline. I usually find it hard to part with books even after they've been read as I like to go back to them but as of today every Martina Cole book has been cleared out and donated to a charity shop freeing up shelf space for something more enjoyable.

[R. M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

How do you make a book full of murder and crime so utterly tedious to read?
The characters are flat, and the descriptions are a repetitive slog of stereotypes. Several character descriptions arent worth reading as the character is dropped two pages later. The story skips forward in time as and when it likes, dwells on people slagging the protagonist off and then rushes through major character deaths in one wishy-washy paragraph.
This book was a chore to read, but on the bright side the characters were flat enough and the story was plain enough that I could go weeks without opening the book and still be able to jump straight back in. A neighbour gave me this book and some other Coles, sheepishly admitting that The Business isn't Cole's strongest work. Despite this, I'm keeping my expectations low for the rest, and am glad I didn't pay for this disappointment.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was bored to death with this book. I've tried so hard to keep on track, tried so hard to connect with the characters but it just wouldn't come. Everything about the way this was written was overly repetitive. I never once remembered getting intrigued, excited, or any positive emotion wash over me while reading this book and thus I was halfway through it, I decided that I've had enough. I usually don't ever stop midway while I've started a book because I've made it an importance to finish what I've started but I just couldn't go on with this one. And I'm relatively sad that this is the first book of Martina Cole's that I've read because I've heard some good stuff about her other works but I'm pretty sure I won't be picking her up from the bookstores for a long while.

[Kev · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tragedy, heartbreaking and a story like many others who have suffered through drug addiction. It was a hard read, but not just because of the story which in itself was gripping. It was a hard read because of the repetition throughout. I lost count how many times I read about the personalities of the lead characters. It felt at times that Martina Cole was dragging the story in an effort to give it nearly 600 pages. I would have given this 5 stars if it was reduced to around 400 pages. In Martina’s words, the repetitive nature was of Olympian standards and while it’s an interesting description to describe a pregnancy, there was far too many times the words ‘a belly full of arms and legs’ were used.

[jeannette allerston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gem Martina Cole

What a rollercoaster of a ride, what a broken family ,i,ve read this book twice and the second time I found myself reading parts that I some how missed the first time around, when I read books on this subject (family), I find myself feeling so lucky to have come from such a big loving family , sadly my father passed away very young, having older brothers and sisters this story has made me appreciate my family thank you Martina 😉 and Annie Aldington brilliantly narrated as always 10/10..... 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Mary Pimbblet · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read a few Martina Cole books now, and wasn't expecting a fabulously written masterpiece, but this is shocking. I don't think an editor has been near this, it feels like it's been dictated and not even proof read. Everything is incredibly repetitive, the author can't seem to work out if half the characters are stupid or really intelligent. I also got extremely sick at being told to be sympathetic to junkies every second page, because even if they do completely evil things it isn't their fault.
There is probably a good story here somewhere, but this really didn't work well.

[Rob Marriage · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disagreeable cast of characters. First, I didn't read it - I listened to it. Second, I listened to the abridged version, not unabridged. So it read like a Readers Digest version of a family saga... of the worst family in Britain. Are there any heroes? I dunno, Mary maybe? The cast, the story, and the setting represent the absolute worst of British culture. It makes "Trainspotting" seem like Paddington Bear.

Anyway, If you like Guy Richie films but could do without the ironic humor, then this book is for you.

[Danielle Dent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Martina Cole book and I have to say I was disappointed. Many people have recommended her over the years and this was just not what I was expecting. Imelda was so horrifically abhorrent it really made it difficult to read the book. And there was no need for it to be 600 pages as even though lots happened nothing seemed to happen to move the plot along at the same time. The writing was very repetitive and if we cut out the amount of times Martina described a heroin addict we could have cut 100 pages easy. I won’t be in a hurry to read another one unfortunately.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Martina Cole book, and although repetitive (as some other readers experienced), I have to say that I found it to be quite entertaining. Was it entertaining enough to encourage me to read any more of Martina's books...no not really. Then again, my reading seems to be heavily influenced by my mood and podcast choices, and if the synopsis and sample is good....I will most likely read it.

[mick raynor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up after 190 pages (it seemed longer!). In the 190 pages all I learned was that Mary is saint-like, her daughter isn't and her two sons are thick. So much repetition that the 190 could easily be condensed into 50. I was going to plough through the remaining 300 pages to see what happens to them but I really don't care any more. I won't be reading any more Martina Cole - life's too short.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a Martina Cole fan, it saddens me to write this review. I found this book to be absolutely dreadful. The whole book whilst trying to tell a story was repetitive all the way through, describing the characters personalities, problems & lifestyles on a constant loop. I ended up speed reading through the pages in hope that something would change, sadly it never did & I couldn't wait to be done with it