Maura's Game

Maura Ryan #2

by Martina Cole

The dangerous lady is back and she's as lethal as ever...

Maura Ryan was the queen of the criminal underworld when she pulled off the most audacious gold bullion robbery of all time. Since then she's retired from a life of crime to be with the only man she's ever loved. But enemies from her past are closing in and they're about to learn that they should never cross Maura Ryan.

Maura's Game is an explosive novel of East End violence and corruption from one of the most original voices in fiction today. Martina Cole's unique blend of emotional drama and shocking realism combine in this electrifying new bestseller.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

406 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2002

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

[Book Addict Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I thought about giving this book 5 stars but then I figured if a book is a 5 star read (in the opinion of the reader) then it doesn't require thinking about and so I give this book 4.5 stars. It wasn't as good as Dangerous Lady which is the first Maura Ryan book and readers should read that book first before this one just for continuity and to understand the characters further than what is written about them in this book.

Martina's books are always mammoth reads and that's one of the things I like about them. Some authors can churn out 600+ page books and 300 of them are rubbish but [most of] Martina's books are actually very readable and apart from a select few there isn't much filler. I felt that this book however went on too long, it started to get repetitive and I just wanted it to be over. The fact that the Ryan family are meant to be top dogs in the underworld can't find one well-known face running across London was ludicrous and the fact that it went on for over half the book was ridiculous.

I also found that this book was one of the more 'gruesome' reads of Martina's but to be honest that doesn't bother me. I read a lot of 1 star reviews criticising Martina for the language she uses (or rather her characters, or because she uses too much violence etc) but isn't that why most people read these books? Seems odd to use that as a criticism. That said reading about Benny Ryan gluing people's eyes shut or stapling them was pretty awful, but not enough to give a book 1 star, if you can't handle a bit of swearing or violence then stick with kiddie books and leave Martina to the grown ups.

I felt the ending was a bit predictable but ultimately it was a good ending. There were only two things I would have done differently but just the fact that a lot of the book seemed to go on too long prevents me from giving this book 5 stars as I feel it could have been better. But still a fantastic read that at times was hard to put down.

[David Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reviewing the gangster thriller Maura's Game by Martina Cole which is a very good novel which I bought from a car boot sale. This is the sequel to Dangerous Lady which I haven't read yet. Apparently she was queen of the underworld and robbed some money and was living on the proceeds. In this novel there is a plot to oust her and her husband from their kingpin positions. They put this down in quite ruthless fashion even killing the adult children of people quite dear to them. Some people get tortured and the people they kill are equally ruthless. It seems their plan has been compromised and they are out for revenge. Most of the action takes place I think in Liverpool & London & is quite gritty. It is quite an enjoyable thriller with plenty of blood and guts. I think the ending does leave it open for their to be another sequel. It's interesting how the gangster world is so ruthless, parents are told their offspring are to be killed and have no choice but to inform on them. It's very much a kill or be killed thriller. Martina apparently lived on a council estate in Grays which has inspired her books. She does transform you into a very different world that does seem very real. Maura leads a ruthless crime family called the Ryan's and I did quite enjoy reading it. A number of her books have been made into tv movies and although she is very successful in Britain does deserve a wider readership abroad because her books are rather good.

[Mitch Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maura’s Game (2002) by Martina Cole is the follow-up to her novel Dangerous Lady.

Both books follow the story of the protagonist, the notorious gangster Maura Ryan. I haven’t read the first book but in this book, we meet Maura at a stage in her life where she has left behind her past in crime and has settled down with her boyfriend Terry. But she’s not going to remain in loved-up bliss for long. Foes from Maura’s past life come back to haunt her when they murder Terry and soon Maura finds herself back in the crime business with the Ryan family especially her brothers. The author manages to give us enough background from the previous book to ensure that this can be read as a standalone. We realise that Maura had once been pregnant with Terry’s child but fearing what the neighbours would think, her mother forced her to have an unsafe abortion which left her unable to give birth again.
I can’t say that I like Maura. Some of the things she does in this book are downright awful. But Cole did manage to write a very complex character in her because there is moments where you sort of do feel like you could like her if she wasn’t so involved in organizing murders. She has a gentle and generous side. She did look after her niece Carla and her nephew Joey very well and always stands up against Carla and her mother when they get homophobic about Joey. But then I remember who she is and the bigger picture and I can’t like her but I can certainly see her good qualities. It was quite difficult to find a member of the family to like in fairness and yet you still wanted to know what happened them even if you weren’t terribly worried what did. I did like Joey’s personality for a bit because he seemed fun and away from the vicious criminal underworld but then he showed his true colours more near the end and family friend Abdul seemed nice until he also showed his true colours. My favourite character was Sheila who was married to Maura’s brother Lee. She really just wanted to keep her children safe and didn’t want Lee or by consequence their children and her mixed up in it and I one million per cent agreed with her. She had a great personality. On one side she had a softer, kinder side but she was strong and tough when she needed to be and Lee certainly hadn’t married a doormat. I found her cool.
This book deals with a lot of issues from Cole’s signature style of tackling family dynamics in the criminal underworld as well as homophobia, racism and sexism. Her books are heavy and draining but also very realistic of life and that is always a breath of fresh air. She writes very honestly and that can be really scary to do. I love the way she tackles topics and issues head on. Also the dialogue is so spot-on and the characters are very developed.

Excellent.

[Jane Shambler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Masterful, exceptional and totally engaging. Would love a third chapter.
I couldn't put it down.
Sad at the end but kinda expected.
Was a good feeling when Maura finally found happiness.
Great read but be warned... you won't be able to put it down.

[Lorewra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the sequel to Dangerous Lady. Unfortunately it could never live up to the standards of it's prequel.
I've read many books by Martina Cole and despite falling in love with Cole's writing style, I soon realised that all of her books share a similar story and are all of the same genre. She would be alot more interesting to read with more of a variety.

[Danniiee · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Martina Cole writes a crime novel - she writes it like nobody else. Her witty dark humor came across so well in this book, even more so than the others. I found myself laughing so much.

Maura, one of the main characters of Dangerous lady, came back for a second book when after 10 years of retirement and getting everything she thought she wanted, she couldn't leave her family behind as head of the Ryan crime gang in London.

This one was a lot more brutal, harsher and to be honest at times was scary to read.

I aspire to be a lead writer the way this woman is!

[Kingfan30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing with Martina Cole is, you know what your getting - gangsters, violence, swearing, predictable characters. I think I may have read Dangerous Lady in the past, but not 100% sure. This however does stand fairly well on its own, there are a lot of characters thrown at you fairly early on though, so reading the previous book may have helped get those in order quicker! It does what any Cole book does though, plenty of twists and turns, but repetitive at times, but a fairly quick read for such a big book.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dangerous Lady, the prequel to Maura's Game, is a story about a young girl and her family getting heavily involved in the business of London crime. It starts in the 50's with Maura's birth, and ends somewhere in the 80's. Maura's Game carries the tale into the 90's.
Overall, it's enjoyable, easy going and occasionally quite witty. It could've been a whole lot shorter, though, and there are hundreds and thousands of cliches in Cole's prose and characters' dialogue.
So, if you like to read about gangsters drinking cups of tea whilst 'getting things sorted,' then you should read Maura's Game. You know it makes sense.

[Maria Daines · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first Martina Cole books I found by chance and I love each and every one. The storytelling far outweighs the predictable text and if I had to make a negative comment I'd say she should cut out the repetition of the words 'and he knew it' or 'and they knew it' or 'they all knew it'. But then again that's what editors are for and I guess nobody messes with a Martina Cole manuscript, she's fabulous and I'm a huge fan. Couldn't put this book down, awesome plot as always.

[Rashele Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the very first novel by Martina Cole that I had the great pleasure of reading and I have been hooked ever since then. Martina Cole has a way of grasping and keeping my attention from the very first chapter until the last. I am so addicted to her writing style that I purposely search for more of her novels to read.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual this was another great book with so many twists and turns you just didn't know how it would end.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Martina Cole just got boring and predictable.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maura's Game, by Martina Cole. 2002.

Maura's Game is the sequel to Cole's 1992 debut novel Dangerous Lady. It continues the story of Maura Ryan, who rose to prominence as the head of the Ryan family, an organized crime family in London. I read the first book last year and quite enjoyed it. This sequel picks up roughly seven years after the events at the end of book one. We find Maura attempting to live a normal life, having more or less retired from her role running the family business. Except things quickly pull her back in, which sets off the plot for the rest of the story.

I'm a fan of gangland stories and crime fiction in general. Cole can weave a tale, and she doesn't hold back when it comes to the violence of the London underworld. One of the things that I find striking about her writing is how she blends crime fiction with family drama. The Ryans are a big Irish Catholic family. Lots of brothers, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, and so forth. A large cast of characters. Sometimes it can be a bit difficult to keep track of who is who, especially with characters who have similar names. For example, there is a Sheila and a Sarah, a Gerry and a Garry, a Carla and a Carol, three Tommy's, two Benny's, and so on. Nevertheless, if you can keep the characters sorted, the family drama adds to the dynamic nature of the plot.

Another thing that could be slightly distracting for me at times was the amount of scene changes. Frequently, there would be multiple scenes in just a few pages. I think this is just a part of the author's style. Once I got used to that, I was able to follow along, but at first, it was, admittedly, a bit jarring.

All in all, this was a satisfying conclusion to Cole's debut. Maura Ryan is a compelling character, and I was glad to read more about her.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly gripping read. I felt the fear and menace of the Ryan family emanating from the pages.
The Ryan family are being set up to take a big fall from underworld grace and their enemies are circling like sharks to come in for the kill (literally) when that happens. The Ryan's main rival is Vic Joliff, who escapes from jail and goes on the run. Vic is the proverbial invisible man, as he scuppers the Ryan family plans at every turn, but nobody can locate him when Maura Ryan wants to meet him.
A Liverpudlian 'face', Tommy Rifkind sleeps with Maura, but takes advantage of their relationship to try his own takeover of the Ryan businesses, legitimate and otherwise.
Vic Joliff wants his cocaine back from the Ryans and plenty more besides.
then there's Maura's nephew, Benny, the image of his Uncle Michael, but so similar in character to his Uncle Garry. Benny is an uncertified nutcase, who enjoys inflicting pain and death on those he perceives to be his enemies. He enjoys torturing people for information and making them beg for death or mercy.
All in all, not a book for the faint hearted reader. The language is rife, the torture described in all its gory detail. The characters are memorable and seem to leap off the pages of the book and almost have a real life of their own.
Bring on the next Martina Cole book.

[Mike Billington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had previously read author Martina Cole´s excellent novel "Ladykiller" and decided to give "Maura´s Game" a try in hopes that it would rise to the same level.
It did not, much to my disappointment.
Not a bad novel - I don´t mean to suggest that it is - but simply not as good as "Ladykiller" in terms of plot, character development, or narrative style.
The story revolves around a brutal gang war aimed at taking over the Ryan family´s turf. Maura Ryan, the former head of the gang, is retired and living with her lover, a former police detective.
(There´s a story in that which I gather is detailed in a previous novel about Maura and her criminal family.)
When he is killed in a failed attempt to murder Maura she is thrust back into her role as the gang´s leader. What follows is a rambling tale of revenge, betrayal, and multiple murders.
In "Ladykiller" Cole did what I think is a remarkable job in developing three major characters. In "Maura´s Game," however, I did not feel that she did a particularly good job of fleshing out any of the characters. Again, in "Ladykiller" Cole wrote in a strong narrative voice, so strong, in fact, that what is a long novel fairly flew by. By contrast, "Maura´s Game" tended to plod rather than sprint.
As I said, not a bad novel, just not one that reached the same standards set by "Laadykiller."

[Abishek Specter · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No gangster is ever happy when they're at peace"

And boom!! The plot gets heated.

Trust me when I say it's an AMAZING sequel to *Dangerous Lady*. Loved every single second reading this thriller. It stands out from a regular gangster plot, gives depth of emotions to the storyline. The ideology of not bringing business inside family was experimented deeper and clearer with beautiful vision.

Each characters from prequel were neatly brought back with same attitude. I'm saying it again, Maura Ryan is a woman you need ❤️The characters will make you believe they are who they are and you travel along with them through all threatenings and killings on the streets of developing East End London. "Revenge is the best dish served cold", damn right it is! Unexpected twists and turns which will drag you to the edge of the seat. The ending is a bolt from the blue, gives you the clear vision of how it has to be done if ended up in such (character's) way.
.
Best gangster plot to fall in love with 🤙

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warm van de pers overhandigde Martina Cole mij een exemplaar van Grof spel, haar nieuwste in een succesvolle serie boeken. In tegenstelling tot wat wij gewend zijn, is dit boek een vervolg. Het ´eerste deel´ was Gevaarlijke dame. Eerste deel staat hier tussen aanhalingstekens omdat Martina Cole in eerste instantie niet van plan was om een vervolg te schrijven. Maar ja, de lezers bleven maar zeuren om een vervolg. Wat gebeurde er met Maura? Dit wordt dus allemaal verteld in Grof spel.

Het knalt er wel in: als je bij pagina 17 bent, heb je naar je idee al een half boek uit, en nog wel een met een flinke verrassing.

Het kan aan mij liggen, omdat ik Gevaarlijke dame nog niet gelezen heb, maar ik vond Grof spel minder goed dan Vrouwen zonder gezicht. Ik vond het er allemaal nogal dik op liggen. Voor de doorgewinterde fans van Martina Cole zal Grof spel echter wel een welkome aanvulling zijn op de collectie!

[Irina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Martina Cole's book that I have read. It is a quick read and did not bore me. Jokes are even funny sometimes. However, none of the characters seemed attractive to me. Even though they are gangsters, I expected them to be likable for some of their personal traits or deeds. In one of her interviews, Martine Cole said that she hated when readers complain of the excessive violence in her books. Maura's Game has nothing but violence in it. It does not have a good aftertaste that is when you read the last page feeling that the book affected something personal about you. Moreover, it does not have an engaging detective plot when the author gradually gives some hints as to "who's done all that", encouraging reader's interest. The book has actually little intrigue in it. Coupled with excessive violence and poorly developed characters, the book is rather vulgar.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 - 4 stars. This book is the sequel to "Dangerous Lady" and continued the story of Maura Ryan and her family who are one of the head crime families in London. Maura is the Queen of the Criminal underworld and helps her remaining brothers take care of business. But the man she loves betrayed her and ends up dead in a car bomb meant for her. Enemies start coming after her and her family and it's the innocents that are being targeted, to hurt the family the most. Someone appears to be wanting to start a crime war with everyone thinking that the Ryan's are responsible. Who is behind it? Who has betrayed her and her family? Do they have a mole within who is working with their enemies? This was a very violent and profance book that's not for every reader, but I found it felt very true to life.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought at first I wasn't going to get into this book but I persevered as I'd really enjoyed "Dangerous Lady" & this book went straight in where that had left off. I did find it a bit confusing at first trying to recollect all the characters & their relationship to one another....which makes me think it would be a difficult book to follow without reading the prequel first.

In typical Cole-fashion it's quite a vicious tale & not a book to read if you're offended by bad language. None of the characters have any endearing qualities but as it is a tale of gangsters that is only to be expected.

[Ron Dangerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot even recall why, but I was adamant that I didn't like Martina Cole. She is my eldest daughter's favourite author, and have always been told to read her when I've been looking for something new, but have refused for ages believing that I didn't like her. I have to thank COVID though for finally reading her. I'd finished all the unread books I own and with the libraries shut I didn't have access to my usual source of reading materials.

What an enjoyable read. Written at a good pace and in a style that easily allows you to grab just a little bit when time is a stretch. A thoroughly good book.

[Amy Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martina Cole books are not for the faint hearted but they will grip you right to the end. Love the relationships of the dysfunctional family and there’s elements of wit amongst the violent and scheming ways of the Ryan family. A little disappointed though as throughout the book they were all amongst the agreement that Maura wanted out of the world and handing the reins over, yet the ending mentioned nothing of the sort and Maura still seems to be the one on top. It feels like it’s a story unfinished yet can’t see there been scope for another book, hence why I’ve not given it a 5*

[jeannette allerston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Loved this book, have got to recommend this as a must read, a fantastic story reads like a rollercoaster, full of twists turns and laughs through out 10/10 Martina Cole, and 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 myself not being from London has to get my hubby to explain and help me out with the lingo like lol lol but i,m getting there lol as I said brilliantly written 😊 and fantastic narration along with this book ☺

[sarah palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her books and I have read most of them before so this is my second time reading this. It’s much the same as dangerous lady but then it is a sequel. Lots of swearing which is fine but also includs the c**t wordword which I don’t even like to read. There is also a fair amount of cockney slang which is fine if you understand it however the dictionary and Wikipedia don’t. I did enjoy it overall and will read more of Martinas books again.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know why I bothered to finish reading this book. It is over 600 pages and I usually dump a book at page 100 if it doesn’t grab me. Well, I persevered to around 250 pages and was about to dump it as I found it really boring, but then it picked up, so I continued. I found it most disappointing. I have read one other book by this author and thought it was good, although her work is extremely gory. I wouldn’t recommend this book – there are too many good reads out there.

[Kev · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an exciting book this was. What an incredible character Maura Ryan is and all brought to life by a brilliant story teller. After finishing DANGEROUS LADY, I took on MAURA’S GAME, thinking it would be almost impossible to keep up the same gritty page turner as DANGEROUS LADY is, but I was completely wrong and thoroughly thankful for that. There’s also some fantastic twists to keep you on your toes.

[Gabby Adkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dangerous Lady (the novel prior to Maura's Game) was gripping and I had high hopes for this novel as Maura is a strong, independent woman. Sadly I have to say I was slightly disappointed. Although the storyline was good and the characters had grown up, I felt it lacked something. I felt there were too many characters within this story and at times it got confusing. But still a good read and for Martina Cole fans it's a must read.

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story to be fair. I’ve read a few of her books now and this is one of the better ones. A good follow up to the first one. I find the characters can sometimes be a bit all over the place though, although that doesn’t distract from the storey. Finished it on an afternoon by the pool and a flight home!

[Sherrill Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

Cole writing is excellent, the characters are very believable she writes about the underworld that we mere mortals could only ever read about. I think every woman reading about Maura Ryan would like to think they have a little of her inside them. Her strength, resilience and cunning.

[Chrissie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, even though I couldn't rate it a 5. Even though I related to it will as a sequel it had room for scope as I have said before Martina is a little tame in her description of violence. Maybe she doesn't want ot offend her readers but really Martina it's what we want in a book like this.