Dangerous Lady: A gritty thriller about the toughest woman in London's criminal underworld [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2010] Martina Cole

Fantastic. This book delves into the gang ridden underbelly of British society. Grittingly realistic, it follows one family who build from poverty to establish themselves as one of the most prominant gangs in London. Set in an era when the lifestyles followed by the family were rife throughout large portions of England, the book captures the internal struggles within and gives insight into the different minds at work behind gang warfare. A topic that would have been easy to over dramatise and even easier to glorify is treated with care, graphically detailing the torture and psychological problems born out of such a lifestyle. A wonderful read, gripping from the start and never letting up in intensity throughout. This is a must read for anyone into crime novel, or gritty realism. Look forward to reading the sequel.

The story starts with the birth of a baby girl, Maura Ryan, into the poverty that is South London in the 1950s. Marua is the first female born into a family that lives by its wits in the bomb sites of post war England. Her father is an alcoholic, her mother runs the show, her older brothers are violent. They are thieves.Marua, who along with her unpleasant brothers, useless father and tough mother, becomes the queen of organized crime in London's gangland. The story take us from the cockroach infested family home of the 1950s to the phenomenal rise to a life of wealth and riches in the 1990s. DANGEROUS LADY gives us a shocking insight into the life of London's underworld. The story is realistic, believable and an entertaining way to spend a weekend in the country and well worth the read.Karen Holtz, New Jersey Book Girl