Review: The Know

This exceptional novel has been in and out of the UK hardback bestseller charts for over a year now (including a long reign at #1). This is the tenth book from Martina Cole, one of Britain’s best-selling crime-writers, but rarely do you see her reviewed in the mainstream or genre press, yet she has huge mass appeal. Her books being the most widely read work in the UK prison system, and her fans queuing hours just to get their books signed.

With ‘The Know’, many critics will stand-up and take notice. Like all her work, it is based on the world of the working-class criminal, forced into crime because there was no other avenue for them, and that is true for Joanie Brewer – the main character from ‘The Know’. Joanie, an aging prostitute runs a down-market ‘massage-parlour’ for her sometime lover Paulie. Like an eagle, she watches over her three children (each formed with bonds to different men), the eldest being eighteen-year old Jon Jon, who even now is ensnared in a world of petty crime and drugs; as well as fourteen year-old Jeanette and her baby, the eleven-year old Kira who has the mind of a five-year old.

Joanie Brewer’s world is ripped apart when Kira goes missing and the ensuing hunt to find the truth leads Joanie and her family to try and find who truly is in the know? And what secrets did Kira’s subnormal friend Little Tommy who collects dolls share? And what lurks in Joanie’s past?

Written with a stark and direct style, you’ll find ‘The Know’ peppered with the language of desperation, the words from the council estates, the words of the desperate and the words that tell a damned fine tale. With low-life characters and a devious plot, we see the world as it truly is for the under-classes. At its heart ‘The Know’ is about community and family and what really links people who live in the world of the deprived. This book pulls no punches and gives no apology for what is a stark look at what one woman will do to find her piece of redemption. If you haven’t read Martina Cole, do yourself a favour and get in ‘The Know’.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Ali Karim - RAM

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: The Know

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.