Truth bomb, I read this entire book, before realising I'd read it before! I don't really know what that says about this read, I humbly leave it up to you, but it was an eleven year gap.

Former DI Kate Burrows and her sometimes helpful crime lord Patrick Kelly live-in lover and life partner return in another serial killer tale. Prostitutes are being killed in gruesome ways in Grantley and Kate and her protégé are finding it very difficult to find any clues so need the help of the underworld. Another riveting Cole book, as in that once I start them, I just have to know how it all ends up, despite them being somewhat formulaic in regards to characterisation. 6 out of 12, Three Star read :)

2012 and 2023 read123 s Michelle1,417 157

I love Martina Cole but I did feel disappointed by this book however I do admit that my standards for this author are super high.

Three stars.20 s Eva110 16

The first detective story I had to force myself to read till the end. Finished it and not happy with it :( The story develops in short parts - description of a person that is going to be murdered, inner feelings of the female detective and her ex-boyfriend, and the crime scene. It looks the CSI films, i.e. video spots. The author repeats a lot of words all the time (to suss, the F word - with which I would not have problems with it if it was appropriate) and uses slang in places I would not expect. In one place the detective is hung over and a half page later comes a text as if from a brochure about all the damage drinking can cause. I hoped the end would be good but not. I suspected the revealed murderer for 250 pages. Not inventive. I am just surprised by positive . Not going to read another book by her :((12 s Jane Shambler796 27

Excellent

Sometimes series can become boring or even repetitive. You start to think same things. But and I mean But this isn't one of those. Kate Burrows has a way of captivating you from word one.
Enjoygangster4 s Best Crime Books & More1,124 175

Martina Cole has been writing since 1992 and has produced some fantastic crime novels. Some of her work has been turned into TV Dramas and her most recent book turned TV Programme was The Take which attracted over 600,000 viewers in the first episode. Martina Cole Books have always been popular and many of them have reached number 1 in the Bestseller lists. I have read each and every book she has ever written and have been a fan for many years. However, in recent years I felt she was losing that something special that she had in the first few books she produced. I was, other fans, waiting with baited breath for her latest book that brings back characters that appeared in `Ladykiller' and `Broken'.

DCI Kate Burrows is living with Patrick Kelly. Patrick is a former criminal that has changed his life after settling with Kate and going on the `straight' to a certain degree. Kate is no longer working as a DCI full time but is still a consultant and is drafted in when a new case arises. When working girls are found murdered and brutally tortured, Kate realises that this is a little too close to home where Patrick is concerned. He may be on the straight and narrow but when working girls start turning up dead in houses that he rents out the case becomes incredibly personal. Subsequently Kate and Patrick separate after Kate has doubts about Pat's involvement. The more time that passes, and the more girls that turn up. Each girl seems to be in a worse state than the last. DCI Annie Carr is the lead on the new case and Kate joins her in the bid to find the killer before they murder more of the working girls.

I am so undecided about this book. This took me a whole week to read, whereas normally I would read a Martina Cole book over a couple of days. I found myself constantly putting it down and reading something else (never a good sign). The characters seem to have changed completely since the last time we met them. Admittedly Kate and Patrick are both much older now but Kate Burrows ended up being a character I really didn't that much. The story itself was okay, that's it just okay. There were no great drama's or surprises in store and the killer is pretty obvious quite early on in the book. I also found that the storyline was much Martina's last book in that there is so much repetitiveness it makes me bored of reading it again...and again.....and again! The crime scenes seemed to be almost skipped over and there didn't seem to de any depth to any storyline, whether it is a violent one or a murder that had happened.

Overall it wasn't bad but I just found that it wasn't a gripping enough read, the characters nowhere near as good as they used to be and her style of writing has changed. I was really hoping that her new book would be back to her `old style' types where you literally couldn't put the book down. Unfortunately it wasn't and I find myself wondering whether Martina Cole has lost her touch. I am disappointed that somebody that in her heyday produced books that I couldn't wait to read, has now produced something that makes me think I won't bother with the new releases she brings out in the future. I will save my pennies for authors that I really love, and will probably wait until her new books are on special offer somewhere. read-20094 s Carolyn462 1,144

Well narrated as usual by Annie Aldington, however, story wasn't as good as previous books containing DI Kate Burrows. A bit too much repetition with regards to the relationship between Kate and Patrick, even though I love them. The ending was bittersweet, but fitting. audiobooks-read book-list-2014 book-list-2023 ...more4 s David Roberts684 27

I am reviewing the novel Hard Girls by Martina Cole which is an excellent thriller which I bought from a car boot sale. This is a gritty novel set in South East England which isn't surprising when you consider Martina lives in Kent. The title Hard Girls, I think refers to the 2 policewomen who are the central characters in the story. There is Annie who is a Detective Chief Inspector investigating a string of murders of prostitutes. There is also Kate a retired DCI who is a consultant and is helping out in solving the case. She also has a partner who is a bit of a wideboy and has been renting out flats to prostitutes to use as brothels. Kate leaves him when she realizes he has been involved in this. What her partner doesn't realize is the income from these flats has been re invested in drugs. It's the prostitutes in these flats the serial killer is singling out. The murders are very gruesome so you need a strong stomach to read this book. The killer slips them date rape drugs prior to the crime. They realize he must hate prostitutes but only later do they realize he is a prominent policeman set on messing up their investigation. He also physically abuses his wife. When they try to aprehend him there is a funny scene where Kate's ex partner has to get a hard man called Georgie Twofer who makes Arnold Schwarznegger look a wimp to kick the door in. There is a happy ending & the book is a satisfying read. It also keeps your interest throughout.3 s Dawn Barton18

The last few books were very much same old, same old. Was delighted when this book returned to two old favourites charaters, Pat Kelly & Kate Burrows. Grantley Police station and the criminal!!!
This book was very exciting, kept me on a knife edge the whole way through. A fantastic account of the things that can go wrong with organised prostitution, even in the privacy and safety of a home environment. I find Martina Cole writes her books in the down to earth way that is needed for a story this to be reliable, a lot of the things she writes about could well be true. The characters in the book are pretty believable and its a book that I couldn't put down until I had seen it through to the end. Some people have said that they knew who the killer was within a few pages (don't believe that) or half way through the book. It took me to at least three quarters of the way to realising it was a woman, but which one I couldn't decide until near the end.

I was getting bored with Martina's books, but this one has made me definately buy the next one.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review3 s Biggus306 3

What possessed me to read 80% of this piece of junk is a mystery. Talk about flat characters, who do a lot more arguing and acting out of character than much else. What story there is takes second place to the protagonist's selfishness and constant bitching. Talk about flat characters. Did I mention it repeats itself over and over? Talk about flat characters! Using the vernacular of the book, it gave me the Edgar Britts. Avoid this the plague.dnf3 s lizzie142 10

Hard Girls

The third book in the Kate Burrows series.
I was late to the party reading Martina Cole, having still only read the three Kate Burrows books.
But I'm glad I jumped on board, better late than never.
I really love the down to earth style of writing by Martina Cole.
I've also really enjoyed reading this series so far, Kate Burrows is a really likable character. But I really love the character of Patrick Kelly.
Look forward to reading the next instalment in this series2 s Steve Armstrong41

Have been struggling with my reading habit for a while now.I wasn't totally sure this would be the book to help improve it, but it absolutely has.
What a great read, brilliant story, superbly written with a twist I seriously would not have guessed.
Even when I had read the ending, I had to re-read it to be certain I understood it properly.
Will definitely be reading more Martina Cole in the future. Would highly recommend to fans of crime thrillers.2 s Hannah262 30

Hard Girls follows cut-throat DI Kate Burrows and her team in the world of gang-land London as a heinous and horrific killer is on the loose. Working girls are found in horrific positions and with not a single trace of evidence left behind... The killer seems to know exactly what they're doing!

After really loving Dangerous Lady by Martina Cole (and knowing she was a favourite author of my mothers, with her thick hardbacks always dotted around the house), I thought it was time to give another one of her books a go. Truthfully, I picked this up without realising it was part of a series. I almost gave up when I started reading and noticed there were already some very fleshed-out characters, however I decided to crack on. Luckily, Martina Cole touches on characters' pasts and fills you in one any connecting plots, which is always handy.

Despite my very high hopes, I found Hard Girls to be a bit of a snore. Don't get me wrong - the plot is fantastic, the big reveal at the end is absolutely jaw-droppingly horrific and the murderous plot really did keep me gripped. However, I really struggled to the characters. DI Kate Burrows is cut-throat and angry, but she is also extremely tough on everyone and was very unable. Annie, her friend and co-worker, was flakey and whiney and didn't feel a strong lead at all. Patrick felt just futile compared to some of the mobsters in Dangerous Lady. Again, this could all be because of a great character arch from previous books in the series, but not one character stood out to me.

There was also a lot of repetition within Hard Girls. I found myself skimming many paragraphs and just highlighting the main features as I found that they were just saying the same thing over and over again. Patrick and Kate's relationship is a key factor that sticks out with this; with endless paragraphs from both parties begging for the other one back but still being spiteful. It became repetitive and boring. By using this repetition as filler, it really took me in and out of the gripping plot and made me not reach for the book nearly as much as I would normally.

Overall, I am really glad this wasn't my introduction to Martina Cole, as I know she writes amazingly raw and gritty crime novels. But I think I will be giving Kate Burrows a swerve for sure! 1 Namra127 13

Hard Girls by Martina Cole is the third book in the Kate Burrows series which can act as a standalone. Kate Burrows is a retired DCI & she's working at a police station as a part timer because her work has been her life & after her retirement she couldn't find anything better to do
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