The Business Audiobook By Martina Cole cover art

The Business

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The Business

By: Martina Cole
Narrated by: Annie Aldington
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Set in the East End of London from the tail end of the seventies up until the present day, The Business is a tale of drugs, prostitution, and a young girl's fight for survival - against all the odds.

Imelda Dooley is 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 and try not to draw attention to herself.

©2008 Martina Cole (P)2012 Headline Digital Suspense Thriller & Suspense
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What did you like best about The Business? What did you like least?

I love the subject matter that Martina Cole covers, but I believe that her work would be far better if she had a decent editor. I lost count of how many times she used phrases such as "sooner rather than later," and "s/he smiled widely." It drove me crazy. There's a chance that Ms. Cole is successful enough to ignore her editors and insist that her books be published "as is," and if that's the case, then I think that she should re-think her stand.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was predictable, but satisfying.

What does Annie Aldington bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator is really pretty good, though she'd b e better if she read the book a couple more times before narating, just so she understands the nuances in certain sentences, though I'm being a little harsh here.

Any additional comments?

I really hope tht the author reads this review. I'm trying to be helpful.

Good Writing, Bad Editing

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From chapter one you are plunged into the dark side of London life in a way only Martina Cole can propel you.

Gritty and gripping.

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What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Cleaner language, and the author repeats herself as if we are too dumb to remember what she already wrote.

Would you ever listen to anything by Martina Cole again?

probably not

nasty language from start to finish

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