Review of Martina Cole's The Ladykiller
Gripping Crime Novel From the Author of The Take
Jul 21, 2009
When the reader first meets George Markham, it is easy to feel a little sorry for him. He is fifty one, unremarkable to look at, and about to be made redundant from his job, where he has found himself consigned to the scrap heap along with all other older employees. Worse still, he is in a loveless marriage, in constant trouble from his nagging, overweight wife Elaine.
The Grantley Ripper
No wonder he feels the need to escape to his shed sometimes. What he does there is not so easy to explain – he pores over the pornographic magazines he keeps hidden there, and enjoys slashing at the women in the pictures with a knife. Sadly, it is not difficult to imagine how this disturbing hobby might escalate; George begins to watch illegal videos, enjoying the sight of women being abused, and it is not long before he moves on to more direct action. At first this is spying on women as they get undressed in their own homes; then worse.
One of George's victims is beautiful young Mandy Kelly, an innocent girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her father Patrick is one of the most feared and powerful man in London, and demands that retribution be taken against this mysterious attacker, whom the press have named the "Grantley Ripper"; he is unconcerned whether this be through the police or through his own private investigations.
DI Kate Burrows
Detective Kate Burrows is in charge of the case; likeable, sympathetic and with a teenaged daughter of her own, she must make sure that she doesn't let her emotions get in the way of tracking down such a dangerous man. She makes for an engaging heroine, and as is Cole's way, we learn as much about Kate's complicated home life (increasingly rebellious daughter, persistent ex-husband) as we do about the crimes she is investigating.
The only false note in the novel is the characterisation of Patrick Kelly, who simply doesn't leap from the page in the same way as the other characters do. George in particular is a memorably disturbing creation, alternating between periods of lucidity and sheer blind rage against women, and some of the passages describing his crimes require the reader to have a strong stomach. Still, Cole specialises in strong female leads, and despite interference from Kate's feelings at key moments, the reader never doubts that she is the right woman to stop the Grantley Ripper.
The Ladykiller by Martina Cole is published in the UK in paperback by Headline (2005), ISBN 978-0747240853.
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