Faces

By: Martina Cole

Narrated by: Annie Aldington

Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

Martina's back. Just before Danny Cadogan's 14th birthday, his father leaves. Having drunkenly run up a gambling debt he cannot pay, Big Dan Cadogan takes the easy way out, leaving behind his wife and children to face the wrath of the men sent to collect the debt. Determined to protect his mother, brother, and sister, something changes in Danny and overnight, he turns into a young man set on making his way in a violent and dangerous world. He becomes a Face. Not just a Face, but the most feared Face in the Smoke. Out for all he can get, at any cost.

But Danny's ruthlessness on the streets of London doesn't stop at his front door. He rules his wife, Mary, and his children, with an iron will - and his fists. But if Mary breaks her silence, it could shake Danny's criminal empire - right to the very core. And for a Face at the top of his game, there's only one way to go: down. Because, after all, debts can be paid without money.

Set in the heart of London's criminal gangland, Faces is gritty, gripping and utterly unforgettable.

©2007 Martina Cole (P)2012 Headline Digital

Critic Reviews

"Terrific stuff from a terrific lady." ( Mirror)

awesome.

Love Martina Cole she is the best author of all time and there will never be anyone better

Very Entertaining

Martina Cole as always is very entertaining and weaves a gripping story.....however there's a lot of unnecessary repetition, that may put someone off who has never read any of her books.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

As dull as Coal

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone who needs telling the same thing over and over again

Would you ever listen to anything by Martina Cole again?

Yes, but I would certainly pay more attention to other peoples reviews first.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator to be fair was fine, she was reading, she didn't write the thing !

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No not really

Any additional comments?

Boring, repetitive ,too long, in fact about 12 hours too long, unnecessary violence and absolutely no story whatsoever .
So not great really !

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Oh dear. Very repetitive

I was disappointed in this book. The theme is very similar to 'The Family', but it just goes on and on describing the unsavoury life of the gangster family. I'm about 5 hours into part one and so far there's not much of a narrative. I don't think I can stomach another 14 hours.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

What a Winning Combination

With Martina Cole the Author and Annie Aldington narrating its a win win. I have sourced every audible book with Annie Aldington as narrator and a brilliant author. This winning combination transcends me anywhere in the world when in fact I am travelling. I love this combination so much that I now listen when driving in the car and no longer listen to music. I am off to Centre Parcs and Annie Aldington's voice will be echoing around the villa. Thank you audible you have changed my life, never a wasted moment since discovering you and being a member.

Disappointed

Not up to Martina's usual standard. Too much narrative and a rather strung out story.

Not the best

Listened to lots of Martina books and Annie is a great narrator but found the story line poor and the narration a bit of a rant this time

brilliant

brilliant really recommend looking forward to reading the other books by Martina cole love the cockney phrasing

Repetitive and appallingly written.

What would have made Faces better?

MC uses a semi-literate writing style, and uses it to tell stories, describe feelings and history over and over again. She starts so many sentences with 'that', that I cringe and scream to myself when i sense one on its way. "That the hero could feel that way..." Aaaarghh! Her writing lacks credibility, mixing the most awful, mannered cockney rhyming slang with 'difficult' words like 'elucidate'. Do thugs really try to speak like Mrs Bouquet (aka Bucket). And people get their experience 'on the pavement' rather than the street. And please stop telling me over and over again how a character feels and why. Was she paid by the keystroke.

I could not finish this book.

The storyline was well planned. Stripped of endless repetition and edited properly to achieve grammatical readability, it would have made a good story.To be clear and for the absence of doubt, I did not like this book. (Now I'm doing it!) That I shall not be reading another book by this author, will not be surprising. Let me explain all that again...

What will your next listen be?

Not Martina Cole. Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She was weighed down by terrible grammar, but did her best to enhance the misery by putting emphasis in the wrong places. Maybe she was deliberately highlighting the poor grammar.

What character would you cut from Faces?

Everyone was cut in one way or another. Violent book.The storyline was strong . No need to cut characters. Except the author.

Any additional comments?

I tried very hard to finish this book, as I do all books. I didn't even need to make the effort to read this Audible book.
I recall leaving a book on a train because I thought it so bad. A very charming girl chased after me down the platform because I had forgotten my book. Lousy books stick to you, good books speed around your friends and the World.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful