The Graft - Tapa dura

'Her gripping plots pack a mean emotional punch, and this latest is no exception' Mail on Sunday, 17/10/04 (Mail on Sunday)

'There's some fascinating vernacular. The author is taking the reader into Irvine Welsh territory and beyond' Daily Telegraph, 4/12/04 (Daily Telegraph)

'Martina Cole deals with a gritty contemporary subject in an intelligent and compassionte way that's bound to make you think' Daily Express, 16/7/05 (Daily Express)

'A touch of the Tony Martins as Cole thrashes out the repercussions with very little guile but all the usual gumption' Mirror, 15/10/04 (Mirror)

Looking back, Nick Leary couldn't say exactly what kept him awake that night. He'd had a lot on his mind; perhaps he'd been thinking about the 'respectable' Essex business that he ran, or about his two young sons sleeping in the room next door. Or was it simply the sound of his beautiful wife's steady breathing beside him . . . Whatever it was, he was awake when he heard someone's footsteps downstairs, and Nick's instinct was to fight. It had always been that way, to protect the things he treasured most: his family, his privacy, his reputation. He'd grafted for these things all his life and no one was going to jeopardise them now. Unless, of course, Nick's instinct is wrong, and what happens this time is the start of something even he cannot stop . . .