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Book Review By michael
Close by Martina Cole

This is a story spanning four decades beginning in the 1960s. It tells the story of a gangland family riven apart by its own actions, to say nothing of the other mobsters in London giving a fatal helping hand to engineer their destruction.

The first part of the book begins with the rise and rise of a criminal thug, Patrick Brodie who marries a much younger girl, Lily - the love of his life and as his family grows up, Brodie expands his criminal activities, meeting out his own form of justice whenever necessary. And it would appear that it is necessary very often.
As a result, slowly he causes resentment in the underworld community which leads eventually to his unexpected and violent death. Not unnaturally, this throws the family he has left behind into turmoil and they struggle to survive. Lily uses her charm for grace and favours in order to keep her family of five children with a roof over their heads.

The second part of the book brings to the forefront the now grown up Brodie children who are determined to exact revenge on those criminals who dealt their father a death sentence and their mother a life of struggle and humiliation.

The Brodie brothers retake their father's businesses from a variety of thugs, dealing forcibly with anyone who stands in their way. They succeed in helping Lily to stop working as she now has seven children with another one on the way! Evidently, their life is not straightforward; one child is murdered, and, although, by theft and brutality the family has regenerated its finances, their life is not one most people would wish to share.


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - depressing/sad
Time/era of story:
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - criminals killing each other
descript. of violence and chases - 30 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Is MAIN CHARACTER an EVIL criminal? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status:
Motive of antagonist - power
The antagonists are: - gangs
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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