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The Take cover art

The Take

By: Martina Cole
Narrated by: Annie Aldington
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Summary

An uncompromising and haunting story of betrayal and violence from the best-selling author Martina Cole. Freddie Jackson thinks he owns the underworld when he gets out of prison. He's done his time, made the right connections, and now he's ready to use them. His wife Jackie just wants her husband home, but she's forgotten the rows, the violence, and the girls Freddie can't leave alone. Bitter, resentful, and increasingly unstable, Jackie watches her life crumble while her little sister Maggie's star rises.

In love with Freddie's cousin Jimmy, Maggie is determined not to end up like her sister. Families should stick together, but behind closed doors, jealousy and betrayal can fester until everyone's life is infected. And for the Jacksons, loyalty cannot win out. Because in their world you can trust no one. In their world everyone is on the take.

©2005 Martina Cole (P)2012 Headline Digital

What listeners say about The Take

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omg amazing !!

I literally found excuses to be alone and listen to this book, the language used meant that I couldn't play it loud on my alexa around the kids but I have earphones so my phone was attached to me constantly. I was pulled into the story and loved every twist and turn. I gasped and laughed and almost cried throughout. a fantastic listen

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Gripping!

A gripping, but dark tale about a family detached from reality, with so many scars left unnoticed. Well written. Worth a listen!

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Great

Slow starter but by the end i could not stop listening.
Great characters and storyline.
The 4 episode programme is not bad either

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1 person found this helpful

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Not for me!

What disappointed you about The Take?

This is not a book for me. The book contains a LOT of obscenities and at first I almost didn't listen to it at all, but I decided to give it a try. It is set in the east end of London and so the language and tone is necessary to the story. There is a lot of violence, child neglect, alcohol and drug abuse in the story but the way it is written kept me interested. I got about 3/4 through the book and then I just couldn't go any further, the violence was too much for me and I decided I could live without knowing how it ended.

Would you recommend The Take to your friends? Why or why not?

No, it is not something I would encourage my friends to read.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Where Maggie finally stands up to Freddie in front of Jimmy and he realises he no longer has power over her, more importantly, she realises it too!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger, sadness and disgust.

Any additional comments?

The book is so well written, I have not listened to this author before and whilst I found the story just too much for me I cannot admire her writing enough. The detail and complexity of the story is fantastic and her understanding of the London crime world is apparent. In fact, it is because the detail of writing is so good that I had to stop listening to the book. The description of one particular scene was so detailed that I was in tears and felt physically sick. I have dealt with children who have been abused and neglected by alcoholic mothers so the behaviour of Jackie to me was disgraceful and outrageous. I think the reason I couldn't continue with the book is because it is so true to life that it left me feeling angry and outraged and that is an emotion I can do without on a daily basis.

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Brilliant as usual 👌

Fantastic story. Very good ending. The way Martina twists between the characters just makes it unputdownable.

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A lot of crime

I really enjoyed yet another book really good kept your attention to the last page

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Brilliant

Another brilliant book by Martina Cole. Well worth getting this one, brilliantly narrated and the characters come to life. Really enjoyed

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amazing storyline

loved it, great story and great reading really enjoyed it, martina cole with another great

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Brilliant 👏

I never get tired of Martina Cole. This story has a bit of everything well worth a listen. the narrator is as always brings the story to life, except for the Jamaican 😂

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Gripping and compelling read

Felt like I knew each and every character. I wanted to kill Freddie myself and Jackie was awful. Love the narrator, can’t imagine anyone else now


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