Martina Cole is a British crime writer. She was brought up in Aveley, and as of 2009 has released seventeen novels about crime some of which examine London's gangster underworld. Four of her novels, Dangerous Lady, The Jump, The Take and The Runaway have been adapted into high-rating television dramas. She has achieved sales of over ten million in the UK alone, and her tenth novel, The Know, spent seven weeks on The Sunday Times's hardback bestsellers list.