I really love historical fiction and was pleased to be given the opportunity to review this book. I came to this book with high hopes because it was awarded the Historical Writers’ Association prize for an (at that point) unpublished novel – if the HWA says it is good, it will be good.
And so it is!
The story follows a young girl, Hannah Hubert, who has fallen on hard times in Georgian London. Although she is descended from a respectable silk weaver and has had the benefits of a good education, she has been forced into service after having been orphaned.
When she is sent to work for the Chalkes, she finds herself in a house of secrets. The mistress of the house is tough and Hannah is given cryptic warnings about the master by other servants. There is a locked room in the house, secret books and mysterious auctions that happen behind closed doors… To add to Hannah’s disquiet, the other servant in the house, Peg, is terrified of the Chalkes.
Thrown into the mix are Hannah’s friendships with two young men – one is an apprentice at the book store where she delivers Mr Chalke’s mysterious documents and the other is a widower farmer who delivers milk to the Chalkes. The real question becomes who she can trust when things go wrong.
I really don’t want to give spoilers that would ruin this book for another reader. However, I came to the book expecting historical crime fiction and it needs to be said that it is so much more than that. Crime is one element of the story, but it is more focused on the character of Hannah and her fight for survival in an extremely hostile world.
Hannah is a fantastic heroine who really develops as a character over the course of the book. She begins as a naïve but educated fifteen year-old whose kindness and desire to help others is evident – her treatment of poor Peg wins her not only Peg’s total loyalty but also the respect of the reader. She is clever, curious and willing to stand up for what she believes – something that puts her in the way of danger. As the book progresses, the reader sees Hannah’s resilience, pride and determination to do the right thing even in the toughest circumstances. I doubt any reader could do anything but root for Hannah throughout!
Without giving too much away, I felt that the book contained strong positive messages about female friendship and the willingness of the poorest in society to support each other when times become tough. I loved the relationship between Peg and Hannah, plus the glorious later addition of a pipe-smoking childminder with a charitable heart.
Another strength in the novel was the colourful historical setting. Georgian London really is evoked in all its glory and grimness. There is a real sense of the hardships of being a servant in this era, plus the seediness of the poorer areas of London. The period detail is perfect – we get a sense of the clothes, routines, lives of the characters – and there is a feeling that a vast amount of research must have gone into the writing of this book, although it never feels laboured.
It must be said that the book does touch on some very dark themes that make for uncomfortable reading at times. This is not cosy historical fiction and Hannah’s (justifiable) fear is palpable as she is cast into some awful situations. The reader has to trust that the story is in safe hands and Hannah’s resolve will see her through.
I thought that this story was well-paced and liked the fact that it was told in a series of short chapters. This made the plot feel like it had real movement and – indeed – it did cover a lot of ground in less than 300 pages. I kept thinking that I’d read just one more chapter, then another and – oh, the next one is so short, should read that too… I raced through it!
I was interested to read that the book was inspired by the writer’s visit to the Foundling Hospital Museum in London. This is somewhere I’d very much like to visit after reading the novel, although I can imagine it is home to many heart-breaking stories of mothers with no other option but to entrust their child to the (possible) kindness of strangers.
Overall, I’d join the Historical Writers’ Association in recommending this book. It is absorbing, lively and immersive – Hannah and her Georgian setting both felt entirely authentic and it is time you made a trip to her world too!
Although my copy of this book was gifted to me by the author, opinions (as always) are entirely my own. Thank you to Maggie Richell-Davies for giving me the book to review.
If you would like your own copy of this book, it can be purchased using my affiliate link below – thank you for supporting my blog.
Happy publication day to this delicious slice of dark, historical fiction!
I am obsessed with anything set in the Victorian era and have read a lot about the Jack the Ripper murders. With that in mind, I came to this book with lots of enthusiasm and a little bit of trepidation – I am a bit of a stickler for historical accuracy when a writer is using events that are so well documented as the basis for their story.
I needn’t have worried at all – I was in safe hands with Clare Whitfield who has produced a well-researched and absolutely compelling book.
The story follows a young woman, Susannah, without family of her own who comes to work at the London hospital as a nurse. She catches the eye of a young doctor, Thomas Lancaster, who marries her and installs her in his home in Chelsea. The marriage isn’t a happy one and, as the Ripper murders begin to terrorise the streets of Whitechapel, Susannah is led to consider the possibility that her husband is responsible for the killings.
What I loved about this book was the way that Susannah herself is presented. The story is told primarily in the first person, so we are given access to Susannah’s thoughts and perspective. This is really effective as our doubts about Thomas grow as Susannah’s do, although we also recognise her unreliability as our guide through this period of Victorian history as she has a laudanum dependency.
Another strength is the way that the Ripper murders are integrated into the story; initially, they are merely backdrop but, as Susannah’s focus shifts to them, we get more involvement and detail. True Ripperologists will note the inclusion of the death of Elizabeth Smith, not one of the canonical five and often disputed as being one of Jack’s victims, but this absolutely works in relation to the story and gives Susannah personal investment in the crimes.
Indeed, the treatment of the victims by the writer is another commendable aspect of the novel; the women are given personalities, back-story and even a voice though Susannah’s own imaginings of them.
Without giving too much away, the plot is extremely clever and the way that twists in the story are gradually revealed is absolutely engrossing – as the novel gathers pace in the second half, the reader is on constantly shifting sands which definitely left me racing for the denouement.
Overall, this is a well-constructed and well-paced novel with convincing historical detail and a heroine who – far from being perfect – is unreliable but extremely resourceful.
I would recommend this to any lovers of historical fiction, but also those who enjoy psychological thrillers as there is something extremely tense (but enjoyable) in watching Susannah weigh up how dangerous her husband may prove to be.
I received a free copy of the e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. However, I’d recommend that readers try to get a physical copy of the book as there are some little illustrations separating chapters that I bet look fabulous in print.
If you would like a copy of this fabulous book, please consider using my affiliate link below – at no extra cost to you.
Header photo with thanks to Renè Müller for sharing their work on Unsplash.
Released this week – a new book from Nick Hornby is always an event in my diary!
I feel like I should declare my love of Nick Hornby books at the start of this review – I usually love the dialogue and the insight into people and the humour of Hornby’s writing. Indeed, ‘High Fidelity’ is up there with my absolute favourite novels and I think I’ve read pretty much all his work.
This book had so much promise – essentially an age gap romance between a 42 year-old white woman (Lucy) and a 22 year-old black man (Joseph) set against the Brexit referendum. There’s loads of scope for exploration of people’s attitudes to race, class, age, 21st century British society…so far, so good!
And indeed, a lot of this is delivered upon very well by Hornby – he perfectly captures, for example, the rage caused by Brexit on both sides of the Leave/Remain debate. Lucy’s job as a teacher also struck a chord with me as reflecting my own life.
However, it’s not a perfect novel. While it’s enjoyable and interesting, it doesn’t quite hit the spot for a romance as it’s too messy and makes you wonder what the appeal is in the relationship, especially for Lucy who tolerates some pretty poor behaviour from Joseph. It felt a bit more like social commentary than a fully absorbing novel in places.
Overall, I would say this is an engaging and light read with some interesting points about British culture in the age of Brexit and Black Lives Matter. Whether it works as a romance is more up for debate – it didn’t for me. If you like Hornby’s writing (as I do) then you’ll probably like this, but for everyone else then I’d start with ‘High Fidelity’ or ‘About a Boy’ as Hornby’s real masterpieces.
I received a free copy of the novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
You can buy this book using the link below – I may earn commission on purchases at no extra cost to you.
Header photo with thanks to Jude Beck for sharing their work on Unsplash.
I’ve written a lot recently about newly released novels – of which there are many. However, there are a vast number of excellent books that I’ve not written about in order to keep on top of waves of new ones.
With this in mind (and with a brief pause between the waves!), I thought I would introduce you to my favourite historical novels of recent years.
These are in no particular order – just books that strike me as deserving to find new audiences. They are all – as far as I know – stand alone novels. If historical crime series are your thing instead, you can find my recommendations here.
‘Shadowplay’ by Joseph O’Connor
Thanks to Sonder Quest for sharing their work on Unsplash.
I really love anything about the Victorian period, although I did not know much about Bram Stoker, the focus for this book, apart from the fact he wrote ‘Dracula’. The whole book was a bit of a revelation, in fact, putting Stoker in the context of his life’s works and the wider view of Victorian and Edwardian society.
The novel focuses on Bram Stoker’s life from his days as a clerk in Dublin to his time managing the Lyceum Theatre in London through to his death in 1912. The main part of the book really concentrates on his tricky relationships with the famous Shakespearian actor Henry Irving (owner of the Lyceum Theatre) and Ellen Terry, great actress of her day. Although heavily based in fact, this is a fictional account and it really brought the historical figures to life through the (fictionalised) diaries of Stoker, the letters between the characters and even some (again fictional) transcripts of conversations and interviews.
I really enjoyed the way that so much of Stoker’s day to day life at the theatre seemed to provide the inspiration for ‘Dracula’ – as a long time admirer of that classic novel, it was lovely to see ideas coming together, from character names to places and events and motifs. I wasn’t aware until reading this that Stoker never realised that ‘Dracula’ was destined for fame and fortune – it is a tragic element of his story that he never saw its success in his lifetime.
There was a lot to enjoy in this book for people who like well-researched historical fiction. So many people and places and events were incorporated into this story that Google was my constant companion so I could see and read even more!
There are a couple of reservations – Florence (poor Florence!) could have been developed more and I’d have liked a tiny bit more pace in places, but these are slight niggles only.
Overall, this is an enjoyable read for those interested in Victorian society and theatre or Bram Stoker and his writing process. It is an engaging and ultimately moving account of one man’s life and relationships in a fascinating era.
‘The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock’ by Imogen Hermes Gowar
It’s so hard to explain why this book is so bizarre and yet so fantastic (in both senses of the word). It defies genre and delivers a wholly satisfying story that I couldn’t wait to unravel.
It is 1785 and Jonah Hancock, a merchant in London, is living a narrow existence and waiting for news of his ships that are sailing across the world with the cargo that is his livelihood. One of the ship’s captains returns with a strange offering, a mermaid, an event which marks the start of Jonah’s change in fortune. As he rises in the world by feeding the public’s desire to see the mermaid, he crosses paths with Angelica Neal, a beautiful courtesan, and his life changes forever.
Thanks to Nsey Benajah for sharing their work on Unsplash.
The story moves between Jonah’s view of events and Angelica’s; both are utterly engrossing and introduce the reader to different levels of Georgian society and a whole host of fascinating characters. Although the novel is ostensibly historical fiction, there is also a slightly supernatural element which is interesting. It reminded me of some of Angela Carter’s novels (‘Nights at the Circus’ being a firm favourite of mine) in that there is a grotesque element to some of the writing and the reader is sometimes unsure what is reality and what is illusion.
Overall, I loved this book and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves historical novels (Georgian London is presented in absorbing detail), mystery and intrigue (is the mermaid real?), wonderful characters (Mrs Chappell is delightfully awful) or who just simply want to read a great story. Beautifully written and absolutely engaging.
‘Tipping the Velvet’ by Sarah Waters
This is a fabulous historical novel set in the Victorian theatre world – I have re-read this one a lot. It’s so beautifully written and absolutely absorbing.
The narrative follows Nancy Astley as she leaves her Whitstable home and embarks on a music hall career in London. Led by her love for Kitty Butler, a music hall artiste, she learns about her own sexuality and character as she moves through different levels of Victorian London society.
The characters she meets are varied and interesting, and always presented with subtlety and humanity, be they aristocracy or prostitute, Socialist activist or servant, theatre star or charity worker. Nancy herself is a complex and slightly frustrating narrator; she is human and real and sometimes makes bad decisions, but the reader can’t help but be charmed by her.
As well as the characters, the settings are also beautifully evoked. Nancy moves from the vibrancy of the Victorian music halls to the seediest boarding houses to the mansions of London’s wealthy and all are written in vivid detail by Waters.
The novel is often categorised as a romance, which it undoubtedly is, but I’d say this is also bildungsroman – Nancy leaves Whitstable as a young, innocent girl and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she finds her place in life. I really love this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes their historical fiction with intelligence and a whole lot of heart.
‘Bone China’ by Laura Purcell
I loved Laura Purcell’s ‘The Corset’ and so was very excited to read her new book, ‘Bone China’.
As I trust the author, I deliberately did not read about it before I started reading so that I could be pulled along by what I knew would be an engaging and suspenseful narrative. I really wasn’t disappointed!
The story centres on Morvoren House in Cornwall, a family home set on the top of cliffs. A maid, fleeing the secrets of her own past, arrives to take care of the elderly Miss Pinecroft (and her extensive collection of bone china, of course!) The household are rather unconventional and Cornish myths and superstition run rife, especially with Creeda, companion to Miss Rosewyn Pinecroft. Just as the maid, Hester Why, starts to find her feet in this strange family, the narrative shifts back 40 years and we start to learn the secrets of the tragic Pinecroft family.
This book is a beautifully written piece of historical fiction. As with Laura Purcell’s previous work, there is a strong sense of the creepy and sinister, this time in the exploration of the old Cornish beliefs about fairies (who are far from the benevolent and cute figures that Disney might have us believe!) There is also plenty of vivid description which really brings to life the unusual settings such as the caves beneath Morvoren House and the characters that inhabit the story.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction. Even if you are sceptical about the supernatural elements (I’m queen of the cynics – I don’t usually read this genre for that reason), you cannot help but be drawn into this beautifully plotted, carefully researched and fascinating story.
‘The Binding’ by Bridget Collins
With Collins’ second novel arriving soon (and it’s absolutely amazing), I couldn’t not include this one here.
I have no real clue how to categorise this or describe it, but this book is absolutely wonderful!
Emmett lives with his family on a farm. He’s trying to pull his weight with the physically demanding work, but he has been ill and can’t really remember a dark, feverish period of his life. A mysterious letter arrives asking for him to be an apprentice to a binder, a woman living in a remote area who is widely considered to be a witch. With no real choice in the matter, Emmett takes his place in the binding workshop, learning the secrets and skills of transferring memories to paper. But things aren’t as they seem and the world of bookbinding has those who abuse their power over people’s minds.
Picture thanks to Cristina Gottardi for sharing their work on Unsplash.
I really don’t want to give any more of the story away because I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it was because I did not quite know what to expect. I’m not even really sure what category I would place this in – the setting feels historical, but also like a parallel world in which books have mysterious power. It certainly isn’t my usual genre, but I absolutely loved it.
The novel is beautifully written and hugely imaginative – I read it in a day, which is fairly unusual for me. The only criticism I have is that I found it quite difficult to imagine the physical appearance of the characters. Scenes and emotions in the novel are written in great and absorbing detail, but I just wanted to be able to see the characters in my mind. A small niggle for me!
However, this is a lovely and engaging novel. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read something a bit different. It is not at all what I expected, but was a pleasant surprise.
‘The Devil Aspect’ by Craig Russell
Wow. Just wow!
The story is set in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. Nazism is on the rise, showing itself in small ways to the staff and residents of the asylum at the centre of the plot. This asylum is like no other, housing ‘The Devil’s Six’, killers of such depravity that they are isolated in a remote castle location. The castle itself also hides secrets, with locals thinking it stops up the mouth of Hell itself.
Into this grim and dark place comes a new psychiatrist, Victor, keen to prove that people have split personalities, a ‘devil aspect’ in each of us that has capacity for great harm. He arrives fresh from Prague, a city terrorised by a serial killer called ‘Leather Apron’, and starts to uncover some unexpected things about the castle residents.
It’s hard to write a summary of the book that really does it justice. It cleverly weaves the mythology and folk tales of Central and Eastern Europe with trends and discoveries in psychiatry, while also maintaining a constant sense of darkness through the historical setting. As Nazism makes itself felt in Czechoslovakia, not least to the Jewish character in the novel, Russell also winds in the grimness of Victorian London’s Jack the Ripper crimes being mirrored on the cold and gloomy streets of Prague.
It is meticulously researched and fascinating. It’s also all described vividly – sometimes a little too much so, given the brutality of the crimes involved and the disturbing madness at the heart of the novel.
I just can’t praise this enough. It genuinely kept me turning pages right to the end and left me thinking about it long after the end. Yes, it’s extremely dark and gruesome. Yes, it’s about some very grim subjects. Yes, it’s quite disturbing. But it’s also wonderfully clever and inventive and compulsive. Please read it now.
‘Blackberry and Wild Rose’ by Sonia Velton
This is the story of two women living in Spitalfields during the reign of George III. One (Esther Thorel) is the wife of a respected Huguenot weaver, the other (Sara) is a prostitute at the seedy Wig and Feathers tavern. When Esther pays for Sara’s freedom from her life of prostitution and gives her a job in the Thorel household, both women’s lives are changed forever and not in ways they could foresee.
Thanks to VIBHUTI GUPTA for sharing their work on Unsplash.
There is so much that is fabulous about this novel. The chapters alternating between the perspectives of the two women make the story compelling; although this isn’t a radically new device, in this novel it takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotions and results in constantly shifting sympathies. I honestly couldn’t decide whose side I was on as it kept changing! Also, the descriptions of Georgian London are vivid and engaging – this is a grimy and dangerous London where mobs can rule and justice is far from guaranteed. The plot is tight and there is a serious feeling of menace at times – I could not put this book down!
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction. This is a beautifully written and captivating novel that deserves wide readership and critical acclaim.
‘The Doll Factory’ by Elizabeth Macneal
This book is about twin young women working in a doll factory in quite early Victorian London. Iris longs for escape, while Rose is more resigned to her situation, keen to appear respectable and do as her parents wish. Nearby, the Crystal Palace is being built for Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition and items are being sought for both this and for the Royal Academy’s annual exhibition. It is these things that will change the twins’ lives forever as they get caught up with the burgeoning Pre Raphaelite movement and a shady taxidermist called Silas.
I really loved this book for so many reasons. Firstly, the setting felt vibrant and interesting – this is London as the centre of innovation and full of opportunity. However, it’s also a London that is dangerous and seedy, and Macneal does not hold back from portraying the poverty and prostitution in the city that exists alongside the promise of the future.
I also loved the character of Iris, a woman prepared to take risks to be free to paint. The Pre Raphaelite artists themselves are also engaging subjects for a novel, although quite sanitised if what I’ve read about them elsewhere is to be believed! Finally, the sense of tension sustained throughout the book is cleverly done as Silas changes from odd loner to something much creepier.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who likes historical fiction. My only quibble is the title – it’s a bland and unexciting title for something that offers so much more than the story of a doll factory.
‘A Single Thread’ by Tracy Chevalier
I’d read a few of Tracy Chevalier’s books before and so I was expecting a well-researched, evocative and beautifully crafted historical novel. I was not disappointed.
This book is about Violet Speedwell, a single woman in her late thirties who is living in Winchester in 1932. Still mourning her losses in the Great War, Violet is trying to escape the future that society has planned for her as a ‘spinster’ and ‘surplus woman’. Instead of settling with her mother in Southampton as everyone expects, she moves to Winchester, gets a job as a typist and becomes involved in the Broderers, a group of women embroidering items for the cathedral. Through this, she meets an interesting set of people who show her that there are other ways of living outside of society’s rules.
Violet is an appealing and engaging heroine whose situation evokes sympathy in the reader; she struggles to assert her independence in a society that seems to want to thwart her every move. The setting is beautifully described, the characters are vivid and there is lots of interesting information about the embroidery techniques that Violet is learning – sewing is not my thing at all, but I did find it added to the novel.
This is a charming book that follows a lively and unconventional heroine. Although Chevalier touches on the big issues of women’s rights and the rise of Nazism before the Second World War, the focus never leaves Violet, her friends and family, her struggles and successes, her hobbies and her beliefs. A lovely book and one I would wholeheartedly recommend.
Thanks to Olesia Buyar for sharing their work on Unsplash.
‘Swan Song’ by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott
I didn’t know much about Truman Capote before I picked up this novel, but I was intrigued by the idea of telling his story through the women he was closest to – his ‘Swans’, a group of wealthy socialites who gave him access to their privileged lives and darkest secrets before he betrayed them by writing thinly-disguised versions of their stories.
I was interested in how biography can become fiction, although I soon realised that Capote himself was a master of blurring the lines between truth and fiction as several sections in this novel show – key events are told and retold from different perspectives and with dramatic features added, so the reader is always aware that truth is an illusion.
The novel covers the period between the 1930s (when Capote is a child) and the 1980s when Capote is living in relative exile following his controversial decision to fictionalise his Swans’ lives in print. The narrative switches between Capote himself and his friends, a collection of wealthy and influential women whose names are often familiar to us – we see Jackie Kennedy and her sister Lee Radziwill, Babe Paley, CZ Guest, a Churchill and the Guinesses among others. The story then drops in so many familiar faces and names that Google is a necessary companion to this novel – Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Gore Vidal, John and Bobby Kennedy, Harper Lee… the list goes on as Greenberg-Jephcott draws a vivid picture of the social whirls surrounding Capote.
I know that other reviewers have mentioned that they found the book confusing and I can see this – the timeline does skip around a bit and the cast list is extensive, although I found the more I read, the clearer the distinctions between the women and their individual lives became. Some reviewers have also said that the characters are unpleasant and unsympathetic, but I didn’t find this at all. They are undoubtedly self-absorbed, but I think that the novel shows that lives that seem gilded still have problems. Yes, the ladies lunch and are extravagant and spoilt, but they also seem human and their lives aren’t perfect.
Capote himself is a challenging figure – bitchy and clever and untrustworthy, but his background and final days still evoke pathos.
I found myself caught up in these glamorous yet often tragic lives and feel that the book will stay with me for some time.
Overall, I think this is a superb piece of writing that vividly evokes a particular historical era and social set. I thought it was beautifully written and fascinating – I definitely want to learn more about the real lives of the characters and even read some Capote, something I now feel is a shameful gap in my reading history! It’s a long book and challenging in places, but it’s also compelling and engaging. It’s been thoroughly researched and lovingly written and is definitely worth a read.
With thanks to NetGalley for giving me these books in exchange for honest reviews. As always, opinions are entirely my own!
Header photo with thanks to Jason Wong for sharing their work on Unsplash.
Happy publication day to this gorgeous historical novel set in London during World War II!
I really loved Lissa Evans’ ‘Crooked Heart’ when I read it, but sadly skipped the second part of the series, ‘Old Baggage’ because I didn’t realise that it was part of the same story. Having now read ‘V for Victory’, I’m definitely going back for the other book!
The story is about Vee, a woman living with a secret, and the evacuee that she looks after, Noel. Vee runs a boarding house in Hampstead which is full of interesting characters who luckily can tutor Noel, now 15 years old. In another part of London, Winnie is a warden helping deal with the aftermath of the bombs destroying the city while burying her own worries about her prisoner of war husband.
It’s really hard to give a plot summary of the book because it’s more a peek into the lives of this diverse cast of characters. As in life, there are good and bad events, but the strength of the book lies more in its warm portrayal of people: Winnie’s colleagues in the warden post, the lodgers at the boarding house, the American GIs…even Winnie’s challenging twin sister are affectionately drawn and have a life of their own.
The settings are also vivid and interesting, from the bombed houses of the city to the images of Brighton’s sea defences.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a hearty slice of historical fiction. It’s not sickly sweet and things don’t always turn out perfectl; instead, it’s authentic and charming and utterly engaging. This is a 4.5 stars from me!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Header photo with thanks to Edson Rosas for sharing their work on Unsplash.
Next up and also released on 20th August is broadcaster Simon Mayo’s thriller.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, having not read Simon Mayo’s previous book for adults (‘Mad Blood Stirring’, a historical novel). However, I was pleasantly surprised by this fast-paced and twisty thriller.
The novel opens with the killing of seven IPS journalists within minutes of each other one morning in London. The action then focuses on the journalists left behind as they try to work out what their murdered colleagues were working on that could have sealed their fate. What is uncovered is surprising and interesting and far too complicated for me to explain here! Suffice it to say that there is plenty of peril and action to keep the plot moving.
This is an engaging novel, and one that will keep you reading as you definitely become invested in the outcome. The main characters are interesting, but not as developed as they could be – I didn’t really have any sense of Sam or Sophie as characters in particular. This may well be simply due to the fact that the cast of this novel is quite large so I think that Mayo has (probably quite rightly) kept the focus on plot. Some of the events and twists are also a bit incredible – however, it is a pacy and lively novel and I don’t think anyone would be disappointed at the rollercoaster of events it takes you on!
Overall, this is a book that I’d recommend. It is slightly disturbing in its capturing of 21st century Britain and the threats of both terrorism and knife crime – in this way it absolutely taps into current affairs (prior to coronavirus stealing the limelight). If you’re happy to overlook the occasionally thin characterisation, there is plenty to like here.
I received a free copy of the novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
If you’d like to buy the book, the link is below. The Quick and the Read might earn commission on purchases at no extra cost to you.
Another book released on 20th August, this is a lovely piece of historical fiction with a mystery at its heart – right up my street!
I’d read (and loved) ‘Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars’ a while back, but picked ‘A Little London Scandal’ up without realising that it featured the same characters. It doesn’t matter too much if you haven’t read the first book, but you would be missing an absolute treat.
In this book, the sixties are swinging, but for Nik and the rent boys based around Piccadilly Circus all is not so bright. Police raids and violence threaten their livelihoods and the murder of one of them, Charlie, near an exclusive gentlemen’s club, causes them to come under some unwelcome scrutiny. When Nik is arrested for the murder, Anna Treadway, dresser at the Galaxy Theatre in Soho, steps in to prove his innocence. Her investigations take her into the heart of seedy London but also reveal corruption within high society.
This is another great read. The 1960s setting is lively and well-researched and Anna herself is an appealing protagonist (as we discovered in the first book). She is moral, motivated to help others and kind – but her softer character should absolutely not be interpreted as weakness and she is also flawed and human.
It is quite sad in places as the prejudice against gay men is depicted and the reader is shown that the 1960s were not all about free love and tolerance as they have been presented. The early pages are a little slow, but once the story really gets going then it is addictive! I raced through the majority of the book and will be keenly looking out for more titles in the series.
I would recommend this highly to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially connected to issues of gender and sexuality. I really would suggest you start with the first book though, otherwise you risk missing out on a charming novel that establishes this great protagonist.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you would like to buy this book, the link is below – The Quick and the Read may earn commission on this at no extra cost to you.
Published in April 2020, this is the latest in the Marwood and Lovett series set in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London.
I've followed this series from the start and was keen for my next installment of Marwood's adventures as government agent in Restoration London. I did struggle a little more with the last book but was pleased that this one was (for me) a more enjoyable and pacy read.
The story opens with a duel being fought by the Duke of Buckingham, a powerful man but one that needs keeping on side for the king. Added into the messy aftermath of the duel is the return of Richard Cromwell to London, another potential problem in a society divided in so many ways. Marwood is sent on various tasks in order to unravel the potential threats to law and order, but his loyalties are tested due to his friendship with Cat Lovett (now Hakesby), the daughter of a regicide. In a London where everyone has secrets, Marwood has to work out who to trust and avoid those who have their sights on stopping him at any cost.
This is another meticulously-researched and beautifully written installment in the series. The relationship between Marwood and Cat is presented engagingly, being based on mutual trust but also as fragile and tentative as they try to support each other in treacherous times. The supporting characters are also well-written and credible and the plot twists keep coming. Highly recommended, but if you are new to the series then best to start at the beginning of the series as there is much to enjoy throughout.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
