She Died Young - Softcover

2.98

44 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1781254842 ISBN 13: 9781781254844

Publisher: Serpent's Tail, 2016

London, 1956. A young woman has been found dead in a hotel in King's Cross. Broke her neck falling down stairs, the death certificate says. But Fleet Street journalist Gerry Blackstone thinks there's more to it than meets the eye. Scotland Yard's not interested in accidental deaths - if that's what this is. But maybe he can convince Special Branch's DCI Jack McGovern to investigate. Fortunately for Blackstone, McGovern needs his help. The new Superintendent wants to sweep out corrupt officers, and McGovern's his broom. If Blackstone can keep news of the investigation out of the press, McGovern stands a chance of finding the bent cop. Meanwhile, Oxford is filling with Hungarian emigres fleeing the failed revolution. With the memories of Burgess and Maclean's defection still raw, Special Branch is concerned that there could be Soviet spies among the genuine refugees and wants McGovern on-hand to keep an eye out. As McGovern carries out his casework in Oxford and Blackstone investigates behind the scenes in London, clues start to emerge that, somehow, this might all be linked. The deeper they look, the more unrelated characters with shady pasts start to complicate the picture: the well-to-do madam, the Classics Professor, the East London crime boss, the Oxford doctoral student, the fiery Hungarian immigrant, the government minister ...does it all lead back to the dead girl in King's Cross? Or is there something even more sinister going on?

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About the Author:

An independent researcher and writer best known for her commentaries on feminism and popular culture, Elizabeth Wilson is currently Visiting Professor at the London College of Fashion. She is the author of several non-fiction books, including tennis history Love Game for Serpent's Tail. Her previous novels The Twilight Hour (9781852424770), War Damage (9781846686504) and The Girl in Berlin (9781846688270) are all published by Serpent's Tail.

Review:

Praise for The Girl in Berlin: 'A carefully plotted novel in which class, hypocrisy, moral corruption, treachery and taboos ancient and modern are cunningly interwoven ... a thoughtful, clever read with a twist at the end that makes you want to turn back the pages to wonder how you missed the clues * The Times * A fascinatingly detailed examination of vulnerable, all-too-human characters * Independent * Vividly evoking the seedy side of London against the background of the Cold War ... Wilson interweaves two plotlines effortlessly ... a mystery that's nothing like as traditional as it first appears. -- Joan Smith * Sunday Times * Wilson wears her research well ... What marks Wilson out is the inner lives of her protagonists ... Detective Sergeant Jarrell is a hero for the future -- Lilian Pizzichini * Daily Telegraph * At the more literary end of the crime/espionage genre, one of the most accomplished writers is Elizabeth Wilson ... combines glittering, dark-hued prose with levels of penetrating psychological insight the equal of her great predecessors in the field. Wilson's upwards trajectory continues here; the author is an academic with a speciality in popular culture, so it's no surprise that her storytelling ethos is so peerless. The picture of 1950s Britain has the usual confident sweep. -- Barry Forshaw * FT * A sinister noir thriller ... Wilson has great fun as she plays puppet master with a brilliant cast of characters ... This is atmospheric and addictively entertaining. -- Madeleine Keane * Irish Sunday Independent *

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