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You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. This quite far from the classic historical mystery set in UK as it's the love child of Cornel Woolrich and Dashiel Hammett even if it's set in Birmingham in 1933 There were some very challenging themes, including the tragic impact of WW1 on the young men who had fought and those left behind and bereaved, the sex and drugs industry, the rise of the British fascism movement and the effects of poverty running through it all. I was impressed with the authors knowledge and research that was obvious to the reader. Marlow beautifully distils 1930s Birmingham into a seamy world of moral corruption: anyone can fall and few are left clean. Gripping, confident and atmospheric.' Kate Mascarenhas, author of Hokey Pokey If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month.
Natalie Marlow (Author of Needless Alley) - Goodreads
Deftly plotted, beautifully written, Needless Alley is a delicious slice of Chandleresque Midlands noir.' Mark Wightman, author of Waking the Tiger Set in the early 30s Birmingham, Needless Alley explores the contradictions of that city - the powerful and wealthy with their country houses and vast incomes from manufacturing, and the demimonde. The bridge between the two is William Garrett - Billy - a private detective whose trade is to facilitate divorces for husbands who wish to be shot of their wives. The references to various places in the Midlands were close to home for me and I found it interesting to think of the towns and cities mentioned in the 1930’s. Alongside this, the history that’s woven through is fascinating, knowing almost nothing about the politics of the time. I definitely felt as though I was at the rallies and surrounded by the far right opinions focused on within the novel.
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Needless Alley is a beautifully written novel, a very material book. Natalie Marlow dwells on the physicality of her city - the heat of the Summer, the stink of the canals, the Birmingham brass of a bullet casing, the new steel handcuffs chosen for that modelling session. And always the cigarette smoke, the drink, the noise, a cacophony that lets up only briefly when William finds... well, that would be a spoiler. What a great story! I could not predict how this was going to end......the story twisted and turned to an incredible finale that I did not see coming! Absolutely brilliant!
Needless Alley (William Garrett, book 1) by Natalie Marlow Needless Alley (William Garrett, book 1) by Natalie Marlow
A powerful, gritty and extremely well written story. I began expecting a detective story - William Garrett is a man damaged by the First World War, who sets himself up as a private eye, working with his avant garde friend Ronnie. Billy specialises in setting up entrapments for straying wives - Ronnie takes them to a hotel room, and Billy bursts in to get photographic evidence. It completely surpassed my expectations; I found it an exciting and absorbing read from cover to cover. I will not be able to visit Brum again without catching a glimpse of Billy, Queenie, Ronnie or Phyll in dark and bygone corners of the city. I particularly enjoyed the homage descriptions of the beautiful midlands countryside and urbanity. The affairs of William Garrett are exactly that. The first part focuses, primarily, on his relationships, namely those with Clara and Ronnie, and the part ends on an interesting footing for them all. Yet, the subsequent parts utilise a considerably different tone- one I didn't connect with in the same way. Marlow, who was inspired to write Needless Alley by her great grandmother, who was one of 13 children and lived and worked on the Birmingham canals, added: “ I am thrilled to be working with Jade and the rest of the team at Baskerville. William Garrett has been my own private detective for quite some while now, and it feels momentous to send him out into the world.I found it gripping, well plotted, and original. The author is a good storyteller and deliver a solid plot. There are many other interesting characters in the novel; Queenie, Ronnie and Clara to name a few. They all feed into each other nicely, creating a full circle and I found them all to be interesting for different reasons. He is approached by a wealthy, Fascist businessman to find out if his wife is unfaithful, and a series of events comes into play that will change everything for them all. The story involves love - of a man, a woman, a child - and revenge. Needless Alley is an engrossing historical noir with engaging characters an intense plot and a few surprises for the reader.
Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow | Waterstones
Save An Evening with Rob Parsons - Birmingham to your collection. Share An Evening with Rob Parsons - Birmingham with your friends. This was Savile Row smut, nicely tailored and nothing vulgar. Smut for gentlemen rather than players. Smut for the officer class, no doubt of that...' As with every atmospheric mystery, it's all about the lighting, and Natalie Marlow illuminates the hard-boiled players in this thrilling debut with all the dexterity of any of our great noir novelists. You will wince, you will gasp, you will shudder at every turn, and you will want to keep reading until that last light dims at the disquieting end." - J M VareseNeedless Alley is a fabulous, fast paced story with unexpected twists and fully formed believable characters - a compelling read. I look forward to more from this author. Private enquiry agent William Garrett, a man damaged by a dark childhood spent on Birmingham's canals, specialises in facilitating divorces for the city's male elite. With the help of his best friend -charming, out-of-work actor Ronnie Edgerton - William sets up honey traps. But photographing unsuspecting women in flagrante plagues his conscience and William heaves up his guts with remorse after every job. You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. I loved this book. I loved William. I loved Phyll, his unlikely ally in the spiral of blood and deception he enters and his guide in some of the hidden places he needs to walk. I loved spotting familiar locations transformed. I loved its engagement with the toxic mess that is British class. Most of all I loved its exploration of a vibrant, jostling city - and of the darkness just beneath the surface. A glorious read.
New Blood with Val McDermid | 22 July 2023 - Harrogate
Birmingham is brought expertly to life in this atmospheric crime noir where corruption and seedy entanglements lurk down every darkly lit street. Compelling and clever, Needless Alley makes for a gripping read that any Peaky Blinder fan is sure to love." - Susan Stokes-Chapman Publishing director Jade Chandler acquired world rights to the two books from Abi Fellows at the Good Literary Agency.
Featured Reviews
Needless Alley not only evokes 1930s Birmingham in all its dark glory - it introduces characters that are impossible to forget. Read it." - Alan Parks This is one of those crime novels that delves a little deeper into its characters, offering readers more of a lasting glance into their lives, and what an interesting bunch they are. The characters dreamed up by Marlow are so compelling that I found myself wishing the book was just a little longer, so I'd have more time with them. Needless Alley, Marlow's debut is crime fiction gold. Every word is crafted with care; every plot twist is elegantly presented. And at the heart of it all is a heinous crime that begs to be solved by a hero as full of heart as he is driven. I love everything about this book." - Femi Kayode
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