Needless Alley: The critically acclaimed historical crime debut
As seen:
By Natalie Marlow
avg rating
4 reviews
An FT Best Summer Thriller 2023
‘Creates an atmosphere of mounting menace’ The Times
‘Conjures up a backdrop so vivid you can taste the smoke in the air’ Val McDermid, author of 1989
BIRMINGHAM, 1933.
Private enquiry agent William Garrett facilitates 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.
William’s life changes when he meets the beautiful Clara Morton and falls in love. Little does he know she is the wife of a client – a leading fascist with a dangerous obsession. Soon, what should have been another straightforward job turns into something far more deadly.
Drenched in evocative period atmosphere and starring an unforgettable cast of characters, Needless Alley takes the reader from seedy canal-side pubs, to crumbling Warwickshire manor houses, and into the hidden spaces of Birmingham’s Queer, bohemian society.
‘Has all the seamy glitter and cynical grime of the genre’ Daily Mail
’Marlow’s very engaging protagonist may herald the birth of a new genre: Midlands Noir’ Financial Times
‘Evokes 1930s Birmingham in all its dark glory’ Alan Parks, author of Bloody January
‘An exceptionally well-written first novel’ Irish Times
‘Needless Alley makes for a gripping read that any Peaky Blinder fan is sure to love’ Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora
TweetReviews
I really enjoyed the story.
I loved the atmosphere I got from 1930s Birmingham. I felt I could imagine the canals and dark allies of Birmingham and everything that evoked.
The characters really resonated with me and at the end of the book I really wanted to read more from this Author.
I read and enjoyed Needless Alley. I would describe it as a Noir style detective book. I enjoyed the characters journeys and the storyline. As a Brummie I could picture the place names mentioned to!
The imagery of Birmingham created by this book was outstanding; as a 'brummie' it was exciting to recognise place names in the text and to hear the accent/dialect so well represented. Queenie was the stand out character for me; a strong 'get it done' woman who dealt so efficiently with everything life (and the men in her life) threw at her!
Needless Alley is not the typical genre of book that I would choose to read. However, it surpassed my expectations and had me gripped right until the end. I liked this book and would recommend it to others!
