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markludmon 's review for:
Shrines of Gaiety
by Kate Atkinson
A twisting rollercoaster ride through the underworld of 1920s London, told with dark, mischievous wit. It follows a vividly drawn cast of characters connected by a group of Soho nightclubs run by the hard-nosed Nellie Coker with help from her four daughters and two sons. Into this world comes former librarian Gwendolen Kelling who has come to London from York to find her friend’s runaway teenage sister, Freda Murgatroyd, and her friend, Florence. She joins forces with Detective Chief Inspector John Frobisher who is trying to clean up Soho as well as tackle corruption in the police force, including a dodgy officer called Maddox.
As Nellie Coker struggles to save her clubs from aggressive attempts at a takeover, Frobisher and Miss Kelling try to find Freda and Florence and solve the mystery of other missing girls as an increasing number of dead bodies wash up on the banks of the Thames.
Like Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels, crimes are solved more by chance than detection, and sometimes not at all, and are part of a wider, intricately plotted character-led story. Set in 1926, it neatly captures the period, from the post-war hedonism to cultural crazes such as Egyptology and the Bright Young Things. And its ending leaves the door open for a possible follow-up for at least one of the characters.
As Nellie Coker struggles to save her clubs from aggressive attempts at a takeover, Frobisher and Miss Kelling try to find Freda and Florence and solve the mystery of other missing girls as an increasing number of dead bodies wash up on the banks of the Thames.
Like Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels, crimes are solved more by chance than detection, and sometimes not at all, and are part of a wider, intricately plotted character-led story. Set in 1926, it neatly captures the period, from the post-war hedonism to cultural crazes such as Egyptology and the Bright Young Things. And its ending leaves the door open for a possible follow-up for at least one of the characters.