Needless Alley: The critically acclaimed noir crime debut (William Garrett Novels)

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Needless Alley: The critically acclaimed noir crime debut (William Garrett Novels)

Needless Alley: The critically acclaimed noir crime debut (William Garrett Novels)

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Needless Alley , “a highly atmospheric piece of literary noir” set in 1930s Birmingham, is the first in a series following private detective William Garrett as he moves between the shadowy world of the working canals where he grew up, to the hidden speakeasys that provide a safe haven for Birmingham’s queer women. It is hard to avoid some of the parallels with Peaky Blinders, but that didn't put me off, as I was a big fan. Being a Private Detective mostly means taking pictures of wives or husbands in flagrente, often a set-up. Easy money – unless someone dies, of course. In 1930s Birmingham, William (Billy) Garret does this sort of work, although he despises it. In fact he despises his whole life, trawling around in the underbelly of the city, Le Demi-monde, a place where the elite (usually rich men) keep company with and exploit prostitutes (usually female but males always feature). Born into poverty among the bargees who work the city’s canal system, he had been conscripted into the army at the start of the Great War, and developed skill as a trench raider, i.e. someone who crept covertly into enemy trenches for ‘clearance’ purposes, a task that required a strong will. Not a very useful skill in civvy street, but the will power meant he was less damaged mentally than many of his cohorts. Unlike Ronnie, his childhood friend and wartime comrade, for whom Billy maintains an avuncular interest. Ronnie is a tall, elegant, theatrical, Ivor Novello like, dipsomaniac, and Billy pays him to act as seducer in the honey-traps he sometimes needs to engineer. In this case Morton, a rich manufacturer and rising star in Oswald Mosley’s “Britain First” fascist movement, has been receiving letters accusing his wife of being involved in a range of depravities. To find out if there is any truth in this he hires Billy to follow her. When he can find no evidence to present to his employer, Billy sets up a honey-trap, using Ronnie in his usual role. But then the bodies start piling up, and Billy discovers that the Birmingham demi-monde is much worse than Dumas ever envisaged that of Paris. 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. 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.

Natalie Marlow (Author of Needless Alley) - Goodreads

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 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. I have only known Birmingham since the 1970's but a lot of the places and building mentioned still exist.The book conjured up the dark side of a city and its people still recovering, or not, from the Great War and the build-up to the next. 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. When 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. 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. Still, it's his old friend Queenie that William turns to when he gets into trouble, his accent slipping - I loved the way that Marlow played with the characters' speech, you can hear them all clearly in your mind as you read the book - and we then learn a bit of what binds him to her and to his other friend Ronnie. Ronnie plays the honey in William's traps, and he's also another who has a foot in different worlds, more so than even William realises.

Needless Alley ebook by Natalie Marlow - Rakuten Kobo

Needless Alley makes for a gripping read that any Peaky Blinder fan is sure to love’ Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora

Advance Praise

This is a gritty murder mystery set in 1930’s Birmingham. Our main protagonist is William, a private investigator who earns a living by providing evidence for divorce cases for a shady solicitor. One case that he takes on introduces him to Clara, the wife of a rich industrialist and his growing relationship with her makes him begin to look at his life differently. When the murder happens, he begins to act as a proper investigator and starts to see how little he actually knows about people. 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. Marlow’s very engaging protagonist may herald the birth of a new genre: Midlands Noir’ Financial Times

Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow | Hachette UK

The book has obviously been meticulously researched and it includes cameo appearances from real historical figures such as Oswald Mosely as William finds himself negotiating the seedy side of politics and the rise of fascism. 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. 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 consid Marlow's very engaging protagonist may herald the birth of a new genre: Midlands Noir' Financial Times

Recommended For You

set in 1930's birmingham, this book centres around the character of william garrett, a private detective who helps to manufacture evidence for divorce for the men of the upper classes. along with his best friend, he sets up traps to catch wives in the act - using his camera as a means of supplying evidence to his clients. the guilt weighs on him until he meets, and, subsequently, falls in love with, clara morton, the young wife of his newest customer. desperate to atone for his sins, william begins to develop a plan to try and save clara but ends up in something far worse than he expected. Ronnie is an attractive man, a little fey and living a bohemian life, like a streetwise Oscar Wilde but with a deep libertine streak. This could be down to the effects of war, but more likely his desire for money without honest toil. The fact he can rub shoulders with canal boatmen and drink in their pubs is beguiling if a little unlikely. At heart he is a damaged man with a nihilistic streak.

Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow | Goodreads

Needless Alley gives us a rich and earthy insight into underbelly of mid-war Birmingham. I know the city well and I do love an early 20th century setting, so this was a good choice for me. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial? This book takes us to those worlds - to clandestine Queer bars, to haunts of artists and sex workers, to the tenements of the poor and to the locations of seamy photoshoots, where powerful men pay to watch the models pose, to closed factories and far-right politics, to the struggles of desperate people to stay one step away from destitution. A perfect noir setting, Marlow's Birmingham is a city whose residents are still struggling with the legacy of war - William clearly suffering form what now we'd call PSTD - and, as I said, struggling to get by, but one where every new opportunity (and every willing victim) is being exploited. Queenie is the strong matronly figure even though she is not the eldest of the three. She’s calm and pragmatic with a survive at all costs attitude which gives her a hard carapace to face the world. Her business dealings include criminal activities but there’s some goodness at heart as she cares for those close to her. A tough woman doing what she needs to survive in a hard man’s world. What a fabulous story! While at heart a detective novel, it is also in many ways a story of love in its myriad forms.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.



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