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Kate O'Donnell #3
DRESSED TO KILL
When a young fashion model disappears, photographer Kate O'Donnell discovers there's a darker side to Swinging Sixties' London
It’s 1963. A new band called the Rolling Stones is beginning to make its mark and the mini-skirt is coming into fashion. For young Liverpudlian photographer Kate O’Donnell, it’s an exciting time to be in the capital – especially as she’s on secondment to an up-and-coming fashion photographer’s studio. But there’s a darker side to 1960s’ London, Kate discovers, when the naked, battered body of a teenage prostitute is found amongst the rubbish bins behind a Soho jazz club – and it turns out the victim was a former model at the studio where Kate’s working.
When a second young model disappears, Kate enlists her friend DS Harry Barnard’s help to find out exactly what’s going on. Together, they uncover the first of several dark secrets surrounding Andrei Lubin’s fashion studio and the notorious Jazz Cellar.
It’s 1963. A new band called the Rolling Stones is beginning to make its mark and the mini-skirt is coming into fashion. For young Liverpudlian photographer Kate O’Donnell, it’s an exciting time to be in the capital – especially as she’s on secondment to an up-and-coming fashion photographer’s studio. But there’s a darker side to 1960s’ London, Kate discovers, when the naked, battered body of a teenage prostitute is found amongst the rubbish bins behind a Soho jazz club – and it turns out the victim was a former model at the studio where Kate’s working.
When a second young model disappears, Kate enlists her friend DS Harry Barnard’s help to find out exactly what’s going on. Together, they uncover the first of several dark secrets surrounding Andrei Lubin’s fashion studio and the notorious Jazz Cellar.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Hall
85 books13 followersPatricia Hall is the pen-name of journalist Maureen O'Connor. She was born and brought up in West Yorkshire, which is where she has chosen to set her acclaimed series of novels featuring reporter Laura Ackroyd and DCI Michael Thackeray. She is married, with two grown-up sons, and now lives in Oxford.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 14, 2021
Sigh...
I really don't like giving negative reviews to books because I really want to give authors the benefit of the doubt. But honestly, I seriously didn't enjoy reading this book one iota.
I saw this book listed on one of the myriad emails offering Kindle books at a sale price. I read the description of a mystery set in the Swinging Sixties and even had a picture of the Rolling Stones on the cover. The fact that the protagonist was a fashion photographer made it sound even more enticing.
Instead, this ended up being a run of the mill police procedural with a lead detective who has an on-and-off relationship with the fashion photographer. There were barely any hints of the Swinging Sixties with even fewer hints of the British Invasion (as we yanks called it) music.
The story itself was reasonably interesting but I really didn't like any of the characters.
Having said all that, I really can't recommend this book except for those readers who might enjoy a 1960s British police procedural. For all others, beware.
I really don't like giving negative reviews to books because I really want to give authors the benefit of the doubt. But honestly, I seriously didn't enjoy reading this book one iota.
I saw this book listed on one of the myriad emails offering Kindle books at a sale price. I read the description of a mystery set in the Swinging Sixties and even had a picture of the Rolling Stones on the cover. The fact that the protagonist was a fashion photographer made it sound even more enticing.
Instead, this ended up being a run of the mill police procedural with a lead detective who has an on-and-off relationship with the fashion photographer. There were barely any hints of the Swinging Sixties with even fewer hints of the British Invasion (as we yanks called it) music.
The story itself was reasonably interesting but I really didn't like any of the characters.
Having said all that, I really can't recommend this book except for those readers who might enjoy a 1960s British police procedural. For all others, beware.
August 11, 2021
I love the way Patricia Hall evokes London in the early 1960s. I feel like I'm there. Her mysteries, incl this book, are not content to be simple mysteries. They have a point to make about issues that are valid today as they were back then.
November 8, 2014
It was alright, not great, but not bad either.
Not sure if it is the British influence in the writing, such as "'How's it going, la?'" (32) I'm not sure what the "la" means.
Or if it was the full paged writing. Book is only 200 pages but took me too long to read, so I have to think it didn't really capture my attention well enough.
Not sure if it is the British influence in the writing, such as "'How's it going, la?'" (32) I'm not sure what the "la" means.
Or if it was the full paged writing. Book is only 200 pages but took me too long to read, so I have to think it didn't really capture my attention well enough.
December 19, 2013
the story was good but too simple, liked the interplay between kate and the detective.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews