What do you think?
Rate this book
A Little London Scandal
A compelling and ingeniously plotted story of class and corruption, sex and the Sixties, for fans of A Very English Scandal and The Trial of Christine Keeler
Nik felt the mistake in his bones.
The man in the snakeskin suit reached down towards him and pulled Nik upright by the collar of his coat. Nik didn’t see what happened next but he felt the wall. He cried out and then someone hit him and he closed his eyes and waited for it to be over.
London. 1967.
Nik Christou has been a rent boy since he was 15. He knows the ins and outs of Piccadilly Circus, how to spot a pretty policeman and to interpret a fleeting glance. One summer night his life is turned upside down, first by violence and then by an accusation of murder.
Anna Treadway, fleeing the ghosts of her past, works as a dresser in Soho’s Galaxy theatre. She has learned never to place too much trust in the long arm of the law and, convinced Nik is innocent she determines to find him an alibi.
Merrian Wallis, devoted wife to an MP with a tarnished reputation, just wants proof that her husband couldn’t have been involved.
But how do you recognise the truth when everyone around you is playing a role – and when any spark of scandal is quickly snuffed out by those with power?
As Anna searches for clues amongst a cast of MPs, actors, members of gentlemen’s clubs and a hundred different nightly clients, will anyone be willing to come forward and save Nik from his fate?
Nik felt the mistake in his bones.
The man in the snakeskin suit reached down towards him and pulled Nik upright by the collar of his coat. Nik didn’t see what happened next but he felt the wall. He cried out and then someone hit him and he closed his eyes and waited for it to be over.
London. 1967.
Nik Christou has been a rent boy since he was 15. He knows the ins and outs of Piccadilly Circus, how to spot a pretty policeman and to interpret a fleeting glance. One summer night his life is turned upside down, first by violence and then by an accusation of murder.
Anna Treadway, fleeing the ghosts of her past, works as a dresser in Soho’s Galaxy theatre. She has learned never to place too much trust in the long arm of the law and, convinced Nik is innocent she determines to find him an alibi.
Merrian Wallis, devoted wife to an MP with a tarnished reputation, just wants proof that her husband couldn’t have been involved.
But how do you recognise the truth when everyone around you is playing a role – and when any spark of scandal is quickly snuffed out by those with power?
As Anna searches for clues amongst a cast of MPs, actors, members of gentlemen’s clubs and a hundred different nightly clients, will anyone be willing to come forward and save Nik from his fate?
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2020
12 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Miranda Emmerson
7 books54 followersI am an author and dramatist. I grew up in London before studying English at Oxford and Playwriting Studies at Birmingham University. I now live in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales with my husband and our two daughters.
My travel and food memoir Fragrant Heart was published by Summersdale in 2014. My first novel Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars was published in 2017 by 4th Estate and Harper Collins. My second novel A Little London Scandal comes out summer 2020.
I'm a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4 (sometimes as Miranda Davies) and I'm just completing a PhD in the history of BBC radio adaptation at Cardiff University. I'm represented for fiction and non fiction by Caroline Hardman at Hardman & Swainson and I'm @MirandaEmmerson on Twitter and Instagram.
My travel and food memoir Fragrant Heart was published by Summersdale in 2014. My first novel Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars was published in 2017 by 4th Estate and Harper Collins. My second novel A Little London Scandal comes out summer 2020.
I'm a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4 (sometimes as Miranda Davies) and I'm just completing a PhD in the history of BBC radio adaptation at Cardiff University. I'm represented for fiction and non fiction by Caroline Hardman at Hardman & Swainson and I'm @MirandaEmmerson on Twitter and Instagram.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
February 25, 2023
Briefly - Decent enough read and caught a '60s atmosphere well for me.
In full
As the blurb says - sex and the Sixties. The cover plus that blurb caught my eye and as I was alive then...! A boy is found dead in the gardens behind an exclusive London (gentlemen's) club. No one really saw anything much but another boy was running away from the area and arrested. It looks as though this might be a good way for the police to close the case particularly as both of them were rent boys. However Anna, a dresser in a Soho theatre, knows the boy, Nik, who has been arrested and she thinks him innocent. Add in an MP with a slightly tarnished reputation and his worried wife Merrian and the key ingredients are there for this book.
I liked the start of this book. The boy who was found dead was running away from a police raid and was scared. Nik was working on the streets. Anna is dealing with actors and actresses. The whole thing managed to feel fairly much like the Sixties. The book follows Anna's attempts to find out what happened and the MP's wife is interested in some answers too. Ann comes across a policeman who she met during a previous case she was involved in - will he help?
If there was nothing very outstanding about this book equally I would not have dreamed of stopping reading it. The characters were good enough - particularly so in the case of both Nik and Anna. Nik's background emerges during the story and is well presented. I also found it convincingly atmospheric of the Sixties. The attitudes towards those who were not male, wearing suits and in decent jobs was telling - if anything understated. Definitely a decent read.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
In full
As the blurb says - sex and the Sixties. The cover plus that blurb caught my eye and as I was alive then...! A boy is found dead in the gardens behind an exclusive London (gentlemen's) club. No one really saw anything much but another boy was running away from the area and arrested. It looks as though this might be a good way for the police to close the case particularly as both of them were rent boys. However Anna, a dresser in a Soho theatre, knows the boy, Nik, who has been arrested and she thinks him innocent. Add in an MP with a slightly tarnished reputation and his worried wife Merrian and the key ingredients are there for this book.
I liked the start of this book. The boy who was found dead was running away from a police raid and was scared. Nik was working on the streets. Anna is dealing with actors and actresses. The whole thing managed to feel fairly much like the Sixties. The book follows Anna's attempts to find out what happened and the MP's wife is interested in some answers too. Ann comes across a policeman who she met during a previous case she was involved in - will he help?
If there was nothing very outstanding about this book equally I would not have dreamed of stopping reading it. The characters were good enough - particularly so in the case of both Nik and Anna. Nik's background emerges during the story and is well presented. I also found it convincingly atmospheric of the Sixties. The attitudes towards those who were not male, wearing suits and in decent jobs was telling - if anything understated. Definitely a decent read.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
August 20, 2020
I really enjoyed Miranda Emmerson’s debut novel, Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars. In fact, it was one of the first books I reviewed on this blog. Many of the characters from that book make a return in A Little London Scandal, although it works perfectly well as a standalone. There’s Ottmar, owner of the Alabora cafe, and the actors and backstage staff at the Galaxy Theatre where Anna works as a dresser. Sergeant Barnaby Hayes, whose partnership with Anna enabled them to solve the mystery at the heart of the first book, also returns although his involvement in that earlier case has not been without its consequences.
Anna’s boyfriend, Louis (or Aloysius if you’re being formal) has less of a starring role in this book, having returned to Jamaica on family business. Theirs is a long-distance relationship for the time being, conducted by means of the exchange of touching postcards and letters.
Anna’s innate sense of justice means she cannot stand by when Nik, whom she knows from the Alabora cafe, is arrested and charged with a murder she is convinced he did not commit. She enlists Barnaby’s help again and, alternating with the progress of their investigation, we learn the story of Nik’s troubled teenage years and adolescence. It takes the reader to some dark places inhabited by seedy individuals – about as much fun as the prospect of a colonoscopy.
Given Anna’s occupation, I liked how the theme of performance or playing a part is woven into the book. With homosexuality yet to be decriminalized, many are forced to hide their sexuality and to pretend to be something they are not for fear of arrest or blackmail. (It made me think of the film Victim starring Dirk Bogarde, who in reality led a somewhat double life.)
Merrian, wife of MP Richard Wallis, knows all about playing a part – the part of perfect wife and mother. She’s a really sympathetic, believable character who has sacrificed a lot in order to advance her husband’s career and present the outside world with the picture of a traditional family. What she knows, or suspects, about her husband’s secrets she keeps to herself until, she too, is drawn into Anna’s search for justice and shows unexpected mettle.
I loved the way Anna’s natural empathy, drawing on what we learn about her own troubled past, enabled her to gain Nik’s confidence and trust. And I admired her bold, if slightly reckless, willingness to take action.
The book perfectly captures the atmosphere of 1960s London – Carnaby Street, miniskirts, late night jazz clubs and coffee bars. (There’s even a scene in a Wimpy bar. Remember those?) The story takes the reader on a journey from exclusive gentlemen’s clubs, via Wormwood Scrubs and the nightlife haunts of down and outs and rent boys, to illicit music events on Eel Pie Island. (Incidentally, this is the second book I’ve read featuring Eel Pie Island as a location. The first was The Secret Life of Alfred Nightingale by Rebecca Stonehill.)
The book has lovely little touches like the quirky chapter headings, my favourite being “Very Expensive Penguins”. (Sorry, Miranda, there was no way I could get Jerry’s third word into my review.)
A Little London Scandal combines an intriguing mystery with a vivid portrait of London at a time of change.
Anna’s boyfriend, Louis (or Aloysius if you’re being formal) has less of a starring role in this book, having returned to Jamaica on family business. Theirs is a long-distance relationship for the time being, conducted by means of the exchange of touching postcards and letters.
Anna’s innate sense of justice means she cannot stand by when Nik, whom she knows from the Alabora cafe, is arrested and charged with a murder she is convinced he did not commit. She enlists Barnaby’s help again and, alternating with the progress of their investigation, we learn the story of Nik’s troubled teenage years and adolescence. It takes the reader to some dark places inhabited by seedy individuals – about as much fun as the prospect of a colonoscopy.
Given Anna’s occupation, I liked how the theme of performance or playing a part is woven into the book. With homosexuality yet to be decriminalized, many are forced to hide their sexuality and to pretend to be something they are not for fear of arrest or blackmail. (It made me think of the film Victim starring Dirk Bogarde, who in reality led a somewhat double life.)
Merrian, wife of MP Richard Wallis, knows all about playing a part – the part of perfect wife and mother. She’s a really sympathetic, believable character who has sacrificed a lot in order to advance her husband’s career and present the outside world with the picture of a traditional family. What she knows, or suspects, about her husband’s secrets she keeps to herself until, she too, is drawn into Anna’s search for justice and shows unexpected mettle.
I loved the way Anna’s natural empathy, drawing on what we learn about her own troubled past, enabled her to gain Nik’s confidence and trust. And I admired her bold, if slightly reckless, willingness to take action.
The book perfectly captures the atmosphere of 1960s London – Carnaby Street, miniskirts, late night jazz clubs and coffee bars. (There’s even a scene in a Wimpy bar. Remember those?) The story takes the reader on a journey from exclusive gentlemen’s clubs, via Wormwood Scrubs and the nightlife haunts of down and outs and rent boys, to illicit music events on Eel Pie Island. (Incidentally, this is the second book I’ve read featuring Eel Pie Island as a location. The first was The Secret Life of Alfred Nightingale by Rebecca Stonehill.)
The book has lovely little touches like the quirky chapter headings, my favourite being “Very Expensive Penguins”. (Sorry, Miranda, there was no way I could get Jerry’s third word into my review.)
A Little London Scandal combines an intriguing mystery with a vivid portrait of London at a time of change.
August 19, 2020
This is a multifaceted and very enjoyable book. If you like a twisting mystery investigated by an amateur sleuth (with policeman side-kick) – it is for you. If you like reading about the interplay between social class, politics and gay rights in the 1960s – it is also for you. Vignettes on bullying, sex trafficking, family relationships anyone? But, more than anything it is a book about friendship – friendship in extremis. The whole book is very strongly character driven. By the end you feel you really know the main characters, Anna and Nik, and underneath their prickly, protective exteriors, you find people you would feel privileged to know. The Soho area of London in the late 1960s is another very vivid character, peopled by immigrants from abroad and from elsewhere in the UK. People who have been lucky enough to make it, those still yearning for a break, and those just trying to survive:
Nik is a rent boy, who is accused of murdering another rent boy. He is found beaten near where the body is found in the grounds of a gentlemen’s club. The police put two and two together to make eleven, and arrest him. Afterall, rent boys are all amoral criminals, so much more likely to be violent and guilty, than any upstanding member of the community – case closed: the officer who found the body
The police have found their designated culprit, and the rich and powerful should be protected at all costs. Only, Anna (an acquaintance of Nik’s from his local coffee shop) and Hayes (a policeman with an unusually strong sense (for the time) of justice) do not believe he is guilty. Nik does not try to defend himself, as he cannot give an alibi, without incriminating the man he was with (since homosexuality was illegal)
You really want to find out who killed Charles, and why. Suspicions are raised very early on by Anna, and as the reader you will easily concur with her hunches. But, is she correct (you definitely want her to be, as the guy is not very nice) or are we all falling into another trap of judging someone by their class, profession, social group etc. And will Anna and Hayes ever manage to get Nik out of jail before it is too late. There are a couple of very surprising twists to come before this mystery is done and dusted.
This was an excellent book – on so many different levels, and I can highly recommend it.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
“What London sold was not pleasure itself but the promise of it. People came and they brought their hunger with them.”
Nik is a rent boy, who is accused of murdering another rent boy. He is found beaten near where the body is found in the grounds of a gentlemen’s club. The police put two and two together to make eleven, and arrest him. Afterall, rent boys are all amoral criminals, so much more likely to be violent and guilty, than any upstanding member of the community – case closed: the officer who found the body
“ ‘obviously did his best on the night. Rent boy in a gentlemen’s club – all the makings of a messy one – but it seems he kept it as clean as he could.’ ”
The police have found their designated culprit, and the rich and powerful should be protected at all costs. Only, Anna (an acquaintance of Nik’s from his local coffee shop) and Hayes (a policeman with an unusually strong sense (for the time) of justice) do not believe he is guilty. Nik does not try to defend himself, as he cannot give an alibi, without incriminating the man he was with (since homosexuality was illegal)
“It wasn’t only that it was the right thing never to name another man; but his earnings, his reputation were built upon the idea of discretion.”
You really want to find out who killed Charles, and why. Suspicions are raised very early on by Anna, and as the reader you will easily concur with her hunches. But, is she correct (you definitely want her to be, as the guy is not very nice) or are we all falling into another trap of judging someone by their class, profession, social group etc. And will Anna and Hayes ever manage to get Nik out of jail before it is too late. There are a couple of very surprising twists to come before this mystery is done and dusted.
This was an excellent book – on so many different levels, and I can highly recommend it.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
August 9, 2022
It took a minute to wrap my head around some of the language from 1960s London but I really liked this one! I was truly transported to a different time and place. Gotta love a murder mystery!
December 31, 2020
A Little London Scandal is a decent enough and thought provoking read about London in 1960. I didn’t realise it was a sequel and found some references to the past relationships and events a little confusing. The narrative is quite slow and not particularly engaging. Maybe because I read a very good book just before this one, I found it difficult to get into and struggled to finish.
March 6, 2020
Thank you very much to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it; from the first page, I wanted to know what was next, from meeting the characters - Nik, Anna, Hayes, Merrian, Richard - to how they’re all connected in a way that is both tragic yet also, in some cases, life-changing. The undercurrent of just how scared so many of the characters were of the fact they’re homosexual is still something many people can relate to, even with the way society is changing. At first, I wasn’t sure of the relevance of Anna’s relationship with Louis, but as the book drew to a close and I thought on it more, I realised that it represented the fact that, what you’ve done in the past or where you’ve come from, does not automatically decide your present or your future. And then I realised also that this was the case of all the characters; from Nik and his turbulent childhood at the hands of high school bullies, to Richard pleading with Merrian to not tell anyone about his somewhat accidental yet somewhat intentional role in Charlie’s death. Charlie and Nik got justice; I hope that, post-ending, Richard got his too. Overall, it’s sad - and the ending is sad, but the final scene is very apt for that purpose, but there is just this little glimmer of hope.
September 1, 2020
This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I did like what it was doing and thought it had some good moments in this but i just didn't really connect with it overall and the moments where i should have cared and be invested in the characters i wasn't. The premise was interesting and there were some moments that worked but overall this just missed the mark for me.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2020
⭐️⭐️ 2 slow stars
Apologies as I can see I am in the minority with this one but I didn’t enjoy this book.
I found it very slow going, and there are too many characters early on that it’s not clear who the main characters are meant to be.
I got to 30% when it eventually pick up but there was something off with the writing style. Some of the characters didn’t gel with me.
Because I hadn’t invested in any of the characters the book lacked interest for me.
Apologies as I can see I am in the minority with this one but I didn’t enjoy this book.
I found it very slow going, and there are too many characters early on that it’s not clear who the main characters are meant to be.
I got to 30% when it eventually pick up but there was something off with the writing style. Some of the characters didn’t gel with me.
Because I hadn’t invested in any of the characters the book lacked interest for me.
September 17, 2020
Sex, scandal and murder in 1960s London, the atmosphere of which the book does a great job at capturing. Cleverly plotted and sporting an intriguing cast of characters from all walks of life, this compelling murder mystery gradually drew me in until I found myself incapable of putting it down. While this was a sequel of sorts to the author's debut, featuring some of the same characters, it stood very well alone - though that doesn't keep me from keeping an eye out for said debut henceforth.
July 31, 2023
convoluted plot, but the struggle of lgbtq+ community is an important issue to write about
August 10, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed this: a historical murder mystery with Noir accents that reads like a classic.
London in the '60: the death of a "for rent" young boy on the backdrop of homosexuality being illegal. When the police does a lousy job and accuses someone else for the murder, Anna decides to take matters into her own hands, determined to secure Nik's release. Through Anna's quest we get to see a heart-wrenching yet accurate portrait of London at the time: from the poorest rent boys forced to sell themselves for pennies, to the enchantment of the theater world and political intrigue and the hypocritical glamour of the upper class. Unexpected friendships are being forged; hard truths are being exposed; lives are being set straight and justice is being served. All in all a great read, atmospheric and evocative, full of complex characters: villains, victims and heroes. Anna is an interesting character that I really enjoyed. She had a lot of mistakes under her belt yet she tries to make the most of her situation, being strong when needed but also vulnerable; helping others and helping herself too.
*Book from NetGalley with thanks to the publisher.
London in the '60: the death of a "for rent" young boy on the backdrop of homosexuality being illegal. When the police does a lousy job and accuses someone else for the murder, Anna decides to take matters into her own hands, determined to secure Nik's release. Through Anna's quest we get to see a heart-wrenching yet accurate portrait of London at the time: from the poorest rent boys forced to sell themselves for pennies, to the enchantment of the theater world and political intrigue and the hypocritical glamour of the upper class. Unexpected friendships are being forged; hard truths are being exposed; lives are being set straight and justice is being served. All in all a great read, atmospheric and evocative, full of complex characters: villains, victims and heroes. Anna is an interesting character that I really enjoyed. She had a lot of mistakes under her belt yet she tries to make the most of her situation, being strong when needed but also vulnerable; helping others and helping herself too.
*Book from NetGalley with thanks to the publisher.
August 20, 2020
In a followup to 2017's Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars, which saw theatrical dresser Anna Treadway investigates the disappearance of one of her actresses, A Little London Scandal picks up Anna's life two years later in 1967 when she is standing up for a young man wrongly accused of murder. It's a hot summer ('The auditorium sweated as one - like some vast coach party packed into an Italianate sauna'). Working again with Sergeant Barnaby Hayes, now assigned to the Vice Squad, Anna is brought face to face with the seamier side of Swinging London: the shadows where sex, drugs and politics merge. There's a claustrophobic sense to much of the story, even the outdoor parts, a composite of smoke, sweat and the importance of looking the other way, of not seeing inconvenient things - whether breaches of the law or social convention, or the wretchedness of outsiders sleeping under bushes and selling themselves on the streets and in the clubs.
Anna's young friend Nik Christou is one of these outsiders. He's a rent boy, triply unlucky. First because he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Secondly because he is obliged to make his living by selling himself to men on the streets of the West End, breaking the law and risking punishment for both him and his clients if caught (although wealth and status has a way of protecting its own). And finally, he is unlucky because he is in this situation due to abuse and neglect in his hometown of St Anne's, near Blackpool. The flashbacks explaining just what had happened to Nik are heartbreaking, showing a baffled, confused child let down by school and parents and simply left to sink or swim by his own efforts. And he's not about to get any help now from a police force that is corrupt, prejudiced and overly respectful of the wealthy and powerful ('we let the club have a quiet word with all the men to ask if they'd seen or heard anything').
Nik does, though, have a good and stouthearted friend in Anna Treadway. I loved the way that Emmerson portrays her: definitely "posh" despite her slightly shady past and humble job, deceptively meek in demeanour but ready to use her background mercilessly (for example to sweep into a police station and ask awkward questions, or to blag her way into the Dorchester). Watch how she's given short, hesitant, mild sentences which can seem almost excessively eager to please - but then reveals her sharp mind, steps ahead of everyone else and not afraid to deliver a devastating judgement.
Anna is missing her partner Aloysius ('Louis') Weathers who has returned to Jamaica to sort out an inheritance, and his absence from the story (apart from correspondence with Anna) does rather leave a hole, compared to Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars. In a sense, his not being at the centre of things is understandable - the earlier book looked at issues of race in 60s London, while A Little London Scandal explores the position of gay men, before the legal reforms later in the decade. So we see a familiar pattern of events as rising junior minister Richard Wallis is threatened with exposure, the News of the World raises its evil head, blackmail is whispered. The book explores the lives of the young men at the sharp end of all this, with an acute sense both of hypocrisy at every level ('Perhaps gentlemen's clubs are closets for the overly design-conscious...') and of the real damage being done to almost everyone involved by the secrecy and fear of exposure.
Caught up in the same events is Merrian, 'the Wallis wife' as she is introduced to us. She's in the impossible position both of knowing a great deal about her husband and at the same time of consciously "not knowing" about him. A generous and idealistic person herself, she's at an impasse and she doesn't know where to turn. I think that Emmerson is brilliant in the way she brings Merrian to life - her hopes and fears, background and love, all bound up in her history with Richard and her life with him now, which is turning out to be something quite different from what she thought.
Richard himself isn't a completely unsympathetic character. While I didn't like him, I could see him, too, as a victim and as someone who had made choices, gone a certain way, and found it quite different from what he expected. Which is probably true of all of us, but for a politician, expecting to be influential and make a difference, perhaps it's understandable that his sense of disillusion is greater than for the rest of us.
In a brilliant evocation of 60s London, Emmerson gives us the parties, the late night streetlife, the excitement of a society that feels on the cusp of something. Colour TV has arrived, with a group of friends planning to watch Wimbledon "in colour", but vegetables are still delivered to Covent Garden market by horse drawn cart and decanted into barrows and the area is still to gentrify. Emmerson also
gives us the darkness: violence, prejudice and hypocrisy centred on the impregnable clubs of Pall Mall. All against a vivid portrayal of the streets and villages making the city up ('Covent Garden for raspberries and carrots - even at five in the morning. Seven Dials for rags - shift dresses and corduroy skirts and a hundred shades of polyester blouse. Monmouth Street for coffee bars - so many coffee bars - musicians and actors and students lout on dates'). The book highlights the dilemma facing gay men under discriminatory laws and societal pressure (and in particular, actors): the constant fear that you'll be turned on, that people will stop looking the other way, the need to be so careful who you are honest with ("'Bloody hell,' Anna said. 'Apart from everything else, it's just so complicated.' 'Try living it,' Benji said softly...")
It's a deeply immersive book - often a very sad book, but one that compelled me to keep reading even where I knew that something bad was coming up. Like Merriam, you have to know the worst.
An excellent read. I hope that Emmerson gives us more of Anna Treadway, although - spoiler - by the end of this story she's left her flat above the Alabama Coffee House in Neal Street which is sad as that brought so much atmosphere to the stories.
Anna's young friend Nik Christou is one of these outsiders. He's a rent boy, triply unlucky. First because he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Secondly because he is obliged to make his living by selling himself to men on the streets of the West End, breaking the law and risking punishment for both him and his clients if caught (although wealth and status has a way of protecting its own). And finally, he is unlucky because he is in this situation due to abuse and neglect in his hometown of St Anne's, near Blackpool. The flashbacks explaining just what had happened to Nik are heartbreaking, showing a baffled, confused child let down by school and parents and simply left to sink or swim by his own efforts. And he's not about to get any help now from a police force that is corrupt, prejudiced and overly respectful of the wealthy and powerful ('we let the club have a quiet word with all the men to ask if they'd seen or heard anything').
Nik does, though, have a good and stouthearted friend in Anna Treadway. I loved the way that Emmerson portrays her: definitely "posh" despite her slightly shady past and humble job, deceptively meek in demeanour but ready to use her background mercilessly (for example to sweep into a police station and ask awkward questions, or to blag her way into the Dorchester). Watch how she's given short, hesitant, mild sentences which can seem almost excessively eager to please - but then reveals her sharp mind, steps ahead of everyone else and not afraid to deliver a devastating judgement.
Anna is missing her partner Aloysius ('Louis') Weathers who has returned to Jamaica to sort out an inheritance, and his absence from the story (apart from correspondence with Anna) does rather leave a hole, compared to Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars. In a sense, his not being at the centre of things is understandable - the earlier book looked at issues of race in 60s London, while A Little London Scandal explores the position of gay men, before the legal reforms later in the decade. So we see a familiar pattern of events as rising junior minister Richard Wallis is threatened with exposure, the News of the World raises its evil head, blackmail is whispered. The book explores the lives of the young men at the sharp end of all this, with an acute sense both of hypocrisy at every level ('Perhaps gentlemen's clubs are closets for the overly design-conscious...') and of the real damage being done to almost everyone involved by the secrecy and fear of exposure.
Caught up in the same events is Merrian, 'the Wallis wife' as she is introduced to us. She's in the impossible position both of knowing a great deal about her husband and at the same time of consciously "not knowing" about him. A generous and idealistic person herself, she's at an impasse and she doesn't know where to turn. I think that Emmerson is brilliant in the way she brings Merrian to life - her hopes and fears, background and love, all bound up in her history with Richard and her life with him now, which is turning out to be something quite different from what she thought.
Richard himself isn't a completely unsympathetic character. While I didn't like him, I could see him, too, as a victim and as someone who had made choices, gone a certain way, and found it quite different from what he expected. Which is probably true of all of us, but for a politician, expecting to be influential and make a difference, perhaps it's understandable that his sense of disillusion is greater than for the rest of us.
In a brilliant evocation of 60s London, Emmerson gives us the parties, the late night streetlife, the excitement of a society that feels on the cusp of something. Colour TV has arrived, with a group of friends planning to watch Wimbledon "in colour", but vegetables are still delivered to Covent Garden market by horse drawn cart and decanted into barrows and the area is still to gentrify. Emmerson also
gives us the darkness: violence, prejudice and hypocrisy centred on the impregnable clubs of Pall Mall. All against a vivid portrayal of the streets and villages making the city up ('Covent Garden for raspberries and carrots - even at five in the morning. Seven Dials for rags - shift dresses and corduroy skirts and a hundred shades of polyester blouse. Monmouth Street for coffee bars - so many coffee bars - musicians and actors and students lout on dates'). The book highlights the dilemma facing gay men under discriminatory laws and societal pressure (and in particular, actors): the constant fear that you'll be turned on, that people will stop looking the other way, the need to be so careful who you are honest with ("'Bloody hell,' Anna said. 'Apart from everything else, it's just so complicated.' 'Try living it,' Benji said softly...")
It's a deeply immersive book - often a very sad book, but one that compelled me to keep reading even where I knew that something bad was coming up. Like Merriam, you have to know the worst.
An excellent read. I hope that Emmerson gives us more of Anna Treadway, although - spoiler - by the end of this story she's left her flat above the Alabama Coffee House in Neal Street which is sad as that brought so much atmosphere to the stories.
August 12, 2020
This is the second book featuring Anna Treadway and, although events and characters from the first book do pop up every so often in this, I believe that if you haven't already read it then that shouldn't mar your enjoyment of this book. It is a good read though so you might want to put it on your TBR.
Set in the 60s, in London, we follow Nik on an eventful night out. So eventful that it ends up with him being accused, arrested and charged with murder. He's a rent boy so he really doesn't have too much on his side to defend himself. Apart from, that is, the indomitable Anna Treadwell, a theatre dresser, who knows Nik from a cafe they both frequent. She believes in his innocence and, from previous experience, has learned not to wholly trust the Police. She's also well placed to investigate being surrounded by the glitterati, and with her connections and street smarts fully in force, she begins her own investigation in earnest, determined to clear Nik's name.
As with the first book I thoroughly enjoyed returning to the wonderful London 60s. OK so I am too young to know it first hand but, from what I understand, it all came across, and indeed felt very real. As more of Nik's story came to light, it was a bit heartbreaking. Being a rent boy in that time was a bit of a scary thing. Also, with the establishment being as it was, especially with homosexuality being illegal, and with many still in the closet, it was also an eye opener to see how the mighty protected their own. Anna however is a very formidable character. I gelled with her in her first outing and that relationship continued through this one. Other characters revisited continued to develop and grow as the story progressed, especially Anna's friendly policeman Barnaby Hayes, a man with his own colourful past. In this book we also meet Merrian, the wife of a politician. She has her own crosses to bear as we soon find out. I felt for her too and her predicament reminded me of events in A Very English Scandal - not a spoiler, it's in the blurb!
All in all, a cracking read that grabbed me from the off and held my attention nicely throughout. Spitting me out at the end pretty much an emotional wreck, but wholly satisfied. I'm now itching to see what the author throws Anna's way next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Set in the 60s, in London, we follow Nik on an eventful night out. So eventful that it ends up with him being accused, arrested and charged with murder. He's a rent boy so he really doesn't have too much on his side to defend himself. Apart from, that is, the indomitable Anna Treadwell, a theatre dresser, who knows Nik from a cafe they both frequent. She believes in his innocence and, from previous experience, has learned not to wholly trust the Police. She's also well placed to investigate being surrounded by the glitterati, and with her connections and street smarts fully in force, she begins her own investigation in earnest, determined to clear Nik's name.
As with the first book I thoroughly enjoyed returning to the wonderful London 60s. OK so I am too young to know it first hand but, from what I understand, it all came across, and indeed felt very real. As more of Nik's story came to light, it was a bit heartbreaking. Being a rent boy in that time was a bit of a scary thing. Also, with the establishment being as it was, especially with homosexuality being illegal, and with many still in the closet, it was also an eye opener to see how the mighty protected their own. Anna however is a very formidable character. I gelled with her in her first outing and that relationship continued through this one. Other characters revisited continued to develop and grow as the story progressed, especially Anna's friendly policeman Barnaby Hayes, a man with his own colourful past. In this book we also meet Merrian, the wife of a politician. She has her own crosses to bear as we soon find out. I felt for her too and her predicament reminded me of events in A Very English Scandal - not a spoiler, it's in the blurb!
All in all, a cracking read that grabbed me from the off and held my attention nicely throughout. Spitting me out at the end pretty much an emotional wreck, but wholly satisfied. I'm now itching to see what the author throws Anna's way next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
April 9, 2020
When you request a book from NetGalley, written by an author you don't know, you take a risk that the blurb and/or reviews written by others are an accurate reflection and that the book will be something that you like. That was the situation I was in with this book. I was a little bit unsure and didn't know whether I would be thrust into a seedy version of the London underworld. Its not like that at all. This is a fantastic, fast paced, well researched, well written novel with a great storyline.
Nik is a teenager, working on the streets of London. Anna is his acquaintance who he knows through a local cafe. There are two timelines describing Nik's story. In one he is aged 15, being bullied at school and eventually thrown out by his parents. In the current timeline, in 1967, he is 19 and living in London, getting by by selling himself on the streets. He is arrested one evening as he is close to the scene of a murder and although there is no evidence, he is charged.
This book takes you back to the sixties and the prejudices that surrounded homosexuality. But it also exposes you to kindness and goodness within people. Anna goes out of her way to help Nik in the most extraordinary way which left me wondering whether I would ever have attempted something similar. And then there is the perspective of the MP, Richard and his wife, Merrion. Is he the good, hardworking, family man he appears to be or something else altogether? And then there is the kindly policeman, Barnaby Hayes, who together with Anna, pieces everything together. This book makes you think about society and how it has changed, not just in terms of attitudes towards sexuality but also race, religion and the way we live our lives today. It was a great read. I didn't realise there was a previous book featuring Anna - I will definitely read that and I will be looking out for another one in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Nik is a teenager, working on the streets of London. Anna is his acquaintance who he knows through a local cafe. There are two timelines describing Nik's story. In one he is aged 15, being bullied at school and eventually thrown out by his parents. In the current timeline, in 1967, he is 19 and living in London, getting by by selling himself on the streets. He is arrested one evening as he is close to the scene of a murder and although there is no evidence, he is charged.
This book takes you back to the sixties and the prejudices that surrounded homosexuality. But it also exposes you to kindness and goodness within people. Anna goes out of her way to help Nik in the most extraordinary way which left me wondering whether I would ever have attempted something similar. And then there is the perspective of the MP, Richard and his wife, Merrion. Is he the good, hardworking, family man he appears to be or something else altogether? And then there is the kindly policeman, Barnaby Hayes, who together with Anna, pieces everything together. This book makes you think about society and how it has changed, not just in terms of attitudes towards sexuality but also race, religion and the way we live our lives today. It was a great read. I didn't realise there was a previous book featuring Anna - I will definitely read that and I will be looking out for another one in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2020
My thanks to 4th Estate for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Little London Scandal’ by Miranda Emmerson.
This is a follow up to Emmerson’s 2017 debut novel, ‘Miss Treadway & the Field of Stars’, set in London’s theatre land during the mid-1960s.
London. 1967. Nik Christou has been a rent boy since he was 15. He considers himself street savvy. Then one summer night his life is turned upside down, first by violence and then by an accusation of murder.
Anna Treadway, a dresser in Soho’s Galaxy theatre, knows Nik from his visits to the Alabora Coffee House, located next door to Anna’s flat. From past experience she doesn’t have much trust in the police and is convinced that Nik is innocent. She is determined to find him an alibi.
Anna searches for clues amongst MPs, actors, members of gentlemen’s clubs and a hundred different nightly clients. Will anyone be willing to come forward and save Nik from his fate? Anna teams up with DS Hayes, who she knows from her previous bout of amateur sleuthing.
Also involved is Merrian Wallis, the devoted wife to an MP with a tarnished reputation. She is seeking proof that her husband wasn’t involved, yet fears that he may have a secret life. The novel also contains flashbacks that explores quite movingly how Nik came to be on the streets selling his body to strangers. There are a few scenes in this respect that were uncomfortable to read.
Although this is set during the summer when homosexual acts between men was finally decriminalised, there was still a great deal of prejudice as well as secrecy. Class divisions were also explored along with how protected certain people were from the consequences of their actions.
Overall, I found this a highly engaging character-led murder mystery and felt that Miranda Emmerson recreated London of the Swinging Sixties with great precision, capturing its optimism and vibrant culture.
After reading and enjoying this so much I immediately purchased ‘Miss Treadway & the Field of Stars’.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
This is a follow up to Emmerson’s 2017 debut novel, ‘Miss Treadway & the Field of Stars’, set in London’s theatre land during the mid-1960s.
London. 1967. Nik Christou has been a rent boy since he was 15. He considers himself street savvy. Then one summer night his life is turned upside down, first by violence and then by an accusation of murder.
Anna Treadway, a dresser in Soho’s Galaxy theatre, knows Nik from his visits to the Alabora Coffee House, located next door to Anna’s flat. From past experience she doesn’t have much trust in the police and is convinced that Nik is innocent. She is determined to find him an alibi.
Anna searches for clues amongst MPs, actors, members of gentlemen’s clubs and a hundred different nightly clients. Will anyone be willing to come forward and save Nik from his fate? Anna teams up with DS Hayes, who she knows from her previous bout of amateur sleuthing.
Also involved is Merrian Wallis, the devoted wife to an MP with a tarnished reputation. She is seeking proof that her husband wasn’t involved, yet fears that he may have a secret life. The novel also contains flashbacks that explores quite movingly how Nik came to be on the streets selling his body to strangers. There are a few scenes in this respect that were uncomfortable to read.
Although this is set during the summer when homosexual acts between men was finally decriminalised, there was still a great deal of prejudice as well as secrecy. Class divisions were also explored along with how protected certain people were from the consequences of their actions.
Overall, I found this a highly engaging character-led murder mystery and felt that Miranda Emmerson recreated London of the Swinging Sixties with great precision, capturing its optimism and vibrant culture.
After reading and enjoying this so much I immediately purchased ‘Miss Treadway & the Field of Stars’.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
January 9, 2021
I clocked only one big nerdy anachronism in this entire book, and that was a character referring to "Keith Richards" about ten years before he publicly added the "s" back into his surname. Other people may have spotted more egregious errors here and there, but I don't think any of them are enough to spoil the entire thing -- especially since this author really should get credit for having done their homework about crafting a very dense and vibrant London of 1967 with enough detail to get lost in.
But other than just the detail, is a really nice little story that vacillates very well between being a mystery and a social document. The characters are all really well-drawn and tied interestingly to their environment, the writing is engaging, and the story is never really boring even when digging into its characters' internal mires. The only thing I was disappointed by was the title, which is kind of a misnomer since there isn't really any major scandal at all. The crime at the centre of the story is quite a simple little investigation centred internally around a small circle of characters, but which never actually breaks out and becomes a major national ballyhoo like it might suggest. If you got this book sold on the premise of a whodunit being made out of an fictional ancillary to, say, the Christine Keeler or Jeremy Thorpe stories, you might be disappointed.
You might also be disappointed about the fact that nowhere it is advertised that this book is also actually a follow-up to another book I haven't read (I really hate this trend in publishing nowadays to sneak-sell sequels honestly 😤). But even if I was sometimes confused by all the clumsy inferences to characters and plot points from the other book I have no knowledge of, it wasn't enough to knock this book off the balance of being a good enough standalone book of its own, which it is.
But other than just the detail, is a really nice little story that vacillates very well between being a mystery and a social document. The characters are all really well-drawn and tied interestingly to their environment, the writing is engaging, and the story is never really boring even when digging into its characters' internal mires. The only thing I was disappointed by was the title, which is kind of a misnomer since there isn't really any major scandal at all. The crime at the centre of the story is quite a simple little investigation centred internally around a small circle of characters, but which never actually breaks out and becomes a major national ballyhoo like it might suggest. If you got this book sold on the premise of a whodunit being made out of an fictional ancillary to, say, the Christine Keeler or Jeremy Thorpe stories, you might be disappointed.
You might also be disappointed about the fact that nowhere it is advertised that this book is also actually a follow-up to another book I haven't read (I really hate this trend in publishing nowadays to sneak-sell sequels honestly 😤). But even if I was sometimes confused by all the clumsy inferences to characters and plot points from the other book I have no knowledge of, it wasn't enough to knock this book off the balance of being a good enough standalone book of its own, which it is.
May 26, 2020
I had a bit of trouble getting into this story. It seemed like there are too many, too different characters and I was getting lost in all of this. However once I finally got a hang of it, it all was such an intriguing story spanning multiple generations and social classes. What a view into life in London in sixties!
There are three main characters - Nik a rent boy, Anna, a dresser in a theatre and Merrian, a wife of a politician. Three different characters struggling with their past, each in their own way. Their lives brought together because of seemingly unsubstantiated murder accusations against Nik. There are many more interesting characters from different backgrounds circling around them, but the story goes deep into the lives of those three.
I like how the story was structured, on one hand, it is a mystery into the death of a young boy, whose body was found in the gardens of a private club. On the other hand, it brings to light the unfairness of life, how money gives you better treatment. With power, it looks like you can buy yourself anything you want, and you are the only one who will not suffer the consequences no of your actions.
The book gives us also a glimpse of the gay history of England, how much and how little really changed. It's less likely to find rent boy on Piccadilly Circus (too many tourists I think, but I don't really know...), but probably there's the same chance of powerful man hiding their sexuality and abusing people. The book gave me a wonderful feeling of reading something that seemed so out of time, but so timely at the same time.
There are three main characters - Nik a rent boy, Anna, a dresser in a theatre and Merrian, a wife of a politician. Three different characters struggling with their past, each in their own way. Their lives brought together because of seemingly unsubstantiated murder accusations against Nik. There are many more interesting characters from different backgrounds circling around them, but the story goes deep into the lives of those three.
I like how the story was structured, on one hand, it is a mystery into the death of a young boy, whose body was found in the gardens of a private club. On the other hand, it brings to light the unfairness of life, how money gives you better treatment. With power, it looks like you can buy yourself anything you want, and you are the only one who will not suffer the consequences no of your actions.
The book gives us also a glimpse of the gay history of England, how much and how little really changed. It's less likely to find rent boy on Piccadilly Circus (too many tourists I think, but I don't really know...), but probably there's the same chance of powerful man hiding their sexuality and abusing people. The book gave me a wonderful feeling of reading something that seemed so out of time, but so timely at the same time.
September 4, 2020
I must say that I struggled with this book at the beginning; I had difficulty assimilating all the different characters and was not sure it was quite my bag. However, I persevered and I am glad I did.
The descriptions of London certainly resonated with me, a young girl on the periphery of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ and London as the epicentre of the ‘scene’: nightclubs, fashion, drugs, political scandal. The underside of all that; homosexuality, rent-boys, the old-boys network, and the huge disparity of the haves and the have-nots, at that time a total unknown to me at that time, but all too familiar in retrospect.
Emmerson’s descriptions of the reality of lives of the rent-boys and homosexuals in general with the fear of prosecution and imprisonment is emotive – I was shocked and scared of the imagery of the raids by the police on the men and boys at Piccadilly Underground – had never imagined such a scene. A scene swiftly followed by the discovery dead body in a garden of a private members club, which lead to a very unusual enquiry into the circumstances. The three central characters are Nik a rent-boy, Anna, a dresser in a nearby theatre and Merrian, a wife of a politician and a handful of other characters who help reveal the truth.
A very satisfying read and I recommend it whole-heartedly.
Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.
The descriptions of London certainly resonated with me, a young girl on the periphery of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ and London as the epicentre of the ‘scene’: nightclubs, fashion, drugs, political scandal. The underside of all that; homosexuality, rent-boys, the old-boys network, and the huge disparity of the haves and the have-nots, at that time a total unknown to me at that time, but all too familiar in retrospect.
Emmerson’s descriptions of the reality of lives of the rent-boys and homosexuals in general with the fear of prosecution and imprisonment is emotive – I was shocked and scared of the imagery of the raids by the police on the men and boys at Piccadilly Underground – had never imagined such a scene. A scene swiftly followed by the discovery dead body in a garden of a private members club, which lead to a very unusual enquiry into the circumstances. The three central characters are Nik a rent-boy, Anna, a dresser in a nearby theatre and Merrian, a wife of a politician and a handful of other characters who help reveal the truth.
A very satisfying read and I recommend it whole-heartedly.
Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.
August 8, 2020
In the course of reading this book I was haunted by the familiarity of Anna Treadway until finally it hit me and I realised that I read her first outing by this author two years ago. Obviously a lot of books have passed through my hands since then but in rereading my review on '...Field of Stars' I was struck by just how on the nose it was. That debut was very good and Miranda Emmerson has solidified her talent and also her star player in Miss Treadway.
Queer fiction is hard to get right at the best of times but even harder I imagine to write from the perspective of a character that isn't queer at all, simply an ally and a bystander at that. Anna's inner dialogue and the expansion of her world view throughout A Little London Scandal is fantastically realised. She's imperfect, she makes mistakes and says the wrong thing but never stops trying to make the effort to look closely and really see the truth of people when the easier thing to do is look away. Swinging sixties London is idealised in present day as a place where so much was both happening and possible but we forget that the reality was persecution, secrecy and constant fear of being found out for what at the time was considered 'gross indecency'.
Just a in the first book there are a lot of ideas put forth in this novel but this time they are more streamlined and assured. I look forward to the next.
Queer fiction is hard to get right at the best of times but even harder I imagine to write from the perspective of a character that isn't queer at all, simply an ally and a bystander at that. Anna's inner dialogue and the expansion of her world view throughout A Little London Scandal is fantastically realised. She's imperfect, she makes mistakes and says the wrong thing but never stops trying to make the effort to look closely and really see the truth of people when the easier thing to do is look away. Swinging sixties London is idealised in present day as a place where so much was both happening and possible but we forget that the reality was persecution, secrecy and constant fear of being found out for what at the time was considered 'gross indecency'.
Just a in the first book there are a lot of ideas put forth in this novel but this time they are more streamlined and assured. I look forward to the next.
August 24, 2020
I'd read (and loved) 'Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars' a while back, but picked 'A Little London Scandal' up without realising that it featured the same characters. It doesn't matter too much if you haven't read the first book, but you would be missing a treat.
In this book, the sixties are swinging, but for Nik and the rent boys based around Piccadilly Circus, all is not so bright. Police raids and violence threaten their livelihoods and the murder of one of them, Charlie, near an exclusive gentlemen's club, cause them to come under some unwelcome scrutiny. When Nik is arrested for the murder, Anna Treadway, dresser at the Galaxy Theatre in Soho, steps in to prove his innocence. Her investigations take her into the heart of seedy London but also reveal corruption within high society.
This is another great read. The 1960s setting is lively and well-researched and Anna herself is an appealing protagonist. It is quite sad in places as the prejudice against gay men is depicted and the reader is shown that the 1960s were not all about free love and tolerance as they have been presented. The early pages are a little slow, but once the story really gets going then it is addictive! I raced through the majority of the book and will be keenly looking out for more titles in the series.
In this book, the sixties are swinging, but for Nik and the rent boys based around Piccadilly Circus, all is not so bright. Police raids and violence threaten their livelihoods and the murder of one of them, Charlie, near an exclusive gentlemen's club, cause them to come under some unwelcome scrutiny. When Nik is arrested for the murder, Anna Treadway, dresser at the Galaxy Theatre in Soho, steps in to prove his innocence. Her investigations take her into the heart of seedy London but also reveal corruption within high society.
This is another great read. The 1960s setting is lively and well-researched and Anna herself is an appealing protagonist. It is quite sad in places as the prejudice against gay men is depicted and the reader is shown that the 1960s were not all about free love and tolerance as they have been presented. The early pages are a little slow, but once the story really gets going then it is addictive! I raced through the majority of the book and will be keenly looking out for more titles in the series.
September 13, 2020
Theatre dresser Anna Treadway lives and works in 1960s London, mixing with an eclectic group of people, including the owner of a Turkish restaurant, a disillusioned policeman, and many actors. Her partner is currently in the West Indies following the death of his mother.
In these enlightened times, it is easy to forget that at that time homosexuality was illegal, and men were forced to keep parts of their lives secret if they were to have a career.
Anna befriends Nik Christou, a rent boy living hand to mouth, and when he is accused of murder, she is determined to find the truth.
Nik is a beautifully drawn character, and his story is heart-breaking, as we understand how he was estranged from his family., and ended up on the streets of London. Unfortunately, such stories are still common these days.
Anna also comes into contact with a politician’s wife, and soon realises the compromises she has had to make to save her marriage.
The cast of louche 60’s characters is extensive, and very believable, as is Anna, a caring innocent making her way and trying to understand the world.
An excellent thought-provoking book.
Thanks to Netgalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for the opportunity to read this book.
In these enlightened times, it is easy to forget that at that time homosexuality was illegal, and men were forced to keep parts of their lives secret if they were to have a career.
Anna befriends Nik Christou, a rent boy living hand to mouth, and when he is accused of murder, she is determined to find the truth.
Nik is a beautifully drawn character, and his story is heart-breaking, as we understand how he was estranged from his family., and ended up on the streets of London. Unfortunately, such stories are still common these days.
Anna also comes into contact with a politician’s wife, and soon realises the compromises she has had to make to save her marriage.
The cast of louche 60’s characters is extensive, and very believable, as is Anna, a caring innocent making her way and trying to understand the world.
An excellent thought-provoking book.
Thanks to Netgalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for the opportunity to read this book.
August 15, 2020
A Little London Scandal is a mystery set in London in the 60's when homosexuality was illegal ,Nik is a teenage rent boy who is in the wrong place at the wrong time when another young rent boy is murdered and he is accused and charged with murder.Anna Treadway is a Dresser in a local Theatre who knows him and is determined to fight for justice for him.I realised after awhile that I had met Anna before in "The Field of Stars" and thoroughly enjoyed that book and this book was just as good capturing the atmosphere of those times .I was brought up in Twickenham and remember Eel Pie Island well but in those days you had to get a ferry over to the island to watch the bands of the day The Stones Bowie etc so that part brought back good memories .An excellent read I look forward to reading more about Anna Treadway .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .
August 30, 2020
A Little London Scandal by Miranda Emmerson is set in London in 1967. A young “rent boy” is found murdered close to an exclusive gentleman’s club in St James while Nik another “rent boy” wakes up near to the scene of the murder after a battering from a famous client in denial. The police are looking for a quick solution that will avoid any scandal and Nik is the perfect candidate. Fortunately he has a friend and a rebellious police officer who not so sure that Nik is guilty party.
A Little London Scandal evokes the awakening hip culture of 60’s London very well. It is a novel about class and power which portrays the secrecy and denial imposed on gay men at that time. It is atmospheric, pacy and quite thought provoking, particularly if like me you grew up in London in the 60’s – I was surprised how little of this I recognised.
Pretty good, well worth a read, I am going to explore Emmerson’s previous novel soon.
A Little London Scandal evokes the awakening hip culture of 60’s London very well. It is a novel about class and power which portrays the secrecy and denial imposed on gay men at that time. It is atmospheric, pacy and quite thought provoking, particularly if like me you grew up in London in the 60’s – I was surprised how little of this I recognised.
Pretty good, well worth a read, I am going to explore Emmerson’s previous novel soon.
September 5, 2020
Rent boy Nik has been on the streets since he was thrown out of home aged 15. His years in London have taught him to be streetwise but nothing could prepare him for the accusation of murder. A fellow rent boy found dead in the grounds of an exclusive gentleman's club and an MP with scandal attached to his name there on the night. Connecting the two is Anna Treadaway, friend to Nik, acquaintance of the MPs wife. Anna believes Nik is innocent but to prove it she needs to stretch her morals.
A second outing for Anna Treadaway and Emmerson is really hitting her stride with her tales of the seedier side of swinging London. Here the contrast between the middle class lifestyle and the more bohemian are played out and the sordid secrets of those in power are exposed. Emmerson isn't afraid to explore big issues, racism in the first novel, here homosexuality, but all is done with a real sureness of touch.
A second outing for Anna Treadaway and Emmerson is really hitting her stride with her tales of the seedier side of swinging London. Here the contrast between the middle class lifestyle and the more bohemian are played out and the sordid secrets of those in power are exposed. Emmerson isn't afraid to explore big issues, racism in the first novel, here homosexuality, but all is done with a real sureness of touch.
April 24, 2020
This is such a cracking read! The murder of a rent boy and the subsequent investigation are the mainstay of the story, and the author’s description of the world in which this plays out really brings this story to life. We meet Anna Treadway again, a theatrical dresser, she is struggling to ensure a fair chance for the underdog. Set in 1960s London, but not so much the ‘swinging set’, more the Piccadilly/ Kings Cross darker side of life. This is a story of squats, rent boys, drugs and the hidden gay community. But this is also a story with so much understanding of humanity, I felt real sorrow and despair for the characters and their situation- a situation that is sadly still true today for some. This is a book that really makes you think,encouraging a more sympathetic understanding for the situations people can find themselves in. Absolutely brilliant!
April 9, 2020
Set in the sixties this book gripped me from the first page. All of the characters have a connection.
Poor Nik suffered at the hands of bullies as a child because he was "different" he is working the streets of London. as a male escort/prostitute, his friend who understand and supports him, Anna, as his friend whom he met in a cafe.
Mp Richard was a part in killing charlie be it an accident, his wife is Merrion.
Barnaby Hayes is a policeman who with Merrion put the pieces together.
These characters have a sad existence. This book focuses on homosexuality and the tragedy that some people have to face.
It is a powerful and sad book on changes in society.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. x
Poor Nik suffered at the hands of bullies as a child because he was "different" he is working the streets of London. as a male escort/prostitute, his friend who understand and supports him, Anna, as his friend whom he met in a cafe.
Mp Richard was a part in killing charlie be it an accident, his wife is Merrion.
Barnaby Hayes is a policeman who with Merrion put the pieces together.
These characters have a sad existence. This book focuses on homosexuality and the tragedy that some people have to face.
It is a powerful and sad book on changes in society.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. x
May 22, 2020
A rent boy is found dead in suspicious circumstances, and the police are keen for a quick conviction.
This book takes you back to 1960s London and the prejudices that surrounded homosexuality, rent boys and drugs.
It is hard to read in places as the prejudice against gay men is depicted so well; we are made aware that the 1960s was not all about free love.
I found this an emotional read; I was moved by characters, their families, friends and their position in society.
This book makes you think and helps to promote a more compassionate understanding of the situations people can find themselves in.
A thought-provoking read.
I want to thank NetGalley, 4th Estate and author Miranda Emmerson for a pre-publication copy to review.
This book takes you back to 1960s London and the prejudices that surrounded homosexuality, rent boys and drugs.
It is hard to read in places as the prejudice against gay men is depicted so well; we are made aware that the 1960s was not all about free love.
I found this an emotional read; I was moved by characters, their families, friends and their position in society.
This book makes you think and helps to promote a more compassionate understanding of the situations people can find themselves in.
A thought-provoking read.
I want to thank NetGalley, 4th Estate and author Miranda Emmerson for a pre-publication copy to review.
November 22, 2020
I didn't realise this was a sort of loose sequel and in fact thought the author had written something else completely before this...
This starts off very 'bitty' lots of unrelated people, going about their unrelated lives, so much so that I was starting to wonder where it was all going. They do all eventually collide and it becomes a bit of a detective story, piecing together the events that led to murder. There's wrongful arrest and a fraying marriage as well as a look into a rather seedy side of London. Rent boys, corrupt cops, dodgy MPs. The ending wrapped everything up, but it might just be me reading too much into it, but the death may not have been caused by the eventual person arrested, it's sort of ambiguous.
This starts off very 'bitty' lots of unrelated people, going about their unrelated lives, so much so that I was starting to wonder where it was all going. They do all eventually collide and it becomes a bit of a detective story, piecing together the events that led to murder. There's wrongful arrest and a fraying marriage as well as a look into a rather seedy side of London. Rent boys, corrupt cops, dodgy MPs. The ending wrapped everything up, but it might just be me reading too much into it, but the death may not have been caused by the eventual person arrested, it's sort of ambiguous.
June 17, 2023
I have recently come across this author's work, and it has left a positive impression on me. I found it quite impressive and insightful.
In this narrative set in the 1960s, the author introduces the reader to three main characters and a handful of secondary characters. While some of the secondary characters were slightly confusing at first, I still found the book to be enjoyable. The writing is remarkable for its handling of sensitive topics such as social class discrimination and injustice towards male sex workers, and offering insights into the portrayal of homosexuality in the UK at that time.
The book didn't quite make it to a five-star rating for me, yet I still found this a great read for Pride Month and I highly recommend it for the awareness it brings.
In this narrative set in the 1960s, the author introduces the reader to three main characters and a handful of secondary characters. While some of the secondary characters were slightly confusing at first, I still found the book to be enjoyable. The writing is remarkable for its handling of sensitive topics such as social class discrimination and injustice towards male sex workers, and offering insights into the portrayal of homosexuality in the UK at that time.
The book didn't quite make it to a five-star rating for me, yet I still found this a great read for Pride Month and I highly recommend it for the awareness it brings.
August 20, 2020
I am very fond of books set in the 60s, 70s & 80s and I’m sure that’s what made me want to read this book. When I picked it up to read I couldn’t remember why I had chosen it. It wasn’t by an author I’d read before - however as soon as I started reading it I was transported to 1967. The story is told from many points of view & to see each character’s description of London, of the times & their attitude to gay men. It’s a moving book & so thought provoking. It’s just such a great read. I can’t wait to read the authors previous novel. If you like modern history, LGTB themes & a crime investigation twist I can’t recommend this enough.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews