Review and quotes: SHRINES OF GAIETY

Title: Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

Book Beginnings quote: 

Friday56 quote, from page 24, one of the last of preview pages:

Summary:

London 1926. Roaring Twenties.
Corruption. Seduction. Debts due.

In a country still recovering from the Great War, London is the focus for a delirious nightlife. In Soho clubs, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time.

There, Nellie Coker is a ruthless ruler, ambitious for her six children. Niven is the eldest, his enigmatic character forged in the harsh Somme. But success breeds enemies. Nellie faces threats from without and within. Beneath the gaiety lies a dark underbelly, where one may be all too easily lost. (Publisher)

Review: I just realized that I am a fan of Kate Atkinson. This is my third book of hers and I enjoyed each of them, Shrines of Gaiety is no exception. Set in London in that time period between wars, Nellie Cocker and her children run several night clubs in London and to stay out of trouble with the police they have bought Maddox, an influential police inspector. But when his protection breaks down, Nellie is placed in the Holloway prison for a short stint. When she gets out she is determined to never go back, but every part of her kingdom seems to be falling apart. Sometimes she is not even sure which side her children are on.

Two parallel stories run concurrently with Nellie Cocker's. The story of Gwendolyn Kelling, a librarian from York, who makes her way to London to search for her friend's teenage sister, Freda Murgatroyd and her friend Florence. Gwendolyn's first stop in her search is the police station where she talks to the Detective Inspector, John Frobisher. Frobisher is very concerned about all the girls who have gone missing lately and hires Gwendolyn as an informant on Nellie Cocker and her organization.

 

Needless to say, the story gets all tangled up. Many of the good guys are actually bad and the bad people are the ones who are trying to do right. The ending was satisfying and not entirely unexpected.

My hubby and I listened to the audiobook together. We both enjoyed it very much.

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-Anne