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

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What a fabulous story! While at heart a detective novel, it is also in many ways a story of love in its myriad forms. 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. William is a somewhat surprising character. I didn’t expect him to be as engrossing as he turned out to be. Initially I wasn’t entirely sure as to whether I liked him but I found myself warming to him, with his unorthodox manner and dogged determination. He turned out to be an interesting character filled with history.

Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow | Goodreads Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow | Goodreads

Birmingham is brought expertly to life in this atmospheric crime noir where corruption and seedy entanglements lurk down every darkly lit street. Compelling and clever, Needless Alley makes for a gripping read that any Peaky Blinder fan is sure to love." - Susan Stokes-Chapman 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 considerably different tone- one I didn't connect with in the same way. 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 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. 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.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? William finds himself a refuge from all this for a while, an unexpected refuge, but in doing so he brings more trouble on himself than he could have imagined. When reputations are threatened, his hard-won status will count for little except to identify him as someone who doesn't know their place and who can therefore take the blame for whatever is really going on. William Garrett is a refreshing protagonist. Shaped by a chaotic upbringing and his experiences of war he is a man who knows himself - a flawed but ultimately moral. A man before his time, his opinion of women and sexual identities and practices are much more accepting than would have been the norm. He is partnered by his close friend Ronnie who brings some spice and humour to the story.

Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow | Hachette UK Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow | Hachette UK

The one that caught my imagination was Phyll, who William at first believes is a young boy. He later discovers that she is a bright intelligent young woman with a penchant for men’s clothing and an eye for good tailoring. Another survivor and a bit of a fish out of water with the norms of the day. 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.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. Marlow's very engaging protagonist may herald the birth of a new genre: Midlands Noir' Financial Times 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. The references to various places in the Midlands were close to home for me and I found it interesting to think of the towns and cities mentioned in the 1930’s. Alongside this, the history that’s woven through is fascinating, knowing almost nothing about the politics of the time. I definitely felt as though I was at the rallies and surrounded by the far right opinions focused on within the novel. The characters were really well written and I had no difficulty in envisaging them and feeling for them. William was a really good and believable main character.