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

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As with every atmospheric mystery, it's all about the lighting, and Natalie Marlow illuminates the hard-boiled players in this thrilling debut with all the dexterity of any of our great noir novelists. You will wince, you will gasp, you will shudder at every turn, and you will want to keep reading until that last light dims at the disquieting end." - J M Varese The writing and scene setting in this book was absolutely brilliant. I could see the scenes so clearly I could have been watching on a screen . The setting of 1930s industrial Birmingham will evidently draw Peaky Blinders comparisons but it is not a city I see in books often so I enjoyed the fresh perspective. 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.

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A powerful, gritty and extremely well written story. I began expecting a detective story - William Garrett is a man damaged by the First World War, who sets himself up as a private eye, working with his avant garde friend Ronnie. Billy specialises in setting up entrapments for straying wives - Ronnie takes them to a hotel room, and Billy bursts in to get photographic evidence.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. Photographs and film play a large part in narrative and are ultimately responsible for throwing light an all the mysteries. 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. 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.

Needless Alley: The critically acclaimed noir crime debut Needless Alley: The critically acclaimed noir crime debut

The best way to explain my feelings on this story is to compare it to others; not great practice, but I feel it works for this. Some stories have multiple perspectives (this doesn't but bear with me here), within which there may be one that you dislike reading. As such, you slog through the difficult chapter because the proverbial carrot is dangling over yonder and you'd like to reach it. This is irritating but fine- just view the big picture. William's life all changes, when he accidentally 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. And what should have been another straightforward job turns into something far more deadly. Baskerville has signed two titles in a new series by debut author Natalie Marlowe, with the first, Needless Alley , to be published in January 2023.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. The ending was not what I thought it would be but on reflection I do like how it ended. Very fitting for how the book went. 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.