Mr Magenta by Christopher Bowden
Stephen Marling thought he knew his aunt Flora.
But when he inherits her house in a quiet south London square a series of discoveries among her papers brings to light another person entirely.
Who, for example, is ‘Mr Magenta’ and what part did he play in her life?
In the process of uncovering the secrets of one life, Stephen is forced to re-evaluate his own and decide what he really wants.
#MrMagenta #ChristopherBowden #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour
Was he right to turn his back on Nancy Steiner, the young actress he met in New York, when he came home to take up his inheritance?
Interweaving past and present, the story takes him from a Brooklyn bookshop to a theatre in Marseille to a cottage on the east coast of England where the truth about Mr Magenta is finally revealed.
My Review
This is a very gentle read. Don’t expect murder, violence or crime. There is some suspense and intrigue though, as Stephen begins to unravel Aunt Flora’s secret life. Who was Mr Magenta, and why did she keep photos and documents hidden away in the back of a davenport (an ornamental writing desk with drawers and a sloping surface for writing)? Yes, I had to look it up.
And what about the photos of four men with their heads cut off – only in the photos, not in real life. Or are they all the same man? Did Flora have a secret lover (or four) after her husband Clive died in the nineties?
Our hero Stephen was working in New York as a lawyer, but came home to the UK to take up residence in Aunt Flora’s house, which she left to him in her will, along with a sizeable amount of money. Unfortunately, this meant leaving girlfriend Nancy behind in the US. Nancy is an actress, always looking for her big break. But even though she has everything needed to make her rich and famous, she tells Stephen there are dozens like her in New York, all chasing the same jobs.
As Stephen uncovers more information about his aunt, he meets lots of people who knew her, and travels up to Norfolk to discover the connection with a place called Sanderling that keeps cropping up amongst her papers and theatre programmes.
And apart from the mysterious Mr Magenta, who is Anton Brook? Or James Drove? Or Alain Vide?
I absolutely loved it. Such a change from my usual diet of crime fiction, gothic horror, psychological thrillers and Scandi noir.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Christopher Bowden lives in south London. He is the author of six novels, each with a colour theme. The Amber Maze, published in September 2018, is the latest. His previous books have been praised variously by Andrew Marr, Julian Fellowes, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Shena Mackay. Of his third novel, The Red House, Sir Derek said, “Very entertaining, cleverly constructed and expertly paced. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Website:
http://www.christopherbowden.com
