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Le diable danse à Bleeding Heart Square
FEATURED IN THE TIMES TOP 100 CRIME & THRILLERS SINCE 1945
Bleeding Heart Square is a tense historical thriller from the bestselling author of The Ashes of London
1934, London
Into the decaying cul-de-sac of Bleeding Heart Square steps aristocratic Lydia Langstone fleeing an abusive marriage. However, unknown to Lydia, a dark mystery haunts Bleeding Heart Square. What happened to Miss Penhow, the middle-aged spinster who owns the house and who vanished four years earlier? Why is a seedy plain-clothes policeman obsessively watching the square? What is making struggling journalist Rory Wentwood so desperate to contact Miss Penhow?
And why are parcels of rotting hearts being sent to Joseph Serridge, the last person to see Miss Penhow alive?
Bleeding Heart Square is a tense historical thriller from the bestselling author of The Ashes of London
1934, London
Into the decaying cul-de-sac of Bleeding Heart Square steps aristocratic Lydia Langstone fleeing an abusive marriage. However, unknown to Lydia, a dark mystery haunts Bleeding Heart Square. What happened to Miss Penhow, the middle-aged spinster who owns the house and who vanished four years earlier? Why is a seedy plain-clothes policeman obsessively watching the square? What is making struggling journalist Rory Wentwood so desperate to contact Miss Penhow?
And why are parcels of rotting hearts being sent to Joseph Serridge, the last person to see Miss Penhow alive?
566 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
185 people are currently reading
1116 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Taylor
61 books724 followersAndrew Taylor (b. 1951) is a British author of mysteries. Born in East Anglia, he attended university at Cambridge before getting an MA in library sciences from University College London. His first novel, Caroline Miniscule (1982), a modern-day treasure hunt starring history student William Dougal, began an eight-book series and won Taylor wide critical acclaim. He has written several other thriller series, most notably the eight Lydmouthbooks, which begin with An Air That Kills (1994).
His other novels include The Office of the Dead (2000) and The American Boy (2003), both of which won the Crime Writers’ Association of Britain’s Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award, making Taylor the only author to receive the prize twice. His Roth trilogy, which has been published in omnibus form as Requiem for an Angel (2002), was adapted by the UK’s ITV for its television show Fallen Angel. Taylor’s most recent novel is the historical thriller The Scent of Death (2013).
His other novels include The Office of the Dead (2000) and The American Boy (2003), both of which won the Crime Writers’ Association of Britain’s Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award, making Taylor the only author to receive the prize twice. His Roth trilogy, which has been published in omnibus form as Requiem for an Angel (2002), was adapted by the UK’s ITV for its television show Fallen Angel. Taylor’s most recent novel is the historical thriller The Scent of Death (2013).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
January 17, 2019
It wasn't what I hoped for. Not bad, but not very good either. Rather slow too.
September 28, 2017
A long, low-key and quite slow moving, but ultimately very rewarding read. Taylor writes so well that he manages to convey surroundings, characters and atmosphere of 1930s Britain that will almost have you transported there.
Lydia Langstone walks out on her abusive husband and moves in with her estranged father in his apartment in Bleeding Heart Square. In doing so, she unknowingly stumbles onto and into dark secrets, both old and current. Despite the low pace, my interest was kept up and I found the ending both good and satisfactory. A recommended read.
Lydia Langstone walks out on her abusive husband and moves in with her estranged father in his apartment in Bleeding Heart Square. In doing so, she unknowingly stumbles onto and into dark secrets, both old and current. Despite the low pace, my interest was kept up and I found the ending both good and satisfactory. A recommended read.
July 6, 2023
The female protagonist will stay with me for a long while. Really wish he would write a sequel to this. I also hope to one day reread this, knowing the twist at the end, because right now, it seems a little improbable to me. I bet if I reread it though, it wouldn’t be.
And I do love a British historical crime, I love Andrew Taylor’s writing and characterization, and I always enjoy feeling like he has set me down directly in that time and place: in this case, 1930s London, and the rise of the British Fascist party. Quite scary and some interesting parallels to the American far right.
Anyway I enjoyed this book and I hope to read more of Andrew Taylor’s historical crime fiction this year.
And I do love a British historical crime, I love Andrew Taylor’s writing and characterization, and I always enjoy feeling like he has set me down directly in that time and place: in this case, 1930s London, and the rise of the British Fascist party. Quite scary and some interesting parallels to the American far right.
Anyway I enjoyed this book and I hope to read more of Andrew Taylor’s historical crime fiction this year.
July 3, 2016
I adore Andrew Taylor books. I needed something intelligent to devour after a string of disappointing reads, so I reverted to one of my favourite authors.
This is not his best work, in comparison to everything I had read by him. It is, however, atmospheric and is set in the 1930s which was a troubled time, of course.
Lydia is married to the horrendous Marcus and after an altercation goes to live with her estranged father in Bleeding Heart Square, which is a shared house of apartments with some very strange characters who live there, one being the owner, a very shady character indeed, called Mr Serridge.
Rory is in a relationship with Fenella and he eventually comes to live in Bleeding Heart Square and strikes up a relationship with Lydia in their quest to find out what had happened to the previous owner, Miss Philippa May Penhow, who had disappeared very suddenly four years previously, with Serridge being the prime suspect in her disappearance. Herbert Narton, a police officer, has been on his case for the last four years trying to gather evidence to prove Serridge has murdered her, but he also has some skeletons in the cupboard and his own agenda for trying to implicate Serridge.
Not long after her disappearance, the local vicar (a very odd man too) had received a letter purportedly from Miss Penhow which was sent from New York, saying she was now living there. Narton challenges that the letter was from her and gets Rory involved with his suspicions.
It is, as always, a beautifully written novel and one which I enjoyed for the most part but nothing on the scale of the others I have read. There were a lot of unanswered questions too but I'm glad I've read it. However if you are new to Andrew Taylor, I wouldn't suggest reading this first.
This is not his best work, in comparison to everything I had read by him. It is, however, atmospheric and is set in the 1930s which was a troubled time, of course.
Lydia is married to the horrendous Marcus and after an altercation goes to live with her estranged father in Bleeding Heart Square, which is a shared house of apartments with some very strange characters who live there, one being the owner, a very shady character indeed, called Mr Serridge.
Rory is in a relationship with Fenella and he eventually comes to live in Bleeding Heart Square and strikes up a relationship with Lydia in their quest to find out what had happened to the previous owner, Miss Philippa May Penhow, who had disappeared very suddenly four years previously, with Serridge being the prime suspect in her disappearance. Herbert Narton, a police officer, has been on his case for the last four years trying to gather evidence to prove Serridge has murdered her, but he also has some skeletons in the cupboard and his own agenda for trying to implicate Serridge.
Not long after her disappearance, the local vicar (a very odd man too) had received a letter purportedly from Miss Penhow which was sent from New York, saying she was now living there. Narton challenges that the letter was from her and gets Rory involved with his suspicions.
It is, as always, a beautifully written novel and one which I enjoyed for the most part but nothing on the scale of the others I have read. There were a lot of unanswered questions too but I'm glad I've read it. However if you are new to Andrew Taylor, I wouldn't suggest reading this first.
February 25, 2017
Possibly even 4.5 stars. A very well plotted mystery set in London between 1930 and 1934. Philippa Penhow, an elderly spinster, meets a younger man (a womaniser and a schemer) falls head over heels and moves to the country where she promptly disappears. Did she wise up and leave or was she murdered? Four years after her disappearance a number of people begin asking questions for a variety of reasons. This is a slow burning mystery that unravels over almost five hundred pages revealing madness, jealousies, affairs and secrets. A very intelligently conceived and plotted story with some really likeable and abhorrent characters.
September 13, 2012
One of the best books I've ever read. I can't even recognise the critique offered by a number of other reviewers, let alone agree with them. The setting, place, time and characterisation were all spot-on, and I couldn't stop reading. Typical of Taylor's style, he writes with an almost detached air, slightly disconnected which seems to increase the narrative drive. I really didn't want this book to end. If you haven't done so already, then start reading this today.
© Koplowitz 2010
© Koplowitz 2010
August 17, 2011
Guess I should start off with the fact I’m not someone who normally reads mystery novels (though I do enjoy them; I just don’t read tons of them) but I was intrigued by this particular book because it was set in the tumultuous period between WW1 and WW2 in Britain; a time period and locale I’m especially fond of. So, I had no real expectations, I just hoped the story wouldn’t turn out to be too simplistic or the characters too broad, flat, etc.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The story is set in both London and the British countryside and centers initially on one Lydia Langstone, a young, privileged society wife who is strong enough to leave her handsome home when her young, spoiled husband abuses her; thus setting into motion the mystery at the heart of the story (please forgive the blatant pun; once you read the book you’ll understand why I couldn’t resist). Luckily she’s got a deadbeat, slightly alcoholic but kindly Dad she can move in with while she sorts out her troubles; his home base being the Bleeding Heart Square of the title. Once there, Lydia and readers quickly encounter all sorts of well-thought out and believable characters from all walks of life and the book’s underlying mystery really begins to take off. The author definitely takes his time unraveling both the plot and the back stories of the numerous characters and their many facets; and all the better for us as this is a book full of rich, evocative detail as well as a smattering of British history which makes for a very satisfying, convincing and atmospheric tale. While reading this, I couldn’t help thinking that this book could easily be adapted and serialized as part of PBS “Mystery” series-- what could be better than that?
Having read this mystery, I’m going to check out other works by this Andrew Taylor; perhaps mysteries will be on my reading list more often having discovered this new author whose intelligent and well-researched style kept me guessing and absorbed for nearly 500 pages.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The story is set in both London and the British countryside and centers initially on one Lydia Langstone, a young, privileged society wife who is strong enough to leave her handsome home when her young, spoiled husband abuses her; thus setting into motion the mystery at the heart of the story (please forgive the blatant pun; once you read the book you’ll understand why I couldn’t resist). Luckily she’s got a deadbeat, slightly alcoholic but kindly Dad she can move in with while she sorts out her troubles; his home base being the Bleeding Heart Square of the title. Once there, Lydia and readers quickly encounter all sorts of well-thought out and believable characters from all walks of life and the book’s underlying mystery really begins to take off. The author definitely takes his time unraveling both the plot and the back stories of the numerous characters and their many facets; and all the better for us as this is a book full of rich, evocative detail as well as a smattering of British history which makes for a very satisfying, convincing and atmospheric tale. While reading this, I couldn’t help thinking that this book could easily be adapted and serialized as part of PBS “Mystery” series-- what could be better than that?
Having read this mystery, I’m going to check out other works by this Andrew Taylor; perhaps mysteries will be on my reading list more often having discovered this new author whose intelligent and well-researched style kept me guessing and absorbed for nearly 500 pages.
May 26, 2024
I discovered this book after reading Dan Simmons’s engrossing Victorian novel, Drood. I was looking for a mystery with a Victorian setting, and I mistakenly put Bleeding Heart Square on my TBR list as Victorian. It’s not. It takes place in London and the surrounding countryside in 1934, during the post-WWI reign of King George V. Still, the book is moodily atmospheric, and it definitely has a Victorian, and Dickensian, feel. (Bleeding Heart Square is even mentioned in Charles Dickens’s book, Little Dorrit.) As I read, I kept picturing women in 19th-century dress rather than in the considerably less fussy dresses of 1934, and automobiles seemed terribly out-of-place, at least for a few seconds. So, I, at least, have no problem at all with the setting or the period, and I enjoyed both very much.
Bleeding Heart Square begins when Lydia Langstone, a member of London’s elite, makes a firm decision to leave her abusive husband, Marcus, and their posh Mayfair home. With no place else to go and no money, Lydia ends up at the seedy and crumbling Bleeding Heart Square flat of her estranged father, Captain Ingleby-Lewis, who agrees that she may stay with him "for a few weeks."
Lydia has quite a few problems to work out at Bleeding Heart Square (which actually exists in London today). She has no real friends, no money of her own, and no marketable skills, e.g., she’s an intelligent woman, but she never learned to type or take shorthand, for example, never thinking her social position would put her in a position to need skills such as those. She only brought a few pieces of clothing with her and a few pieces of jewelry, and one book, Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. She needs to learn to cook and to clean, and she needs to learn quickly, and, although she quickly finds a position in a nearby law firm doing work no one else wants to do, the pay is so low, she has to pawn or sell her jewelry in very short order. Her father seems to have little money of his own, and what he does have, Lydia discovers to her dismay, he spends in the local pub for “liquid refreshment.” The Captain is drunk, or on his way to being drunk, most of the time.
Another new boarder at Bleeding Heart Square is Roderick “Rory” Wentwood. Rory is a journalist who has only returned from India to discover that his fiancée, Fenella, no longer wants to marry him. Rory knows that Fenella’s aunt, Philippa Penhow, who had once owned the house at Bleeding Heart Square, had seemingly disappeared several years earlier, and because Rory cares more about Fenella than Fenella cares about him, he decides to find out what really happened to her maiden aunt. Did she reach America as she’d planned and as it seems she did, at least outwardly, or was she murdered in England? When circumstances cause Rory and Lydia to unite in their quest for the truth, the novel kicks into high gear.
As Rory and Lydia search for the truth about Philippa, Lydia deals with several shocking revelations of her own and the unwanted attentions of her estranged husband, Marcus. The plot strand that deals with Marcus and his support of Oswald Mosley and the Blackshirts provides the only “modern” strand in the novel. Marcus belongs to the British Union of Fascists, and Lydia wants nothing to do with that, much to Marcus’s dismay. Marcus believes that Mosley will soon be in control of Britain, and he fully intends on securing a high government spot for himself, with no interference or trouble from his wife. Although the rise of Facsim in Britain provides one of the book’s strongest set pieces, this isn’t a political book at all. It does, however, shine a light on the class divisions that existed in Britain in the 1930s and sadly, still exists in Britain and the US today.
The plot of this novel is complex and convoluted, though Taylor plays fair with his readers, and scatters clues throughout his book. The careful and astute reader can pick them up, though they are subtle. This is definitely not a beach read. When the final pieces fall into place however, I did think it a little more than coincidental that all these people, hitherto unknown to one another, would suddenly find their lives converging. But that’s a minor quibble, nothing more, and doesn’t something like that happen in almost every book? This is an elegant and sophisticated mystery. Yes, it moves at a slower pace than some, but it’s not a thriller and doesn’t pretend to be. It’s not a “who dunnit.” It’s a complicated mystery, filled with red herrings, that the reader is meant to savor, and it’s quite interesting from the very first page.
I don’t usually like books told through letters or journal entries; however one of Philippa’s journal entries opens each chapter, and Taylor braids it with the narrative involving Lydia, Rory, and the other characters so skillfully, that I did enjoy it. The end came as a surprise to me, even though I tried, as I read, to put the pieces together. (I enjoy mysteries, though I’m not good at guessing the conclusion.) I don’t want to spoil things for anyone, so I’ll just say that when the end comes and the last page is turned, even Virginia Woolf, herself, might have congratulated Lydia Langstone. I know I did.
Bleeding Heart Square begins when Lydia Langstone, a member of London’s elite, makes a firm decision to leave her abusive husband, Marcus, and their posh Mayfair home. With no place else to go and no money, Lydia ends up at the seedy and crumbling Bleeding Heart Square flat of her estranged father, Captain Ingleby-Lewis, who agrees that she may stay with him "for a few weeks."
Lydia has quite a few problems to work out at Bleeding Heart Square (which actually exists in London today). She has no real friends, no money of her own, and no marketable skills, e.g., she’s an intelligent woman, but she never learned to type or take shorthand, for example, never thinking her social position would put her in a position to need skills such as those. She only brought a few pieces of clothing with her and a few pieces of jewelry, and one book, Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. She needs to learn to cook and to clean, and she needs to learn quickly, and, although she quickly finds a position in a nearby law firm doing work no one else wants to do, the pay is so low, she has to pawn or sell her jewelry in very short order. Her father seems to have little money of his own, and what he does have, Lydia discovers to her dismay, he spends in the local pub for “liquid refreshment.” The Captain is drunk, or on his way to being drunk, most of the time.
Another new boarder at Bleeding Heart Square is Roderick “Rory” Wentwood. Rory is a journalist who has only returned from India to discover that his fiancée, Fenella, no longer wants to marry him. Rory knows that Fenella’s aunt, Philippa Penhow, who had once owned the house at Bleeding Heart Square, had seemingly disappeared several years earlier, and because Rory cares more about Fenella than Fenella cares about him, he decides to find out what really happened to her maiden aunt. Did she reach America as she’d planned and as it seems she did, at least outwardly, or was she murdered in England? When circumstances cause Rory and Lydia to unite in their quest for the truth, the novel kicks into high gear.
As Rory and Lydia search for the truth about Philippa, Lydia deals with several shocking revelations of her own and the unwanted attentions of her estranged husband, Marcus. The plot strand that deals with Marcus and his support of Oswald Mosley and the Blackshirts provides the only “modern” strand in the novel. Marcus belongs to the British Union of Fascists, and Lydia wants nothing to do with that, much to Marcus’s dismay. Marcus believes that Mosley will soon be in control of Britain, and he fully intends on securing a high government spot for himself, with no interference or trouble from his wife. Although the rise of Facsim in Britain provides one of the book’s strongest set pieces, this isn’t a political book at all. It does, however, shine a light on the class divisions that existed in Britain in the 1930s and sadly, still exists in Britain and the US today.
The plot of this novel is complex and convoluted, though Taylor plays fair with his readers, and scatters clues throughout his book. The careful and astute reader can pick them up, though they are subtle. This is definitely not a beach read. When the final pieces fall into place however, I did think it a little more than coincidental that all these people, hitherto unknown to one another, would suddenly find their lives converging. But that’s a minor quibble, nothing more, and doesn’t something like that happen in almost every book? This is an elegant and sophisticated mystery. Yes, it moves at a slower pace than some, but it’s not a thriller and doesn’t pretend to be. It’s not a “who dunnit.” It’s a complicated mystery, filled with red herrings, that the reader is meant to savor, and it’s quite interesting from the very first page.
I don’t usually like books told through letters or journal entries; however one of Philippa’s journal entries opens each chapter, and Taylor braids it with the narrative involving Lydia, Rory, and the other characters so skillfully, that I did enjoy it. The end came as a surprise to me, even though I tried, as I read, to put the pieces together. (I enjoy mysteries, though I’m not good at guessing the conclusion.) I don’t want to spoil things for anyone, so I’ll just say that when the end comes and the last page is turned, even Virginia Woolf, herself, might have congratulated Lydia Langstone. I know I did.
March 7, 2011
Set in London in the 1930's, "Bleeding Heart Square" tells the story of Lydia Langstone, a wealthy woman who leaves her abusive husband and goes to live with her father in a less-than-ideal part of London. While settling into her new life and trying to establish her identity, Lydia finds herself mixed up in an investigation of a missing woman who has ties to a number of people around her in her new home, Bleeding Heart Square. She and a fellow tenant, Rory Wentworth, work together to determine what has happened to this missing woman, but in the process they realize that they may be putting themselves in danger too.
Melodrama and clichés abound in this piece of "historical" fiction, which I struggle to call historical at all, considering the rather ludicrous and unbelievable behavior of nearly every character in the book. The dialogue was particularly painful, with sentences like the following that seemed to be ripped from a current-day soap opera: “Now you’re just in love with a sort of idea of me, something you dreamed up while we were apart. As far as you’re concerned I’m like a bad habit. You need to give me up and then you’ll be fine” (page 190). I wondered at the author’s use of the phrase “Damn the man” on page 330. Yes, this comment was directed toward a particular man, but it evokes a very different era, completely unrelated to the story. Also, the author’s placement of Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” in nearly every other chapter was desperately contrived; any fan of Woolf’s would be insulted by its lack of subtlety. I could go on, but I think you get the point.
The story itself, regardless of accuracy, was far too drawn-out and uninteresting. The characters’ motivations were illogical and their actions ludicrous. Do not read this book unless you wish to get a laugh out of the complete lack of historical accuracy and believability.
Melodrama and clichés abound in this piece of "historical" fiction, which I struggle to call historical at all, considering the rather ludicrous and unbelievable behavior of nearly every character in the book. The dialogue was particularly painful, with sentences like the following that seemed to be ripped from a current-day soap opera: “Now you’re just in love with a sort of idea of me, something you dreamed up while we were apart. As far as you’re concerned I’m like a bad habit. You need to give me up and then you’ll be fine” (page 190). I wondered at the author’s use of the phrase “Damn the man” on page 330. Yes, this comment was directed toward a particular man, but it evokes a very different era, completely unrelated to the story. Also, the author’s placement of Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” in nearly every other chapter was desperately contrived; any fan of Woolf’s would be insulted by its lack of subtlety. I could go on, but I think you get the point.
The story itself, regardless of accuracy, was far too drawn-out and uninteresting. The characters’ motivations were illogical and their actions ludicrous. Do not read this book unless you wish to get a laugh out of the complete lack of historical accuracy and believability.
April 15, 2010
Andrew Taylor is a British mystery author who should be better known in the United States. This complex story is set mostly in 1934 London, with flashbacks to 1930 via a diary kept by Philippa Penhow, a pathetically gullible, financially well-off older woman who is courted by Joseph Serridge, a middle-aged scoundrel known to some as "the devil" who convinces her that he is truly in love with her.
The cast of characters is colorful and Dickensian. It includes Lydia Langstone, a young woman who has fled her abusive upper-class husband, Marcus (who is involved with Oswald Mosley's fascist Blackshirts), for a flat in a squalid tenement in Bleeding Heart Square; Rory Wentwood, an unemployed journalist recently returned from India; and Miss Penhow's niece, Fenella Kensley, who is intent on finding out what happened to her missing aunt and has become involved with a socialist coalition formed in opposition to Mosley's fascists.
This suspenseful, well-written mystery has numerous twists and turns, with one startling surprise after another, and the biggest surprise of all at the very end. This is the first book by Taylor I've read, and I'm looking forward to reading more of them.
The cast of characters is colorful and Dickensian. It includes Lydia Langstone, a young woman who has fled her abusive upper-class husband, Marcus (who is involved with Oswald Mosley's fascist Blackshirts), for a flat in a squalid tenement in Bleeding Heart Square; Rory Wentwood, an unemployed journalist recently returned from India; and Miss Penhow's niece, Fenella Kensley, who is intent on finding out what happened to her missing aunt and has become involved with a socialist coalition formed in opposition to Mosley's fascists.
This suspenseful, well-written mystery has numerous twists and turns, with one startling surprise after another, and the biggest surprise of all at the very end. This is the first book by Taylor I've read, and I'm looking forward to reading more of them.
July 9, 2012
I like Andrew Taylor's uncluttered prose and the way he subtly builds an underlying sense of menace, which he does so well in this novel. It's a period piece, steeped in vivid detail and a sense of 1930s decay. You can almost smell the damp and imagine the faded wallpaper and dark, draughty hallways. I found the central mystery and the final twist disturbing and compelling.
May 12, 2014
Slow to get into. Rather liked Lydia and Rory. Ending was very convoluted and somewhat ridiculous. Political passages were unnecessary and mind numbingly boring.
April 8, 2018
I don't really know what to think of this book. It wasn't as interesting as I had hoped it would be, but at times I couldn't put it down. So... ;)
July 28, 2019
The time is shortly before WW II and many people of high rank are joining the Fascist party in London. Against this backdrop a young man is trying, on behalf of his fiancée, to find out what happened to her aunt. Gradually he is joined in his quest by a young woman who has left her high ranking Fascist husband and is seeking a divorce. The characters are interesting and the conclusion
completely unexpected.
completely unexpected.
June 21, 2025
This is another excellent book from a very reliable author. It is set in the interwar years in London as the British Union of Fascists seeks to propagate its views among the population. At the same time a young woman from a prosperous background decides to leave her violent husband and realising she has little money of her own moves into run down Bleeding Heart Square and seeks employment alongside many other unemployed people.
She stumbles into a mystery involving a missing woman, her father, her landlord and tangentially to her husband other relatives.
A very well written and carefully plotted thriller/murder mystery. Well worth reading.
She stumbles into a mystery involving a missing woman, her father, her landlord and tangentially to her husband other relatives.
A very well written and carefully plotted thriller/murder mystery. Well worth reading.
September 27, 2020
This is the second Andrew Taylor book I have read (An Unpardonable Crime). This one was not as slow so I did like it better, but it seemed as though the author suddenly decided to bring it to an end, leaving some details hanging. I will probably read something else of his in the future.
Want to read
January 27, 2019Synopsis: legend states the Devil once danced in London's Bleeding Heart Square and left a murdered woman behind him. Is he back?
May 23, 2010
Reason for Reading: The book sounded perfect for me: a British historical mystery set in the thirties which the blurbs assured me was "beautifully crafted".
I have found myself a new favourite author! After reading this book, I want to get my hands on anything else by this man. This is a clever book, very intelligently crafted and written with a literary flair. His combination of mystery and history is absolutely superb.
There is so much story here and a mystery that morphs itself in so many directions it's nearly impossible to give a summery. The publisher's don't even bother to try with their brief blurb on the back of my trade pb edition. What can I tell you? Lydia Langstone is an upperclass woman who walks out on her husband because he hits her. She ends up a #7 Bleeding Heart Square, a boarding house, where her Father, a drunk, but jovial sort of fellow when he's upright, lives. She has never met him before but decides to stay with him and gets herself a job in a lawyer's office. Lydia then finds herself in a mystery that has already started; the owner of the boarding house, a Miss Penham, vanished a few years back without a trace, except for a letter arriving from America saying she'd runaway with an old flame. Some accept the letter as true, others believe it to be a forgery. It is within this atmosphere that Lydia gets caught up in the suspense and secrecy which seems to involve all boarders in the house, including her father. Which then spreads further afield and Lydia is on the trail of her own family's secrets and mysteries which lead home to her mother and husband.
The story takes so many twists and turns it makes for fascinating reading. What starts out as a missing person case morphs into several different crimes: murder, rape, kidnapping, suicide, impersonation and so on. With WWII only a few years in the future Britain's political scene and the founding of the British Fascist party only adds to the heavy atmosphere that seeps from the pages of this book. With a combination of crimes, characters, secrets, atmosphere and even politics Bleeding Heart Square has just the right amount of "it" to make me love this story. Once you've been shaken up and down along with the plot and everything settles down for the finale, a final screeching reveal hits you which you've actually been wondering about since page one. You see every now and then someone comes along and narrates in the second person, taking to you,the reader, about some diary entries. One wonders who this person is at times, then at others gets used to the voice and forgets to remember to wonder which character is doing this. The amazing conclusion wraps everything up with a satisfying bang and I'll say I was riveted from start to finish. I'll be looking at his other books now, hopefully he has another set in my favourite era of 1850-1950.
I have found myself a new favourite author! After reading this book, I want to get my hands on anything else by this man. This is a clever book, very intelligently crafted and written with a literary flair. His combination of mystery and history is absolutely superb.
There is so much story here and a mystery that morphs itself in so many directions it's nearly impossible to give a summery. The publisher's don't even bother to try with their brief blurb on the back of my trade pb edition. What can I tell you? Lydia Langstone is an upperclass woman who walks out on her husband because he hits her. She ends up a #7 Bleeding Heart Square, a boarding house, where her Father, a drunk, but jovial sort of fellow when he's upright, lives. She has never met him before but decides to stay with him and gets herself a job in a lawyer's office. Lydia then finds herself in a mystery that has already started; the owner of the boarding house, a Miss Penham, vanished a few years back without a trace, except for a letter arriving from America saying she'd runaway with an old flame. Some accept the letter as true, others believe it to be a forgery. It is within this atmosphere that Lydia gets caught up in the suspense and secrecy which seems to involve all boarders in the house, including her father. Which then spreads further afield and Lydia is on the trail of her own family's secrets and mysteries which lead home to her mother and husband.
The story takes so many twists and turns it makes for fascinating reading. What starts out as a missing person case morphs into several different crimes: murder, rape, kidnapping, suicide, impersonation and so on. With WWII only a few years in the future Britain's political scene and the founding of the British Fascist party only adds to the heavy atmosphere that seeps from the pages of this book. With a combination of crimes, characters, secrets, atmosphere and even politics Bleeding Heart Square has just the right amount of "it" to make me love this story. Once you've been shaken up and down along with the plot and everything settles down for the finale, a final screeching reveal hits you which you've actually been wondering about since page one. You see every now and then someone comes along and narrates in the second person, taking to you,the reader, about some diary entries. One wonders who this person is at times, then at others gets used to the voice and forgets to remember to wonder which character is doing this. The amazing conclusion wraps everything up with a satisfying bang and I'll say I was riveted from start to finish. I'll be looking at his other books now, hopefully he has another set in my favourite era of 1850-1950.
January 14, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyable book. It was intricate, involved and entertaining. The construction was different and worked really well to ratchet up the mystery and there were a couple of really clever little twists which were hinted at just enough so that when they were revealed you kicked yourself for not seeing what was coming.
The scene setting was pretty good, and it makes you realize how lucky many of us are now compared to a great number of people in the UK in the times between the wars.
The characters were well drawn and, as with ‘real’ people they were complicated and though there were a couple who were simply unlikeable most were multi-layered leaving the reader to feel a mixture of sympathy and abhorrence. The main character is strong and admirable, and you wish only the best for her, and her situation demonstrates just how far women have come in the days since then – there may be a long way to go yet but in terms of equality and fairness this book does show how we (as a gender) have had to fight.
My only problem with it was that there seemed to me to be some confusion with the stated date of the book (1930s) and some of the language and references, e.g. There is a reference to ‘Lady Chatterley’ and as that book was only published in Europe around 1926 and not available or infamous in the UK until the 1960s I found it hard to believe that a woman would reference it in the throw away fashion that she did, obviously making the assumption that it was a widely known publication. It was possible of course that she had read the book, but rather unlikely I think and I find it hard to believe that if she had she would refer to it. There were a few other small details that seemed out of time and I admit that though this book had me gripped and kept me up until the early hours it did sort of niggle.
Yes, it is, as it says, an historic novel but it’s not dry, it’s entertaining and if you can gloss over the tiny idea that maybe the research is not as accurate as it could have been or the author has been a little 'elastic' with historic facts, it’s well worth reading. The author is a very skilled story teller.
I have to admit that the constant repetition of the title was a wee bit irritating. I am sure it wasn’t necessary to constantly refer to the address in question by the full name all the time and that did seem a little amateurish .
If it hadn't been for those little issues I would have given this book 5 stars.
The scene setting was pretty good, and it makes you realize how lucky many of us are now compared to a great number of people in the UK in the times between the wars.
The characters were well drawn and, as with ‘real’ people they were complicated and though there were a couple who were simply unlikeable most were multi-layered leaving the reader to feel a mixture of sympathy and abhorrence. The main character is strong and admirable, and you wish only the best for her, and her situation demonstrates just how far women have come in the days since then – there may be a long way to go yet but in terms of equality and fairness this book does show how we (as a gender) have had to fight.
My only problem with it was that there seemed to me to be some confusion with the stated date of the book (1930s) and some of the language and references, e.g. There is a reference to ‘Lady Chatterley’ and as that book was only published in Europe around 1926 and not available or infamous in the UK until the 1960s I found it hard to believe that a woman would reference it in the throw away fashion that she did, obviously making the assumption that it was a widely known publication. It was possible of course that she had read the book, but rather unlikely I think and I find it hard to believe that if she had she would refer to it. There were a few other small details that seemed out of time and I admit that though this book had me gripped and kept me up until the early hours it did sort of niggle.
Yes, it is, as it says, an historic novel but it’s not dry, it’s entertaining and if you can gloss over the tiny idea that maybe the research is not as accurate as it could have been or the author has been a little 'elastic' with historic facts, it’s well worth reading. The author is a very skilled story teller.
I have to admit that the constant repetition of the title was a wee bit irritating. I am sure it wasn’t necessary to constantly refer to the address in question by the full name all the time and that did seem a little amateurish .
If it hadn't been for those little issues I would have given this book 5 stars.
September 30, 2015
Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Le Diable Danse à Bleeding Heart Square?
"C'est Lou qui m'a envoyé ce livre lors de notre mini swap British et mon thème était Londres, ses crimes et ses secrets. J'avais pas mal entendu parler de celui-ci et il n'est pas resté longtemps dans ma PAL."
Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Lydia Langstone a un mari, une belle maison et une place dans la bonne société mais elle va tout quitter pour aller vivre à Bleeding Heart Square. Elle va atterrir dans une pension bien étrange, dont le propriétaire reçoit régulièrement des coeurs par la poste.."
Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous?
"Ça peut paraître étonnant, mais j'ai beaucoup aimé suivre les étapes de l'adaptation de Lydia à sa nouvelle vie. Ce n'est pas le sujet principal mais cela donne de l'épaisseur au personnage et j'ai trouvé vraiment intéressant de suivre cette femme qui n'a jamais touché un chiffon de sa vie et qui doit tout à coup se débrouiller toute seule. Pour ce qui est du côté policier, j'ai trouvé l'enquête classique donc pas décevante mais pas époustouflante non plus. Je dois dire que le titre pousse le lecteur à s'attendre à quelques frissons tout de même alors que finalement le sentiment dominant sera sans doute la pitié que nous inspire certains personnages. Le contexte historique, quant à lui, apporte un point de vue intéressant, sur la montée du fascisme par exemple, mais en dehors des débats politiques, je ne l'ai pas toujours trouvé assez marqué et j'oubliais parfois que nous n'étions pas à l'époque victorienne, c'est dommage mais ce sont juste de petits bémols."
Et comment cela s'est-il fini?
"J'avais lu une autre chronique qui disait que ce livre est comme un gâteau au yaourt: on ne peut être ni déçu, ni surpris. Et je ne peux pas dire mieux."
http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...
"C'est Lou qui m'a envoyé ce livre lors de notre mini swap British et mon thème était Londres, ses crimes et ses secrets. J'avais pas mal entendu parler de celui-ci et il n'est pas resté longtemps dans ma PAL."
Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Lydia Langstone a un mari, une belle maison et une place dans la bonne société mais elle va tout quitter pour aller vivre à Bleeding Heart Square. Elle va atterrir dans une pension bien étrange, dont le propriétaire reçoit régulièrement des coeurs par la poste.."
Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous?
"Ça peut paraître étonnant, mais j'ai beaucoup aimé suivre les étapes de l'adaptation de Lydia à sa nouvelle vie. Ce n'est pas le sujet principal mais cela donne de l'épaisseur au personnage et j'ai trouvé vraiment intéressant de suivre cette femme qui n'a jamais touché un chiffon de sa vie et qui doit tout à coup se débrouiller toute seule. Pour ce qui est du côté policier, j'ai trouvé l'enquête classique donc pas décevante mais pas époustouflante non plus. Je dois dire que le titre pousse le lecteur à s'attendre à quelques frissons tout de même alors que finalement le sentiment dominant sera sans doute la pitié que nous inspire certains personnages. Le contexte historique, quant à lui, apporte un point de vue intéressant, sur la montée du fascisme par exemple, mais en dehors des débats politiques, je ne l'ai pas toujours trouvé assez marqué et j'oubliais parfois que nous n'étions pas à l'époque victorienne, c'est dommage mais ce sont juste de petits bémols."
Et comment cela s'est-il fini?
"J'avais lu une autre chronique qui disait que ce livre est comme un gâteau au yaourt: on ne peut être ni déçu, ni surpris. Et je ne peux pas dire mieux."
http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...
December 6, 2009
Lydia Langstone is an upper-class woman used to the finer things. But when her husband strikes her, she leaves her comfortable life to share a gritty apartment with her estranged father in the somewhat seedy Bleeding Heart Square. Rory Wentwood, a journalist who has spent years in India and is now unemployed, also finds himself renting an apartment there. The legend of the square has it that the devil, disguised during a party, danced away with a lady, leaving her body on the square, her bleeding heart on the cobblestones. Now, someone is sending apartment owner Serridge hearts and skulls. Could it have something to do with Miss Penhow, the middle-aged spinster who owned the apartments before she fell in love with Serridge? Miss Penhow mysteriously disappeared a few years ago, and now Rory, acting on behalf of his one-time fiancee Fenella, is trying to find out what happened. Lydia soon becomes involved in the mystery, as well.
While Bleeding Heart Square is most assuredly a mystery, Taylor's books are so much more, this one being a Dicksensian tour of the have's and have not's, of a politically-torn England pre-World War II and of the options open to women at that time. Taylor is a master of the atmospheric, and he paints bleakness beautifully. I've read some criticism that the book moves too slowly, but that is what I like about Taylor -- he writes psychological suspense like no one else. He pulls you into the characters' stories so completely and then -- surprise -- wraps up the mystery you almost forgot about.
While Bleeding Heart Square is most assuredly a mystery, Taylor's books are so much more, this one being a Dicksensian tour of the have's and have not's, of a politically-torn England pre-World War II and of the options open to women at that time. Taylor is a master of the atmospheric, and he paints bleakness beautifully. I've read some criticism that the book moves too slowly, but that is what I like about Taylor -- he writes psychological suspense like no one else. He pulls you into the characters' stories so completely and then -- surprise -- wraps up the mystery you almost forgot about.
April 12, 2012
This is a book which is essentially a bit of fluff with a mystery in it, or four, in which every single character seems to be related. From the cover, you will discover that Lydia Langstone has left her husband! And Miss Penhow has disappeared! The former of these is a fait accomplis from about two chapters in, and the latter is sort of background noise to what is basically a dysfunctional 44 Scotland Street full of drunkards and socially inept people, which is to say, exactly the sort of people it's quite good fun to read about. Beyond that, there's a good old bit of Oswald-Moseley-bashing, many Sordid Sexual Liaisons (TM) and more liver and onions than you can shake a stick at. Nothing too taxing on the brain, but rather good fun while you're getting there.
I'm not quite sure what I make of parts of this, having finished it this morning. For some reason, I think the ending was a bit unsatisfactory (and I'm *all* about the satisfactory endings, especially in my mystery novels) but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. That aside, it was what you might call a Jolly Good Read and I'm definitely glad I read it. Andrew Taylor might not be such a hot shot with endings, but he's very good at writing stories you enjoy being in the middle of, and this is no exception.
I'm not quite sure what I make of parts of this, having finished it this morning. For some reason, I think the ending was a bit unsatisfactory (and I'm *all* about the satisfactory endings, especially in my mystery novels) but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. That aside, it was what you might call a Jolly Good Read and I'm definitely glad I read it. Andrew Taylor might not be such a hot shot with endings, but he's very good at writing stories you enjoy being in the middle of, and this is no exception.
October 2, 2014
"don't go of a night into Bleeding Heart Square. It's a dark, little, dirty, black, ill-looking yard, With queer people about." and so begins Bleeding Heart Square.
It's about trust and betrayal between mother and daughter, daughter and father and husband and wife. It is also a brilliant extension of the Ingoldsby Legends, taking them from the mid-1800s to the time between the wars in England. If you have not heard of the Ingoldsby Legends, it would be a good thing to learn a little about them and about Bleeding Heart Yard in particular. I think this would enhance this updated and retold story.
A main character, Joseph Serridge, is a man out of his time, which you will understand when you read this. It would be a good choice for Halloween and you'll get to follow those who solve the riddle of the missing Philippa Penhow.
On the back of this edition Deborah Crombie, author of Where Memories Lie, says it is "Absolutely bloody brilliant!" and I can't do any better than that.
Quotes: "That's what Hell means, perhaps, being compelled not just to live but to relive."
"Memory is a process, not something finished, complete in itself."
It's about trust and betrayal between mother and daughter, daughter and father and husband and wife. It is also a brilliant extension of the Ingoldsby Legends, taking them from the mid-1800s to the time between the wars in England. If you have not heard of the Ingoldsby Legends, it would be a good thing to learn a little about them and about Bleeding Heart Yard in particular. I think this would enhance this updated and retold story.
A main character, Joseph Serridge, is a man out of his time, which you will understand when you read this. It would be a good choice for Halloween and you'll get to follow those who solve the riddle of the missing Philippa Penhow.
On the back of this edition Deborah Crombie, author of Where Memories Lie, says it is "Absolutely bloody brilliant!" and I can't do any better than that.
Quotes: "That's what Hell means, perhaps, being compelled not just to live but to relive."
"Memory is a process, not something finished, complete in itself."
April 29, 2023
This was my first taste of Andrew Taylor and it will definitely not be my last. Despite having this book on my bookshelf for years, I've never got around to reading it. Thankfully, that was rectified recently.
The book is a gripping, atmospheric mystery set in 1930's London. Not only does the author find a way to bring the location and time period alive, but he proves masterful in his characterisation and subtly drawing you in to the lives of the characters in the book. The skill the author has in creating these characters, and showing their development, is fantastic.
The plot is intriguing and I thought the pacing allows the characters and the setting to develop and grow. There are a lot of twists and turns, with clues hidden throughout the book if you like trying to solve the mystery as you read along.
I can't make my mind up on the diary sections of the book. I can see the benefits of having them, but it felt like it was taking me out of the moment.
All in all, I hugely enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more from Andrew Taylor.
The book is a gripping, atmospheric mystery set in 1930's London. Not only does the author find a way to bring the location and time period alive, but he proves masterful in his characterisation and subtly drawing you in to the lives of the characters in the book. The skill the author has in creating these characters, and showing their development, is fantastic.
The plot is intriguing and I thought the pacing allows the characters and the setting to develop and grow. There are a lot of twists and turns, with clues hidden throughout the book if you like trying to solve the mystery as you read along.
I can't make my mind up on the diary sections of the book. I can see the benefits of having them, but it felt like it was taking me out of the moment.
All in all, I hugely enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more from Andrew Taylor.
May 11, 2009
Couldn't lay this one aside without picking it up again 10 minutes later. Aristocratic English woman flees her abusive marriage to the relative safety of her estranged father, now a resident of a seedy cul-de-sac known as Bleeding Heart Square, and its mysterious denizens at number 7. Adding to complications is a young journalist just back from India, whose search for his fiance's missing aunt leads him to the same address, where, incidentally, mysterious odd-smelling packages are daily delivered to one of its residents. From wronged innocents to stop-at-nothing villains--this story has it all, and it's put together perfectly.
December 7, 2010
I've looked back through my notes on every book of Andrew Taylor's that I've read over the last five years and I've pretty much liked them all and really loved several of them. Which makes me feel not too guilty, when you look at the overall picture, about saying that this was a bit of an "eh?" book for me.
There were lots of little things I liked but the overall story didn't especially engage me: I liked the main female character Libby and the insights into 1930s living, divorce and the rise of fascism.
Not an author that I'm likely to give up on any time soon though!
January 24, 2016
I loved this book. It takes part in Holborn, London, an area which I though I knew perfectly, but there are some things that I did not discover. After finishing the book I checked on Bleeding Heart Square and discovered that it really exists, complete with its secret entrance. The plot in the book was well constructed, the time when the fascists had begun to show their ungly heads, The people living in house No. 7 on the square were a mixed bunch, and most of them had their secrets. The ending of the book was unexpected in a way, and I am still not sure whether I agree, otherwise the book would have got five stars.
August 7, 2014
I finished this several days ago, and although I quite liked it, I now find myself struggling to think of anything to say about it. The plot was entertaining enough; I found Miss Penhow's diary entries more interesting than the rest of the story, and they kept me reading more than anything. The characters were uniformly likeable but not memorable, which is a description I would also apply to the book.
April 12, 2010
I enjoyed this mystery so much! I'm not sure where I first saw it, but I found a note to myself about it and gave it a try. What a spooky, atmospheric and compelling read. Fascists, Communists, class conflict, a mysterious disappearance -- and a twisty plot too! I'll be looking for more by this author.
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February 26, 2015I loved Andrew Taylor's 'An Unpardonable Crime' (aka 'The American Boy') and I did enjoy his 'The Anatomy of Ghosts'. Unfortunately one hundred pages into this one and I still didn't find a character to care about or a mystery that held my attention. That being said I'm looking forward to reading his most recent novel, 'The Scent of Death'.
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