She Died Young

by Elizabeth Wilson (contributor)

London, 1956. A young woman has been found dead in a hotel in King's Cross. Broke her neck falling down stairs, the death certificate says. But Fleet Street journalist Gerry Blackstone thinks there's more to it than meets the eye. Scotland Yard's not interested in accidental deaths - if that's what this is. But maybe he can convince Special Branch's DCI Jack McGovern to investigate. Fortunately for Blackstone, McGovern needs his help. The new Superintendent wants to sweep out corrupt officers, and McGovern's his broom. If Blackstone can keep news of the investigation out of the press, McGovern stands a chance of finding the bent cop. Meanwhile, Oxford is filling with Hungarian emigres fleeing the failed revolution. With the memories of Burgess and Maclean's defection still raw, Special Branch is concerned that there could be Soviet spies among the genuine refugees and wants McGovern on-hand to keep an eye out. As McGovern carries out his casework in Oxford and Blackstone investigates behind the scenes in London, clues start to emerge that, somehow, this might all be linked. The deeper they look, the more unrelated characters with shady pasts start to complicate the picture: the well-to-do madam, the Classics Professor, the East London crime boss, the Oxford doctoral student, the fiery Hungarian immigrant, the government minister ...does it all lead back to the dead girl in King's Cross? Or is there something even more sinister going on?

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

There is more than one author with this name in the database. This is the disambiguation profile for authors named Elizabeth Wilson.

Reviews

[Lynda]

A poor choice of reading to finish 2023…

Investigations in what seems to be a corrupt police force in the 1950’s.
Police racism, backhanders, corrupt members of the police force, choosing a culprit with form to plead guilty with no real investigation taking place, liaison between journalists & police, hints of the shame in the 1950’s of homosexuality & the hidden guilt becoming a huge burden, political scandal, blackmail vying in the background….

All underhand and a dreadful synopsis perhaps of society in the 50’s era…such muddled cobbled together storylines…..poor though read to the very end.

[Sarah Mandla]

Disappointed, I hadn't really read the reviews here before I started reading this.Maybe I should have ! However I persevered through as at some points I was getting my head round all the characters, but then it all became difficult again. Such a shame .

[Gaynor Evans]

I really wanted to like this book, really! But it was awful! I don’t know why but I couldn’t get into it. I did see it through but truly, it was ghastly.

[Tiina]

It was refreshing to read a mystery that was set in the 1950's!

[Rachel Losey]

This book was a struggle to get through, but alas I prevailed. It was “over-written” and a lot of the prose was a slog to get through unfortunately.

[Mei]

4 dull men and a dead girl.

[Linda Boa]

Set in one of my favourite eras and places, post-WWII London and Oxford, this involves gangsters,a madam, professors who spied during the war, a dodgy doc, cops and a very wily crime reporter called Gerry Blackstone, who wants the death of a girl he once knew that's been covered up reopened. There's also an influx of Hungarian students to deal with due to the failed uprising, and the fear there may be spies among them. It all makes for a wonderfully atmospheric novel, where nothing and no-one are quite what they seem. The author clearly knows the period well, and I'll definitely be reading more of her work. A triumph. Full review to follow!

[Ann Tonks]

An array of story lines and characters make for an interesting read in this novel set in the UK in the 1950s - from blackmail to spies; from madams to gay relationships; from Hungarian refugees to murdered escorts. Almost too many threads and a cool style but worth the read.

[Debs]

Like another reviewer I am fascinated by this period and these locales. I found this book to be quite exciting. very interesting characters and a complex plot. the author does an excellent job of tying things together. well done! I hope she has other stories that I can look forward to! btw this would make a fab BBC film.....