The House of Women

Michael McKenna #3

by Alison G. Taylor

Lonely, aging, and chronically ill, Ned Jones is found dead in his room. Ignoring routine, Detective Inspector Michael McKenna finds himself drawn to the extraordinary house of women who surrounded Ned-Edith, addicted to tranquilizers; Phoebe, driven remorselessly by her acute intellect; Mina, nineteen, beautiful and blank of stare; Annie, eldest daughter and single mother. Slowly, McKenna unravels a story of greed, deceit and twisted loyalties that points to one thing: murder.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 11, 1998

About the author

Alison Taylor never intended to be a crime writer. In 1986 she was working as a senior social worker for the former Gwynedd County Council. Increasingly disturbed by reports of the alleged abuse of children in care, she took her concerns to the police. As a result she was fired. What her actions have helped to expose is one of Britain's worst scandals of institutionalised physical and sexual abuse in children's homes in North Wales. Because of the extent and nature of the allegations, in 1996 the government took the rare step of ordering a Tribunal of Inquiry, which began hearing evidence in January 1997, and is due to report this year. Alison Taylor won two national awards for her selfless work in this area; the first Community Care Readers Award, and the Campaign for Freedom of Information Award in 1996. Disillusioned by the prospect of returning to social work, Alison concentrated on writing. Her first novel Simeon's Bride evolved from a short story written for a national competition and was published in 1995. It won her outstanding critical acclaim and comparisons to PD James and Ruth Rendell. Her second novel In Guilty Night was a compelling story containing the controversial issue of child abuse. And most recently, The House of Women was published in 1998, again to widespread acclaim from the media. A television series featuring Superintendent Michael McKenna is currently under negotiation.

Alison Taylor has a son and a daughter, and has lived in north Wales for many years. Her interests include baroque and classical music, art and riding.

Reviews

[Ann Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting scenario for Inspector McKenna - a man dead in a house of women, but no sign of foul play at least at first glance. Complex family relationships, secrets of the past and of the present. McKenna is drawn against his will into the family compact. This one is set in Wales, it feels like another country with some of its characters robust bigotry.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to get into.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Kboards

Lonely, ageing and chronically ill, Ned Jones is found dead on sweltering summer afternoon in his rooms.

Everyone assumes he died of natural causes.

But after the post-mortem suggests otherwise, Detective Chief Inspector Michael McKenna and his team become involved.

In search of Ned's killer, McKenna visits the house of Edith Harris, where Ned lodged.

But fragile, neurotic Edith and her three enigmatic (and frequently annoying) daughters - Annie, Mina and Phoebe - spring one surprise after another on McKenna.

Slowly, McKenna begins to unravel a story of scholarship and greed, deceit and twisted loyalties, where the sins of the past, as well as the present, are avenged on innocent and guilty alike.

'Billed as a crime novel, Alison Taylor's The House of Women is all that and more . . . McKenna's quest for the truth is just one strand in Taylor's narrative, which is also rich with the detail of an historical Welsh landscape and the world of letters . . .
The precocious youngest daughter is the most interesting of the family by far.
The description of the Welsh literary scene and its history adds to the appeal of the story.

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complex case

The body of Ned Jones is found in his room at the house where he lodges. At first the police presume it is a suicide, as he was always ill; however, after consulting with the pathologist, DCI McKenna suspects it could be murder.
There is turmoil at the station with a new Superintendent, DI Rowland filling in for DI Tuttle who is on leave, and DC Evans coping with personal issues.
This is the third in this excellent series, and I am coming to know and like the regular characters and their idiosyncrasies.
Definitely a series to recommend.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Michael McKenna and his team are called in to investigate a death. That of Edward Jones, found in the room he occupied in the home of Edith Harris and her daughters. But was it suicide, accident or murder. And what could be the motive.
A slow paced but interesting crime story

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, enjoyable.

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

British murder mystery about the death of a boarder in the house of a woman and her daughters. Not my cup of Earl Grey.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, although less so than Simeon's Bride. It is very well written overall; however, the thread of the mystery is blurred with a lot of description about people's lives, detailed conversations, surroundings, excessive cigarette and tea breaks, and various life observations which requires some patience to read. Often, the dialogue and behaviors do not seem realistic. The author is obviously extremely smart with a seemingly limitless imagination. I'm surprised she's evidently written only a few novels. The detectives spend more time getting to know the suspects' personal and past lives rather than concentrating on the crime, which lends credibility to Bradshaw's complaint they are wasting public funds with their excessive hanging around. I enjoyed the character of Bradshaw in contrast with McKenna as the newly reassigned difficult woman boss who was moved due to problems in her previous jobs. This aced out McKenna from his deserved promotion, and the staff's coping with their resentments is a familiar workplace scenario. Bradshaw's character took an abrupt about face in the end, which is somewhat confusing. I was entertained by the police dealings and comments about racism, especially given current events. The character of Phoebe, age 13, going on 72, is a bit unreal. Her dialogue is well written, but it is asking a lot to believe she would possess the knowledge and depth of insight she displays on every topic in the universe. I suspect her character may be the author herself in many ways. I was amused by the regular presence of cats woven into these stories for some comic relief with their habits and odd connections with people. Some of the narrative was over my head, and I likely missed many subtleties.

[Susie James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alison G. Taylor's a newly found goodie: a writer of crime novels set in Wales -- at least, the one I'm finishing, "House of Women", is. I picked it off the swap paperback rack yesterday at the Carrollton, Miss., library. It's an oldie but goodie, this novel, headquartered in Bangor, Wales. Its main hero, Michael McKenna, is lovely and sensible, and he is struggling with living apart from his estranged wife, so far, and with two adopted cats. Mysteries abound; relationships wind back and forth and in an out through the decades, in terms of getting to the heart of the crime: the death of Uncle Ned. The story deals with prescription drug abuse, hallucinogenic and heightened creativity, so called, stemming from the younger days of two Welsh academics, Eddie and "Ned"... and leading into the younger generations whose being evolved from the past, of course. The good, bad, the uglier.

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

more good reads

[Michelle Bacon · Rating 2 out of 5]

with the many spelling and grammatical errors in this book plus the lack of capturing my attention, it's lucky to have a 2 star rating at all. don't waste your time with this one like I did.

[BookQueen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough murders!

[Jonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good mystery and the creepiness factor from her first book, Simeon's bride was really ratcheted down several notches. No nightmares here.