The Whispering Gallery: Unabridged edition
Mark Sanderson does for the 30s what Jake Arnott did for 60s London – vividly revealing its hidden underworld in this follow up to Snow Hill
On a sweltering day in July 1937, reporter John Steadman is in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral waiting for his girlfriend … But romance is pushed aside when he witnesses a man falling to his death from the Whispering Gallery, killing a priest in the process. Did he jump or was he pushed?
Two days later Johnny receives the first of a series of grim packages at the offices of his newspaper, the Daily News. Each contains the body part of a woman and an enigmatic note, one of which says that he will be the murderer’s final victim.
To catch a killer, Johnny must set himself up as bait – with police and a fascinated public looking on. But he still has to uncover the tragic truth behind the double-death in the cathedral…
”'Powerfully atmospheric. A compelling journey into the dark heart of the Square Mile” - Jake Arnott
'Sanderson relishes the louche and smoky milieu where police and press rub shoulders with sexual adventurers and criminals, and he describes it with considerable verve' Spectator -
'Sanderson is a journalistic boulevardier of great wit and charm, with a gift for the outrageous…The author sports a narrative grasp that won't let the reader go…His ace in the hole is the pungent evocation of time and place. London of the 1930s is conjured with immense skill' Independent -
'Elegant, unpretentious writing, a strong build-up of suspense and the portrayal of a central relationship between Johnny, the hot-shot reporter, and his old school buddy Matt Turner, a policeman from the City's Snow Hill police station, which is both emotionally believable and intriguing. Snow Hill has undeniable page-turning appeal' Financial Times -
'A fully polished, fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining affair' Daily Mirror 'Book of the Week' -
'Snow Hill is a dashing and compelling addition to the distinguished file of the London crime and punishment novel' Melvyn Bragg -
'The period atmosphere is vividly and convincingly portrayed … It's a very good read and an interesting story based on an event that is rumoured actually to have happened' Literary Review -