There were two Mrs Machins, relicts of the talented working-class writer Walter Machin, who was just about to be immortalised by the literary establishment. Viola was large, overbearing and, even in her seventies, still voluptuous. Hilda, the first (and divorced) Mrs Machin, was perky, sharp and the guardian of the deceased Walterâs literary papers. For ten years the two âwidowsâ had lived together in the same house, not speaking to each other, but jealously guarding his memory and literary reputation.
But before the Machin legend could really take off, there was a fire â and a murder. One of the Mrs Machins was silenced for good, and slowly, from the past, emerged a fascinating and intriguing assortment of characters. Somewhere, in their memories of Walter Machin, lay the catastrophic secret that had led to murder.
âA literary whodunit â with an unusual endingâ London Mystery Selection
âFreshly written with lots of sly funâ Guardian
âFinely crafted and intriguingâ Booklist
âA witty, well-written and intriguing storyâ Times Literary Supplement