London Belongs to Me
It is Christmas 1938 and the threat of war hangs in the air. Within the three storeys of 10, Dulcimer Street, a modest house in Kennington, South London, there are other troubles. The six households it contains include some very different characters. Mr Josser, a retired city clerk causes no offence and neither does the elderly Mr Puddy (apart from the smell of his cooking). Nor does Mrs Boon, but her son Percy has seen too many gangster films and got in with a bad crowd. Connie, the old girl with dyed hair soliciting tips at the ladies cloakroom of a night-club, has seen better days, but Mrs Vizzard seems the epitome of respectability, until she falls for the newcomer, Mr Squales, a sinister Spiritualist. When this unremarkable house becomes the focus of a police investigation it is suddenly on the front page of every newspaper and its dark secrets are revealed.With remarkable descriptions of all aspects of London life, London Belongs to Me is one of the essential London novels, as rich and varied as the city itself.