book cover of The Second Last Woman in England
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The Second Last Woman in England

(2010)
A novel by

 
 
South Kensington, London, 1953. Mrs Harriet Wallis is found guilty of the murder of her husband, Cecil, and becomes the second-last woman in England to be hanged.

From this dramatic beginning, the story moves back a year and, detail by detail, the events that culminate in the demise of a wealthy and happy family are revealed. It was one year earlier that the new nanny arrived, a woman who is still recovering from the death of her entire family when a V2 rocket struck their East London home. It was a year ago, too, that the Wallises received a visit from police officers investigating shady dealings at Cecil's shipping firm, casting doubts on Cecil's reputation and traditional code of behaviour.

It was a year ago that Harriet's life is first thrown into turmoil by the reappearance of a man she did not expect to ever see again and for whose safety she is gravely concerned. Set in a post-war period when a well-to-do British family's existence both outside and inside the house is ruled by a strict set of conventions, The Second-Last Woman in England explores the depth of emotions that are always there in every family but rarely surface.


Genre: Mystery

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