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 WalterтАЩs literary papers. For ten years the two тАШwidowsтАЩ 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 тАУ 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.
тАШA literary whodunit тАУ with an unusual endingтАЩ London Mystery Selection
тАШFreshly written with lots of sly funтАЩ Guardian
тАШFinely crafted and intriguingтАЩ Booklist
тАШA witty, well-written and intriguing storyтАЩ Times Literary Supplement