The Red Hollow - Natalie Marlow

Second novel of Birmingham Noir by Natalie Marlow 

out 28th March from Baskerville

Natalie Marlow's highly anticipated sophomore novel set in the fracitious 1930s Birmingham backstreets made more relevant to people by the astronomical success of Peaky Blinders, Marlow has crafted a fascinating protagonist in William Garrett, a private detective who resides out of Needless Alley (title of the first book). Garrett has daily dalliances with the ne'er-do-well's of Birmingham's backstreets and he must maintain his head above the parapet as he always deals with problems.

While the first book became a gripping whodunnit, in this second novel Garrett and his now wife become entangled in what can be described as a what-dunnit. They are called to the titular stately manor on the outskirts of Warwickshire countryside to oversee a mysterious sequence of deaths in this house that now operates as a male-only sanatorium, overseen by Dr. Moon whose patients are leaving premises.

On the wettest day of the year, local flooding makes it hard for Garrett and Queenie to arrive at the site, and the tale of the mysterious mermaid who may or may not be responsible for the murder that has occurred. Disturbances that appeared to be pranks are now being claimed upon the ghost of the Red Hollow, a girl who seeks revenge upon the men who killed her. 

The placing of the narrative in a bottle format or self-contained environment is a clever tweak and acts as a homage to the works of Agatha Christie especially The Mousetrap. This is in stark contrast to the debut novel where Garrett was discovering different landscapes, traversing those places that do not exist anymore with Marlow/Garrett acting as our guide. 

In this novel, the limitations of the narrative by restricting it in one setting does a disservice to Garrett's potential as a character, one who needs to discover due to his job title and by restricting him to one location is a shame.

This reader hopes that Marlow returns Garrett to the cobble streets of the second city - the different districts encourage different cultures and language. In this setting, you have Garrett always being the smartest person in the room where you always felt he would overcome the problem he faces eventually in this instance. 

That is only a small note of criticism, credit where it is due, the professional relationship Garrett has with Phyll Hall, a fresh detective, is a winning one. They are a platonic pair who finish each other's sentences and the pain he feels when trouble arrives at Phyll's feet is clearly felt and well handled along with the precarious nature of the situation Garrett/Phyll have gotten themselves into.

Marlow also cleverly melds the influences of Gothic influences of British literature with the back and forth dialogue that effortlessly flies off the page, a book of atmospheric pressure that resonates creating a taut and scary tale. Marlow a self-confessed film fan brings those influences of the Haunting and The Innocents to her advantage in creating the eerie environment.

William Garrett is back and he will return. This is a character you cannot wait to see more of the future.

The Red Hollow is out on 28th March from Baskerville/John Murray Press

Natalie Marlow Interview - Needless Alley

Natalie Marlow's debut novel NEEDLESS ALLEY is one of the first whetting of one's appetite of 2023, a fresh voice from a bygone age as her story set around a private detective in Birmingham during the 1930s is a engaging and enjoyable historical fiction novel. It is both tantalising to see where the series will go and how her lead character William Garrett will develop over the forthcoming years in partnership with Baskerville Press

Read my review of Needless Alley here, and below is an exclusive interview with the author ahead of the novel's publication on Thursday 19th January 

Interview with Natalie Marlow

 

·        What was the genesis of William Garrett?

This is such a good question. I wrote Needless Alley following Raymond Chandler’s rules in The Simple Art of Murder. For Chandler, the detective must be a ‘complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must me, to use a weathered phrase, a man of honor – by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it.’ This was my starting point. However, William was the culmination of a lifetime of reading classic crime fiction.

 

·        Where do you live? Has this impacted your writing?

I live in the Midlands, near Coventry. I’ve lived here all my life, apart from my time at university. And, yes, the landscape, history and people of the Midlands has impacted my writing to an extent I doubt I could write about anywhere else.

 

·        Where did the idea to incorporate this Peaky Blinders world with a detective come from?

The whole Peaky Blinders thing was just an accident! I’ve only watched the first series, and I decided not to watch any more as I didn’t want it to influence my writing. Queenie, who is the most ‘Peaky’ of all the characters, is very loosely based on a relative. My great grandma was a canal boatwoman and ran the illegal bookmaking in her area of Coventry in the 1920s and 1930s.

 

·       What are your influences upon this book?

My main influences are the books and films of the 1930s and 1940s. I’ve read a lot of Graham Greene. He called his thrillers his ‘entertainments’ and both Brighton Rock and A Gun for Sale are important influences on Needless Alley. I’ve also read a lot of Hammett, Cain, and the female noir writers, particularly Vera Caspary and Dorothy B Hughes. However, my biggest influence is Raymond Chandler. I adore Chandler.

 

·        We started corresponding due to a love of film and pre-WW2 Hollywood stars – what are your favourites?

This is such a tough question, Jamie! I’ll stick with pre 1939 films just to thin the herd. I love The Thin Man series; It Happened One Night; Top Hat and The Gay Divorcee; The Old Dark House; The Lady Vanishes; The Maltese Falcon; Mr Smith Goes to Washington; Bringing up Baby; The 39 Steps; Dames; Gold Diggers of 1933; The Women; Scarface…I could go on!

Favourite pre war film stars? I adore Myrna Loy, Jean Arthur, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell, William Powell, Dick Powell, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and, of course, James Stewart.

 

·        What are you currently reading?

I’m writing right now, so I find it difficult to read. However, I’m listening to a lot of Golden Age detective fiction on Audible. I like the British Library Crime Classics.

 

·        What are you currently bingeing on TV?

I’ve just finished watching Slow Horses on Apple and loved it. Have you seen The English on BBC IPlayer? I love big sweeping narratives and this one was a doozy. Highly recommended.

 

·        What advice would you have for would be authors who think it is too late to write?

I honestly thing maturity is an advantage. I don’t think I would’ve had the patience, or time, in my twenties to write Needless Alley. My advice to any writer is to sit down and write a few hundred words a day. Don’t get het up about other people’s word counts or processes. Write your way but just write.

 

·        How good is your relationship with Baskerville?

Baskerville have been wonderful. They’ve really guided me through the process of being a debut and have been very supportive of my writing. I’ve been overwhelmed by their support.

 

·        What are your hopes for Needless Alley?

Honestly, I’d love for someone to read Needless Alley and love it the way I love my favourite books. We’ll see!

Needless Alley is out on 19th January from Baskerville (Hachette) in all formats

You can follow Natalie on Twitter @NatalieMarlow2

Needless Alley

 

The debut novel by Birmingham based author, Natalie Marlow, out in January from John Murray Press/Baskerville

Arriving on a wave of fanfare on this side of Christmas 2022, this reader had the pleasure of reading Needless Alley devouring this debut novel by Natalie Marlow. It is the highly promising beginning of a probable long-running series featuring Birmingham gumshoe William Garrett in 1933. 

Garrett we meet as an individual, a private detective, who sets up honey traps by photographing adulterous wives in illicit affairs, therefore forcing divorces from the wealthy male elite of the city who want out of their now loveless marriages.

Garrett, has a good way of life, he gets help from his friend and out-of-work actor Ronnie Edgerton in these traps, his world is turned upside down when he encounters Clara Morton - who upon first meet with her is the next wife a husband wants divorcing from.

Set in that tricky period between world wars when the world was still coming to terms from the heavy scars of the Great War(1914-18), while the pounding foot of impending fascism is heard across continental Europe and shaking itself from the doldrums of a global recession/depression. Marlow has created a world which is ripe for cultivating narrative fodder, Morton's unloving husband is intrinsically tied to Oswald Mosley and his blackshirt brigade, who came so very close to power and popularity in the mid-1930s of Britain.

Now this may strike you as familiar if you had watched the latter series of that other Birmingham cultural touchstone, Peaky Blinders, and Mosley is used creatively in the narrative as a person of great relevance and importance in pre-World War 2 British history, a sobering reminder as to how close our nation was to following in the footsteps of Nazi Germany but for the rationale minds to prevail thankfully.

Marlow writes with a flair and panache that is refreshing and enticing, she has created a character in Garrett she is clearly fond of and like most detectives he has to overcome the odd fistfight and moral dilemma, sometimes in the same instance.

This book features one of the cleverest 'did not see that coming' moments I can remember, and yet rather than stop the narrative in its tracks it does the opposite and prompts the reader to plough on and digest the remainder of the book.

Delicately balancing between homage and originality and definitely leaving the door open for more stories to come from the Brum, Needless Alley is a welcome addition to the British Detective Noir genre and Mrs. Marlow promises to be a voice we will pleasingly hear more of in the coming years.

Needless Alley is out from Baskerville on 19th January.