Had me from the opening sentence. Nostalgia, dollops of gore, vivid characters, excellent writing, a deep mystery. What's not to love? Highly recommended.

A wonderfully atmospheric mystery. A housewife goes missing one stifling hot summer, in the suburbs of 1950s America.

When Joyce goes missing there are fears for the worst. Her young children have been left unattended and there's blood all over the kitchen. Police detective Mick Blanke and Joyce's maid, Ruby, are determined to find out what's happened. But are they able to join forces? And who is responsible for Joyce's disappearance?

An extraordinary novel. It is wonderfully atmospheric of 1950s domestic, suburban America in this page-turning mystery, while also delicately explores racism and sexism prevalent at the time.

I was so sorry when this book came to an end.

A beautiful cover, and a fabulous book. Here's hoping this author will write much more.

Firstly I want to thank to Netgalley for this ARC.
This was a just a good mystery read. I hate that nothing changed regarding racism, but the book was good, really good.
And also, Love the cover.
4 stars read.

This is a traditional detective thriller set in the 1950s in California, with well-drawn characters and a satisfying conclusion. The racism is shocking but the main character Ruth, "the help" proves to be strong and resilient. The cover is delicious!

I really enjoyed this, a fantastic debut novel from Inga Vesper.

Set in late 50s California, in a suburban community of housewives, Ruby the coloured help arrives to find Joyce missing and the kitchen covered in blood.

There are a great cast of characters populating this thriller - Ruby Wright, highly intelligent and desperately keen to be able to pursue the formal education denied her because of her colour; Detective Mick Blanke, he's made some mistakes along the way but a good cop; the housewives, all slightly different, all not quite what they seem.

The story was good, enough to keep you guessing. Very much recommended.

I enjoyed reading this book. Nothing is learnt from history and sadly racism is still very much going on! I enjoyed the mystery side of the book but found the ending quite predictable. All in all a decent read.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

The Long Long Afternoon follows two main perspectives in the days following the disappearance of Joyce Haney from her kitchen. It is up to detective Mitch, and the family help Ruby to try to piece together the mystery of Joyce’s disappearance. This book is told through three narratives, which allows the mystery to be unravelled in layers throughout the entirety of the book. As such, it managed to grab my attention from the get-go, then held it the entire way. The reader is fed tidbits and clues throughout the book, allowing plenty of opportunities for the reader to reach a conclusion themselves or be swayed by the character’s judgements. It is also important to disclose that the novel takes place in 1960’s California, something I wish the blurb had mentioned as it added so much to the plot and would’ve made me want to read it so much more. Due to this setting, racial prejudice and politics are central to the plot and drive it in many ways.

My one criticism of this book is the fact that the ending was rather predictable and I called fairly on into the book. Given the underlying messages carried through the chapters, I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing. I can appreciate the book probably needed to end the way it did in order to convey the same message. I was just slightly disappointed that there wasn’t a big shock factor.

I just LOVED this book. It was highly addictive I just raced through it. I do like a detective novel, and this one really hit the spot. The only frustrating thing about it was that the detective himself was so slow picking up on the clues, I was almost shouting out loud at him!
Highly recommended.

Small town America is presented in all its glory on this suburban noir tale. Crime fiction at its finest!

This is Inga Vesper's debut novel and it is a beautifully written, atmospheric thriller that perfectly conjures up a 1950s Californian suburban summer. Joyce Haney, suburban mother of two disappears one afternoon leaving behind her children and a bloodstained kitchen floor. Ruby , the family's 'help' discovers the children home alone and as the novel progresses becomes key to the solving of the mystery. I found this to be such a stylish and original thriller that looks at the gender, racial and class inequalities and injustices in 1950s America. Stunning and highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC

spoiler alert ** Ruby is the absolute star of this book,she's brave,she's independent and she's wise enough to know when to keep quiet and just listen.
It's a very good reminder as to how badly people were treated not that long ago,due to the colour of their skin.
(I know. Still it happens)
The further you get into the book,the more twists you find.
The simple disappearance of housewife Joyce turns into a much bigger story .
It's a definite page turner,I finished it in one sitting on a wet sunday afternoon.
Excellent read.

This book reminded me so much of Kathryn Stockett's The Help, possibly because Ruby was referred to as "The Help". It also had shades of The Stepford Wives with the men out at their jobs leaving their wives at home with their perfect family lives. Only they weren't so perfect as Ruby finds out when she turns up for work to find the two children alone and their mother nowhere to be seen and the kitchen a bloody mess.

The descriptions of the characters and the places came across well.

I did find at the end the role of the police somewhat chaotic and farcical, but overall an interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

Ruby, the home help, see's the nextdoor child, Barbara, alone and takes her home, the baby, lily, in the house is crying and has a soiled nappy. Barbara is sent by ruby to find her mother, Joyce Haney, but when ruby goes to help Barbara she finds Barbara's hands covered in someone else's blood!

Gripping start. I was hooked from the beginning. Set in the late 50s where white men were superior. I was cringing at some of the things that happened. Having negroes as home help, women were dirty when they menstruated and unable to do chores incase of contamination. It wasn't a pleasant read but I couldn't stop reading. It's was so powerful and gritty and quite the eye opener. I didn't always enjoy the book, but in a positive way. Brilliant, powerfully written.