What a great story! I could not predict how this was going to end......the story twisted and turned to an incredible finale that I did not see coming! Absolutely brilliant!
Will has returned from the Great War, having fought in the trenches he has now set himself up in business as a private detective. Working with his old pal, he provides photographic evidence in divorce cases- setting women up to betray their husbands- until he meets one wife that he grows to care about deeply. And that's when everything starts to go badly wrong........Set in 1930s Birmingham, this story has a touch of Peaky Blinders about it- hard men, poverty, crime, prostitutes and pornography and an absolutely brilliant storyline. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.

Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow , was a surprise, I wasn't expecting to like it so much.
I couldn't put this book down.

Oh my Word. I loved this book.

When I started I had already assumed what way it would go and I was very very wrong. The twists were good and I liked how the author brought them about.

The ending was not what I thought it would be but on reflection I do like how it ended. Very fitting for how the book went.

I couldn’t put this book down. I would definitely recommend. Thanks for the opportunity to read this.

"Needless Alley" by Natalie Morrow had a strong start and set up the scene for a Private Investigator well, so well that I started reading it in a film noir style voiceover... I enjoyed the parts with Clara Morton and her relationship with William. However when we were introduced to the more seedy underworld, I wasn't so keen. I was also a bit confused by the ending.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc!

set in 1930's birmingham, this book centres around the character of william garrett, a private detective who helps to manufacture evidence for divorce for the men of the upper classes. along with his best friend, he sets up traps to catch wives in the act - using his camera as a means of supplying evidence to his clients. the guilt weighs on him until he meets, and, subsequently, falls in love with, clara morton, the young wife of his newest customer. desperate to atone for his sins, william begins to develop a plan to try and save clara but ends up in something far worse than he expected.

i did not expect to enjoy this book as much as i did, the plot was so intriguing and the story itself was incredibly well-written. specifically, the plot twists in this book were very well done in my opinion - i couldn't have guessed them if i'd tried. i really liked william - who was definitely flawed but still kind enough to sympathise with - and how fleshed-out he was as a character. also, i really appreciated the political and social commentary in this book - it was prominent throughout the book but subtle enough that it didn't overpower the rest of the plot or the characters. personally, i would have liked a bit more from the ending - the epilogue, in particular - as i would have liked to see what the aftermath was for william, queenie and phyll but, aside from that, i really enjoyed and recommend this book.

This book had me from the first page, I could not put it down. William Garrett is a private detective, setting up honeytraps so he can provide evidence for men wanting divorces. Even though Williams job is morally wrong, and he is disgusted with himself for what he does I found myself genuinely liking his character. I felt his heartbreak, his sorrow and his anger. William wants to change his ways and pay for the heartache he has caused. There was a twist near the start of the book and it completely threw me, it changed the whole book and things became grittier, tenser and macabre. The writing made me feel like I was there, experiencing every part of the puzzle. I also fell in love with Queenie’s character, she was pure grit, but also motherly and loving. This book just got better and better with each page. I loved the 1930s Birmingham setting and was thrown into a whole new world. This would definitely be in my top 5 books of 2022.

I really wasn't sure where this was going for the first third, then I knew exactly where it was going.
Or so I thought, got to admit there was a turn of events I should have seen coming, but didn't.
Some great characters and nice story telling.
I liked the set up of this book.
Definitely worth a few hours of your time.

This had moments of brilliance but I really had to stick at it to try and find them. A great concept, but expected more in its delivery.

Set in 1930's Birmingham, this dark and gritty tale unfolds against the backdrop of the murky underworld of gangs and neonazi's. The main character, Will is a private detective who ordinarily assists in providing photographic evidence of infidelity to support divorce. He becomes caught up in a case where he unwittingly falls for the wife of his client. However, all is not as it seems and twists and turns keep the reader on edge until the surprising denouement. Not for the squeamish!