Elderly Jennifer 'Jinx' Sullivan keeps to herself in the sleepy little village in which she lives, if only the rest of the villagers would leave her alone. Jinx's plans to visit Florence are disrupted thanks to the meddling of some of her neighbours. Since time is of the essence she has no option but to join the village coach trip to Italy.

Early last year I read The Excitements by C. J. Wray and adored the tale of the Williamson sisters so I was very excited to read Bad Influence. While Penny, and Josephine to a lesser extent, do appear in Bad Influence this is really Jinx's story. If, like me, you loved the first book and wanted to know more about the adventures of the Williamson sisters don't let that put you off, Jinx is a fascinating character and her story is engrossing.

Jinx lives a quiet life in a small village, she'd be more than happy if the other residents left her alone but the local postman likes to keep an eye on the elderly residents and it's one of those villages with a strong community spirit so lots of events are organised, events that Jinx always manages to avoid. It's during the VE Day celebrations, at which Jinx makes a reluctant appearance, that disaster strikes. Ending up with a broken collarbone means that Jinx can't go on her solo trip to Florence, a trip she is desperate to make. Luckily, the village has a coach trip to Italy planned which includes a visit to Florence.

The trip itself, featuring a coach full of aging villagers, gives rise to lots of hilarity, particularly the Colonel's attempts to speak Italian (my Kindle was a godsend for translating), and could have been the whole novel. However, the big question is why is Jinx so keen to make the trip.

Throughout the story we learn of Jinx's background, discovering that as a child she was raised in Malaysia before WWII and when the Japanese invaded Singapore she was held in an internment camp for over three years. I'm old enough to remember the TV series Tenko which was about the women's internment camps, but didn't really grasp the horror and deprivation the women and children lived through. Reading Jinx's story gave me a better understanding of what happened.

Following liberation Jinx, along with her mother and brother, returned to England and it was then that she met Penny Williamson. After WWII ended Penny worked for a charity and Jinx's family was one of many that she worked with. Seeing something in Jinx, Penny took her under her wing and trained her in many of the skills she had developed during the war. Thanks to Penny, Jinx lived an exciting life of parties and travel, often funded by illicit means. It was when Jinx discovered what Penny had been doing that the pair parted ways.

The question still remains as to why Jinx so passionately wants to return to Florence. The answer is a surprising one, but you'll have to read the book to learn what it is.

This is a story with three timelines: wartime Malaysia and Singapore, post-war and the present with the one in the present slipping repeatedly into caricature with humour of the wooden mallet variety. The timeline of the protagonist Jinx’s adolescence is a more engaging, if horrific affair.
After the war, Jinx and her family are helped by an almoner who takes Jinx under her wing and becomes her friend until they fall out. At the tender age of 89, Jinx reluctantly embarks on a coach trip to Italy with some of her fellow villagers, to “put some things right”.
With all the mansplaining going on, I had to check whether CJ Wray really WAS a female.
Although often strangely patronising and often in a “I know something, Miss!” style, Jinx does take hold of you.
And in the end, I did shed a little tear for the old bird…

I am always absolutely delighted when I see a book written by CJ Wray or one of her nom de plumes. Every book she writes whatever the genre is an absolute delight to read and Bad Influence is no exception. Her characters are so real. She gets the little details just right and they come alive under her hands. She often deals with quite serious subjects - in this book, child internment during WW2 and parental loss. But she manages to do it with a pathos and rye humour that makes her books an unmitigated pleasure to read. I whizzed through this book over the course of a quiet weekend and thoroughly enjoyed every word. I happily give it 5 stars and my heart felt recommendation.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.