A Little Death

The police find the bodies of three elderly recluses amid the musty, hoarded belongings in a 1950's London town house. The victims - one man and two women - have all been shot to death. However, when the death scene yields no clues as to what might have occurred, the police conclude that one of the victims shot the others before committing suicide. But which one? And why?

The story is told from the view points of the three main characters, the three elderly recluses themselves, whose bodies were recently discovered by the police. Georgina Gresham - maverick and manipulative - a former society beauty, had been a prime suspect in her husband's notorious murder thirty years before, but was ultimately acquitted. Georgina's brother, Edmund - show more her lifelong confidante and companion - loves his sister dearly and will do anything she asks him to do. Ada - their long-suffering housekeeper - is salty, shrewd, and slowly, silently witnessing her life pass her by, until...

Buried in the trio's youth is the fatal seed whose dark tendrils overlaid Victorian country summers, the Great War, the Roaring Twenties...and all the cravings, fantasies, and twists of fate that would chain them together in life...and in one explosive moment of violent death.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were all rather quirky and got up to all kinds of shenanigans throughout the story. I did find it slightly difficult getting into the pace of the story, but that might just be because of a lack of concentration on my part. I ultimately picked up the threads of the mystery very quickly during my reading and gave A Little Death by Laura Wilson an A+! In my opinion, this was an excellent debut, and I have put Laura Wilson's next two books on my Wish List. show less

A mystery which starts off with three dead bodies, then goes back into the past to tell their tale from each of their viewpoints. The writing changes voices between the two upper-class siblings and their maid in an accomplished manner. Lots of twists and turns, but not very many actually likeable characters. I preferred the author's earlier novel, "Dying Voices".

They lie, three elderly recluses shot to death, in a musty 1950s London town house crammed with hoarded belongings. When the death scene yields no clues, the police conclude that one of the victims shot the others before committing suicide. But which one? And why? Georgina Gresham, maverick and manipulative, a former society beauty, prime suspect in her husband's notorious murder thirty years before? Her brother, Edmund, her lifelong confidant? Or Ada, their housekeeper, salty, shrewd, and long-suffering?

The story is told through the view points of the three main characters. Georgina is very beautiful but very spiteful. She comes across as a ‘Rebecca’ type character always wanting her own way and to me she wasn’t a very nice show more person at all. Edmund her brother who will do anything for his sister and follows her about like a lap dog. Ada the long suffering housekeeper who lives with them, never taking her chances when she could have done to have something in her own life.

The story not only has the death of the three main characters but also has the death of little brother Freddie and the husband of Georgina, Mr James. I did guess who had killed Freddie but didn’t guess at the twist which leads to the death of James.

I really enjoy books by Laura Wilson as they are well written and keep me turning the pages.

Would I recommend this book, yes I would as it will keep you guessing till the last pages. show less

Three bodies found in a London House in 1955. One of the group has a notorious past, having been charged but acquited of her husbands murder 30 years prior. But to expose their secrets, it is necessary to go back to another murder in the 1890's. This is a good thriller and with the backdrop of 2 World wars an interesting read.

Wonderful read. One of those books that you just cannot put down. A nice mix of historical & fictional events. I would not hesitate to read another book by Laura Wilson.