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The Long, Long Afternoon

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The Long, Long Afternoon

By: Inga Vesper
Narrated by: Janina Edwards, Adam Barr, Mikhaila Aaseng
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About this listen

A stunning 1950s set debut mystery brimming with atmosphere and perfect for fans of Tangerine, Small Pleasures and Mad Men.

Yesterday, I kissed my husband for the last time....

It's the summer of 1959, and the well-trimmed lawns of Sunnylakes, California, wilt under the sun. At some point during the long, long afternoon, Joyce Haney, wife, mother, vanishes from her home, leaving behind two terrified children and a bloodstain on the kitchen floor.

While the Haney's neighbours get busy organising search parties, it is Ruby Wright, the family's 'help', who may hold the key to this unsettling mystery. Ruby knows more about the secrets behind Sunnylakes' starched curtains than anyone, and it isn't long before the detective in charge of the case wants her help. But what might it cost her to get involved? In these long hot summer afternoons, simmering with lies, mistrust and prejudice, it could only take one spark for this whole 'perfect' world to set alight . . .

A beguiling, deeply atmospheric debut novel from the cracked heart of the American Dream, The Long, Long Afternoon is at once a thrilling mystery and an intoxicating vision of the ways in which women everywhere are diminished, silenced and ultimately under-estimated.

©2021 Inga Vesper (P)2021 Bonnier Books Ltd Detective Fiction Historical Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Marriage
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Chose this deliberately as it’s out of my square. Really enjoyed the narration, she gradually brought the characters to life and captured the feel of the era. It unfolds at a leisurely pace, maybe too much so for some, but you get a good sense of the place. It’s always difficult being confronted with the reality of racism, no matter what decade, and it made me squirm at times, but it’s thought provoking and an interesting whodunnit. Glad I tried it, Would recommend if you don’t need fast paced, gory, murder mystery.

Read like a long slow Sunday afternoon

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A very confusing introduction of characters made the story disjointed. I really didn’t enjoy this book

Confusing

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