By Jo Walton

Set a short time in 1949 after the events in Farthing, we continue to follow the fallout of that book. Here we follow actress Viola Lark (originally Larkin, of an important family of the peerage) and Inspector Carmichael as our point of view characters. When an actress is blown up in London – the question becomes was she the target or the terrorist?

She was going to be in a production of Hamlet with Vi – who has one sister married to Himmler and another a card carrying Communist. When one sister comes calling, and another about to arrive with an official entourage what kind of problems will she find herself enmeshed? And Inspector Carmichael is tasked with investigating the bombing, which leads him to an ever expanding conspiracy against the new fascist government…

If the first Small Change book is a cozy murder mystery, the second one is a political espionage thriller. Reading Farthing, made me immediately start Ha’Penny, and now I am starting the third book Half a Crown. An interesting take on what happens if fascism gets roots…and the decisions people make when they are compromised.

319 Pages

4.5/5