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A Commonplace Killing

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A Commonplace Killing

By: Sian Busby
Narrated by: Robert Peston, Daniel Weyman
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Summary

On a damp July morning in 1946, two schoolboys find a woman’s body in a bomb site in north London. The woman is identified as Lillian Frobisher, a wife and mother who lived in a war-damaged terrace a few streets away. The police assume that Lil must have been the victim of a vicious sexual assault; but the autopsy finds no evidence of rape, and Divisional Detective Inspector Jim Cooper turns his attention to her private life. How did Lil come to be in the bomb site – a well-known lovers’ haunt? If she had consensual sex, why was she strangled? Why was her husband seemingly unaware that she had failed to come home on the night she was killed?

In this gripping murder story, Siân Busby gradually peels away the veneer of stoicism and respectability to reveal the dark truths at the heart of postwar austerity Britain. Siân Busby was an award-winning writer, broadcaster and film maker. She published four books, including The Cruel Mother, a memoir of her great-grandmother which won the MIND Book Award in 2004; and a novel, McNaughten, which was published to critical acclaim in 2009. She was married to the BBC Business editor, Robert Peston, and had two sons. She died in September 2012 after a long illness and will be much missed.

©2013 Siân Busby (P)2014 Audible Studios Crime Fiction Historical Fiction Mystery Fiction Marriage Crime Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

"A gripping murder story in which the veneer of stoicism and respectability is gradually peeled away to reveal the dark truths at the heart of postwar British society..." (Lucy Cavendish)
"A writer with a rare and singular dedication to authenticity...the atmosphere Busby evokes is as melancholic as Graham Greene The End of the Affair." (Valerie Grove, The Times)
"Siân Busby's final novel is a classic whodunit at its very best." (The Express)
"Elegant, spell-binding and unbearably sad...This deeply heartfelt crime novel brings a tear to the eye, for it shows what a fine novelist we have lost." (Daily Mail)
"A writer of rare subtlety." (Mail on Sunday)
"The dinginess of London in 1946 is brilliantly evoked...in this distinctive and engaging novel." (The Sunday Times)
"Illuminating...A Commonplace Killing by Sian Busby is rich in detail and peopled with beautifully drawn characters." (The Telegraph)
"A cracking book." (Lorraine Kelly)
"Extraordinarily atmospheric...a superbly accomplished and gripping piece of postwar noir" (The Times
All stars
Most relevant
Sadly, the author died of cancer before publication. Her husband reads an afterword explaining the backstory of the author and why, sadly, there will be no series.

This is a terrible shame because of the brilliance of this work, not just because of the author's passing.

The story is told in two time lines, before the murder from the victim's point of view, and after from the detective's point of view.

These characters can not be labeled good or bad. Like real characters, they have elements of both; being very human characters, with failings like all of us.

Tightly plotted, wonderfully written, you will love and grieve for the brilliance of its author and the loss of her and her incredible talent.

As good as, or better, than Laura Wilson

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Listened to it over a few sleepless nights and I’m afraid I almost gave up. Found it slow going and it took me a while to work out who was who.
A woman is found strangled in a bombed house - the book is set just after the war in London. So it’s a who dun it though we find out who it was quite early on.

A bit slow.

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A very moving story, good characterisation and easy to listen to. All tinged with sadness. Thank you for bringing this book to audible.

A melancholy view of post war London

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Would you consider the audio edition of A Commonplace Killing to be better than the print version?

I really enjoyed that I could listen to this book whilst doing other things. Great story and narrator, if I didn't have audible, I just wouldn;t have the time to get through and finish books and this is just such easy listening.

What did you like best about this story?

So believable and easy to listen to

Which character – as performed by Robert Peston and Daniel Weyman – was your favourite?

There were so many it was hard to tell

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

trust your instincts

Any additional comments?

go ahead and enjoy

A great read, better than I imagined

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Would you try another book written by Sian Busby or narrated by Robert Peston and Daniel Weyman ?

I would try another book

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Commonplace Killing?

The sudden end,not expected

What about Robert Peston and Daniel Weyman ’s performance did you like?

The reading was outstanding .the final chapter by Robert was very moving

Did A Commonplace Killing inspire you to do anything?

Realise how much we owe to a few

Any additional comments?

No

Too many flashbacks

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