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Needless Alley

The critically acclaimed historical crime debut

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Needless Alley

By: Natalie Marlow
Narrated by: Paul Dela Ross
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An outstanding piece of literary noir and the first in a PI series set in 1930s Birmingham.

An FT Best Summer Thriller 2023

'Creates an atmosphere of mounting menace' The Times

'Conjures up a backdrop so vivid you can taste the smoke in the air' Val McDermid, author of 1989

BIRMINGHAM, 1933.

Private enquiry agent William Garrett facilitates divorces for the city's male elite. With the help of his best friend - charming, out-of-work actor Ronnie Edgerton - William sets up honey traps. But photographing unsuspecting women in flagrante plagues his conscience and William heaves up his guts with remorse after every job.

William's life changes when he meets the beautiful Clara Morton and falls in love. Little does he know she is the wife of a client - a leading fascist with a dangerous obsession. Soon, what should have been another straightforward job turns into something far more deadly.

Drenched in evocative period atmosphere and starring an unforgettable cast of characters, Needless Alley takes the reader from seedy canal-side pubs, to crumbling Warwickshire manor houses, and into the hidden spaces of Birmingham's Queer, bohemian society.

'Has all the seamy glitter and cynical grime of the genre' Daily Mail

'Marlow's very engaging protagonist may herald the birth of a new genre: Midlands Noir' Financial Times

'Evokes 1930s Birmingham in all its dark glory' Alan Parks, author of Bloody January

'An exceptionally well-written first novel' Irish Times

'Needless Alley makes for a gripping read that any Peaky Blinder fan is sure to love' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora

(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2023 Natalie Marlow Crime Thrillers Fiction Historical Modern Detectives Mystery Thriller & Suspense Thriller Crime
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Critic reviews

A fine writer with a great sense of period and place who creates an atmosphere of mounting menace and dread. A more than promising debut
Conjures up a backdrop so vivid you can taste the smoke in the air . . . one of those books that runs like a movie in your head and leaves greasy fingerprints all over your memory (Val McDermid, author of 1989)
Marlow's very engaging protagonist may herald the birth of a new genre: Midlands Noir
Transplanting the hardboiled Hollywood noir of the 1940s to the backstreets of 1933 Birmingham, [Needless Alley] has all the seamy glitter and cynical grime of the genre
Marlow has a nicely theatrical way with a scene, and her witty prose has texture and heft. The city is atmospherically rendered, the narrative has an almost hallucinatory quality and Garrett is an engaging leading man. Needless Alley is an exceptionally well-written first novel that whets the appetite for many sequels
From its claustrophobic descriptions of Birmingham's darker corners to revelations of the seedier proclivities of the rich and powerful, Needless Alley offers a gripping portrait of 1930s England, a country where Blackshirts and fascism have entered the national psyche. William Garrett - dour, dark, and damaged - is a man of principle in an unprincipled vocation. A meditative and wonderfully written historical crime debut (Vaseem Khan, author of THE LOST MAN OF BOMBAY)
A gripping debut . . . Garrett may play hard-boiled but, in the best tradition of private detectives, there is a quixotic romanticism lurking under the cynical and dishevelled exterior
This is pulp fiction of the highest quality, marking the arrival of a fabulous new thriller writer (Matthew d’Ancona)
An atmospheric, hardboiled thriller with a hint of Peaky Blinders about it
Marlow's stylish debut is an elegant homage to classic pulp fiction, steeped in dark and seedy glamour
Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow is something special . . . [A] superbly written debut
Needless Alley is well plotted, lively and builds a great cast of characters for future mysteries
Crafted with all the style and elegance of classic hardboiled fiction, lovingly splashed in the grubbiness and grime of interwar Birmingham's cuts, alleys and back streets. A smart, ripping yarn, whose compelling hero is movingly supported by a cast of lived in characters, and put through the wringer by some shocking and moving revelations. Sensational start to a new series (Dominic Nolan, author of VINE STREET)
All stars
Most relevant
Had no idea what to expect, but really well written, great story and satisfying ending (in terms of how it's written, not what happens to the characters of course).
Really looking forward to the next one!

Fantastic Story and performance

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A private detective with an office at Needless alley receives a visit from a client who believe his wife is unfaithful. This is the start of a series of events that involve the detective falling in love with the wife, and with the help of his friends he tries a dangerous and deadly plan to double cross his client.

Great story about Birmingham’s dark history

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This is a great book - interesting characters & a really well plotted story, Natalie manages to create mood and atmosphere in her writing. I am about to start book two and have pre ordered number three! Highly recommend.

What a tremendous find!

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Very atmospheric
Very dark
Excellent writing
Moody and very authentic
on the car media played all bass and mid totally off and treble fully up - the resonant male voice was difficult to hear without major EQ adjustments.
Highly recommended if you can get the voice more listenable

Gripping and grusome

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A Brummie photographer gets involved in murky goings on. The story is great and very atmospheric. My only criticism is that the narrator mispronounced a lot of very common words. My favourite was a woman’s brasserie. Surely someone should have picked these up.

Superbly downbeat

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