Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Great historical fiction. A really good story and fascinating insight into London in the swinging 60's. Secrets and scandals make for a great story with excellent writing. I finished this in a few days.

Had I known that this was actually a sequel, I probably wouldn't have requested a copy to review, but the sound of 1960's London was too enticing to resist!

London. 1967. Nik Christou has been a rent boy since he was 15. One summer night on Piccadilly Circus, his life is turned upside down, first by violence and then by an accusation of murder. Anna Treadway, fleeing the ghosts of her past, works as a dresser in Soho’s Galaxy Theatre. She has learned never to place too much trust in the long arm of the law and, convinced Nik is innocent she determines to find him an alibi.

As a whole, I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed experiencing 60's London, but I definitely preferred certain POVs over others. The story had some interesting parts, particularly the portrayal of life as a male sex worker in the 60's. Whilst I was disgusted by how the rent boys were treated, I felt that it was handled and written very well despite it being a topic that's not spoken about a lot in books. On the flip side, some elements of the story were either super dull or went straight over my head. In hindsight, I kinda wish that I had picked up the other book first just so that I could understand and appreciate all of the names/events mentioned!

Whilst I may not have loved this book, it still provided a thought-provoking read about class, corruption, and sex in the sixties!!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A Little London Scandal takes you back in time and immerses the reader in to 1960's London. The main characters have already been introduced in Miranda Emmerson's previous novel and so as a stand alone story I found it not quite complete. I wish I had read the other novel first.

I was given a copy of A Little London Scandal by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

I read this on New Years Eve in one sitting g. It’s a followup to another book called Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars, which I will get and read out of synch as I don’t think it will matter. It is set in 1967 when the main character is standing up for a young man wrongly accused of murder. It is all about the less salubrious side of Swinging London: the shadows where sex, drugs and politics merge. 4/5.

A Little London Scandal is a decent enough and thought provoking read about London in 1960. I didn’t realise it was a sequel and found some references to the past relationships and events a little confusing. The narrative is quite slow and not particularly engaging. Maybe because I read a very good book just before this one, I found it difficult to get into and struggled to finish.

I nearly abandoned reading this book as the beginning was not my cup of tea. However, I was glad I carried on as it turned out to be quite a good, interesting tale.

I mostly enjoyed this book. It was a different storyline and I found it to be unpredictable which I like. There were a few bits that I did slightly skim over however overall I would give it 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. #ALittleLondonScandal

I wasn't sure I would like this book, in fact at one point during the first chapter I very nearly said this isn't for me and put it aside. I think its important to give books a chance and so stuck with it and I am so glad I did. This book blooms into a wonderful work which completely evokes London in the swinging 60's. I got completely lost in it and actually felt a bit bereft when it ended. Can I also say this is absolutely screaming out to be adapted for television.

Set in London in the 1960's the book started off promising then we got into the story of the murder
.Anna Treadwell costume dresser became involved and the story went down hill.She came across as a nosy busy body and I could not engage with her.
It might have been better to have read the first book with the same character but I struggled on and found out who did it thanks to Anna!

London. 1967. Thrown back into a world of sex and scandal in the sixties, it's a murder mystery waiting to be solved. Vivid characters, absolutely excellent atmosphere capturing the era - transports the reader to the time and place - it's a tale that dares you to try put it down before its complexities unfold. The trick is, you can't.

Firstly let me congratulate Miranda Emerson on her meticulous research and skill in writing about a time and place in London’s less salubrious past. The book is full of references to sixties London but doesn’t judge or preach or even give a hint of the changes that will come in the future. Well written, well plotted with some wonderful characters who you just take to your heart mixed in with some rather unsavoury politicians and men of influence (not a lot changed in 60 years).

Thank you for letting me read a copy of this novel. There were elements of it that I enjoyed very much. I’m old enough to remember that era very well and I think the author captured much of the grubbiness that was around at the time, often forgotten when we talk about the freedom and liberation of the 60s. However, I wasn’t convinced by the ending and, as an avid theatregoer, it seems to me that there are one or two theatrical references that are inaccurate. These reasons, I will not be reviewing it on my blog as I try to write only about those books that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

What a gripping read. Everything stopped for this book. I was hooked from the beginning with the injustice that befell Nik and how he tumbled into a life of prostitution without losing his values of humankind. It is so descriptive of life in London at the end of the 60's., as this acts as the backdrop to the mystery of who was the murderer. Anna, the heroine was such an empathetic sleuth.This is the first book I have read by Miranda Emmerson but it certainly wont be the last.

Theatre dresser Anna Treadway lives and works in 1960s London, mixing with an eclectic group of people, including the owner of a Turkish restaurant, a disillusioned policeman, and many actors. Her partner is currently in the West Indies following the death of his mother.
In these enlightened times, it is easy to forget that at that time homosexuality was illegal, and men were forced to keep parts of their lives secret if they were to have a career.
Anna befriends Nik Christou, a rent boy living hand to mouth, and when he is accused of murder, she is determined to find the truth.
Nik is a beautifully drawn character, and his story is heart-breaking, as we understand how he was estranged from his family., and ended up on the streets of London. Unfortunately, such stories are still common these days.
Anna also comes into contact with a politician’s wife, and soon realises the compromises she has had to make to save her marriage.
The cast of louche 60’s characters is extensive, and very believable, as is Anna, a caring innocent making her way and trying to understand the world.
An excellent thought-provoking book.

Thanks to Netgalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for the opportunity to read this book.

⭐️⭐️ 2 slow stars

Apologies as I can see I am in the minority with this one but I didn’t enjoy this book.

I found it very slow going, and there are too many characters early on that it’s not clear who the main characters are meant to be.

I got to 30% when it eventually pick up but there was something off with the writing style. Some of the characters didn’t gel with me.

Because I hadn’t invested in any of the characters the book lacked interest for me.

Rent boy Nik has been on the streets since he was thrown out of home aged 15. His years in London have taught him to be streetwise but nothing could prepare him for the accusation of murder. A fellow rent boy found dead in the grounds of an exclusive gentleman's club and an MP with scandal attached to his name there on the night. Connecting the two is Anna Treadaway, friend to Nik, acquaintance of the MPs wife. Anna believes Nik is innocent but to prove it she needs to stretch her morals.
A second outing for Anna Treadaway and Emmerson is really hitting her stride with her tales of the seedier side of swinging London. Here the contrast between the middle class lifestyle and the more bohemian are played out and the sordid secrets of those in power are exposed. Emmerson isn't afraid to explore big issues, racism in the first novel, here homosexuality, but all is done with a real sureness of touch.

Poignant and warming story of one woman's determination and one lost boy.
We are drawn in to the steamy world of London in the sixties when attitudes were changing but very slowly. A thought provoking read.

I must say that I struggled with this book at the beginning; I had difficulty assimilating all the different characters and was not sure it was quite my bag. However, I persevered and I am glad I did.

The descriptions of London certainly resonated with me, a young girl on the periphery of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ and London as the epicentre of the ‘scene’: nightclubs, fashion, drugs, political scandal. The underside of all that; homosexuality, rent-boys, the old-boys network, and the huge disparity of the haves and the have-nots, at that time a total unknown to me at that time, but all too familiar in retrospect.

Emmerson’s descriptions of the reality of lives of the rent-boys and homosexuals in general with the fear of prosecution and imprisonment is emotive – I was shocked and scared of the imagery of the raids by the police on the men and boys at Piccadilly Underground – had never imagined such a scene. A scene swiftly followed by the discovery dead body in a garden of a private members club, which lead to a very unusual enquiry into the circumstances. The three central characters are Nik a rent-boy, Anna, a dresser in a nearby theatre and Merrian, a wife of a politician and a handful of other characters who help reveal the truth.

A very satisfying read and I recommend it whole-heartedly.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book set in the swinging sixties London, but unfortunately I struggled to connect with either the characters or the storyline.