It is the summer of 1959 and in Sunnylakes, California, housekeeper Ruby Wright is running late. Arriving at the house of her employers Frank and Joyce Haney, she immediately realises something terrible must have happened, as the baby of the household is screaming, and she and her sister appear to have been abandoned. The blood-splattered kitchen further distresses Ruby, who goes on to assume an important role in the police investigation when she decides to assist investigating detective Mick Blanke to search for the missing young mother. Ruby does so because Joyce was among the only people in this wealthy enclave who have treated her, a woman of colour and a ‘hired help’, with some dignity. Together Ruby and Mick search for clues in the humid, febrile climate of Santa Monica, uncovering plenty of secrets behind the shiny facades of the neighbourhood. If you have read this far, you could be forgiven for thinking this novel is merely a fast-paced crime procedural, but it is so much more than this. Not only does The Long Long Afternoon mercilessly shine a spotlight on societal injustices, such as segregation, elitism and the chauvinist attitudes of the times, this book also blows apart the myth of the American Dream and the contentment that domesticity, motherhood and financial security allegedly promised to rich but disengaged young women of Joyce’s generation. If you enjoyed Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel The Help, set in a similar area but in Mississippi, you will no doubt find this novel a more than worthy successor. Thank you so much to the publishers and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for this honest and unbiased review.

Fantastic! This started in the most attention grabbing way and did not disappoint- I raced through! Absolutely brilliantly written, it felt so real!

A wonderful debut novel from Vesper. This book is a murder mystery with hints of The Stepford Wives. This makes it sound like a book that will only connect with you on the surface, but I promise you it will get under your skin. There are undertones of the issues of race, sexism, and what it really was to be a woman in 1950’s America.

This isn’t my normal genre. In fact I normally avoid mystery’s and thrillers, as I tend to find it really easy to guess whodunit! I devoured this book though. Yes, I guessed who’d done the deed about 2/3’s of the way through, but this time, it didn’t ruin the rest of the story for me. The writing flows beautifully and the characters have a depth to them, that allows you to really get to know them.

Based around the character of Joyce, who after years of not doing things for herself, kisses her husband for the last time. Cut to a few hours later, and Ruby (‘the help’) arrives to find one child alone outside. The other in their cot, screaming and with a dirty nappy. Cut to the kitchen, which looks undisturbed, apart from an empty beer bottle on the counter, and blood all over the floor…

Narrated from the point of view of three different characters, it is well written. All the characters interlink, so although told from different points of view, it still feels like one cohesive story. Could it be the husband, the best friend, the help, the mother-in-law, the leader of the Women’s Society, the woman from the wrong side of the tracks, or the ex-boyfriend? It’s the job of Detective Blanke to find out.

Every single character in this book has something to hide, or an injustice to overcome. The question is – which one was will to kill to keep a secret hidden and get what they want?

I've only read a few mystery/thrillers but this is not the usual. This book is a slow, creeping sort of horror, like a nightmare wrapped in sunshine. There’s an oppressive atmosphere that feels sweaty and tired and sluggish, like it’s hard to breathe even while reading, and paired with such a mystery this is an odd but oddly effective way to tell a story. I’ll admit, I was impatient with the first half of the book; I’m the kind of person who wants to get straight into the thick of it and find out all the answers at once. This book doesn’t jump into the action, it meanders its way through it and sticks to its own pace. This isn’t just a mystery, it’s a conversation on race, feminism, wealth disparity, and mental health, wrapped up in a beautifully poetic writing style and a setting that leaves one feeling unsettled and distrustful.

That being said, there were no trigger warnings on the NetGalley arc, and there needs to be on the final copy. The summary has no real indication of these extremely triggering topics, including but not limited to:
* Domestic Violence
* Child Sexual Abuse
* Child Death
* Murder
* Racism

Despite these topics being common in books such as this, it’s very important to warn for them in a place where people who need trigger warnings can quickly and easily access them.

Set in 1959, and a very, very hot summer, beautifully described by the author to the point I could reach for the back of my own neck to wipe away the glow of the day.
The time of racial hatred in the USA, of civil rights, of inequality on so many levels; this book quickly puts the reader in mind of Stepford Wives.
The lives of Ruby (the help) and Mick (the detective) are changed throughout the course of this story. Written in three voices, each one unique and believable, I couldn’t put this book down.
For a debut novel, the perfect blend of narrative prose, descriptive settings and layered characters, I can’t wait to read what Inga Vesper has up her sleeve next; I really would like to see more of Ruby and more of Mick to find out where their own stories go next.

Acknowledgements to:
NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review
Bonnier Books UK
Manilla Press and of course,
Inga Vesper, the author
#LongLongAfternoon
#NetGalley

Well, written with an excellent sense of time and place. I found I cared about the characters, they felt believable. I was really rooting for Ruby! A solid crime thriller. 3.5 stars.

The long, long afternoon in question takes place in Sunnylake Santa Monica on 25th August 1959. The case is the mysterious disappearance of mother of two Joyce Haney and a blood stained kitchen. The first policeman on the scene immediately arrests black maid Ruby Wright but the mystery deepens as conflicting pieces of evidence emerge challenging Detective Mick Blanke. The story is told in alternating points of view by Mick, Joyce and Ruby.

First of all, the late 50’s era is extremely well conveyed with the racism towards Ruby toe curling well depicted, she’s powerless and has to be subservient and is certainly exploited. The white wealthy Sunnylake is colourfully captured in all it’s arrogant male superiority. The men at work and women in the kitchen is clearly apparent and is an excellent exploration of 50’s attitudes. Joyce’s numb perspective is very illuminating as to keep her submissive she’s drugged up to the eyeballs to ensure her compliance and it’s clear she is unraveling. Sunnylake looks like a wonderful place to live with it’s big houses and manicured lawns but it’s a pretence, it’s fantasy la-la land with so many secrets it’s a wonder it doesn’t combust. The whole area feels off from the start as does the crime scene and some characters behaviour. The characters are good especially Ruby, she’s amazing, strong, clever and doggedly determined and I like the growing respect for her from Detective Blanke. The tension and intrigue builds well and intensifies like the LA heat and there are some shockingly disturbing discoveries and revelations. However, I think the ending let’s a really good story down as it feels a bit farcical and made the police look like Keystone Cops and so doesn’t entirely work for me.

Overall though, this is a well written novel with a good premise that unfolds well. It depicts the time with accuracy, setting it into the context of the times as well as with events in LA.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books Manila Press for te arc for an honest review.

Against the backdrop of 1959 civil rights and woman's rights, a young black cleaner finds her white employer missing and a blood soaked kitchen.
I liked the fact that the chapters were narrated by different people, giving differing perspectives of the attitudes of the time.
This is not only a gripping thriller, but a history lesson into attitudes held in 1950's America. The characters are not without their flaws, but what I found most interesting was the interaction between the disgraced policeman and an aspirational black woman cleaner.
Lots of topics for discussion.

Really enjoyed this book but realising the racism people had had to put up with was really distressing even though I knew it happened! Will be Recommending to friends

I did enjoy this book. Twists & turns, with plenty going on. What happened to Joyce Haney? Blood on the kitchen floor, children left alone & no sign of where Joyce Haney is! With the help of Ruby, the negro help, the police look for clues to what happended that afternoon. Recommended read.

I'm honestly not sure if I can put my love of this book into words but I'm going to try my very best. This is a story of deception, love, race and a million other things all rolled into one. Within 20 pages I was hooked, and I really do mean hooked to the point that I could not think of anything else. This is an incredibly well written story which is paced perfectly and every single line is necessary for the story, there's not an ounce of time wasting. Vesper has a talent that I don't come across often in my reading but it really is extraordinary. Trust me when I say, you NEED to read this book.

Really loved this book and felt the author gave a great picture of America in that era. Ruby was my favourite character and vividly drawn. I felt very deeply about the awful ‘idyllic’ lives of the whites women and the discrimination of Ruby and coloured people in general. Having said that Ruby shone through as a better person throughout.
I would recommend this book wholeheartedly to all and would love to read further books by this author.

Set in California just after the Korean War, a woman goes missing in the picture perfect suburb of Sunny lakes.

Newly transplanted from Brooklyn, Detective Michael Blanke must overcome the prejudices of his boss and the local dignitaries to solve the disappearance.

Underneath, all is not as perfect as it seems......

A stunning debut novel from Inga Vesper.

Oh but that was sneakily enjoyable! I was convinced I knew the how and the why but when the reveal came I was completely off track, I am going to blame the potted plant incident.

Highly recommended read for a foggy afternoons reading.

Loved this book, cannot recommend it highly enough, it was atmospheric, I could imagine the setting vividly and it was so well written. I looked forward to reading it each day, and it also kept me guessing back and forth right up until the end.
Set in 1959, Sunnylakes housewife Joyce Haney disappears, leaving behind a pool of blood and two terrified babies. Ruby, the family help teams up with the detective in charge, uncovering distressing and illicit family secrets.
I look forward to more from this author.

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

I was pulled into this story just from the cover alone. It’s 1959 in California, and a housewife disappears with only a blood stained kitchen floor left behind.
I really enjoyed the story being told from different points of view. The detective was a little slow off the mark, but he got there in the end. Ruby’s character was well written and I would love to know more about her life from that point forward.
Books set in the 50s and 60s reminds me how thankful I am to have been born when I was.
Highly recommended debut from Inga Vesper.

This excellent book tells the story of a disappeared housewife in 1960s America. The way women and black people were treated then makes me so glad to live today and not 60 years ago. Ruby is a fantastic young black woman, who as the ‘help’ reminds me of the book of the same name. Her courageous independent streak is a joy. The social history background is as much part of the story as the investigation. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'The Long, Long Afternoon.

This was an enjoyable read and interestingly, the story was told from the point of view of different characters. I particularly enjoyed the 'voice' of Ruby, the cleaner and the hero of the story in my mind. It was interesting to read of the lives of the suburban Californian women with too much time on their hands.

I was wooed by this striking cover and the publisher's blurb, expecting a mystery with a literary sensibility and a strong take on social issues. It's nicely written but feels quite generic, with lots of interviews by the investigating detective that don't really go anywhere.
I like both crime and literary fiction but for me it doesn't have sufficient pace for a crime fan, and the characterisation and themes aren't nuanced enough for a literary reader. I also had to go back and check the blurb to know when it was set, as it didn't have a strong sense of the period, beyond the usual 50s tropes of suburban women. DNF

A very enjoyable read. The book succeeds (for me at least) in describing the racial hate and discrimination in the USA in the early sixties.
You are never certain what has happened to Joyce - disappearance or murder but Ruby, the cleaner, and Mick, the detective form an unexpected alliance and through them what happened becomes clear.
The ending, another Hollywood style ending, is well written.
As you progress through the book what happens becomes clearer and for once I was able to work out the ending before the ending!
Still a very good read.