A Walk Down Memory Lane

A Body In The Banjo by Elaine Spires is a most entertaining retro crime saga that I thoroughly enjoyed and read in just one sitting.

The story is set in Dagenham in 1958 and is focused on the small group of houses in the banjo. The houses have inter-connecting alleyways – and not much happens that isn’t viewed by at least one nosey neighbour!

One quiet Sunday morning a body is found. The neighbourhood is then awash with police and their questions.

To complement the police, forty-eight-year-old Cissy starts her amateur sleuthing. She reminded me of Miss Marple but a younger version and one who informs the police of her findings and suspicions. She is relentless in her pursuit of answers.

A Body In The Banjo is written in a very personable style. Elaine Spires ‘shows’ us the scene with her descriptions. She has perfectly captured a bygone era where life was simple and neighbours were in and out of each other’s houses and lives. Neighbourhoods gelled together.