Book: The Girl at my Door
Author: Rebecca Griffiths
Pub Day: Sept 23rd 2021
About the Book:
London, 1949. On the dark streets of Soho, a killer is waiting in the shadows. Inspired by the true crime story of the Rillington Place murders comes a chilling re-telling of one of Britain’s most infamous serial killers. Queenie Osbourne is the talk of London. Rising to fame as a singer after the Second World War, she is about to head to New York to make her fortune. On the surface John Reginald Christie is an ordinary man. By day he wonders the bustling city streets. By night he is entertained by Queenie and her band. He is always searching for prey. Soon a young waitress named Joy catches his eye and his dangerous obsession begins. Joy is preparing to wed Charles Gilchrist, one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. But Queenie has always held a flame for him and the spark between them is obvious. When Queenie commits the ultimate betrayal against Joy, she knows her bright future is at risk. With nowhere else to turn, there is only one man who can help her. But Queenie has no idea of the dark secrets which lie behind the door of 10 Rillington Place. As Christie watches her approaching, will he risk everything for his highest-profile victim yet? Blending the real life story of notorious serial killer John Reginald Christie with a fictionalised cast of characters, this thrilling mystery is perfect for fans of Gregg Olsen, Louise Douglas and Jess Lourey.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Girl At My Door' by Rebecca Griffiths.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Rebecca Griffiths, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 23rd September 2021.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Gregg Olsen, Louise Douglas and Jess Lourey will be hooked. .' I am a fan of Gregg Olsen so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 70 chapters and a postscript. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in London and Dorset, England 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧 . I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. I have actually visited London on several occasions and am visiting again in November. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Queenie Osbourne. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
'The Girl At My Door' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Rebecca discusses/includes rape, sexual assault and murder.
I want to start by saying I would class this more of a historical crime drama than a thriller as it was quite a slow burner. I was absolutely intrigued with the history included in this book and enjoyed stepping into the past into the dark ages of London. The storyline itself is a mix of crime drama and historical and I like the fact that it is based on a true story as I always enjoy learning more about history. It was quite suspenseful and filled with crime, blackmail, prostitution, romance and definitely heartbreak!! It shows how the acts of two selfish people can destroy the lives of many. The book is focused more on Queenie than in the killer Christie which is a bit of a shame as although I was repelled by what he did to these women and to Terry I was under the impression that the book would be based more on him. The author did very well with the vivid descriptions and I really could smell, see and taste the smog if London and then hear the waves crashing in Dorset.
The characters were strong, realistic and unique. I couldn't stand the creepy and murderous Christie who absolutely sickened me with not only what he was doing to women but how he tried to extort Terry. I really liked Terry and found it disgusting how people used to behave towards anyone who wasn't a straight white male or female or even unmarried pregnant woman. I would love to say how far we've come but there is still sadly too much prejudice in this world. I really felt for Terry especially after what happened with Malcolm. I absolutely adored Joy who was an animal lover and bookworm. I found it so sweet that she fed the pigeons and absolutely hated Queenie for what she did to her. I was absolutely heartbroken for Joy and for what happened in the end.
Overall a crime filled historical novel based on fact that is shocking and heartbreaking.
Genres covered in this book include Crime, Mystery and Historical Mystery amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of history of London.
379 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@RebeccaGriffiths @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio
Rebecca Griffiths grew up in mid-Wales and went on to gain a first class honours degree in English Literature. After a successful business career in London, Dublin and Scotland she returned to rural mid-Wales where she lives with her husband, a prolific artist, their four black rescue cats, two pet sheep the size of sofas and writes full time.
Social Media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rebeccagriffit7
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0992HXJ97social
Apple: http://ow.ly/vWzS50FtL1K
Kobo: http://ow.ly/IgN550FtL0t
Google: http://ow.ly/k8H750FtL49 Audible: UK: zpr.io/MKymWSAqRVTu US: zpr.io/bJ34sf86eFBW https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/the-girl-at-my-door-by-rebecca-griffiths-narrated-by-jonathan-keeble-and-daphne-kouma
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