Tell Me How It Ends (Longlisted For The Hwa Gold Crown Award

Description: Tell Me How It Ends : Sixties glamour meets film noir in a gripping drama of long-buried secrets and dark revenge 'A spellbinding read ... the glamour of early Sixties showbiz' LOUISE CANDLISH 'Mesmerising and powerful ... an extraordinary sense of time and place' ELLY GRIFFITHS 'A stylish and page-turning mystery' RACHEL HORE 'Gripping ... her portrait of Sixties London is terrific' ELIZABETH BUCHAN LONGLISTED FOR THE HWA GOLD CROWN AWARD 2021 Set in Sixties London, a gripping drama of past secrets revealed, of manipulation and revenge for fans of Daphne du Maurier and noir movies like All About Eve and A Star is Born Delia Maxwell is an international singing sensation, an icon of 1950s glamour who is still riding high on the new 60s scene. Adored by millions, all men want to be with her, all women want to be her. But one woman wants it maybe a little too much... Lily Brooks has watched Delia all her life, studying her music and her on-stage mannerisms. Now she has a dream job as Delia's assistant - but is there more to her attachment than the admiration of a fan? Private investigator Frank is beginning to wonder. As Lily steps into Delia's spotlight, and Delia encourages her ambitious protegee, Frank's suspicions of Lily's ulterior motives increase. But are his own feelings for Delia clouding his judgement? The truth is something far darker: the shocking result of years of pain and rage, rooted in Europe's darkest hour. If Delia thought she had put her past behind her, she had better start watching her back. Review: Mesmerising and powerful, with an extraordinary sense of time and place and characters you will never forget -- Elly Griffiths A stylish and page-turning mystery with dark secrets at its core * Rachel Hore * I loved this elegant and enthralling novel, with its clever shades of All About Eve and A Star is Born. Beneath the surface glamour of early-Sixties showbiz, the devastating personal histories of Delia, Lily and Frank continue to haunt and torment them. Who, if any, will triumph? A spellbinding read * Louise Candlish * Delia, the heroine of V.B. Grey's gripping and subtle novel is a fabulous study in ambivalence, guilt and yearning, and her portrait of Sixties London ... is terrific' * Elizabeth Buchan * A nuanced and moving portrait of ambition, manipulation, and the emotional havoc created by those unable to escape the past, set against the heady, soon-to-be-lost glamour of early 1960s showbiz * Laura Wilson * Tell Me How It Ends is a gorgeously written novel which evokes the atmosphere and glamour of old Hollywood while including utterly modern themes. Best enjoyed with a dry martini and some jazz on the (vinyl) record player * Sinead Crowley * With clear homages to film noir, this intriguing read will grip you from the start * Woman & Home * Takes elements of classic mystery novels with the glamour and pizzazz of celebrity and turns both on their heads. Captivating * Woman's Way * With obvious debts to both A Star is Born and All About Eve, this is the full-on book equivalent of a classic Hollywood "woman's picture" * Sunday Times Crime Club * Clever, generous and imaginative, this is an excellent crime novel * Literary Review * Inspired by women-centred narratives and the noir thrillers of the 40s and 50s, Grey invites readers into a glamorous, dark world of ambition, manipulation and revenge * Culture Fly * With clear homages to film noir, this intriguing and nostalgic read will grip you from the beginning * Woman's Own * Delia, the heroine of V B Grey's gripping and subtle novel, is a fabulous study in ambivalence, guilt and yearning, and her portrait of Sixties London - a melting pot for the war-damaged, the ambitious, as well as the decent - is terrific -- Elizabeth Buchan Author Biography: V. B. Grey is a television screenwriter whose credits include Jimmy McGovern's BAFTA award-winning Accused: Tina's Story as well as over thirty-five episodes of Midsomer Murders, Casualty, Rosemary and Thyme, The Bill and Wycliffe. She has also written non-fiction and been a magazine editor and freelance journalist. Her previous novels, written under the name Isabelle Grey, include two psychological thrillers, The Bad Mother and Out Of Sight as well as four books in the DI Grace Fisher series, Good Girls Don't Die, Shot Through the Heart,The Special Girls and Wrong Way Home. Her first novel written under the name V. B. Grey, Tell Me How It Ends, was published to great acclaim. She grew up in Manchester and now lives in north London.