Set in the 1920s, we learn of the societal expectations women faced, what choices they had, how they were unfairly judged and treated… and the devastating effects that had. Bea had a rich and happy life. She had people who cared for her, people who would miss her when she waas dead. Other Women was born from a fury that the life she created for herself could be so entirely destroyed, and from a determination that she would not be forgotten. Based upon a true life crime which took place in London during the 1920’s Other Women is told from the perspective of two women, the wife and the lover brought together by devastating circumstances. A fast paced plot, told in a hugely readable and compelling writing style, I raced through this one.

This was a fascinating novel about women in the 1920s, what choices they had, their vulnerability and what freedom really meant. It is 1923 and a country is in mourning. Thousands of husbands, fathers, sons and sweethearts were lost in the war, millions more returned home wounded and forever changed. From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! Our servers are getting hit pretty hard right now. To continue shopping, enter the characters as they are shown

Other Women

Heartbreaking. I wanted it to go on and on, even as I raced to the end. Excellent, absorbing and totally gripping. -- Melanie Golding, author of The Replacements

Then there is Kate. A wife and a mother. Living the 1920s dream. Isn’t that what every woman wants? But if you ripple the surface you will find things are far from perfect. And eventually the dream will become a nightmare as these two women become connected in a way they could never begin to imagine. Emma Flint has cleverly structured this story so that the reader is aware of the murder trial from the beginning. Both Bea and Kate's voices are strong and readers will empathise with both of them. As Kate slowly allows herself to realise what she's been trying to hide for years, and Bea's delight and happiness begins to fade, the story becomes quite harrowing and utterly devastating. I was also completely swept along by how authentic the historical setting felt, without ever once questioning how it was being done, such was the lightness of touch. No spoilers, but I feel I can also say that this novel has the best use of an author's note I've ever seen. For two days now, this has been one of the first things I've thought about on waking. Beatrice Cade is an orphan, unmarried and childless. After her brother's death, she decides to make a new life for herself. She takes a room in a Bloomsbury ladies' club and a job in the City. But just when her new world is starting to take shape, a fleeting encounter threatens to ruin everything.There is some spice towards the end with the detection of a damning piece of evidence and the disclosure that Tom raped his wife at the age of 15 (though this does not have any bearing on or any airing during the court proceedings). Fans of historical crime fiction will love this book, with Emma Flint bringing the past to life in fine style. But Other Women should appeal any fan of tightly plotted and well conceived crime writing. It has the ability to pull the reader in right from the start, and keeps up that momentum right to the very end. Like Two Storm Wood by Philip Gray, one of my top five books of 2022, it beautifully, chillingly, portrays life in the aftermath of World War I – and like Two Storm Wood, I’m thinking about it still. I really enjoyed this book. Based on a real-life murder that took place just after WWI, 'Other Women' tells the story of two women's lives and the fatal love triangle that consumed them. This is a meticuously well written historical crime thriller, that focuses on characterisation and gives a voice to ordinary and forgotten women from history. But Beatrice Cade is not a wife, not a widow, not a mother. There are thousands of other women like her: nameless and invisible. Determined to carve out a richer and more fulfilling life for herself, Bea takes a job in the City and a room in a Bloomsbury ladies’ club. Then a fleeting encounter changes everything. Her emerging independence is destroyed when she falls in love for the first time. Other Women is compelling and twisty, and wonderfully suspenseful, and yet still full of empathy for the female characters. -- Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground

Kate is also in her thirties and also works in an office. However, she's a proud mother and wife. Married for thirteen years, with a young daughter, Kate is proud of her family and her house in a middle class area of London. As we read more, it soon becomes clear what has happened, but there are two different stories coming out as we see the trial unfold. We learn about societal expectations of the time as we follow Bea’s story – as an unmarried, older woman she feels judged at every turn, and I really felt for her. Similarly, I had a lot of empathy with Kate and was glad the book ended the way it did (when I was reading the novel, I didn’t at that point realise this was based on a true story. When I found this out, it only added more to my interest!) Emma Flint’s portrayal of this determined, lonely woman is excellent. The reader appreciates both her vulnerability, given the power of Tom’s attraction over her, and her bravery as she resolutely stands up to this confident man in a way that no other woman has ever done. Ironically, it is this bravery which eventually inspires her rival to do the same. Kate comes to the conclusion that, whilst it suits the press and the public to see Bea as a seductress, ‘…she did not seduce Tom, any more than I seduced him when I was fifteen and green as grass. She is not capable of seducing anyone – but this is all anyone will know about her.’ When I started writing Other Women, I was in my early forties. I was single and financially independent, with a career I loved, friends, hobbies, ambitions, dreams. The woman who inspired the character of Beatrice Cade was around my age and she had all these things too – yet she risked every one of them for a relationship with a man she knew was married and unavailable.Based on a true story, it tells the stories of two women in the life of handsome & dashing, Thomas Ryan - his wife, Kate, and his mistress, Bea. Alternating between the two, it is gripping, fast paced, and full of intrigue - you’ll not want to put it down. The tension that builds is palpitation-worthy. This novel depicts the societal expectations and pressures placed on unattached women despite the rise of working women in the wake of WWI. Their lives of "freedom" we're still seen as unsatisfactory and they were vulnerable to judgement about their character and appearance. Almost one in three women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime1. It is estimated that three women commit suicide each week in the UK alone as a result of domestic violence2. And 40 per cent of homeless women in the UK state that domestic violence is a contributing factor to their homelessness2. What a beautifully written, riveting historical novel Other Women is – based on a true case, which makes it all the more interesting! This riveting read is based on a true story which seems to add an extra dimension. I love the way it’s written with the tone changing as the novel progresses as our understanding of events and both women deepens. At the beginning we view a trial and it’s drama is captured in sharp, staccato, snappy sentences matching the eager anticipation of those about to devour the proceedings. As the trial progresses the morality of the times clarifies and the position of women in the 1920’s is made transparent with male control especially seen in the all male jury. The tone here is judgemental and harsh though via Kate there are some small shoots of change. In the early sections of the book there’s plenty of colour but this changes as events unfold and things take a darker turn. This constantly changing tone keeps you interested and utterly absorbed making it a hard book to put down.