A chilling little crime novel with two female leads, set in post-war London. ( )

On The Edge by Peter Lovesey
3★'s
From The Book:
Soon after World War II, two former co-workers in the operations room of a Royal Air Force squadron meet in the street. Their lives have diverged dramatically but each wants to get rid of her husband. And so a mutual-assistance pact is made. Rose and Antonia had a good war. As WAAF plotters they had all the excitement and independence of a difficult and fulfilling job, and all the fun of being two women on an RAF base. But peacetime is a disappointment. Rose’s war-hero husband has turned brutal out. Antonia, bored with her rich manufacturer, wants to move to America with her lover. But what are plotters for, if not to plot? Antonia’s ruthless scheme would give them what they both want. If Rose doesn’t lose her nerve, they could get away with murder.

My Thoughts:
I can't actually say that it was a great book but it had some very good historical elements and a story that is reminiscent of Strangers on a train. The book was turned into a British TV movie... Dead Gorgeous that was broadcast on the PBS Mystery series. Of the two women Rose Bell was the much more interesting as the reader watches her evolve from an innocent to an accomplice in a murder. Not exactly what i would label a mystery but it does hold a great deal of intrigue. I love the opening paragraph..."Smiling serenely in the September sun, Rose Bell strolled along Regent Street. Mentally she was miles away, having her husband neutered like the cat." Now how could you not continue reading after that? ( )

This is an old style English murder mystery. What makes it old style? Well, it was set in the period immediately after WWII, in London. Other than that I don't quite know. Perhaps it was because it was more of psychological a character study than an action packed drama.

This book started out very slow for me. It is primarily about two unhappily married women, in London, immediately after WWII. Neither of them are appealing characters, both are self centered. I read a couple of chapters and then I put it down for a couple of weeks. I just picked it up again a few days ago and coincidentally it became more interesting. One of the women becomes slightly more sympathetic because she starts asserting herself instead of just letting things happen. Things become more intense and more screwball right up to the very end.

The story ends just as the whole thing is about to unravel. I would really like to read the story of the subsequent trial, if someone were to write it. ( )

When Rosie Bell meets up with Antonia, an old friend from her WWII days where both served as "plotters," she unwittingly becomes part of Antonia's scheming. Both women would like to be free of their husbands, but Antonio has decided to take matters into her own hands. A fun read with atmosphere. ( )