[Michael McKenna 03] • The House of Women

Lonely, ageing and chronically ill, Ned Jones is found dead on sweltering summer afternoon in his rooms.

Everyone assumes he died of natural causes.

But after the post-mortem suggests otherwise, Detective Chief Inspector Michael McKenna and his team become involved.

In search of Ned's killer, McKenna visits the house of Edith Harris, where Ned lodged.

But fragile, neurotic Edith and her three enigmatic daughters – Annie, Mina and Phoebe – spring one surprise after another on McKenna.

Slowly, McKenna begins to unravel a story of scholarship and greed, deceit and twisted loyalties, where the sins of the past, as well as the present, are avenged on innocent and guilty alike…

'The House of Women' is a mesmerising crime thriller that is perfect for fans of Nicci French, Aline Templeton and Elizabeth George.

Praise for Alison Taylor

‘With her third novel, The House of Women, Alison Taylor confirms her place among the new stars of British crimewriting. A far from straightforward investigation into a suspicious death reveals a history of obsession and long-held hatred, with an intriguing cast of characters, which again includes the compassionate and personable DCI Michael McKenna . . . a complex and challenging book.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Careful, complex, intelligent . . . unusually for a detective story, it is the characterisation and the writing, even more than the plot, that hold the attention’ Guardian

‘This slow-paced thriller set in Wales turns the screw tightly on its characters. A murder investigation draws DCI McKenna into close contact with the victim’s family . . . Deep in the Bala hills a crumbling farmhouse yields up its secrets’ Mail on Sunday

‘With this dark and involving tale, Taylor stands up to be counted alongside the best of British crime writers today’ Ideal Home

‘Eerie and unforgettable’ Prima

‘Definitely an author to watch’ Yorkshire Post

‘Billed as a crime novel, Alison Taylor’s The House of Women is all that and more . . . McKenna’s quest for the truth is just one strand in Taylor’s narrative, which is also rich with the detail of an historical Welsh landscape and the world of letters . . . A novel teeming with intelligence’ Image

‘If you love Minette Walters, check out Taylor. She shows scary insight into human frailty in this gripping story’ Peterborough Evening Telegraph

‘Taylor unravels a tale of stupidity, greed, deceit, twisted loyalties and past sins which keeps the reader gripped until the end’ Newcastle Evening Chronicle

Alison Taylor has lived in North Wales for many years. She held senior childcare posts with the former Gwynedd County Council. She has been instrumental in exposing institutional child abuse, and in 1996 won the Campaign for Freedom of Information Award in this area. Her interests include classical and baroque music, art and writing.

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