Summer 1931 in seedy Bayswater and James Ross is on his uppers. An aspiring writer whose stories nobody will buy, with a landlady harassing him for unpaid rent, he is reduced to selling caprpet-cleaning lotion door-to-door. His prospects brighen when he meets the glamorous Susie, but their relationship turns out to be a source of increasing bafflement - not least when he discovers a picture of her boss, the mysterious Mr Rasmussen, in Police News...

'A beautifully crafted and atmospheric slice of pre-war noir'  -  Henry Sutton, Daily Mirror

'Written with a splendid and captivating assurance'  -  Allan Massie, Scotsman

'Engaging, cheerful, opportunist James Ross. You won't forget him or the London he frequents for a long time after closing the book'  -  Susan Hill, Literary Review