February, 1926. The city of London is tense in the days leading up to The General Strike. Evelyn Gifford, (protagonist of THE CRIMSON ROOMS) has now qualified as a solicitor – and is one of the first women to do so – but her life remains full of conflict. Embroiled in two new cases, Evelyn finds herself encountering both sides of the strike. A young maid is accused of a stealing a letter and as Evelyn becomes involved with her family, she finds a brother deeply involved in the unions and a father whose temper threatens to destroy everything. Her other case could not be more different – an aristocrat whose husband, a factory owner and money man, claims not to be the father of her child.
When Evelyn’s beloved grandmother dies, her aunt takes off on a tour of India and Meredith journeys to the south of France, Evelyn finds herself very much alone. But not for long – an unexpected proposal coincides with the return of a former love and Evelyn must ask herself what matters most – security or passion. She also discovers a secret hidden in her mother’s past – a mystery that throws a very different light on the cases she is investigating.
Read by Harriet Carmichael
(p) 2014 Orion Publishing Group
When Evelyn’s beloved grandmother dies, her aunt takes off on a tour of India and Meredith journeys to the south of France, Evelyn finds herself very much alone. But not for long – an unexpected proposal coincides with the return of a former love and Evelyn must ask herself what matters most – security or passion. She also discovers a secret hidden in her mother’s past – a mystery that throws a very different light on the cases she is investigating.
Read by Harriet Carmichael
(p) 2014 Orion Publishing Group
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Reviews
The author of The Crimson Rooms returns with this sequel, a Mitford-style 1920s thriller.
No matter the era, professional women always struggle to balance that old chestnut - love versus a career. If you think you've got it bad now, just imagine living in the 1920s and being one of the first women to qualify as a solicitor...
I'm hooked by Evelyn and those around her and I love the sense of the period. Katharine McMahon is a great storyteller.
You'll immediately fall for Evelyn, the lead girl in The Woman in the Picture...
Evelyn is a brave, intelligent character, especially given the sexism of the times, and you will find yourself rooting for her and the people she defends.
This novel's skilfully crafted atmosphere draws the reader in from the first page, and the protagonist's compassion for the people she defends is impressive. The cases she becomes embroiled in are interesting, but the love story is the most gripping part. McMahon is a talented writer whose twists will keep you turning pages. It can be easy to forget that not so long ago, women were still fighting to be taken granted in the workplace 0 this book reminds us it was not in vain.
The roaring 20s are brought fizzingly to life in Katharine McMahon's The Woman in the Picture. This elegant story about a feisty young woman torn between head and heart is absorbing and atmospheric.
McMahon juggles her many plotlines with such skill...A richly entertaining yarn.
This great, heart-stopping page-turned is the sequel to the wonderful The Crimson Rooms.. ....private and professional struggles play themselves out against the canvas of a wider social conflict, the 1926 General Strike; and the novel fairly steams with boiled-wool period atmosphere. McMahon is the mistress of telling contrasts, and of charged, passionate and beautifully crafted prose.