For Sam, the dazzling optimism of 1931 dims when from the rain-slicked East End, emerges Rotti Michaels, kosher butcher and part-time hoodlum. Rotti makes an offer Sam cannot refuse: if Pearl, the daughter Sam didn't know he had, is going to stay a secret from the people who matter, Rotti's silence will be very expensive.
But Sam's kindly old father Gabe is assaulted, as Sam's family become unwittingly entangled with the underworld villains brought into their comfortable north London world by Rotti Michaels. Worse still, behind the butcher is Pearl's cousin, the gangster Abner, whose strange passions threaten Sam, his family, perhaps even Pearl herself.
As the lies spool further and darker, and Sam fights to be the father he should be, how many people must suffer the consequences of his mistakes?
But Sam's kindly old father Gabe is assaulted, as Sam's family become unwittingly entangled with the underworld villains brought into their comfortable north London world by Rotti Michaels. Worse still, behind the butcher is Pearl's cousin, the gangster Abner, whose strange passions threaten Sam, his family, perhaps even Pearl herself.
As the lies spool further and darker, and Sam fights to be the father he should be, how many people must suffer the consequences of his mistakes?
A thrilling London noir story in the tradition of Alec Baron with the close observational instinct of Patrick Hamilton, The Teeth of Beasts by B.B. Vos is a fast-paced tale of secrets, betrayal and implacable hatreds. The plot is sped on by realistic, often humorous dialogue. But there is an ever-present sense that 'the lights are about to go out' for all concerned. Huge amounts of period research are applied with a light touch, enhancing the atmosphere rather than impeding the reader's progress. The book is set against contrasting London landscapes during the 1930s, and there is some violence and description of crime.