An enjoyable yet penetrating read, one that can lull you into a false sense of security before it jabs and stings at your awareness. A mystery sits centre stage, yet there is much more on offer here than may first appear. Set in the 60’s, the fabulous descriptive detailing ensures you are set firmly not only in the place, but also the time. This story feels like a tapestry of different threads that are slowly twisting together to create one intense and vibrant picture. There is a subtlety at play here, the story can float in different directions before it blasts your thoughts aside in a hit of raw, flinch-inducing reality. I loved the echoes of disappointment and hope that brought ‘Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars’ to life, this really is a rather lovely and engaging read. ~ Liz Robinson
How do you find a missing actress in a city where everyone's playing a role? A mystery, a love-story and a darkly beguiling tale of secrets and reinvention set in 1960s London. Soho, 1965. In a tiny two-bed flat above a Turkish cafe on Neal Street lives Anna Treadway, a young dresser at the Galaxy Theatre. When the American actress Iolanthe Green disappears after an evening's performance at the Galaxy, the newspapers are wild with speculation about her fate. But as the news grows old and the case grows colder, it seems Anna is the only person left determined to find out the truth. Her search for the missing actress will take her into an England she did not know existed: an England of jazz clubs and prison cells, backstreet doctors and seaside ghost towns, where her carefully calibrated existence will be upended by violence but also, perhaps, by love. For in order to uncover Iolanthe's secrets, Anna is going to have to face up to a few of her own...
'A fabulous depiction of a London where the 'Swinging Sixties' hides a darker more complicated story of prejudice and struggle. I loved the strong women and evocative writing from an author offering more questions than clues' Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Author
About Miranda Emmerson
Miranda Emmerson is a playwright and author living in Wales. She has written numerous drama adaptations for BBC Radio 4 as well as some highly-acclaimed original drama. Miss Treadway & The Field of Stars is her first novel.
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