We have been fans of Clare Whitfield since the release of her debut novel People of Abandoned Character in 2020 which blended fact and fiction as it takes place in London 1888 during the violent reign of Jack the Ripper. Our Expert Reviewer Liz Robinson called it a "powerfully descriptive and compelling historical crime novel". In her latest book Poor Girls, Whitfield takes inspiration from history once more, this time focusing on the criminal underbelly of 1920s London and a notorious female-led gang. 

We're thrilled to have had the chance to ask Clare a few questions about this latest meld of fact and fiction as well as learning more about her writing process and an insight into what's next. Read on to find out more...

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Clare Whitfield was born in 1978 in Morden (at the bottom of the Northern line) in Greater London. After university she worked at a publishing company before going on to hold various positions in buying and marketing. She now lives in Hampshire with her family. Her debut novel, People of Abandoned Character, won the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award and is also published by Head of Zeus.

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Clare, we are big fans of your writing here at LoveReading, each new book of yours becomes our favourite and that is certainly the case here. Liz Robinson commented on Poor Girls: “vividly bold and striking, 1920’s London roars to life around the Forty Elephants female crime gang in this fascinating meld of fact and fiction” and it is one of our Books of the Year. What a story! How did the idea for this story come about?

I have been intrigued by true crime stories since about the age of twelve. I’m 46 now, so back in the olden days this information only really came in the format of true crime books! In the case of The Forty Elephants, I am sure I have stumbled over brief mentions of them over the years, but the information was always scant and the coverage sparse. However, there is much more awareness of them floating around now, but why this has never been a huge story is a bit of a mystery to me. It’s got all the marks of a big story – the head of the gang during their heyday in the 1920s was a formidable woman called Queen Alice Diamond. Alice stood five-feet-nine inches at a time when the average man was five-feet-six. She wore diamonds on every finger and all the women working in the ‘The Forties’ were known for ‘putting on the posh’ and always went out dressed in diamonds and furs and full face of makeup, looking a million dollars. What a set of ready-made characters! Whether you can reconcile the morality of what they got up to or not, they were very successful and ran rings around the police. I was frustrated about the lack of exploration of their situation, and simply thought if I’m intrigued, others might be too. 

Tell us about The Forty Elephants. They’ve been described as the female peaky blinders haven’t they?

The Forty Elephants had been around for generations under the name of The Forty Thieves. They hailed from Elephant & Castle and their male relations and friends were also largely associated with the The Elephant Gang, the organised crime also from the area. The Elephant Gang had affiliations with the Brummagem Gang in Birmingham as led by the infamous Billy Kimber, who also featured in The Peaky Blinders series. Under the direction of Queen Alice Diamond, they renamed themselves as The Forty Elephants and branched out into other aspects of crime. Before it was hoisting or lifting (shoplifting) and elements of cheque fraud, but also apparently started to reach out into a bit of witness bothering, intimidation, black and extortion. Alice was clearly a bright woman and a strategic leader and, along with her second in command, Maggie Hughes, who was as tiny as Alice was tall, they enjoyed their heyday plundering the department stores of the West End. It was a well-run operation with organised rotas and districts. They even had a solicitor on retainer and paid into a subscription model to fund him. It was still a time when the majority of store detectives were male and hesitant to ‘manhandle’ a lady shoplifter. The Forties used that to their advantage. 

It’s an incredible cast of characters who we wholeheartedly fell in love with. Set in the 1920’s, Nell finds herself caught in the middle of a crime spree, and faced with the difficult decision of whether to serve, marry, or steal. What a decision! With all the research you’ve obviously undertaken, if you were faced with that decision, what route do you think you would have taken?

I would like to think facing that stark choice and in that economic situation with the limitations I had already on me as a girl I’d find the gumption to try and steal! Even if only to get some money together to fund an education into a better career. I do not have the temperament to serve, which is why I wanted to write about this. People are diverse creatures, and we aren’t all suited to do particular types of jobs often thrust upon us due to gender, class or even geography! If someone is driven and curious they simply won’t be satisfied with a life of servitude – all this energy has to go somewhere! 

We adore your story telling capabilities. You obviously thoroughly researched the history of these women and have created a thrilling and beautifully eloquent tale. Your compelling debut People of Abandoned Character was also set among history and focused on Jack the Ripper. How do you feel about creating a story that involves people who have actually lived, how do you keep their actual existence valid while blending in the fictional elements?

I try and portray people in a balanced sense and not cast them in simple terms as a goodie or baddie, as that’s not what humans ever are. We do have a tendency to look back and assume people from the past were a different species to us – simpler and with purer belief systems and ideologies – but if you read old newspapers or find personal stories from a social history perspective, you’ll soon realise the people from the past are much closer than you think! In spirit, anyway, if not in time! 

How exciting was it to write about the strength of women and how it compares to our present day?

In all honesty I didn’t think about that at all! Women are as strong as men are weak. We are all people with both elements running in a furious battle all the time. If you look back at working-class history especially, you will see evidence of very strong women simply because they had no choice other than to get up, earn a living and hold a home together while bringing up children. We have a tendency to self-congratulate ourselves for being ‘stronger’ or more advanced today. People have suggested to me in the past that I write ‘feminist’ stories, but I simply wrote stories from a female perspective. I do think we tend to have a familiar habit of expecting women to conform to our cultural expectations of what is familiar and comforting to us. For example, we are so blunted to seeing women as victims that we don’t react at another headline about a murdered woman and yet it jars with us when women are presented as perpetrators in a crime – we rush to diagnose them as mad or bad! This isn’t a reality but a cultural preference. This is why I love history! You will find all sorts of real-life characters that you didn’t even realise existed and have quietly been ignored for some inexplicable reason. 

There are two sides to this world you write about in Poor Girls: the darker side of this type of life, the danger, the sense of uncertainty. How did you balance this with the thrills and champagne lifestyle?

I try to regard it in broader terms of life and how complicated it can be to always tell right from wrong. For example, if you have been in or have experience of a toxic relationship, it wasn’t always bad. There is a perception that the bad times are a constant, but it’s more confusing. It may take years to reflect and understand the bigger picture – the fun times may outweigh the bad. I think it’s the same sort of experience and would really depend on what’s important to the individual and their own personal morality. 

Exciting and fascinating in equal measure, Poor Girls grounds itself in reality and thrusts a fist in the air for the strength and audacity of these women. We are all huge fans and will continue to wave it in front of everyone we know. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotion. There’s laughter, and tears. Was that your intention?

Yes, absolutely. What I loved about writing Poor Girls was the opportunity to show women as they really are, not simply as poor little victims who we have to feel sorry for. The camaraderie the women in the gang must have relied on. I miss that from my younger years. I miss having a group of mates, getting up to mischief and hanging out (not stealing, I might add!). I wanted to recreate that feeling of being in a team, going on adventures and having real friends who have your back. 

What’s your process as a writer?

I honestly wish I could tell you. I’ve approached each book differently, which I think is a positive as hopefully I’m learning from experience! Who knows! I plan a lot and research a lot, but partly that’s a weakness as I enjoy it. I also have a day job so I must plan my project from start to end. I find the characters tend to lead me along. I especially enjoy it when I find characters talking to me in my head – this probably isn’t reflecting well on me! 

Has there been a highlight so far on your storytelling journey and the publication of your trio of books?

I won the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award for my debut, People of Abandoned Character – that was a wonderful and unexpected experience! I have enjoyed building a small network of writer friends, which has been an enriching experience. It certainly helps the process since, as a writer, I spend a lot of time alone. I would say I’m a fairly shy person, not quiet – I merely take a while to warm up! I personally find it hard to meet people, so to have something that people feel they can talk to me about has been a big positive for me. 

What’s next?

I am working on a fourth novel. It's a historical crime and based on a toxic relationship between a violent noble woman and her people-pleasing servant who simply wants to please as a means to survive, but it gets a little bit out of control. I’m fascinated by such relationships, by power dynamics, manipulation and coercive behaviour. While we see these themes explored in romantic relationships, they are everywhere: in families and in corporate working environments – I’m trying to create the workplace from hell! In 1600s Europe! Wish me luck!