Snow Hill

By: Mark Sanderson

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Mark Sanderson does for the 30s what Jake Arnott did for 60s London – vividly revealing its hidden underworld in an unforgettably gripping crime novel.

"Friday, 18 December, 1936. I went to my funeral this morning…"

So begins the diary of Johnny Steadman, an ambitious reporter on London's Fleet Street. When he gets a tip-off about a Snow Hill policeman's death he thinks he's found the scoop that will make his career. Trouble is, no-one at the station seems to know anything about it … or they're not telling.

Johnny's one lead takes him to the meat market at Smithfield where he encounters violent death close up and personal. Undaunted by this chilling message, his investigation drags him deep into a web of corruption that reaches further than he could ever have imagined.

Johnny must risk everything to save his closest friend and expose the ruthless killer at the heart of this dark story. But to bring them to justice he must first go undercover. Six feet undercover. After all, a dead man cannot be tried for murder…

©2010 HarperCollins Publishers Limited (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

‘Snow Hill is a dashing and compelling addition to the distinguished file of the London crime and punishment novel’ Melvyn Bragg

'Powerfully atmospheric. A compelling journey into the dark heart of the Square Mile’ Jake Arnott

‘A stunningly clever debut. Located in time and style somewhere between John Buchan’s 1910s and Jake Arnott’s 1960s. In a brilliant plot, incredibly paced and acutely narrated, Sanderson hints wryly that there’s never been such a thing as a “straight” policeman’ Ben Summerskill, Chief Executive of Stonewall

Reviews for WRONG ROOMS, A MEMOIR:

‘Elegantly written, darkly honest yet delicately illuminated by hope’ Jake Arnott

‘Sanderson's writing soars as the subject matter darkens… extraordinary’ Independent on Sunday

‘I cannot remember when I last read anything that moved me as deeply as this incredibly brave and honest memoir… I recommend this extraordinary book most highly’ Sunday Telegraph

‘You will read this book with a lump in your throat. It is one of the most moving I have ever read’ Sunday Times

‘Deeply moving… powerful’ The Times

‘Brilliant… A beautiful book’ Julie Burchill

‘’Wrong Rooms’ has real power. It has authenticity and yet it grips like fiction’ Melvyn Bragg

Fairly gripping tale but....

Any additional comments?

Jonathan Keeble is an excellent narrator and I would definitely look for him again. He managed to give distinctive voices to many different characters.

Speaking of characters, there are some good ones in this book and overall, I enjoyed it. There are enough twists and turns to the plot to keep one guessing for a little while at least.

What let it down for me was the "bad guy," who is over the top. Without giving away any of the plot, I am more intrigued by fairly average people who perpetrate crimes and the exploration thereof rather than truly evil beings.



As a head's up for those who, like me, have a low threshold of tolerance for cruelty, the story explores the world of male prostitutes and there is brutality and violence involved.