Queens of London by Heather Webb

 

My thoughts

By the author of THE NEXT SHIP HOME and THREE WORDS FOR GOODBYE. Heather Webb is a very good author. I read and enjoy both of those. THE NEXT SHIP HOME was my favorite of hers.

This is the story of three women and a little girl. Each play a very important role in this book.

Alice Diamond is the Queen of London's streets. The infamous leader of a gang of female thieves called The Forty Elephants. They are notorious for the things they steal and resale. But they tend to get away with it a lot. While some do get caught and spend time along with hard labor, mostly they do manage to get away. Alice does not put up with anything from her girls either. They must remain loyal and be there for each other. Sometimes that doesn't happen and she has to dole out punishment. She always defends her girls though and even strangers if they need her help. 

Lilian Wyles is a female detective who wants nothing more than to move up in her field. To be respected by her fellow coworkers and her boss. She's one of a few female officers and she wants her break to prove she's up for the job. She's after Alice. If she can bring her down she will have proven herself. Also there is the young girl Hira Wickham who is missing. She is out to find her also. To rescue her from the streets and return her to her Uncle Clyde. She has no idea why Hira ran away but she will find out.

Dorothy McBride is a sales girl at the department store where The Forty Elephants do a lot of their stealing. She wants to be taken seriously. She designs clothes but does not have the courage to show them to anyone but her mother. She's been dating the boss. I saw the outcome of that coming right off. I liked Dorothy and thought she was a very bright young woman. She has a heart and deserves good things.

Hira Wickham was living with her uncle. He was not a kind man but didn't hit her either. Hira wanted nothing more than to be loved. She wanted her parents. When Uncle Clyde told her she was to be sent away she ran. She had nowhere to go and didn't know anyone but she learned quickly how to survive. She found a true friend in a dirty little pup she named Biscuit. Because he loved biscuits. In a round about way she joined Alice's gang. Alice was not cruel but she also was not that kind either. 

This story is based on an actual gang set in London and known as The Forty Elephants lead by Alice. A lot of it really happened but some did not. Some of the characters are actual people from that time and others are not. Dorothy and Hira and Biscuit are fictional but also the most lovable of characters. I really admired Dorothy. She finally stood up for herself and made a decision that was best for her. She was kind to Hira always and even treated Biscuit very well. I didn't much care for Alice. I thought she was petty with certain things. It was good how she took up for women in distress but not so good how she treated people in general. She had a hard life and was abused by her dad but that should have taught her a bit of compassion too. I liked Detective Wyles for the most part. She was just trying to make her mark in the world of men. And do her job. 

This book was a fun read though at times had me holding my breath. I feared for Hira a lot but she was a very resilient little girl. The story is well written and you will learn some things from it. At least I did. I had no idea about female gangs in that era. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #HeatherWebb, #SourceBooksLandmark for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4/5 stars and a high recommendation.

About

"Looting, lying, and the letter of the  Queens of London delivers a rollicking ride through the criminal underbelly of post-WWI London. Gritty at times and tender at others, Queens of London unmasks the most lawless—and likeable—gang of women you've never heard of." 

--Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

Maybe women can have it all, as long as they're willing to steal it.

1925. London. When Alice Diamond, AKA "Diamond Annie," is elected the Queen of the Forty Elephants, she's determined to take the all-girl gang to new heights. She's ambitious, tough as nails, and a brilliant mastermind, with a plan to create a dynasty the likes of which no one has ever seen. Alice demands absolute loyalty from her "family"—it's how she's always kept the cops in line. Too bad she's now the target for one of Britain's first female policewomen.

Officer Lilian Wyles isn't merely one of the first female detectives at Scotland Yard, she's one of the best detectives on the force. Even so, she'll have to win a big score to prove herself, to break free from the "women's work" she's been assigned. When she hears about the large-scale heist in the works to fund Alice's new dynasty, she realizes she has the chance she's been looking for—and the added bonus of putting Diamond Annie out of business permanently.

A tale of dark glamour and sisterhood, Queens of London is a look at Britain's first female crime syndicate, the ever-shifting meaning of justice, and the way women claim their power by any means necessary, from USA Today bestselling author Heather Webb.