The Second-last Woman in England

South Kensington, London, 1953. Mrs Harriet Wallis is found guilty of the murder of her husband, Cecil, and becomes the second-last woman in England to be hanged. From this dramatic beginning, the story moves back a year and, detail by detail, the events that culminate in the demise of a wealthy and happy family are revealed. It was one year earlier that the new nanny arrived, a woman who is still recovering from the death of her entire family when a V2 rocket struck their East London home. It was a year ago, too, that the Wallises received a visit from police officers investigating shady dealings at Cecil's shipping firm, casting doubts on Cecil's reputation and traditional code of behaviour. It was a year ago that Harriet's life is first thrown into turmoil by the reappearance of a man she did not expect to ever see again and for whose safety she is gravely concerned. Set in a post-war period when a well-to-do British family's existence - both outside and inside the house -...