‘Humorous and vivid recreation of a slice of London life in the mid-20th century. This is a wonderfully funny book with some hilarious set pieces. At the same time it has a dark side, reminding one of Evelyn Waugh or Kingsley Amis at their best. Among the memorable cast of characters are the vicious yet somehow deeply human “Sam the Stick”, “Fancy-Goods Harry” who is having it off with a shoe-shop saleswoman, and at the heart of things Benny Pomeranski, a bookloving gangster whose relationships with his wife and mistress counterpoint one another. Among the real-life quasi-celebrities who make appearances are the racing tipster ‘”Prince” Manololo and the “last woman to be hanged in England”, Ruth Ellis. Jacobs excels in keen social observation of a slice of London low life a generation ago and in the dialogue with precisely relayed Jewish argot and West Indian tones of speech. My novel of the year!’