About the Book
London in the 1920 a young woman treads the path between danger and desire.
Against a backdrop of thuggish blackmail, constricting high society and the gillter of a London still fragile from the war, Edie Greenlaw is trying to decide what she wants from the world. The closer the prospect of marriage with her handsome war hero fiance becomes, the less fulfilling it seems.
Defying caution she goes to the aid of a friend and entangles herself in a dangerous demi-monde of sexual extortion and violence.
Format: Hardcover (416 pages) Publisher: Abacus
Publication date: 6th August 2026 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime
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My Review
The Millionaire Waltz was not quite what I expected based on the book description. Edie’s entanglement with the ‘dangerous demi-monde’ doesn’t take place until quite far into the novel although, to be fair, the seeds are sown when Edie becomes friends with a man, who like many others at that time, must hide his sexuality.
Much of the book focuses on Edie’s relationship with her fiance David, a successful solicitor from a wealthy family. She loves him but has growing misgivings about the prospect of marriage and what it will mean for her theatrical ambitions. Her solution is to repeatedly defer the date of the wedding, unaware of what will ensue as a result.
I admired Edie’s feisty spirit, sense of adventure and determination to retain her independence but I’m afraid I found her a largely unsympathetic character mainly because of her treatment of David. Okay, so he has rather conventional views about marriage but I didn’t think he deserved how things turned out. Rather mean-spirited of me, I know, but I wasn’t altogether unhappy about how things ended for Edie.
For me, the most enjoyable part of the book was the vivid depiction of theatre life. The struggle to get an audition, the disappointment of being turned down for parts, the succession of dismal digs when part of a touring production, the demanding directors, the petty rivalries. On the other hand there are the lifelong friendships formed, the sense of satisfaction of delivering a line perfectly, and the excitement of opening nights.
Those who’ve read the author’s previous novel, Curtain Call, will welcome the appearance of theatre critic for the Chronicle newspaper Jimmy Erskine, renowned for his often waspish reviews of West End theatre productions. The 2023 film The Critic starring Sir Ian McKellen was the author’s own adaptation of Curtain Call and I found it impossible not to picture Sir Ian whenever Jimmy appeared in the book. Another character from Curtain Call, which is set a decade or so after this book, also features in The Millionaire Waltz, and there are walk-on parts for notable figures of the period such as Ivor Novello and Noel Coward.
Edie mostly moves in privileged circles, a seemingly endless round of cocktail parties, soirees and weekend house parties. But just occasionally she gets a glimpse of the realities of life for those less fortunate than her, or those for whom the impact of the First World War is a burden they will carry for the rest of their lives.
If I’m honest I was hoping for more of the suspense and ingenuity of the author’s previous book The Mouthless Dead. Having said that The Millionaire Waltz is an engaging story, full of colourful characters which effortlessly captures the milieu of 1920s London.
I received an uncorrected proof copy courtesy of Abacus. The Millionaire Waltz is book 13 of my 20 Books of Summer.
In three words: Entertaining, evocative, spirited
Try something similar: A Little London Scandal by Miranda Emmerson
About the Author
Anthony Quinn was born in Liverpool in 1964. From 1998 to 2013 he was the film critic for the Independent. His novels include The Rescue Man, which won the 2009 Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award; Half of the Human Race; The Streets, which was shortlisted for the 2013 Walter Scott Prize; Curtain Call, soon to be a feature film starring Ian McKellen and Gemma Arterton; Freya, Eureka, Our Friends in Berlin and London, Burning. He also wrote the recent Liverpool memoir Klopp.
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