This short novel by Peter Lovesey is a variant on the “Strangers on a
Train” theme. It’s set in England in the late 1940’s, a few years after
the end of World War II. Two woman, friends in the WAAF during the early
part of the war, meet on the street after a parting of some six years.
One had married a heroic RAF wing commander only to discover that heroism
takes you only so far in civilian life; the other had married a wealthy
engineer only to find that money wasn’t everything. Both think maybe
they’d be better off without their husbands.

But this isn’t an account of how the police crack what could have been
the perfect murder. It’s the story of the two women, Rose and Antonia,
and the steps they take to gain their ends.

As usual for Lovesey, the characters are clearly drawn,
three-dimensional, and compelling; the plot is convoluted and surprises
are many. Plus, his depiction of the post-war years has such detail and
immediacy that Jane (who also read it) was quite shocked to find that it
was published in 1989.

Though compelling, I wouldn’t call this a delightful book; while not
gruesome, it was nevertheless like watching Humpty Dumpty fall off of the
wall in slow motion. You know he’s scrambled for good, and yet you can’t
help watching.