Sequel to Farthing, which I enjoyed very much.
We're back in Walton's post-WWII England, in a version of history where England and Germany made peace, and England is rapidly sliding into fascist dictatorship. The new Prime Minister, Mark Normanby, has imposed radical new security measures, and although most people aren't complaining, there is a growing underground of opposition.
Our heroine this time is Viola Lark, an actress who is estranged from her noble family, making it something of a surprise when her sister Cressida calls. Cressida is part of the rebel underground, and has learned that Prime Minister Normanby and his geopolitical ally, Adolf Hitler, will be attending the opening night of the play in which Viola's just been cast; the rebels want Viola to help assassinate both men by planting a bomb in their box. Viola reluctantly agrees to go along; she really isn't given much choice when one of Cressida's fellow conspirators points out that Viola now knows too much to be allowed to live if she doesn't cooperate.
Meanwhile, Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard (the only major character to return from Farthing, though other characters and events of that book are referred to in the background) is investigating the explosion of a bomb in the suburban home of an aging actress. Was the bomb planted by terrorists? Or was this actress, unlikely as it seems, killed while building a bomb herself?
Ha'penny is an entertaining book, though it didn't work for me quite as well as Farthing; the characters aren't as interesting or well-developed -- Viola, in particular, is a self-centered drip -- and the ending feels rushed. But Inspector Carmichael is still a terrific character, and I enjoyed the glimpses we got into his domestic life. There is reportedly a third volume in the works, to be called Half a Crown, and I look forward to seeing how Walton wraps up the series.
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