A LESSER EVIL

***THE NEW SUNDAY TIMES TOP FIVE BESTSELLER***

LONGLISTED FOR THE ROMANTIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD 2005

When Fifi declares to her mother that she has secretly married Dan Reynolds, a handsome but itinerant bricklayer, her mother is incensed. Despite her mother's disapproval, Fifi heads to London with her new husband to set up home in Kennington.

Their flat may be small and the area deprived, but she finds the freedom of her new life exhilarating. Insatiably inquisitive, Fifi is fascinated by her eclectic mix of neighbours. She can't wait to discover what they are really like, particularly the Muckle family...

The Muckles live in terrible squalor. Fifi can't help but listen to their violent quarrels, watch the endless people coming and going, or the stories and legends about this ruthless family…