Penny Vincenzi

Just discovered this writer rather late.

Have read The Best of Times, which is a brilliant Wotdonit. Although the theme is awful: pile-up on the motorway and the consequently intertwined lives of those involved. The story was about finding out what had caused the accident and I found it a great pageturner as her characters are all so vivid.

Now have just finished An Absolute Scandal. Again the theme very dramatic: the LLoyds Insurance scandal in the late seventies and how it ruined so many, extremely wealthy people. Again, very vivid characters and I so enjoyed how she contrasted the still awful class system and snobbery still rife in Britain and the U.S. . Even the jargon and slang phrases are incomprehensible to those not in your class. Shaw put it so well when he said "Any time one Englishman opens his mouth to speak, another one will despise him".

Her dialogues are very pithy and witty and many situations hilarious. I loved the bit where a woman in a car started giving birth on her way to the hospital. When they try to explain to the bossy traffic warden who wants to fine them for parking on a double yellow line, she retorts "Think I haven't heard that one before".

Is anyone else a fan? And which of her books would you advise me to read next?

Pure escapism, I know but it's what I need at the moment.