1919. As the euphoria of the Armistice fades, the nation counts the cost: millions dead or disabled, unemployment, strikes and shortages. As prices and taxes rise, it becomes harder to remember what the war was for. Teddy tries to recreate balance but then a trip to France to see the place where Ned fell has unforeseen consequences; Polly, grieving for Erich Kuppel, persuades her father to send her to New York. Despite Prohibtion, the great city, pulsing with life, promises her a fresh start; Jessie and Bertie, detained in London by Bertie's job, long to start their new life together; Jack becomes a pioneer of civil aviation, but when the company fails he's faced with unemployment, with a growing family to support. The generation that saw things no man should see must find relief from their own memories. A new world is struggling to be born out of the ashes; but as long as the music lasts, they will keep on dancing.

1919. As the euphoria of the Armistice fades, the nation counts the cost: millions dead or disabled, unemployment, strikes and shortages. As prices and taxes rise, it becomes harder to remember what the war was for. Teddy tries to recreate balance but then a trip to France to see the place where Ned fell has unforeseen consequences; Polly, grieving for Erich Kuppel, persuades her father to send her to New York. Despite Prohibtion, the great city, pulsing with life, promises her a fresh start; Jessie and Bertie, detained in London by Bertie's job, long to start their new life together; Jack becomes a pioneer of civil aviation, but when the company fails he's faced with unemployment, with a growing family to support. The generation that saw things no man should see must find relief from their own memories. A new world is struggling to be born out of the ashes; but as long as the music lasts, they will keep on dancing.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of the Kurt Wallander novels: An “absorbing” and “chilling” historical mystery “dripping with evil atmosphere” (The Times, London). December 12, 1945. The Third Reich lies in ruins as a British warplane lands in Bückeburg, Germany. A man carrying a small black bag quickly disembarks and travels to Hamelin, where he disappears behind the prison gates. Early the next day, England’s most experienced hangman executes twelve war criminals. Fifty-four years later, retired policeman Herbert Molin is found brutally slaughtered on his remote farm in Härjedalen, Sweden. The police discover strange tracks in the blood on the floor . . . as if someone had been practicing the tango. Stefan Lindman is a young police officer who has just been diagnosed with cancer of the tongue. When he reads about the murder of his former colleague, he decides to travel north and find out what happened. Soon he is enmeshed in a puzzling investigation with no witnesses and no discernible motives. Terrified of the illness that could take his life, Lindman becomes more and more reckless as he uncovers the links between Molin’s death, World War II, and an underground neo-Nazi network. Mankell’s impeccably researched historical thriller is “a worthy successor to the Wallander whodunits” (The Sunday Telegraph). “[Mankell] never fails to find a deep vein of humanity within the perpetually furrowed brows of his troubled cops.” —Booklist

The British musical in its formative years has appeared in strikingly different guises: from the lasting hits of Oliver!, and Me and My Girl, to the successes of The Dancing Years, Bless the Bride and Expresso Bongo. This authoritative study traces what made these shows successes in the West End and how their qualities define a uniquely British interpretation of the genre. Cultural, sociological and political influences entwine with close reading of the dramatic and musical elements of this repertory to reveal a fascinating web of connections and contrasts between the times, the shows and the people who made them. Through detailed case studies, such as of The Boy Friend and Bitter Sweet, the rich individuality of each West End work is spotlighted, posing vital questions and intriguing answers as to what a British musical can be. Interdisciplinary in nature, this study brings together all the core materials to discover this period in the story of the British musical. Reviewing the Situation is insightful and lively, an invaluable resource for students and scholars of musical theatre and all those theatregoers drawn to the power of these classic British shows.