The Barbecue at No 9 by Jennie Godfrey — audiobook review

It is July 1985, two days before Live Aid, when goth teenager Hanna Gordon is asked by her mother, Lydia, to hand out invitations to neighbours for a get-together at their house “in aid of the children”. Hanna suspects Lydia’s motives may not be entirely charitable and thinks her mother mainly wants to show off their new barbecue.

Her longsuffering dad, Peter, grumbles that “it’ll cost a fortune to feed the whole bloody street”. Keeping a secret from her family, Hanna nevertheless delivers the invitations around their suburban cul-de-sac while only dimly aware of a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows.

When Lydia spots the same figure a day later skulking in their garden, it becomes clear something is afoot on Delmont Close. The Barbecue at No 9 follows Jennie Godfrey’s The List of Suspicious Things, and like its predecessor it blends mystery with sharp period detail and close-up portraits of everyday lives.

jennie godfrey, audiobook, live aid, 1985, hanna gordon, delmont close, goth teenager, mystery, period detail, barbecue