Published 24th April 2026 by Bathwick Hill Publishing.
From the cover of the book:
London, 1942, ordinary people behave in unaccustomed ways, all changed by their real and recent brush with death delivered by the blitz.We follow four of them deep into the shadowlands of the blackout, back into their own shadowy past - to discover what primed and equipped each to play their part in bringing down the predator who hunts the bomb sits after drank in a city itself transformed by war.
A literary gothic tale, enacted in the ruins of London just after the Blitz, inspired by the real-life murderer The Blackout Ripper, Gordon Cummins.
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January, 1942. London is in ruins in the wake of the Blitz, and a perilous place to navigate in the gloom of the Blackout. Being out at night has become even more dangerous now there is a serial killer stalking the streets - dubbed The Beast of the Blackout by the press.
In South London, four unlikely allies come together, united in their quest to deal with the threat the murderer poses...
Thrumming with lashings of atmospheric wartime vibes, Susan Barrett has crafted a powerful novel that sits decidely on the dark, visceral edge of the noir genre. The plot, inspired by the crimes of real-life murderer Gordon Cummins, largely follows a small cast of ordinary London residents from different walks of life, as they become involved in the hunt for a serial killer set against a bombed-out landscape. They have little in common, except for the fact that they each carry a secret that makes them peculiarly fitted for the task of taking on The Beast of the Blackout.
As the story flows between grim night-time scenes in the present, and harrowing forays into the past of the characters, Barrett skilfully weaves a picture of people who have been forced to address serious trauma in their lives. Their experiences are gut-wrenching, tragic and psychologically damaging, but they have also been transformative.
Barrett keeps her cards close to her chest about what really connects these characters into well into the story. It is only after a seriously clever coming together of past and present that it becomes clear they have all found a way to take revenge on their abusers and get away with murder. The mystery is handled so well that I did not connect all the dots until the glorious climax of the story, when The Beast of the Blackout gets his comeuppance.
The darkness in this story makes for gritty reading, especially the parts about childhood abuse and trauma, but the writing is impressive. The well-handled suspense, and the magnificent ending, make all the disturbing moments worthwhile - and Barrett shows acute insight into loneliness too.
Perhaps 'enjoyable' is the wrong word to describe this one, in the same way authors like Will Carver manage to put you through the mill before pulling off a blinder of an ending (if Carver-noir does it for you then this is a book that would be a perfect addition to your reading pile). It certainly takes you on an unforgettable journey to the dark side of the psyche!
All Cats are Grey is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.
Thank you to Bathwick Hill for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Folk PR for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
Susan Barrett gave up a job in TV production to be at home with young children and do what she always secretly wanted to do, write. She is the author of three previous novels, Fixing Shadows, Inconstant Husband, and The Housekeepers.
She divides her time between London and Umbria.
