Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Next time you strike up a conversation with someone on the train…
The Late Train to Gipsy Hill
What you need to know before your trail
Gary Nelson has a routine for the commute to his rather dull job in the city. Each day, he watches as a woman on the train applies her make up in a ritual he now knows by heart. He’s never dared to strike up a conversation . . . but maybe one day.
Then one evening, on the late train to Gipsy Hill, the woman invites him to take the empty seat beside her. Fiddling with her mascara, she holds up her mirror and Gary reads the words ‘HELP ME’ scrawled in sticky black letters on the glass.
From that moment, Gary’s life is turned on its head. He finds himself on the run from the Russian mafia, the FSB and even the Metropolitan Police – all because of what this mysterious young woman may have witnessed. In the race to find out the truth, Gary discovers that there is a lot more to her than meets the eye . . .
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Travel around London from Gipsy Hill
London is seen through the eyes of Russians and the strange goings on in and around the station of Gipsy Hill.
Gipsy Hill is a neighbourhood in south London spanning Lambeth and Southwark and is characterised for its great views of the City of London. The city provides the background although the station of the title is from where the whole story starts from. What happens on the train colours the entire book.
There’s lots of Russian influence in London if this book is anything to go by.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Late Train to Gipsy Hill
Destination/location: London Author/guide: Alan Johnson Departure Time: 2000s
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
