The Factory Voice — Jeanette Lynes

The lives and dreams of four vital, engaging, women revolve around mysterious events at a Fort William military aircraft factory in 1941.

Loyalty and betrayal, love and worthiness, friendship and ambition are the themes which connect the characters in this lively, quirky, fast-paced novel.

Wrapped around the stories of these four women, is a mystery. Something's gone wrong with the Mosquitos being built for the war effort -- they keep crashing in flight tests, for no apparent reason. Is the problem with their design, or are they being sabotaged? By whom? The traitorous Red Finns? The political subversives who have recently escaped from one of the nearby prison camps? Everyone's on high alert, and "The Factory Voice" keeps abreast of the details. Or at least the rumours.

Rich with forties language and imagery, especially the sights and sounds of an assembly plant, The Factory Voice is a quirky, light-hearted mystery about the daily lives of factory workers and in particular of women in a time of transition, both for their personal lives and for the society in general.