SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 CRIME WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD!

‘Funny, fast-paced and dark… with dialogue that absolutely crackles’ ELODIE HARPER
‘A brave, bold novel’ ARAMINTA HALL

IF YOU CAN’T MAKE THE RULES

1922. Eleanor Mackridge is staring down the barrel of two equally depressing life choices – serving the upper classes or finding a husband – when she crosses paths with the notorious all-female gang, the Forty Elephants. YOU MIGHT AS WELL BREAK THEM These are women who society would rather forget. They are bold and vulgar, they steal diamonds and fur, drink champagne and gin. They give young women ideas above their station – and Eleanor wants in. Now she has the chance to make sure that history remembers her. Because women don’t have to marry or serve to get ahead. They can steal.

In Poor Girls, Clare Whitfield exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London – but this isn’t a morality tale, it’s an adventure for the willingly wicked.

‘Memorable, outrageous and full of heart. Loved it – every time I put it down I couldn’t wait to pick it up again.’ ELENI KYRIACOU

‘Wonderfully roguish characters, and great period detail. Really enjoyable.’ IAN MOORE

‘A richly vivid and picaresque masterwork, Poor Girls is by turns humorous, horrifying and humane.’ TOM MEAD

‘A compulsive read… A real page turner.’ CAITLIN DAVIES

Join the growing fans of the Forty Elephants…

‘Clare Whitfield’s best book to date.’ Reader Review

‘What a ride, this book is so much fun.’ Reader Review

‘Will make you laugh but also shed a tear.’ Reader Review

‘I highly recommend it to anyone drawn to tales of resilience, ambition, and rebellion.’ Reader Review

‘Such a brilliant book, everyone should read it!’ Reader Review

‘Glamorous and uncompromising.’ Reader review

Author Biography

Clare Whitfield is a UK based writer. While studying for an MA in Creative & Critical Writing at the University of Winchester, her fiction appeared on Spelk, Commuter-Lit, Literary Orphans and in Matt Shaw’s Masters of Horror anthology. Clare has published two crime fiction novels, People of Abandoned Character, which won the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award in 2021, and The Gone and The Forgotten. Poor Girls is her third novel.