Now this is what you call suspenseful - maybe it’s called the long, long afternoon because that’s how long you’ll spend gripped and unable to put it down? Certainly the case for me - I just had to know where Joyce disappeared to as soon as I read those first few pages!
Whilst I find a lot of thrillers or suspense novels can sometimes be a little shallow with nothing but the crime and violence, this is a novel with real depth to it - a huge part of the story focuses on racial tensions and feminism in the 1950s and the author shows a great amount of empathy in the writing.
This is another one of those brilliant stories that really makes you feel - anger, sadness, disbelief at the way one human can treat another. Whilst the Sunnylakes Women’s Improvement Committee claim to be progressive, their behaviour towards women they consider outsiders would suggest otherwise...
With a whole host of characters who seem to be hiding something, there’s no shortage of suspects and twists and turns to this story - and I love the fact that whilst our Detective Mick is fairly amiable and seems to be trying to find justice, it’s really our young Black cleaner Ruby who manages to piece everything together and keep the momentum going in the disappearance. These two were a great new crime fighting duo, even if not officially!
With all the atmosphere and tension of small communities where everyone knows everyone’s business, and oozing that 1950s glamour, this is a compulsive and exciting read - and I’m always glad to say I wasn’t sure how it was going to end because that is the sign of a brilliantly written plot!
Loved this and just can’t believe it’s a debut - it feels like Vesper must’ve been writing forever when reading this accomplished novel.
Whilst I find a lot of thrillers or suspense novels can sometimes be a little shallow with nothing but the crime and violence, this is a novel with real depth to it - a huge part of the story focuses on racial tensions and feminism in the 1950s and the author shows a great amount of empathy in the writing.
This is another one of those brilliant stories that really makes you feel - anger, sadness, disbelief at the way one human can treat another. Whilst the Sunnylakes Women’s Improvement Committee claim to be progressive, their behaviour towards women they consider outsiders would suggest otherwise...
With a whole host of characters who seem to be hiding something, there’s no shortage of suspects and twists and turns to this story - and I love the fact that whilst our Detective Mick is fairly amiable and seems to be trying to find justice, it’s really our young Black cleaner Ruby who manages to piece everything together and keep the momentum going in the disappearance. These two were a great new crime fighting duo, even if not officially!
With all the atmosphere and tension of small communities where everyone knows everyone’s business, and oozing that 1950s glamour, this is a compulsive and exciting read - and I’m always glad to say I wasn’t sure how it was going to end because that is the sign of a brilliantly written plot!
Loved this and just can’t believe it’s a debut - it feels like Vesper must’ve been writing forever when reading this accomplished novel.