A gentle mystery which absolutely captured the time period of the 1930s, I could hear the narrator’s voice in my head. Very descriptive of Sark and it’s people and a welcome change from more violent storylines.

Based on a true story I was drawn in from the first pages.Well written involving will recommend.#netgalley #johnmurray

A book I had to concentrate on whilst reading and occasionally the plot was such that I had to re read certain parts to grasp what was happening. Like other comments the cover and the initial description did not really match up with the book and it was not what I was expecting.
Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray Press for the advance copy of this book.

I think from the cover and description I was expecting an old fashioned “British Library” type murder mystery but the narrative was more complicated than this.
I enjoyed the mixture of guidebook description and Sark folklore throughout the story but unfortunately the main narrative kept escaping my grasp (because of incidental side plots maybe?) and I think it needed more concentration than I could devote at the time. There are different timelines that focus on Phyll and Everard’s relationship as young teenagers and then later in their twenties. It says something good about the writing that because of the character development you could soon work out which time we were in (there are dates in the chapter headings as well) and it was wise to have a character list at the beginning.

A very compelling book, written in first person plural (we) which is unusual and strangely intimate. It wasn't always obvious what the main focus of the novel was - the Stranger Lady, I suppose - as there are many strands that twine together, all important in their way.

I loved the descriptions of the sea and of Sark itself, and it made me interested in the island and fostered a desire to go there. I found the characters interesting, though one, in particular, is not very nice.

There are two timelines - 1923 and 1933. As children in the earlier year, Phyll and Everard prank the adults by creating strange happenings which are taken to be ghost activity. Everard pays the price for this as he is blamed and sent away. Phyll doesn't find out what happened to him until ten years later. By this time, she is writing reports of a missing couple (whose clothes were found on the beach) for the newspapers. When Everard returns, they each have questions for the other.

This is a novel about the strengths (and weaknesses) of women and we are never quite sure whether the ghosts are real or imagined.

I was looking forward to reading this book - a mystery of clothing left on a beach sounded intriguing and I love the 1930's as a setting too. But immediately I found the narration of the story jarred - chapter 1 begins with 'welcome, stranger, to Sark...' - I don't want to be spoken to directly by the author. I prefer the characters to tell me their story.
The narrative alternates between the years 1923 when a group of three children get together and 1933 when two of those children are adults and have to face the consequences of their earlier actions. After the initial rush of clothing find, the story slows and for a long time not much happens. The pacing picks up towards the end as various strands come together and we make sense of things but I have to confess that by that time I didn't care much for any of the characters, most of whom appear very self centred or thoroughly unpleasant.
The redeeming feature for me is the setting on the island of Sark which back in teh 1930's must have been quite remote and isolated. That they believe in ghosts and supernatural wasn't a hard step to make.
All in all a book I found hard to engage with and I didn't feel it lived up to the blurb although I'm sure it will appeal to others.
With thanks to Netgalley and John Murray Press for an arc in return for an honest review.

2.75 stars. I was so looking forward to reading this. A mystery set on Sark, and historical? Yes please! However… it just wasn’t for me. I can’t say I liked any of the characters really, barring maybe Everard a little. The setting jumped between 1923 and 1933, and narration jumped between third person and a random “we” - added to which, is the anonymous narrator referring to things only to say “but we don’t talk about that”. After this happening several times, it grated. It would have been 2 stars, but things did come together towards the end a bit more. Ultimately, I was hoping to like it more, but it wasn’t for me unfortunately. I am glad other people have liked it however, and hope I’m just the outlier.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed this book. Slightly confusing at times, but a good read. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

An enjoyable double mystery set over two timelines with what seems like the same mystery - clothes left on the beach but nobody missing. It took me a bit of time to get into it but I did enjoy the story. Well written and intriguing.

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

Compelling reading. This immersive book transports you to Sark between the wars and it’s a joy to read. Echos of Agatha Christie in the detailed characterisation and the depiction of village (in this case island) life.

A charming whodunnit and a perfect summer read

Tries to do too much : Dual Timeline, Greek Chorus, Genre Mashups 2.5 rating, raised

Unfortunately this didn’t work for me. An imaginative riff on a real live ‘mystery’ of the 30’s on Sark, this really felt as if almost every idea and genre was being crammed in to service : Romance, Murder, Dysfunctional Families, Supernatural, a Greek style chorus in the first person plural voice explaining issues, witchcraft, feminism, childs view, adult’s view, it all became a bit of a mish mash for me, and I was neither gripped by ‘what happens next’ nor really engaged with the characters.

In brief : 3 teenage children in 1922 are involved in various tricks and games which go wrong, and there are skeletons in cupboards aplenty. The reader is continually ‘teased’ with various revelations to try and keep them on the edge of their seats

Some 10 years later the children are now in their 20’s and there have been various mysteries and things going on. They have come back to the island, and another mystery happens, the clothes of a man and a woman left abandoned on the shore. But no people are missing on the sparsely populated island of Sark

I also found the book jacket design most peculiar, as it didn’t really convey what I felt the writer was aiming for

I was reminded by what I felt this author was trying to do, of the writer Mary Stewart, who wrote in the ‘romantic Gothic’ territory – and this is sending me thence, to re-read

I enjoyed the book. At times it was a little confusing because of the two different time periods. The children Phyllis and Everard were easy to distinguish but the adults did not change much from one time period to the next. There were clearly mysteries about what had happened ten years previously and to the characters in more recent times. These were slowly revealed. The book ended on a positive note. I have been to Sark and I do feel that the author managed to provide the reader with a feeling of raw beauty and wildness in the writing and maybe even some lawlessness which is in keeping with the remoteness of the island.

Great sense of place and an interesting premise based on a real life mystery. I found this intriguing and enjoyable. I don’t think it really matched the description but it worked for me anyway.

I was very intrigued at the premise of this story, with elements of intrigue and mystery. It looked bound to entertain and even from the front cover, it sweeps you into the story - into mystery, suspense and drama.

It had a slow and gentle rhythm and you had to ride the waves of mysteries as the story was filled in around you. Once picked up, it’s easy to keep going but occasionally, I have to admit, I did drop out of the story for a few days and then getting back into it, I had to get back into the pace. I’m a fast paced, high action kinda girl so I need a separate mind frame for slower paced books! My own issue here and no reflection on the writing.

The split time perspectives could get a little confusing too and added a bit of a disjointed element for me so I could never get into the flow. Engagement was a little hard for me on this one!

As you read along, you feel like there’s something about to make the disappearance make sense. Clothes found on the beach without their owners and no seeming explanation for who they may have been. Ooo the plot thickens.

I did love the setting and it gave the book a whole feel of its own. I think this is all down to personal preference and it just wasn’t hitting my mood at the time!

Set on the island of Sark and based on true events.
In the 1920s a couple disappeared off one of the island’s beaches, the only things remaining, their clothes left on the beach. This book is a fictitious retelling, and featuring the lives of two teenagers, both at the time and 10 years later. The characters are carefully drawn and the writing brings the island to life on the page. Part mystery, part supernatural part of family, drama, and part romance. It’s difficult to come up with a comparable writer. The only one that springs to mind is Daphne DuMaurier.
Highly original, intense and captivating read.

I have to say straight away that this was not a book for me and I did not believe that it really matched the description given. However I did read it and have decided that it must be a marmite book as you either like it or dislike it, there seems tobe no happy medium. I always thought that Sark was an interesting place and this book did give lots of information about the island albeit from much older dates. I found that the plot was confusing and did not enthrall me at all. The story is loosley based on an event that happened back in 1933 and the story jumps between 1923 and 1933 throughut but the difference in years seemed to overlap and just added to the confusion . I will visit Sark as soon as I can and so this book has made me more intrigues about the island itself so that is a win for the author. I admit to skimming places as the newspaper articles did not add anything to me as the reader. The superstitions that the islanders live by and the frequenting of ghosts, mainly women it seems, did not add to the story and I am sure that the islanders have grown out of a lot of these since that time.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and give a review

A novel based on a real mystery, it is set in the Channel Island of Sark where the isolated inhabitants live amongst the bleak landscape and surrounded by myth. Whilst the writing is unusual I failed to engage with the narrative and did not finish.

This is a rather unusual story, set in a rather unusual place. I think a lot of people have been fascinated about t the small Channel Island, where there are no cars and they have unusual rules.
The story is written in a rather complicated way, in that it goes backwards and forwards in time which I did find rather confusing, one minute someone is dead and then they are playing cards!
However, I did enjoy it and felt very sorry for some of the characters. The sort of book that makes you want to go and visit the places mentioned. It certainly opened my eyes to parts of the island that I had never heard of.
Nice book

Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this in return for an honest review.

I did DNF this at 18% as it was not going to be my thing, so sorry to the author, but I know some people are going to absolutely love it!