This dark historical mystery has a real Gothic feel to it and the discovery of a young girl's body on the beach at Broadstairs in Kent only adds to the sense of doom which hangs heavily throughout the whole of the story.

The story gets off to something of a slow start and it took me a little while to start to become comfortable with the main characters but I think what the book shows is the way that women lived their lives in Victorian England. There's a nice sense of history and the author brings to life this part of the south coast and the restrictions of living in a small coastal village. The mystery at the heart of the story is handled well and there enough twists and turns in the plot to keep it meaningful and whilst its not an all action novel there are some interesting moments of discovery which kept my attention throughout.

The air of tragedy which pervades throughout the whole of the story is one of the trademarks of this author and I remember being impressed with her debut novel, The Silversmith's Wife.