Sarah is on holiday in Sicily with her sister, convalescing after the sad stillbirth of her baby and the breakdown of her relationship with her partner.

A chance encounter with Alex and his son allows her to escape her old life, and despite all her friends and family's pleading she leaves Manchester behind for the idyllic village of Burrington Stoke.

The author admits that the book was inspired by Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca, amongst others which is one of my all time favourite books. At first I thought that was a big challenge to emulate such a classic, but was so quickly drawn into the story and hooked that it was only after finishing that I contemplated how fitting the comparison was.

The novel struck a fine balance between intrigue and suspense, along with enough pace to do the story justice. I often questioned Sarah's belief in Alex and whether he had in fact had more to do with the disappearance of his wife Genevieve, than he was admitting. Could she be so gullible? Could she really have formed such a strong attachment to his little boy so quickly, but with her own recent loss of a child, and her grief, I think they truly needed each other.

The small village turning on a newcomer too was very well portrayed. Whispering at the school gate, talking behind hands at the village shop. I read this very quickly as I needed to know the outcome and as everything unravelled and was then pieced together, I wasn't disappointed.

A great holiday read, which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.