This being a crime novel, we know that this conclusion may not be justified, but for the first part of the novel, the author is content to let everyone believe that Bella took her own life, while we get to know the living characters and the dynamics between them. As the novel opens, Rachael arrives at the cottage to begin the project and discovers her friend Bella, owner of the neighbouring farmhouse, hanging from a noose, having apparently committed suicide. Rachael, Anne and Grace are conducting an ecological review, the results of which will determine whether the area can be developed into a quarry. The first part of the novel concerns three women who are staying in a remote cottage in a village in the north of England. It’s very absorbing – a slow burn of a book (published by Pan Macmillan), full of atmosphere and suspense, as well as with a well-drawn cast of characters and a satisfying plot. Weighing in at 550 pages, I was slightly daunted at the prospect of reading this book, but I need not have worried.
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