And the doubts about Philip and Freddy are brilliantly handled, especially when it’s so difficult to guess how old they are!

I'd read a review saying it was old fashioned and dated but I didn't find it so at all, certainly no more so than any mid century Agatha Christie. Nearly always, in the early stages, it seems more like a nuisance; just one more of those tiresome interruptions which come so provokingly just when life is going smoothly and pleasantly.These two sisters confront the fact that in the past they had feelings for a certain Uncle Paul - who was sent to prison for bigamy and the murder of his first wife - it's on the back cover! Faber Members get access to live and online author events and receive regular e-newsletters with book previews, promotional offers, articles and quizzes. But the plot twist, in the last 10 pages of the book, completely caught me off guard and came as a total surprise! It’s a curious combination of wry humour (which I enjoyed), gentle suspense and an ending that rings rather hollow and melancholy. I think it delivered - well, I was satisfied - but I wouldn’t say this is to the level of Patricia Highsmith.

Fremlin is so adept at capturing the challenges of holidaying in the temperamental British summer, from the tension of being cooped up in a caravan with family members, to squabbles over what to do next, to the sense of pressure we feel to be outside enjoying ourselves at every moment, even if the weather is dreadful and all we want to do is to stay indoors.Isabel is struggling in a seaside caravan with two small boys and (intermittently) a rather strict new husband.

It starts with sensible Meg receiving a message from older sister (and often overwrought), Isabel about a problem with their half-sister, Mildred. I must admit however, that this was my least favourite of the few books I've read by her; The Hours Before Dawn is the best one I've read so far, and I plan to read more sooner rather than later.Next we have Isabel who seems to get overwrought at the drop of a hat because she senses her husband may not love her and their two boys quite as much as she'd like him to.