I’m delighted to be joining the Isabel Ashdown blogathon, where, over the next few months, I’ll be celebrating her work, reading and reviewing her books. Today I’m reviewing One Girl One Summer, with thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me on the blogathon and to the publisher for my copy of the book via Netgalley.

Blurb:

Dark secrets cast long shadows…

On a peaceful hilltop campsite in the heat of summer, a private plane crash-lands. Several are killed, and many more lives are shattered – including those of the Gale family who own the site. For single parent Cathy Gale, her everyday struggles are eclipsed by the tragedy, as her boy Albie is one of the victims. He hangs onto life, while 18-year-old sister Nell, who was meant to be looking after him, is overcome with guilt.

As DS Ali Samson leads the investigation, locals are scandalised to learn that the amnesiac pilot has plans to stay on in the community. As dark secrets come to light, teenager Nell goes into freefall. What is it she’s so desperate to conceal? And exactly who is the Unknown Pilot?

If you loved HOMECOMING by Isabel Ashdown, return to the beautiful coastal town of Highcap, Dorset, a community hiding many secrets.

Review:

It was great to be back in Highcap, the setting of Homecoming again, and once more, Isabel Ashdown describes the surroundings and landmarks in wonderful detail so that we can picture the scenes perfectly and be completely drawn into this brilliant story. I was also impressed to see Ginny LeFevre make a short cameo appearance!

One Girl One Summer is based around the Gale family, with most of the novel written from the perspectives of Cathy and her daughter Nell. I warmed to Nell very easily, but Cathy seemed a bit more distant. Isabel Ashdown writes their relationship really well and although there is a lot of tension there, you can also tell they have a lot of love for each other. It is clear from the outset that there is tension within the family, which is, of course, exacerbated by the accident in the first chapter and the events that follow it, and almost everyone is hiding a secret. I really wanted to find out what each character was hiding and I was continuously compelled to keep reading and get to the bottom of it.

Isabel Ashdown is a skilled plotter, and I loved the gradual reveals and twists as the novel gathered pace. The ending, in particular, is very tense and I felt the sense of danger very keenly. There is also a lot of emotion within the story and these scenes are written in a very poignant way with which I was instantly able to connect.

I hope there is more to come from Highcap and its residents in future. In addition to the stand alone stories, I have enjoyed the story arc of Detective Sergeant Ali Sampson, who may not be a central character in the strictest sense, but is definitely someone with whom I felt a connection.

One Girl One Summer is available from Amazon.

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