Indian Summer. Marcia Willett

Published: St Martin's Press
Date: 27th June 2017
Format: e-ARC
Pages: 304
Genre: Fiction
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating:
              

For renowned actor Sir Mungo, his quiet home village in Devon provides the perfect retreat. Close by are his brother and his wife, and the rural location makes his home the ideal getaway for his old friends in London.

Among those is Kit, who comes to stay for the summer, bringing with her a letter from her first and only love, Jake, and a heart in turmoil. Years have passed since they last saw each other, and now he has written to Kit asking to meet again.

As the summer unfolds, secrets are uncovered that will shatter the sleepy community, and even tear a family apart. But those involved soon realize that the only way to move forward might be to confront the past…

Indian Summer by Marcia Willett is set in the English countryside in the middle of a hot summer. The sights and sounds of the local farming area delight and please the senses. With an amazing group of mostly very ordinary characters, it was  a rather surprisingly tension filled read.

There is quite a cast of characters living in this small place, Mungo the man who has made his money in acting and directing. And while he is at it, just delights in directing quite a few scenes in the lives of the people around him.  His brother Archie lives on the family farm, but now that they are all older there is the worry of money to keep the farm up and the house Archie lives in is rotting away with no money to repair it.

Kit a long time friend of Mungo has come down to stay with him, she has had one main love in her life and was too slow in giving her commitment and he moved on. Yet now Jake is free and wondering is Kit still free after all these years.  ( He has children and young grandchildren so we are talking lots of years.)

Emma is a young mother with a young child and a 5 year old. Her husband is overseas in service and she is looking for a little excitement. But... she takes on more than she can chew and I felt the tension around this, reading on to see what was going to happen. I really felt for the 5 year old who knew something was up but not quite what was causing his disquiet.

Then we have two old farmers who have worked the farm and live in one of its cottages. They have been loyal friends to Archie and Mungo, and are still very much part of the local community. Nearby is also a writer - James, endeavouring to write a second book, having self published a first. The whole drama that goes on around him totally escapes him and he thinks he is staying in a very dull place. 

Is it all as quiet as it seems or ... is there far more under the surface. The short answer is yes but you'll have to read to find out exactly what.