There is something mysterious about the sea; something that calls to me. I could spend hours staring at it and I so love it when the sometimes peaceful and often dangerous sea becomes an additional character in a book. Some of my favourite mysteries have a coastal setting, and I was inspired to write Safe House after researching my husband’s family tree for his birthday and tracing his ancestors to a small village with little more than a church and a few houses. This isolated and beautiful spot on the Cornish coast felt like an ideal place for someone with secrets to hide.
Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca isn’t just my favorite seaside mystery, but one of my all-time favorite novels. This is the story that began my love of thrillers and, perhaps, my love affair with Cornwall on the south-west coast of England. Maybe that’s why I married a Cornishman! The question of what happened to Rebecca—the first Mrs. de Winter—hangs over the new bride. I don’t think it’s overstating it to call this novel a masterpiece. The sense of foreboding is only made worse by the remote setting, the isolation, the old manor house, and the creepy housekeeper, Mrs Danvers. I recently holidayed in a Cornish Manor House and showed my children the film of Rebecca one evening. Perhaps this was a mistake as they were too scared to go to bed that night!!
I Found You – Lisa Jewell
I Found You was the first book I discovered by Lisa Jewell, and I quickly went away and read the rest. An artist discovers a man sitting in the rain, on a beach in Yorkshire. He has no memory, and nothing to identify him. Alice takes him into her home and tries to help him as much as she can. Someone must be missing him. But what trauma has he suffered to make him forget his own name and where he’s from? Not even he knows what he is hiding from her. Alice develops feelings for him but she doesn’t even know his name, never mind if he already had a wife and children. His history is very cleverly revealed as the story unfolds, with the beach playing a key part in the story and helping the young man reclaim his memories. Such a page turner and I loved it.
The Ice Cream Girls – Dorothy Koomson
Set in Brighton – a place I love and where I had my hen party – The Ice Cream Girls is about two girls who were accused of murdering their teacher. One of the girls was sent to prison and, several years later, sets out to clear her name. But the other girl doesn’t want anyone to bring up the past, especially as she has made a new life for herself. It’s a powerful novel about psychological abuse, trauma and the limits of friendship. The complexity and character of Brighton, a classic British seaside holiday destination, creates a unique an environment for the journey of the two women. I almost chose another Koomson book here— The Brighton Mermaid—but The Ice Cream Girls just shades it for me. But I’ll pretty much read anything Dorothy Koomson writes, she is a wonderful and complex writer.
The Talented Mr Ripley – Patricia Highsmith
I have to admit that I saw the film before I read the book. I know! The shame!! I didn’t even find out it was the first of a series of books until recently. So many people list The Talented Mr Ripley as one of their favorite thrillers. I don’t know why it took me so long to read it. Set in the 1950s with the most glamorous characters, and the gorgeous backdrop of the Italian Coast, The Talented Mr Ripley is an absolute feast of a book. It takes a special author to have you rooting for a murderer. Against your own instincts you can’t help but admire Tom Ripley despite him being manipulative and self-centered. The atmosphere of the Mediterranean seeps through the book enabling you to feel both the sun of the Adriatic summer and the gloom of Venice.
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing is a stunning book. I savored every page of it. Perhaps more marshland than sea, but this novel is set in a fictional coastal town in North Carolina. It’s the moving and powerful story of Kya—the Marsh Girl—and how she effectively raises herself after her mother and all of her siblings leave home. She fishes to feed herself and her drunken and abusive father; developing a harmony with the unique environment and communities of Louisiana. Longing and loneliness disturb her harmony and Kya gets caught between her isolation in the marshes and the nearby community. When a young man from a prominent family, Chase Andrews, is killed then Kya is arrested and faces trial and imprisonment in a system that she barely understands. The story unfolds against a beautifully conveyed picture of life and change in the estuary; exploring loss, loneliness and survival.
The Death of Mrs Westaway – Ruth Ware
A twisting novel of suspense that starts with Hal doing tarot readings amongst the bright lights of Brighton Pier. She is drawn to Cornwall by an unexpected inheritance where the secrets of her past are revealed; exposing her to danger. The sense of place, Cornwall can be very creepy, and threat is so potent that at times it feels the supernatural is breaking into the weird and gloomy Trepassen House. Hal’s curiosity about the house, the coast and her family is utterly compelling. The remoteness and isolation of Trepassen and Cornwall stand in sharp contrast to her existence in the metropolitan setting of England’s populous and wealthy south coast; creating a jarring sense of pressure until the secrets of her past are finally revealed.
My Absolute Darling – Gabriel Tallent
This is a disturbing and challenging read set on the remote West Coast of America among the coastal communities of hippies and locals. Turtle Alveston lives a survivalist lifestyle manufactured by her overbearing father, Martin, in an isolated farmhouse where he controls, manipulates and abuses her. When Turtle begins to question her reality and forge friendships, Martin’s evil escalates to the point where she has to confront him. Her skills in survival and the strength of her will are turned against Martin. The sense of place, isolation and the sheer strength of the lead character make this, despite the difficulty of the subject matter, an ultimately inspiring read.
A Year of Marvellous Ways – Sarah Winman
Another book which is set in Cornwall, A Year of Marvellous Ways is a magical, life-affirming story. Marvellous Ways is the name of the elderly character in the book who believes her mother was a mermaid. She lives a solitary life until a soldier named Drake turns up suffering from trauma caused by his experiences in war. Drake has come to Cornwall to fulfil the wishes of a dying man. Marvellous helps him piece his life back together. It some of the most beautiful writing I have ever read and is a book that I have read several times. It is both moving and exquisitely written; the location, based on St Just in Roseland, is a magical and secret place on the Cornish coast that is well worth a visit.
*
