Workaholic TV news producer Nina Scaife is determined to fight for her daughter, Laurie, after her partner Rob walks out on her. She takes Laurie to visit Rob's parents on the beautiful but remote Hope Island, to prove to her that they are still a family. But Rob's parents are wary of Nina, and the islanders are acting strangely. And as Nina struggles to reconnect with Laurie, the silent island children begin to lure her daughter away.
Meanwhile, Nina tries to resist the scoop as she is drawn to a local artists' commune, the recently unearthed archaeological site on their land, and the dead body on the beach...
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[All chatter ceased the moment Nina slammed her heel onto the brake, yanked the wheel to the left and then, as she remembered which side of the road she ought to be driving on, hard to the right]***
(@TitanBooks, 31 March 2020, 400 pages, ebook, copy from @TitanBooks via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 5 June)
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So, I'm a massive fan of John Wyndham. I've read almost all of his books and think he's amazing. So I had to read this when it was compared to The Midwich Cuckoo's, one of my favourite books of all time. The comparison is fair. This is very Wyndham-esque. There are also echoes of Daphne DuMaurier. I mean that as a compliment. I loved this book. I knew I was in for a good time when I read the opening section and I was right. Hope Island is the perfect blend of horror, folk horror with a dash of science fiction thrown in. There's something so menacing about the island, the residents and the bloody creepy children. Nina knows something is off, something much worse than the locals being naturally suspicious of a new face from outside. This is breath-taking. I need to read more by this author.
