#BookReview ‘One Dark Summer’ by Saskia Sarginson

About the book…

The BRAND NEW psychological thriller from Richard and Judy bestselling author of The Twins, Saskia Sarginson It was the summer that changed everything… With trembling hands, Meg knocks on the door of the large manor house. Behind her, the view down to the river is spectacular. She’s here to be the nanny to two young children.

It’s not the job Meg is anxious about, though. It’s the house itself that scares her, and the secrets lurking inside. Not only that, but will her new employer recognise her?

The door opens. A beautiful, smiling woman greets her and ushers her inside.

As she walks in, Meg realizes the house is exactly as she remembers. Her employer hasn’t changed much, either, unlike Meg. The last time they met was fifteen years ago, when Meg was a child.

Because this is where Meg lived the summer her mother went missing. The summer her life changed. The summer Meg believes she killed a man.

Now she’s back, in disguise as Margaret the nanny, and determined to find out what really happened. But some secrets are best left buried. Because someone knows exactly who Meg is, and they will do whatever it takes to keep her quiet…

Absolutely loved this book which delves deep across 2 timelines, into generational trauma.

The story travels through the perspective of Margaret Danby (Meg) who applies for, and is given the job of Nanny to 2 small children , in the estate of Deben Manor, a place where they go through nannies like a knife through butter.
But Margaret has a hidden agenda… she wants to know exactly what happened to her mother, the summer she disappeared and Margaret’s world imploded..

Her father had a breakdown following Irene’s disappearance and left her in the care of her uncle and aunt and 3 cousins at….Deben Manor.

What happened that summer is pieced together from the fragments of Margaret’s memories, but as she gets closer to the truth, things start appearing disappearing in a manner which cannot be explained-there are footsteps heard over head Margaret’s room, in the attic, which is locked and no is seen going into or out of. Jewellery is found in her drawer as if to frame her for thieving , and a beloved, hidden phot of Margaret’s mum, Irene, disappears.
Is Margaret getting too close to the truth of what happened the summer her mother vanished, her uncle died and her family broke apart?

How far will someone too close to her go to keep the secrets which have been buried for so long?
As Irene takes the narrative in between Margaret’s investigation into her employers’ past, the sense of overwhelming trauma, abuse and harm done by those who say that they love you, is cruelly exposed.

This is a novel with gothic traits and an air of melancholy over the way generations will pass harm down the years, tainting the children with events and secrets they are actually quite far removed from.
Atmospheric and gorgeously twisty I really loved this novel.

About the author…

Saskia grew up in Suffolk and now lives in London.

She is the mother of four children, including identical twin girls. She has a B.A hons in English Literature from Cambridge and an M.A in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway. She’s worked as a Health & Beauty Editor, freelance journalist, ghost-writer and script reader.

As well as writing and reading, she loves tango dancing and dog walking

Links-https://www.saskiasarginson.co.uk/

Twitter @SaskiaSarginson @BoldwoodBooks