Brodmaw Bay
"The supernatural element in the book is fairly scary without it being unreadable"
Synopsis:
When James Greer's teenage son is mugged on a London bus, Greer decides it is time to move his family out of London. By his son's hospital bed, he comes across a book which depicts the Cornish fishing village of Brodmaw Bay. The book appears to have been illustrated by his artist wife, but she has no memory of doing so. But Lillian Gree has problems of her own. She has been having an affair with the glamorous children's writer Robert O'Brien and he is getting increasingly aggressive as she tries to end the affair.
After James Greer visits Brodmaw Bay he decides to move the family into one of the large houses there. But it is a move that will prove disastrous to the family as the village is a place that has remained unchanged for decades and where old secrets are buried.
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Review:
I have enjoyed all of FG Cottam's previous books and was eagerly anticipating this latest novel. Cottam writes thrillers with a supernatural element and his greatest strength is the sense of place that he brings to a book. In Brodmow Bay we get a strong sense of a mysterious Cornish fishing village with its slightly eerie inhabitants. Cottam is also very good when writing about family relationships and again in Brodmaw Bay, portrays a family that despite its fractures is still a loving and supporting unit. The supernatural element in the book is fairly scary without it being unreadable. My only criticism is that the plot is a little slow to get going and we're about two thirds of the way through the book before the drama starts to unfold. However, as usual this is a very readable book from an excellent writer.