by Beth Merwood
For nine-year-old Wendy, the summer of 1969 will never be forgotten. Local kids have always told stories about the eerie wood on the outskirts of the village, and Wendy knows for sure that some of them are true. Now the school holidays have started and she’s going to the wood again with Anna and Sam, but they soon become convinced that someone is trying to frighten them off. When a terrible event rocks the coastal community, the young friends can’t help thinking there must be a connection between the incident, the tales they’ve heard, and the strange happenings they’ve begun to witness. As glimpses of a darker world threaten their carefree existence, they feel compelled to search out the underlying truth.
My Review:
Full disclosure, I selected this book because of the time period and the location. I wasn’t disappointed. Merwood writes a charming story of youth in the late 1960s, and fortunately for me, it includes a mystery. The story weaves through Wendy’s life from the moment of tragedy when she is nine years-old until years later, as an adult, she is able to maturely understand the mystery. The details Merwood adds of the youthful summer, the coastal town, and the characters are marvelous. The narrative has a gentle timber, which I found enhanced my enjoyment of the community and Wendy’s reactions to the tragedy. I enjoyed this mystery. Nicely done, Beth.
Meet Beth Merwood:
Beth Merwood is from the south of England. The Five Things is her debut novel.
“Writing has always been there: enjoyable, helpful and necessary. I see it as exercise for the mind, like going for a walk in your head and making a note of where you went to.”
Visit her website: https://bethmerwood.wixsite.com/write
