I have been a fan of Erica James for many years. I count on her new books to offer me a welcome diversion from my everyday life. Swallowtail Summer is now a favorite for me.
Ms. James notes that she was inspired to write this story after hearing a group of long term friends talking. It led her to wonder what it would be like if a spanner (my word) got thrown into the mix. From there, she created a novel with good characters and a lovely setting.
Three men and their wives have known each other for many years. There is Alastair whose wife Orla recently died. What happened to her? How will this reverberate? There are then Simon and Sorrel. Sorrel has had a long term crush on Alastair. How will this reverberate? Then there are Frankie and her Danny. Danny has recently had a heart attack. The adult children of S and S and F and D also are part of the story.
What will happen when Valentina comes into this group? A lot (!) will be stireed up.
This is a long and involving story that at moments reminded me a bit of Rebecca (DuMaurier). I was sorry to see it end.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 