ONE CORNISH SUMMER by Liz Fenwick

Orion, £12.99

HEBE and her niece Lucy are both seeking refuge in Cornwall. Hebe’s health is deteriorating and Cornwall is the one place where she feels safe. Lucy, on the other hand, is young and successful but she has made one too many bad decisions in life.

Despite difficult memories of incidents that took place during a family holiday in Cornwall years ago, she too decides that it is the best place to hide out.

Historian Hebe is determined to buy Helwyn House, once owned by Thomas Grylls, the man who she has spent the best part of a lifetime researching. Lucy is appalled by Hebe’s dream as, for her, Helwyn House holds dark and terrifying childhood memories.

When Hebe’s dream comes true she lovingly embarks upon the restoration of the house while Lucy sets about the painful and difficult process of facing up to her long-hidden memories.

Liz Fenwick’s writing is vivid, satisfying and descriptive and her characters are perfectly formed. But where she really excels is with location and setting. The Cornish countryside and Helwyn House are exquisitely captured with the house taking centre stage in the story, almost a character in its own right.

One Cornish Summer contains multiple intricate strands but each thread is seamlessly interwoven, making for a novel full of wisdom, warmth and compassion.