Winter in Edge brings a mystery visitor

IN summer 2022, Fiona Longmuir’s debut novel, Looking For Emily, introduced readers of the eight-to-12 group to a setting far more exciting than its protagonist Lily bargained for.

The seaside town of Edge was unique, beautiful and full of people who – despite seeming to know everything about one another – were capable of secrets.

This first thrilling mystery gained a young audience impacted by the boardwalk and its hidden truths.

The awaited second novel, Freya’s Gold, focuses on a diƒerent girl, the eponymous 12-year-old Freya, who, unlike Longmuir’s previous protagonist, already loves her town.

This character is just as sympathetic and fun to root for on a quest, which is not only about solving a constantly twisting mystery but equally about taking take care of the townspeople and its mystical beach fans have longed to see again.

Freya loves living in Edge, which is the truth she always tells the tourists who ask at the reception of her Granny Kate’s B&B where she lives.

However, there is another side to Edge. In winter, the town is diƒerent, filled only by those like herself and her best friend Lin who live there permanently, those who see it when the waters become rough, and the dark and cold gain a deep and almost haunting intensity.

An exciting subversion of the beachside summer read, Freya, despite herself, cannot help but be afraid of shadows and the caves Lin oŠen teases her for being too afraid to explore.

That is until one February day something unusual happens; a guest checks in to the B&B. Freya knows she should be happy because her Granny Kate sometimes struggles with money from a lack of guests in the colder months, but there is something unsettling about this woman, and about the feeling of being watched that has arrived with her.

The young heroine is forced to confront every one of her fears of the dark corners of her beloved town to investigate.

It becomes clear that the visitor intends to tear down many of the boardwalk’s oldest buildings, raising rent that will price out local businesses and homes like her own.

The town rallies against this together but there is something even more sinister at play, a secret buried beneath Edge which could either be the ruin or the saviour of the livelihoods of all her friends and neighbours.

In both the friendships between Freya and Lin and the determined care of Granny Kate and the local shopkeepers and parents, there is a constant undercurrent of love in Longmuir’s writing.

The spirit and importance of caring for one’s community can be found everywhere.

The power of people and protest is never understated or underestimated, making for an inspiring novel that young readers can apply to the real issues aƒecting them.

Wrapped into a gripping plot with just the right amount of tension, it’s this heart that makes Longmuir the latest author to look out for.