Release: February 18th, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Source: NetGalley
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, Kobo.
__
__
Alice Lang was wearing her favorite scarlet dress when she disappeared twenty-five years ago. And her memory still casts a long shadow.
The past was like water. Once the tide turned, you couldn’t hold it back.
In the summer of 1995, young Alice Lang rents a caravan on a holiday park on the outskirts of Severn Sands’ lively holiday resort. She befriends Marnie, a shy, damaged little girl. Marnie’s father is the park’s caretaker, and her mother died a few months earlier. Will, whose mother runs the bar, loves Alice and is unbearably jealous of anyone else she sees. Tensions rise until one evening Alice disappears from her caravan. No one sees her again, except the findings of her washed-up scarlet dress on the shore.
A quarter of a century later, it is a deserted town, and nobody comes there anymore. Mr and Mrs de Villars, former owners of the holiday park, have passed the failing business onto their son Guy, who promptly sells the land for development. Builders clearing the land to create an expanse of executive homes uncover human bones. It has to be Alice.
Will and Marnie’s lives were entirely shaped by what happened that summer, and now Alice has been found, they must struggle to pin down their memories, to escape the secrets of the past, the lies they told, and the unbearable guilt they’re both carrying.
About the Author:
Louise Douglas lives with Kevin in the Mendips, not far from Bristol, a city that she loves, and has three beautiful sons. Also, she has two dogs, Lil and Lola.
She is the bestselling and brilliantly reviewed author of 6 novels, including The Love of my Life and Missing You – an RNA award winner.
The Secrets Between Us was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Louise’s first book for Boldwood, The House by the Sea, was published in March 2020.
The Scarlet Dress Review:
“The Scarlet Dress” is a gripping, slow-burn mystery that will glue you to the plot till the end.
To begin with, I enjoyed the author’s style of writing. The story starts slowly but gains momentum midway. I got invested in the plot once Will came into town and met Marnie. The author compellingly writes the story with multiple red herrings with numerous suspects.
Moreover, each of the suspects shows indications of hurting Alice or sharing secrets with her. What’s interesting is how people had a different opinion of Alice, even though they all bonded together. Furthermore, the ending turned out to be a shocking twist that I did not expect, making the story memorable. Similarly, I also loved the author’s writing style, where she alternates timelines through flashbacks of the characters.
The characters are unique, mysterious, and blend beautifully in the tale. Marnie and Will are dynamic in the lead. Marnie is a fascinating character, who doesn’t talk much, but someone that connects to you. It was interesting to see how their lives blended with Alice and how her death impacted them. Some of my favorite moments are when Will finds Luna or when Marnie finds the tin box. I also thought the author painted the imagery of Severn Sands in a beautiful yet mysterious way.
However, the only minor issues I had with the story were some unanswered questions. For instance, I don’t think we found out the reason why Marmie didn’t talk. As I previously mentioned, it took me a good 4-5 chapters to get into the story. But once I got past the initial chapters, I loved the story!
Apart from that, this was a great story that grew on me. Overall, “The Scarlet Dress” is a very slow-burn mystery that will entertain you.
