by Sarah Pinborough

HarperCollins, out 6 August

Secrets and lies abound behind the closed doors of a Savannah community…

It may be a bit of a stretch covering Dead to Her for Sci-Fi Bulletin, but there’s a certain element to Sarah Pinborough’s latest novel – which finally makes it to UK bookshelves this week – that justifies its inclusion. I don’t propose to spoil what that is, but it’s very clear that Pinborough has done her research into that aspect and although you may not believe some of the historical material that is mentioned, I know from my own visits to the area concerned that what she’s saying is correct.

The apparently settled dynamic of a community is unsettled by the arrival of the young British second wife of one of the key people, and at times it feels as if you’re waiting for the next domino to fall. Pinborough has a knack for seeing inside relationships, and creating ones that are three-dimensional – no-one is 95 per cent good with a bit of bad, they all have their shades of grey, they all react to circumstances in ways that are believable. There’s a more salacious edge to this than some of her recent work (although not quite on the lines of her three fairy tale retellings from a few years back), and there’s also a level of passive aggressive nastiness that really rings true.

Verdict: A fast paced, well observed tale of passion and deceit. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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