One Dark Summer by Saskia Sarginson
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 11th April 2025
Published: 13th April 2025
★★★ 3.5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
It was the summer that changed everything…
With trembling hands, Meg knocks on the door of the large manor house. Behind her, the view down to the river is spectacular. She’s here to be the nanny to two young children.
It’s not the job Meg is anxious about, though. It’s the house itself that scares her, and the secrets lurking inside. Not only that, but will her new employer recognise her?
The door opens. A beautiful, smiling woman greets her and ushers her inside.
As she walks in, Meg realizes the house is exactly as she remembers. Her employer hasn’t changed much, either, unlike Meg. The last time they met was fifteen years ago, when Meg was a child.
Because this is where Meg lived the summer her mother went missing. The summer her life changed. The summer Meg believes she killed a man.
Now she’s back, in disguise as Margaret the nanny, and determined to find out what really happened. But some secrets are best left buried. Because someone knows exactly who Meg is, and they will do whatever it takes to keep her quiet…
A completely gripping, powerfully-written, nailbitingly-twisty thriller, guaranteed to keep readers up all night, from bestselling Richard & Judy Bookclub author, Saskia Sarginson. Perfect for fans of Shari Lapena, Freida McFadden and Girl on the Train.
MY THOUGHTS:
A missing mother...a forgotten child...a house full of deadly secrets...
I'm not sure what I expected when I dived into this one but it wasn't what was delivered. It is a dark, twisted and atmospheric with a real claustrophobic tension throughout. Though a slow burn (not usually my favoured type), that tension is palpable from the first page as we, the reader, try to unravel the mess left behind at Deben Manor. The mystery that Meg has come looking to uncover.
Meg was just a child when she first came to Deben Manor after her mother disappeared, her father depositing her there with her cousins while he tried to get his life back together again after his wife, Irene's, departure. Meg missed her mother terribly and her three cousins - Orphelia (17), Thea (15) and Clementine (12) - were not entirely nice to her. Her uncle Lucian came and went as she saw fit whilst her aunt, the girls' mother, Calista floated about in her own little world. Neither parent did any parenting and the three sisters pretty much brought themselves up. And Meg? No one really cared about her or what happened to her. When she disappeared one morning and then reappeared after a boating accident, the sisters were glad to see the back of her.
Now fifteen years later, Meg's back at Deben Manor. This time under the guise of nanny Margaret Danby (her mother's maiden name) to Orphelia's two children Artemis (5) and Kit (3). Her primary goal is to find out what really happened to her mother all those years ago, believing she had been to Deben Manor at some point though she didn't know why. Or what the connection was. She has done her best to disguise herself, fearing that one of the sisters will recognise her and end her mission. So every chance she gets, she sifts through Orphelia's study, searches her room and even tries to gain access to the forbidden attic...where strange sounds emanate from there at night. Footsteps on the floorboards, whispers behind the walls, cigar smoke filtering through the floors. But the attic has been locked up tight since Lucian's time. And no one has been up there since. Calista forbids it. Although she's in France where she's remained ever since Lucian's boating accident fifteen years ago, for which Meg was blamed. The problem is, Meg has trouble recalling what really happened that day...and why.
But someone knows what Meg is up to. They know her real identity and have been watching her, logging her movements and following her when she goes into the village, spying on her in the summerhouse. The question is who? And why? Meg isn't sure who she can trust and when she finds a pair of Orphelia's diamond earrings in her belongings, she knows someone is trying to set her up. Then she begins to receives notes warning her to leave...or else. But how can she? When she's this close to finding out what really happened to her mother fifteen years ago during that one dark summer. When she left for school one day only to return home to find her mother had gone for good.
The scene is set for an atmospheric and chilling thriller that will keep you guessing...even when you think you have it all worked out. The book takes on a gothic air of melancholy reminiscent of those that have gone before such as "Jane Eyre" or "Wuthering Heights". Though the air of romance in those takes on something else entirely in this one as the years peel away the trauma, the abuse, the cruelty and harm at the hands of those in a place of trust.
When I started this book, I found it slow moving and dragged on a little but I stuck it out and it did get better and yet it still felt lacking in something though I'm not sure what. I was definitely intrigued enough to continue reading and did so in one evening.
I would like to thank #SaskiaSarginson, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #OneDarkSummer in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
My latest novel, Identical, a psychological suspense, is in out May 2024. When I was little I wanted to be a zoologist. But actually I've been a Guardian columnist, an editor, a journalist on women’s magazines, and a script reader. Writing novels is my favourite job. When I'm not writing, I love to dance tango, make (and eat) cakes, walk the dog, and discuss plot points with my husband.
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