Bo Luxton has it all – a loving family, a beautiful home in the Lake District, and a clutch of bestselling books to her name.
Enter Alice Dark, an aspiring writer who is drifting through life, with a series of dead-end jobs and a freeloading boyfriend.
When they meet at a writers’ retreat, the chemistry is instant, and a sinister relationship develops… Or does it?
So, what can we say about Exquisite? Well, for starters I read it in a day, in pretty much one sitting. I’d picked up a sampler from Karen at the Orenda Roadshow in Leeds, a tantalising glimpse to whet the appetite.
Having read the full book now, I can happily report that it does not disappoint. Exquisite is an utterly compelling domestic noir of a burgeoning friendship which takes a rather ominous turn following a writers’ retreat in Northumberland.
Told from the viewpoints of Bo Luxton, a well-established author, and Alice Dark, a young woman with dreams of becoming a writer, the two start exchanging emails following the retreat and soon become friends. Bo’s life appears to be idyllic – a gorgeous writing retreat in the Lake District, a successful writing career, a happy family. But is there something deeper, something more… sinister going on? By contrast, Alice Dark is young, a fresh-faced wannabe writer, keen to learn everything she can from her mentor.
The characters are fascinating, the scenery gorgeous, and the sense of something slightly off becomes more and more unsettling as the novel continues to grow. Shifting viewpoints tell each side of the story and gradually unravel the truth. Or do they? The concept of the unreliable narrator is familiar (and great fun), but having two people tell the same events with their own slant on what happens is unusual. It works remarkably well.
Exquisite, by Sarah Stovell is published by Orenda Books, and is available now. You can find Sarah Stovell on twitter @sarahlovescrime. Many thanks to Karen at @OrendaBooks for the review copy.
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