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Nov 25, 2017talk2terih rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I read this book directly after finishing The Woman in Cabin 10, which I did not like at all. In contrast, this is a much better book. The characters are once again not terribly likeable and tend to be overly histrionic but I did not actively dislike them, as I did the subject of Cabin 10. I did not figure out the conclusion of this book halfway through, as I had in Cabin 10, which was a welcome development. I can't say I am actively looking forward to Ware's next book, but if her books keep improving, I may eventually become a fan. This book does have a good flow. Ware is a technically capable writer, who does a fine job creating a sense of place. I could feel, see, and smell the marsh, the post office and the pub. Some of her incidental characters are great. Mary Wren is deliciously evil, for instance, and the Salten house mistress who tries to warn Isa of the trouble she is walking into is also well drawn. Ware does need to learn how to develop main characters we can like and cheer for and whose outcomes we can muster some intetest in.