The holiday has begun. In a seaside caravan resort, Isabel and her sister, Meg, build sandcastles with the children, navigate deckchair politics, explore the pier’s delights, gorge on ice cream in the sun. But their half-sister, Mildred, has returned to a nearby coastal cottage where her husband – the mysterious Uncle Paul – was arrested for attempted murder of his first wife.
Now, on his release from prison, is Uncle Paul returning for revenge, seeking who betrayed him, uncovering the family’s skeletons? Or are all three women letting their nerves get the better of them? Though who really is Meg’s new lover? And whose are those footsteps…?
I wasn’t sure what I was getting with Uncle Paul. A cosy crime? The cover definitely seemed to suggest this (especially with the little blood splatter in the corner), but the blurb felt reminiscent of The Feast, particularly with the seaside setting and morose characters. Fortunately, in comparison, Uncle Paul is written with considerably more humour and more likeable characters.
Meg is the youngest sister of three, and burdened with a degree of common sense that sees her expected to be the responsible one for her older sisters. Isabel, the worrisome mother to two young boys and a husband that causes her to panic at the mention of his name, has taken the kids to a caravan holiday by the seaside, where she discovers her half-sister Mildred is also in the area, and fearing for her life at the thought of her husband’s return. Isabel asks Meg to come to the caravan park to help her with Mildred, and she does, surprised when she’s soon joined by Freddie, her charming, yet suspicious new boyfriend, who, for reasons unknown, has joined them.
With her sister’s shared fears of Uncle Paul’s return, is Meg swept up in their overactive imaginations, or is there a real threat closing in? Because fear is contageous, and when she finds herself with nowhere else to go but the forboding cottage where Uncle Paul committed murder, Mildred’s concerns are no longer a laughing matter. And what’s in the creepy wardrobe? And why is Freddy really there?
But it’s not all fear and speculation! There are fun and recognisable characters in the other holidaymakers, from the sweetnatured and chivalrous Captain Cockerill, to the annoying little know-it-all Cedric, and the nosey, yet well meaning Mrs Hutchins.
Subjectively, you could argue not a lot happens in the book. There’s a lot of going from the hotel to the cottage to the beach to the hotel again…all a bit samey, but at no point did it feel like nothing was happening, because the story’s focus is on the family’s past, and the relationship between the three sisters.
Uncle Paul is engaging and suspenseful, with good characterisation, dry humour, and a twisty ending. It’s an expertly crafted psychological novel with a stunning cover. A perfect summer read, and ideal for fans of Golden Age crime.
WHEN THE BOOKENDS 