Meg lives alone on an isolated property. She has agreed to take in a mother and her two young daughters who are on the run from an abusive relationship. Something she understands herself. It is only for four weeks and she is pleased to help them stay safe.

The mother, Nerine, is terrified, constantly repeating, ‘My husband will find us.’ Meg sees how scared the older child is. She secures a hiding place inside a cupboard for the girls to run to should he appear. Meg’s beloved dog, Esme, is ready to ward off any strangers. The fear is palpable as Nerine encourages Meg to ‘get a gun’. Meg borrows one from a friend. But where will the danger come from? From outside or from within?

This is a quick read, but I did find the amount of detail of Meg’s backstory irrelevant to the plot and made the story drag. There are glimpses of Nerine and her daughters’ backstory but I was left wanting more. What happened for them to be on the run?

Towards the end of the book, the story suddenly takes off with a rush of detail and a twist. Unfortunately I struggled a little to follow what was going on and I was finally left with unanswered questions.

Jinks’s descriptions are vivid and, while I found the book intriguing, I was disturbed at some of the cruelty and, ultimately, had trouble following the plot.

Reviewed by Gerrie Fawcett