Eris Island lies off the west coast of Scotland. Its isolation and dependence on tides reflected the chosen life of deceased artist, Vanessa Chapman, who needed the peace and solitude to work without interruption. James Becker, ‘Beck’, is a Chapman expert, employed by the Lennox family to oversee the Fairburn Collection – works bequeathed to the family after Chapman’s death. One of the pieces is discovered to contain a human bone, forcing a forensic examination. Also, many of the pieces are missing, presumed to be still on the island. It’s Beck’s job to obtain them. The possessiveness of Chapman’s former carer and companion, and now sole resident of Eris, Grace Haswell, stands in his way.
There are several mysteries to be solved here. Why is the collection missing so many pieces? Why did the collection go to the Lennox family at all, given that Vanessa had an enormous falling out with the patriarch, Douglas? How did Vanessa’s husband, Julian, disappear? Is it his bone in the artwork? And subplot questions for Beck: why did Helena become his wife, when she was engaged to Douglas’s son, Sebastian? And how can Beck continue to work there with Sebastian as his boss?
Hawkins’ writing continues to impress. Her characters come to the page fully formed, yet with room to withhold vital secrets from the reader. She dissects society, with casual cruelty shown from the upper classes to the lower, and from the beautiful to the plain. The title references the time of not-quite-darkness, when the eye can be tricked by what it thinks it sees. The island holds many mysteries. The closer Beck comes to uncovering them, the more perilous his position becomes.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies.
Published in over 50 languages, it was a No1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. Paula’s most recent thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant No.1 bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards. Her upcoming thriller, The Blue Hour, was published around the world in October 2024.
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