This is the sequel to Before I Left, set in Brighton in 1963, and picks up a few months later, with Ruby and Mary still living in the flat above Johnnie’s salon with baby Summer, and working there during the day. At night, Ruby parties with her friends, while Mary is struggling with postnatal depression.
Walking home past the beach on a stormy night, Ruby finds a teenage girl screaming into the waves, rescues her and takes her to the police. Traumatised, the girl refuses to speak, and no one knows who she is. Soon after, Ruby is approached by Beverly, a young woman recently released from prison after serving ten years for the presumed murder of her young daughter, although no body was ever found. Beverly insists she is innocent and, having read about Ruby’s investigative exploits, asks her to find her missing daughter, Ella. Despite the disapproval of many people, who believe her to be guilty, Ruby agrees to help, and ropes in her friends from the salon and local paper to try and solve the mystery.
I did like this better than the first book, and it could easily be read as a stand-alone, as there is plenty of backstory, which also would be useful if you had read the first one a while ago. I found the mystery more interesting and the characters more appealing than first time round. Again, I liked the sixties setting, and the plot development. There’s a contrast between the innocent life in a sixties seaside town, and the darkness revealed beneath the surface.
On the negative side, the writing is simplistic and there are too many tedious details about making cups of tea and sweeping floors that we really don’t need to read about. I personally don’t like the first person present style of writing that is so popular these days, especially in young adult fiction. The ending was very abrupt, leaving things open to continue the series.
3.5 rounded down, because overall I liked rather than really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Hachette Australia via NetGalley for the ARC, which I received for free in exchange for an honest review.