2/3 of the way through this book I was beginning to wonder if it really *was* a mystery. Sure, Fremlin dropped some breadcrumbs along the way, as she recounted the very unfun summer holiday of these three British sisters, elder stepsister Mildred, worrywart Isabel, and fun-loving Meg. But they were very subtle breadcrumbs that didn’t necessarily point to any danger or puzzle to solve. Mildred was excessively concerned about the release of her ex-husband from prison, a man whom, as a child, Meg had inadvertently exposed as the murderer of his first wife, but her fears seemed unfounded since there was no indication that he was even due to be released. This is more a novel of simmering dread, with a dash of keenly observed family and female dynamics, and the shocking end makes it worth sticking with.