I was hooked in the beginning; I assumed (and well played on Freeman's part) that Violet was the dead body in the first scene, so the twist that it was Sam's body really got me. That was the only good thing about this book.

Problem one: It is casually racist. I thought it was a rude stereotype that Australians are racist, but this author, at least, is. The mentions of "Chinese lamps" and "gypsy cards" and "real gypsy costume" were so unnecessary.

Problem two: The obsession with virginity. Our modern protagonist is a 30 year old virgin, our historical protagonist is a 20 year old virgin and our historical supporting actress is a 26 year old virgin, and all of them are obsessed with their virginity and finding the right man and both wanting him to be skilled but also wanting him to not have been with anyone else. It's awful.

Problem three: It's three times as long as it needs to be. Every scene is dragged out because Freeman likes the sound of her own keyboard keys or something.

Problem four: Everything ends with a marriage and a baby, because apparently that's the only thing women are allowed to want in life.