What We Did In The Storm by Tina Baker

 

Three women are out just before a storm arrives on the island of Tresco, just off the coast of Cornwall. The following day one woman is missing and the other two are injured. Are they victims of the storm or something more sinister?

Although I've not read anything by author Tina Baker previously I do follow her on social media, initially because she rescued a little black kitten, Pip, and then as a result of the fun posts she regularly shares. Being a fan of thrillers I knew it wouldn't be long before I delved into one of her books. 

What We Did In The Storm is set in the Scilly Isles, an area I knew nothing about. Tresco is a family-owned island, the second largest island of the Scilly Isles and is twenty-eight miles from the Cornish coast. There are no cars on Tresco, people get around by foot, bicycle or golf cart. Boats transport people between the different islands and the wealthy make their way to Tresco via helicopter.

Wealth plays an important part in the story, this is a tale of division. The people who live and work on Tresco year-round are there to look after the tourists and wealthy visitors. We meet one of those wealthy visitors at the very beginning of the book, Beatrice Wallace, along with her goddaughter, Charlotte, and they don't come across well; spoilt and entitled, they have little regard for anyone other than themselves. Beatrice and her husband own a timeshare in one of the luxury holiday homes on the island, so are regular visitors. Her son, Kit, is also staying in the holiday accommodation. 

There are a large number of year-round inhabitants, the workers who keep the island ticking over and making sure that the wealthy visitors have everything they need. There are many benefits to living on Tresco; the climate, no litter, no pollution and no crime, but, it's a fragile ecosystem. There is a lot of resentment towards the wealthy visitors, they have to be kept sweet and their mere presence means that goods on the island are extremely expensive.

Each chapter focuses on a different person, giving the reader a chance to get to know everyone. These short chapters immediately draw you in and give you an idea of life on the island. Every so often there is a brief chapter focusing on the storm and its aftermath. From this, we have subtle hints about what has happened but the actual events are revealed very slowly, teasing the reader and building tension.

With the storm approaching you can feel the pressure building as petty jealousies come to a head. Gossip and rumors abound, along with a number of secrets. As all the story-lines converged I could feel my heart racing as we discover what took place.

What We Did In The Storm by Tina Baker is available now in a variety of formats. My thanks to Viper Books for a review copy.

Author Details

Tina Baker was brought up in a caravan after her mother, a fairground traveller, fell pregnant by a window cleaner. After leaving the bright lights of Coalville, she came to London and worked as a journalist and broadcaster for thirty years. She's probably best known as a television critic for the BBC and GMTV. Call Me Mummy is Tina's first novel.