In The Summertime By Maeve Haran

‘In The Summertime’ is the latest book by Maeve Haran.

With her marriage falling apart and her longed-for holiday cancelled, Georgina Greenhills gets an unexpected offer: a holiday in the small seaside town nestling in the beautiful South Downs where she grew up. There is only one catch: she must try and solve the mystery of the valuable antiques disappearing from the remote manor house belonging to an old lady called Maudie. Gina gathers her childhood friends, scatty Ruth and feisty Eve, to help her. In the middle of a blazing summer they swim, sunbathe and share cocktails as they watch the sun sparkling on the sea, and Gina realizes how much she missed them and how happy she is to be back here in the summertime. Not least because of bumping into Daniel Napier, her shy and awkward teenage dancing partner, now an alarmingly attractive man. Although there is the small problem of his annoying girlfriend. As Gina tries to solve the mystery at the manor and wonders how to get rid of the girlfriend, an even bigger secret emerges that will take all their skill and experience to resolve.

‘In the Summertime’ is a warmhearted story about new beginnings and new friendships and is primarily seen through the narrative of Gina, whose unhappy marriage has come to an end. One day, an old school friend gets in touch and offers her a valuation job back home in Southdown for a kind and eccentric old lady called Maudie whose house is brimming with valuable antiques. Gina seizes the opportunity to take stock of the antiques as well as her own life and begins to make some serious changes and puts herself first whilst rekindling old relationships and making new ones.

This story is a lovely one to sink into, packed with the sea air and community spirit. Southdown has really changed since Gina, Ruthie and Eve lived as teenagers, no longer a ghost town that they all wanted to escape, it’s now a hip tourist trap that all three of them have grown to love. I loved Maudie, a sophisticated elderly woman, who loves life and with a kind heart looking to help others. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same kindness as her and her niece are only interested in claiming Maudie’s home and valuables.

The story is also seen through the narrative of Evie, a tough divorce solicitor, who had left Southdown for London. She used to tease Gina about returning to the quiet town but since her visit to the seaside town, she’s also beginning to fall for its charms as well as the charms of estate agent Stuart, who’s managing to break through her hard exterior.

Wonderfully written with lovely characters and a picturesque setting that sweeps the reader away, ‘In The Summertime’ is a refreshing and uplifting story.

You can buy ‘In The Summertime’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.