Secrets and Lives - Rated 
This is the first of Sarah Challis book I have encountered and it was a pleasant enjoyable read, where I actually could feel the story building and building towards the ending very early on and the characters became part of your life.
Although this could been another `village' tale it was much more than that. The disappearance of Jodie a local schoolgirl in the Dorset Village, is used as a vehicle in introducing the other main characters within the tale, Henry the recluse who has lost his brother and has some painful memories of his past which as the story goes on, actually come back but do not haunt him but bring some sort of peace to his life.
Juliet who has used the Dorset village as a getaway from her life, but has to deal with a personal affair that she has spent a lifetime trying to control and deal with.
Rachel the newcomer who has to try and find the strength to trust her husband, Dave when everything and everyone around seems to be indicating something untoward is going on.
The story built and built and with the additional off shoots from these characters, Juliet's mother Bobbie should be considered a main player within this book. The author uses this character to portray the other side of what everyone must be thinking as we read, Bobbie says it all for us and helps not just her own daughter but she has input in the lives of complete strangers to her Henry and Rachel. Life lessons that talking to someone unconnected with all events can actually make you see everything so much clearer.
I would recommend this book, if you like a tale which makes you think what would I do or have done in those situations and would we all have made the same decisions and dealt with the consequences as Sarah Challis characters do.
If you like a tale about a village, that isn't wrapped up with local fetes, saving the post office and raising money for the church then this could be the book for you.
A wonderful read - Rated 
I loved this novel. The characters are sympathetically portrayed and the story is totally engaging and ultimately very moving. Challis is so good at the vagaries of love.
Best Yet - Rated
I would have to disagree with the previous reviewer, as I thought this was her best one yet. It had a good mix of credible characters, with a story line that moved along at a good pace. This is not an exciting thriller but a good investigation of the different problems that face a very mixed group of people, who are all connected through a sleepy village in Dorset. I felt that she had a good insight into the differing ages and characters and how they would think and behave.
Not one of Sarah Challis's best - Rated 
I was rather disappointed with this latest book from Sarah Challis. It started quite well, with well-drawn characters - always one of Challis's strengths. The synopsis and reviews on the back cover sounded promising - the Daily Telegraph said 'moves at a cracking pace', and the Dorset Echo promised 'a twist in the tale'. I would disagree with both those comments - I found it unconvincing and slow, and I must have missed the 'twist in the tale'! I thought the book didn't live up to its early promise. It was much too long - 500 pages - I perservered to the end hoping that it would get better, but I found myself skipping bits because I got bored. It just didn't hold my interest; nothing much happened, and the characters became less believable as the book went on. It ended strangely abruptly, as if the author had got bored too!
I see that mine is the first review of this book so I'd be very interested in other opinions. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood!
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