Meanwhile, middle sister Isabel is trying to settle into her second marriage, having been widowed some years earlier following the birth of her two boys. The Hours Before Dawn is on the shelf, and I’m looking forward to it all the more having enjoyed this one so much. Wanted to get to the end but the story was ridiculous and over wrought (unless the ludicrous lack of communication is how all relationships were conducted in the 1950s) and the denouement farcical. Next we have Isabel who seems to get overwrought at the drop of a hat because she senses her husband may not love her and their two boys quite as much as she'd like him to. I suppose you could say the story's focus is on the way we construct our realities, and how easy it is to lose the thread of our own truth, especially when danger threatens.

An independent young woman living alone in a London flat, Meg is in the throes of a new relationship with Freddy, a charming, witty pianist with a relaxed attitude to life. She seems largely unknown, but maybe this will be another hit for Faber, and bring her some of the recognition she deserves. Meg, the only sensible sister and main narrator, is confused about the time of day upon waking to bright sunshine. And so I landed up on Uncle Paul, which has the spine-chilling tag-line 'Welcome to the Nightmare Summer Holiday'.In 1983 civil proceedings were brought against her as one of the five members of the EXIT Executive committee which had published “A Guide to Self Deliverance” , but the court refused to declare the booklet unlawful. Unfortunately, the cover of Uncle Paul – the ‘nightmare summer holiday’ tagline and a cherry-picked quote branding the author ‘Britain’s Patricia Highsmith’ – oversells the book. Celia Fremlin was recommended to me by a good friend (Lynn) on here ages ago and I've only just got round to reading my first of her novels.

Mildred has a difficult relationship with husband, Hubert, and has done one of her flits, rushing off to Isabel. Before she goes, she tells her boyfriend; the irresponsible, irrepressible, Freddy, that she is leaving. There's gentle humour too, with character types and scenarios you'd expect to see in any Fawlty Towers or Agatha Christie. Their family holiday at the seaside village where Mildred and Uncle Paul once honeymooned becomes the setting for a tense drama of suspicion, betrayal, and revenge.

Originally written in 1959 and reissued now, it's hard to fathom why exactly this is a Waterstones Crime Pick of the Month, given the abundance of new crime writing that arrives every week.

I made the mistake of reading into the wee hours, and I decided to go to bed after finishing chapter 18. I could describe it as an old-fashioned domestic thriller, but even that might be a bit of an overstatement: the emphasis is firmly on the domestic. For Mildred, clearly the main worry is that Paul is out and intent on taking revenge for her betrayal in exposing his identity.It definitely reminded me of some of Shirley Jackson’s short stories in that respect – from her Dark Tales collection, I think. This has unexpectedly shot to one of my top ranking for the wonderful Celia Fremlin, an author seemingly being rediscovered thanks to Faber. Rich in psychological insight and dark humor, the elegant, razor-sharp quality of Fremlin's writing provides page-turning excitement. Faber Members get access to live and online author events and receive regular e-newsletters with book previews, promotional offers, articles and quizzes. Its not really the Agatha Christie cosy crime story that its sold as - even the tagline on the cover 'Welcome to the Nightmare Summer Holiday' rings false - marketing spin rather than accurate.