Human bones are discovered when a long disused holiday park is demolished in a little seaside town. Could this be the body of 22-year-old, Alice Lang who went missing almost 25 years ago, presumed drowned? The storyline focusses on characters Marnie and Will, who both knew Alice. Marnie was a shy young girl, whose father was the caretaker of the holiday park where Alice stayed, and whom Alice befriended. Will was in love with Alice, and insanely jealous of anyone else she sees. Will moved away from the seaside town after Alice went missing, but hearing of the discovery returns there to confront his past.

I’ve read several of this author’s books and have loved them all. I was intrigued by the storyline and once started was keen to discover what happened to Alice all those years before. The story was mainly told from Marnie and Will’s point of view, and whilst set in present day it drifted back to 1995 throughout to include Alice’s storyline. The location was perfectly set, and as I read, I could imagine the hustle and bustle of a busy seaside town 25 years before compared to the desolate place it appeared to be now. I liked Marnie’s character, and empathised with her. Having a traumatic childhood, Alice’s disappearance changed Marnie’s whole life and as the story moves on you begin to understand why Marnie is like she is. I didn’t like Will’s character at all, with the younger Will treating Alice terribly, making you wonder if he has changed at all as he’s got older. Both the characters were hiding secrets of what happened all those years ago, and little by little those secrets were revealed as the story moves on.

There was a slow build up for the first half of the book, with the pace picking up as the secrets, lies and guilt are revealed. There are lots of red herrings as to what actually happened, and I have to admit that I didn’t work out what happened to Alice and who was involved until it was shown. The tension and suspense picked up throughout the book also, and I loved how the bleakness of the seaside town filtered through into that giving the storyline a cold and chilling edge to it. All in all, this was an enjoyable read with a great ending which I would definitely recommend!

Twenty plus years after Alice's disappearance from a caravan park, her bones are located nearby. Marnie, who was a young girl at the time, has been mute ever since Alice disappeared (shortly after the death of Marnie's mother), and Will, Alice's boyfriend or lover of 3 weeks, has spent the rest of his life mourning her and vowing to find out what happened. Will comes off as a crazy stalker even though the woman he is obsessed with is dead. The flashbacks to their relationship are concerning at best. It was an okay book but I wasn't that into it. There was nothing particularly wrong with it, but it also didn't grab my attention that much. 3 stars.

Contractors demolishing Channel View Holiday Park and funfair discover human bones. Is this the body of Alice Lang missing since the 1970’s who selective mute Marnie who was ten at the time, feels she betrayed? Writer Will Jones returns to Severn Sands, is it guilt that draws him back or the desire to make someone pay if the bones are identified as Alice?

This is a well written character driven slow burner mystery with Alice at the centre of the riddle. The storytelling backtracks via Will and Marnie’s thoughts which brings Alice to life. Although at times this seems haphazard I think this is clever as the characters thoughts go round and round trying to make sense of things, adding realism as it’s exactly what people do in their heads. Alice comes across as a lovely personality and her kindness to ten year old Marnie, struggling with grief over the loss of her mother really stands out. Marnie’s muteness is a very significant part of the storytelling and adds a really interesting element as the reader tries to unravel the reasons why. She is a very complex character keeping people at arms length with some exceptions. Marnie’s love and ability with animals and the bond with her daughter Lucy and father John show her kind and caring side. Will is interesting as before and during his friendship with Alice his world was colour and now it’s monotone because of obsession. As the novel progresses secrets and lies become apparent with various characters revealing shame and guilt. The setting in the declining seaside town of Seven Sands is very good too adding the chilly atmosphere of winter bleakness to a sad and bleak story. The pace picks up towards the end and it has suspense and tension and we see the plot red herrings.

Overall, this is a well written slow burner psychological drama which I enjoyed. I like the ending especially for Marnie and Will.

With thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the arc for an honest review.

In the summer of 1995, 22 year old Alice went missing. A quarter of a century later and bones are discovered at the holiday camp where Alice disappeared. Could the bones belong to Alice? If so, how did she die? Someone knows the answer to these questions, but who?

19 year old Will fell in love with Alice that summer and her disappearance has defined the way he has lived his life ever since. Will has always blamed one particular person for what happened to Alice but as he travels back through his memories, he wonders is he the one to blame?

A good storyline with good characters which was an easy and enjoyable read.

Having previously read House by the Sea by Louise Douglas I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review her latest novel. The Scarlet Dress did not disappoint. Taken from the perspective of two main characters who had loved and lost Alice, a vibrant young woman whilst she holidayed at a seaside holiday park in the Gloucester coast.
The grim discovery of bones at the site over a decade later brings both Will and Marnie to begin to uncover and piece together events from the past which led to her demise. The plot offers plenty of red herrings and characters that are tangible and less than perfect which adds a semblance of realism and had me guessing to the end. A thoroughly enjoyable read and highly recommended.

Thank you to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read and review this book. At first, I didn't really care for this book. It was very slow with so many details. It did get better as the story went on though.
In 1995, 22 year old Alice Lang rented a caravan at a holiday resort. One night, she disappears and all that is found is her scarlet dress. It is presumed that she drowned, but her body is never found. Now we move to present day. The park is run down and the owners have sold it to a housing development company. While they are digging, they find Alice's bones. Who killed her and why? The answer was a surprise to me. Good mystery, but a little slow in places. Lots of details about the plot and not much conversation. If you like a good mystery, I would recommend you keep going. You will like the ending.

A young girl Alice rents a caravan at the holiday park next to estuary, befriends ten-year-old Marnie, who is the daughter of the park's caretaker. Local boy Will is in love with Alice, and jealous of any one who comes close to Alice. Alice disappeared from the caravan one night. Her scarlet dress was found on the riverbank, cops rule her death as drowning.

Twenty years later, bones were found on the site of a holiday park that has been sold for redevelopment.

This started off good but the pace was very slow. On top of it, the unsystematic format the author chose to reveal the past story didn’t sit well with me. Story was told from Will and Marine’s perspective in the present day and they drift off to the events/days surrounding the night of Alice’s disappearance. I don’t mind if this reminiscing happens in a few chapters but this continued in every chapter until the last one. This jumping of story from present to past frustrated me. It would have been neat and clean if they were separated.

I can sympathize with Marnie. Apart from her, I don’t connect or feel for any of the other characters. Will is possessed by jealousy, hard to believe he still holds a candle for Alice after all these years, appalled at the way he treats his girlfriends. He pushes them away when he wants but at the end goes to his girlfriend. I am outraged when she accepts him again.

The hunch Will gets out of the blue is also unconvincing. It’s unbelievable why the character who revealed the truths waited a long time and lacks compelling reasons to do so now. If the unraveling of truth occurs through the investigation then it would have kept the suspense all along but revealing through a character fell flat.

There are some plot holes or unanswered questions such as how one character knows about their parentage. I couldn’t go on more for the fear of spoiling.

Lot of the story revolves and is repeated many times about that particular night, felt it was dragging in parts. The final twist has surprised me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing me ARC in return for my honest opinions.

I am so incredibly fussy about fiction nowadays. The first few pages will usually tell me if I could go through the whole novel or not.

The Scarlet Dress did not grab me. I found the pacing on the slow side and I do not enjoy timelines that go quite haphazardly.

I did go through the whole book though as the storyline is quite interesting and I actually could not guess who the murderer was. The twist towards the end was totally unexpected for me and I feel that it did wrap up well.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have liked everything this author has written and this was no exception. Great storyline, great characters. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This was a great book to read, at times I found it a little slow but on the whole I enjoyed it. I always look for books that Richard and Judy endorse as they usually have a great book list. This one was one of them. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

When an old holiday campground, Severn Sands, is sold for redevelopment, workers on the excavation uncover human bones. Could the bones belong to Alice Lang, a young woman who disappeared from the park twenty five years earlier? In 1995, Alice was staying in the park when she met little Marnie, a girl sorely in need of love and companionship. Will, whose mother ran the campground bar, fell head over heels for Alice and was possessive and jealous of anyone that Alice payed attention too. When Alice disappeared, Will was a likely suspect. But all that was ever found was Alice’s red dress, washed up on the riverbank. Now, with Alice’s remains uncovered, Will and Marnie, whose lives were forever changed that summer, will try to find out what really happened to the young woman they both loved. Louise Douglas is such an amazing story teller, her characters are so real they walk right off the page