Postcards from the Past by Marcia Willett

"Can you ever escape your family ties?

Siblings Billa and Ed share their beautiful, grand old childhood home in rural Cornwall. Their lives are uncomplicated. With family and friends nearby and their free and easy living arrangements, life seems as content as can be.

But when postcards start arriving from a sinister figure they thought belonged well and truly in their pasts, old memories are stirred. Why is he contacting them now? And what has he been hiding all these years?"

I didn't really like this book when I first started reading it, and have to admit that I considered giving up in those early stages.  I just didn't feel a connection with the characters and didn't warm to them; I found them difficult to picture. However, then the intrigue of the postcards kicked in and I wanted to know who Tris was and what he wanted.  

This book is more of a slow burner, but packed full of everyday life in the Cornwall community and I soon became able to picture the characters and the landscapes.  Whilst the book jumps about a lot, Marcia Willett has fitted each of those pieces together extremely well as I didn't find it disjointed at all.  

I thought the tension was built up well but it was a real shame that one of the reason's Tris returns was revealed so early on.  Dom guesses at why Tris might have come back, and as I read this I thought "well it can't possibly be that then" but actually he is not far out.  I would have liked a little more suspense in that respect.

All in all, it turned out to be a good read but not something I fell head over heels in love with. I did love little Jakey, the descriptions of when he visits the dogs and his relationship with Harry.  I also loved Sir Alec and my heart went out to him as it was clear he very much missed his wife.  His relationship with Tilly and her 'family' made me smile.  

Finally, the ending seemed to deal with all the characters but for me it was not quite as complete as I would have liked it to have been - I felt that I was left with some loose ends that I would love to have seen tied up!