An atmospheric and captivating read - took me a little while to get into it but once I did I was swept along by the story. My first book by this author but I don't think it will be my last.

A very solid 4* read. And again a story set in the Cold War (probably my favourite historical period of recent history). This is a novel about secrets.

The story opens with a woman, a wife and mother, burying a suitcase in her garden. It's a suitcase her husband was sent to retrieve from a colleague / friend's house. There are secrets inside which need to remain hidden. Her husband had to decide whether to take the briefcase back to his office (which would ultimately mean he would be implicated in questionable behaviour) but instead decides to take it home. His wife, curious when she finds the suitcase hidden behind the wellies, realises the contents are very serious hence her actions.

The character development is very good - Lily, the woman in question, was a Jewish child refugee escaping Berlin in WW2 and had her secrets to hide. Her husband is hiding his friend Giles' suitcase/briefcase but their relationship has a much more involved history, again there are secrets to hide.

This was my first novel by Helen Dunmore and I'll be adding her others to my TBR list. The story had a good pace, relatively plausible ending, and good character development.

I struggled to get through this book. I can't pinpoint what didn't capture my attention