In a sleepy seaside village “on the road to nowhere”, the violent and unexpected murder of Lennie Daniels pierces the routine
led normality of everyday life.
Suddenly the regularity of children, work and marriage is thrown into insignificance by this shattering event. In a twist, the accidental drowning of a child at sea hints at the supernatural, adding a chilling overtone to the plot. What makes this story so
convincing is the clever idea that an hitherto predictable and commonplace existence is inexorably tinged with the danger that “something might happen”; a ‘suddenly’ that in this novel produced an irreversible effect on the relationships and attitudes of the two families around which the book revolves. To label the book as a ‘whodunit’ does not do it justice, for the impact the murder has on the people it affects is of more importance. That the culprit is never found doesn’t disappoint but rather emphasises Myerson’s theme that bad news or loss creates guilt, bitterness and crippling uncertainty. This is one of those rare breed of books that leaves a lingering impression on the reader for a long time to come. As the front cover asserts. ‘Chillingly convincing…Myerson leaves us teetering emotionally at the edge of the cliff, without a safety net’