This turned out to have been Bawden's first published novel, which she described in a 2010 interview as "mercifully unobtainable" - mercifully for her, she wasn't around to see it reissued as an ebook. Unexpectedly, it is a sort of murder mystery, with strong overtones of both Agatha Christie and Graham Greene. The narrator, Paul (who for no obvious plot reason has some sort of MI6 background) comes to visit Venetia at the Shropshire farm where she lives with her husband Henry. Venetia - whose relationship with Paul is left ambiguous until the closing pages - goes missing overnight, and is later found dead. it looks like an accident, but the police aren't so sure...

There are some nice bits of description (especially in the WWII back-story, which readers of Bawden's later books will probably enjoy), but the plot is a bit too loose to work properly as a whodunnit, especially as many readers will see the ending coming a long way away. ( )