Three books in one: Rose Cottage, Stormy Petrel, and Thornyhold. They are all fairly short, light novels set in the middle of the 20th century. Each one has a touch of suspense, an extremely low-key romance, and some great characterisation. They are all about specific houses, too.

In 'Rose Cottage', Kate is asked by her grandmother to find some items left in a cottage - and discovers that they have been taken. Mysteries abound, not helped by some talkative elderly ladies.

In 'Stormy Petrel', Rose, who is a lecturer in Cambridge, goes on holiday to a remote cottage in the Hebrides to do some writing. She is startled when two young me appear - separately - on her doorstep during a storm, and is caught up in various tensions.

In 'Thornyhold', the only one I had previously read (although I had totally forgotten it), Geillis inherits a house from her godmother, and it seems as if some of her neighbours think that she is a witch.

In all three books, the writing - in first person each time - is good, the stories fast-paced, the main characters sympathetic. The tensions comes from not knowing who can be trusted, but the resolutions are all hopeful.

Recommended. ( )