It’s summer 1986 and the glamorous Davenports have a breathtaking house overlooking the sea in Cornwall... The Cliff House.

They arrive in flashy motors and lounge by the pool, drinks in hand, watched over all the while by a lonely teenage girl.

Bereaved 16-year-old Tamsyn keeps her binoculars trained on the house and the couple, dreaming of being part of the perfect family in their perfect home.

Of course, all is not as it seems and as she manages to become involved with the family, the reader sees the cracks and warning signs long before the scales start to fall from Tamsyn’s eyes.

She is naive for her years and blinded to realities that don’t tie in to her idealised vision of life in The Cliff House.

It’s the fourth novel from Oxfordshire author Amanda Jennings, following on from Sworn Secret, The Judas Scar and In Her Wake.

I’m told by a fan who has read them all, that it has a slower pace than the others.

There is certainly a gradual build towards an ending which you fear will go badly for all concerned.

The sense of foreboding is palpable – and, after all, the catchline on the front does read: “Bad things happen in beautiful places.”

So you know something is coming but the what and who it will happen to keeps you guessing.

And there’s plenty of pleasure to be had along the way in this story of loss and obsession.

Moods are painted evocatively by Jennings and the characters are believable.

It’s a haunting tale set against the brooding North Cornish coastline, that will stay with you after the final page is turned. If you’re planning a summer holiday to Cornwall or simply want to be transported there from the comfort of your armchair, then this is the book for you.

The Cliff House by Amanda Jennings, published by HQ, £12.99 hardback, ebook £5.99