The Hanged Man by Andree Rushton

The dream of many would be to own their little holiday home somewhere. This is what these friends did. Castignac in the South West of France was their personal idyll - their hopes of renovating, decorating and enjoying their own place. When one of their number was inexplicably killed - falling off a decrepit staircase in an abandoned farmhouse building it dampened the spirits of all. Almost unanimously they decided to sell but with this hanging over their heads they knew the sale will not happen quickly. Tessa however was not keen to sell. She felt that the farmhouse had untold secrets and she set about trying to uncover them. This was without the support of the others who felt that it was better to keep past histories closed. The stories going back in flashbacks to WWII, the Resistance, the boys of the village who fought in the war, and the one who was the deserter are all retold in this story bringing back the tragedy of young deaths to the fore. There is a lot of history that is retold in this story, the significance of the orchid which resembles a Hanged Man was for me not really relevant and Tessa was at times too intrusive and almost bullying in pursuit of news. The storyline however delving into both Wars and the reminiscences and memories of a generation past are very well told. Sent by the Book Guild for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.