The House Across the Street by Leslie Pearse

 This was almost unremittingly dark, and miserable. Don't read it if you want to be cheered up, or you want relaxing holiday reading! However, it was hard to put down, with charming and brave main characters. I may read more of Lesley Pearse, but I hope that the next book is happier.

Katie, stuck with a nasty mother and a hen-pecked father, desperately wants to get out of boring Bexhill. She makes friends with the woman across the street, Gloria, who runs a dress shop, and advises her to live in London. Suddenly, Gloria and her daughter are killed in a fire, and Katie's father is a suspect. How can Katie help to solve the situation?

This book involves important issues, including domestic violence and rape, which helps to make readers aware of them. However, there weren't many happy moments in this book. I was hoping for some happier times for Katie when she went to live in London with her friend, but they were few, and far between! I won't read it again, so I will give it away.