The Last Summer of the Camperdowns by Elizabeth Kelly and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan were the last books I borrowed from the library as I read my way through a couple of dozen new releases in anticipation of the Buff Orpington Tournament. I was going to just look them over and send them back, but I got caught up in the stories and in the case of The Camperdowns the mystery.
The Camperdowns consist of Camp, the father; Greer, the mother; and Riddle James, the daughter (named after James Riddle Hoffa - these people are serious lefties.) They are spending their summer at the family estate in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod.
Also spending the summer are their neighbor, Gin, who has the creepiest servant since Mrs Danvers, and the Devlins: Michael, a childhood friend and World War II buddy of Camp; Harry, his oldest son, a hottie as we would say now; and younger son, Charlie, whom we don't get to meet because he disappears early in the story.
Camp is running for office so he can't afford any leaks of family secrets, which is deeply unfortunate as this is a summer of leaks. Lots of buried stories are unearthed, some of them true and others not. And Riddle, who narrates the story, which took place in 1972 when she was 12, learns some things she should not and then makes things worse for herself - and others - because she doesn't tell anybody the horrifying thing she saw in the barn.
Even with constant leaks throughout the book there are plenty of secrets to come out in the bang-up ending of this very readable novel.
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