A review by trevert
The Summer Man by S.D. Perry

3.0

Tough to review. The characters were likable and the overall theme was engrossing. I did not mind at all the slow build-up that other reviewers have complained about, and I thought it was interesting to watch the gradual effects of the Summer Man's presence in the town as each character began to lose their inhibitions. But while I liked the characters and stayed engaged with them, there was really not a lot of story... Not much *happens* in anything like a sequential developing narrative. Various characters go crazy and do things, repeat. And the ending let the whole thing down very badly - I would probably have rated it higher if not for the last chapters. You're finally holding on tight as events seem to be gelling together into a cohesive mystery and then it's over with a whimper. The ultimate revelations were terribly disappointing to me, and diluted a lot of the enthusiasm I'd had up to that point. So, ultimately, I say, "Nice relaxing enjoyable beach read. Don't expect it to be a horror book or particularly gripping."