"Trespass," Rose Tremain's bewitching latest novel, is a gothic style thriller set in the Cévennes region in the South of France. Tremain is an historical novelist who approaches her subjects "from unexpected angles, concentrating her attention on unglamorous outsiders. In June 2008 she won the "Orange Prize"  for fiction, awarded to the best novel of the year written in English by a woman, for "The Road Home," the story of an Eastern European immigrant in the UK.

"Trespass" unfolds with characters who are deftly drawn, engaging and far from clichéd. Anthony Verey is a burnt out antiques dealer from London, who is looking for an escape from his increasingly meaningless existence. Deciding to relocate to Southern France in a bid to start his life again, he is introduced to Mas Lunel, a wonderful, if rather derelict old farmhouse in the Cévennes region. Seduced by its potential, he is soon dragged into the world of its owner, Aramon Lunel, the delusional alcoholic unable to escape the violence of his past and his estranged sister Audrun, who looms in the shadows.

Tremain tells an impressive tale of intrigue as revenge and betrayal come to a head, violent crime is committed, and unrelated worlds and cultures are forced to collide. You can almost hear the cicadas and feel the hypnotic heat of Southern France, such is her talent. Recommended.