This is a strange book about a triangular relationship between a famous musician, Max, his twin sister, Natasha, and a fabulously rich French Count.

Natasha is accustomed to accompanying Max on tour and organising his life for him but, at some point, he starts to make mistakes and moves to Paris to practice and take lessons. The Count, Henri, invites him and Natasha to stay at his mansion and the story rises to a crescendo from there.

The relationship between the twins is an unhealthy one spawned by an early childhood incident and, as they have grown, it is doomed to change. Henri is the agent of this change and his relationships with both brother and sister drive the story, like a piece of music, to a climax.

It’s well written but requires some suspension of belief as the talented but insecure Max vies with the sexually awakening Natasha to attract the attentions of the ambivalent Count and, yes, it does rise to a crescendo at the end.

(Crescendo is published by Random House UK. Thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for an advance copy.)