All the Hidden Truths
Winner of the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Debut of the Year!
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4.0 • 143 Ratings
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020
WINNER OF THE MCILVANNEY DEBUT PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE MCILVANNEY PRIZE SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER AND CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) AWARDS
'(a) meticulous and compelling novel about the aftermath of a major crime and its effect on the affected families and investigating officers both.' Ian Rankin
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In the aftermath of a tragedy, the world needs an explanation.
In Edinburgh, after the Three Rivers College shooting, some things are clear.
They know who. They know when.
No one can say why.
For three women the lack of answers is unbearable: DI Helen Birch, the detective charged with solving the case. Ishbel, the mother of the first victim, struggling to cope with her grief. And Moira, mother of the killer, who needs to understand what happened to her son.
But as people search for someone to blame, the truth seems to vanish...
From a prizewinning poet, ALL THE HIDDEN TRUTHS is a searing, compelling and powerful debut.
'As scarily plausible as it is utterly captivating, this is an absorbing and unforgettable debut.' Heat
'Raw, powerful, compassionate and deeply moving, with page-turning tension to the end. A stunning debut.' Karen Robinson, Sunday Times Crime Club
'You'll be gripped by the unexpected truths that emerge. Compelling.' Marie Claire
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This debut novel had us in a vice-like grip from the first page. It follows the aftermath of a shooting at an Edinburgh college through the eyes of three women: the perpetrator’s mother, the detective leading the investigation and the mother of one of the 13 students killed in the incident. The mental and emotional journeys each of these characters undertakes are harrowing but thoughtfully handled. By making clever use of social media and adding an unscrupulous journalist to the cast, Claire Askew raises fascinating questions about how we shape the “truth” in today’s society.
Customer Reviews
All the Hidden Truths
I was gripped from the start and found this a very poignant read. It was such a difficult subject to cover, but it was well written and you really cared for some of the characters. I love books that surprise you by not ending when you think they are going to and manage to add those final unexpected few pages! Great read.
Overall a good read
I enjoyed this read overall. The way the book started describing Edinburgh in such great detail made the introduction of the fictional college with no location a bit odd. I thought the grief of the mothers was excellently portrayed.
I liked the Di Birch character and can’t wait to start the next one. The book made the general public and the tabloid press seem outlandishly unreasonable. And I really disliked the way the Jack Egan character was written. There was no realism in that character for me at all.