#HiddenPasts by Clio Gray


Oh my goodness this was a surprise and a great surprise at that. At first I doubted that I would be able to get through the first chapter (which ends up being the background of the book) and I am now 25% into the book and can’t stop reading. When I got the book from #NetGalley I didn’t realize that it was the third in a trilogy and the first chapter totally confused me. Thankfully I kept going and am so very into the book now. I am definitely going to go back and buy the first and second book in this trilogy. The setting of Hidden Pasts is mostly Scotland but starts a bit earlier in the Crimean war which is the first chapter and then the rest of the book deals with the aftermath of this time period. What is so fantastic about the book is that it’s almost timeless in that different countries are fighting for control of cities with control of shipping lanes. “Russian troops had to put up arms against those minority populations in Armenia, Chechen, Georgia and the Azov , always worrying they’d invite in the Turks or the British who, in turn, were always eager to hammer on Russia’s doors, challenge its dominance over the Black Sea ports - Russia’s only frost-free way into the rest of Europe and the Mediterranean.” That’s a direct quote from the book and it sounds awfully similar to what’s going on now. If you are not a fan of history don’t be frightened off because the book is also full of humor and the characters are just amazing. You actually feel like you are part of this story and feel a little sad when it’s over. Fortunately I have the other two books to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical mysteries or just plain mysteries or do like I did, chose it because I love books taking place in Scotland! Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read this book for my unbiased review.

I generally love mysteries set in Scotland, but this is one which failed to engage me from the opening scene set in 1833 Crimea to the main story set in Scotland at a much later date. Characters were not developed. I never could figure out what was going on other than the possibility of smuggling operations with all the caves and holes. I'm not certain if my failure to connect is mostly because I began reading the series with this third installment rather than at the beginning or not. Still a good author will provide enough information that someone picking up at a later point is not completely lost. I finally decided "enough is enough" and abandoned it after about fifty pages. If you read earlier installments and enjoyed them, you might enjoy this one. If you did not read earlier ones, I advise you not to start with this one. This review is based on an advance reader's copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Initially this doesn't seem like much of a mystery book per se, versus historical fiction. Not that it isn't interesting- I learned a LOT about this area of Scotland! And then there is a murder and suddenly things are not what they seem. And while I had guessed who the murder was, and why, early on, my motive wasn't 100% right, so it was interesting to keep reading to see what would happened to the rest of the characters, and if they would solve the murder before anyone else was injured or killed. It's an interesting mix of history and fiction, that might just leave you checking out the web for some historical info after you finish reading it, which as you know, means it was right up my alley! If you;re looking for something interesting, along the lines of The Alienist, this is the series for you!

A very big thanks to Urbane Publications and NetGalley who provided this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I will start by saying that I found it a difficult story to connect with. To be fair, I have not read the first two books in the series so perhaps doing so would have helped me invest more in the characters and their stories. Certainly the overall theme of solving mysteries in remote parts of Scotland in the 1800’s is interesting and apparently the first two books also follow the same main characters found in this third instalment of the series.

While a bit short on character development, the mystery itself is a good one. Unfortunately, because I couldn’t connect with the characters, it was difficult for me to feel any urgency about solving the mystery. The story takes place in the 1860’s and starts with Brogar Finn and Sholto McKay sailing from Fort William to a remote part of Scotland as representatives of a company that is finalizing a deal to buy Hestan Island and the small copper mine on it.

The story is filled with various characters who allude to a mystery that they have been covering up since the Crimean War. Central to this mystery are Kerr Perdue and Gabriel Merryweather who live on the island under agreement from their old friend who they fought with in the Crimean War, James Heron’s late father, where “something” happened that they have been covering up for 30 years. When a murder occurs on the island, past collides with present and Brogar and Sholto are driven to uncover all.

I love stories that take place in remote parts of Scotland. Peter May is one of my favourite authors and his Lewis Trilogy contains some of the best descriptions of remote Scotland I’ve ever read. In similar fashion, this story has some great descriptions of Hestan Island, the Solway Firth and the surrounding area. Again, the problem that I have with the book is character development. There are lots of characters and a number of different story arcs but without feeling something for the people involved, I found it difficult to care about whether they found the answers they were looking for.

This book will be published on January 18th of this year. Now that I’ve read the book, I wish that I had gone back and started with the first in the series. I have to believe that understanding more about the characters and their backstories would help me care more about them in this third installment.

5 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

It is the 1860’s in Scotland.

Sholto and Brogar Finn McKay are off on another investigation in the mines of Scotland. They are headed for Balcary House. Their assistants Gilligan and Hugh are accompanying them.

When they arrive the night before going to Hestan Island, the innkeeper, the thoroughly unlikeable Skinner Tweedy, offends them. The next morning they set out only to have a man running toward them. He says that there is someone trapped in one of the old mines. But there were only supposed to be two men on the island. They are Gabriel Merryweather and Kerr Perdue. Hurrying over the “Rack” to the island, Brogar “suits” up and prepares to go into the mine to rescue the man. The man has bad bruises and a broken leg, but makes it back across the water. His name is Charlie Stirling.

Brogar senses a mystery in the making when one of the two inhabitants of the island invites him to supper and begins a tale of how they got there and some sort of pact he and his fellow islander made with the owner. He then clams up. Brogar and the other islander go to the cave to rescue the injured man’s sister. For if the injured man was who they thought it was, his sister Frith is not far away. After a dangerous and harrowing rescue, they bring her back to meet with her brother. The young peoples’ father, Archie Stirling was also a part of this mysterious pact. Archie died in a mine accident.

Meanwhile Sholto learns the tale of Bill Tuley who is the doctor on the main island and the sinking of their ship. This is why he is so embittered – he told the crew to save the passengers, but they didn’t, they just rowed away and left three hundred and fifty people to die. His long suffering wife Hazel has taken over his job. The presence of Hugh and Gilligan seems to cheer the old doctor up and he joins in the adventure. Hazel is delighted to see this change in her man.

Merryweather decides to tell all about the pact. He receives a visitor. Murder occurs. Now solving the mystery becomes more urgent.

Talking to townspeople, our intrepid investigators learn about a lost library, a mysterious identity and what really happened in the Crimea to Gabriel, Archie, Kerr and the fourth man – a Russian named Kheranovich.

This novel is extremely well written and plotted as are all of Clio Gray’s books. The tension in the story begins slowly, but picks up apace. It becomes a real mystery as time passes. The reader is drawn in slowly, but cannot put the book down before long. The is sufficient background information given on the characters so as to flesh them out, even the minor ones, but not so much as to intrude on the story. This is not only a mystery, but a story about loss, regrets, the effect our pasts still have on us years later and the ability of the human spirit to overcome. I truly enjoyed this novel and thought it was the best of the series so far. I anxiously await the publication of the next novel in the Brogar/Sholto adventures.

I want to thank NetGalley and Urbane Publications for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable book to read and enjoy.