This was a tough, absorbing novel. Tough in a good way - an examination of grief from different perspectives in the aftermath of a college shooting should never be an easy read. The style of the writing really worked for me, I was instantly caught up in the events, and could empathise with the actions and reactions of the three main characters.

I suppose I did find the need to introduce a villain to the narrative, and the ensuing climactic scenes were a little forced, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment of an engaging, emotional read.

I really enjoyed this. The story tackles the real world problem of social media following a campus attack. the feelings of the characters is analysed and opened up as they deal with the effects of social media on the events after the attack. I found it a great read and a little different from many other books tackling similar topics today. I thoroughly recommend it.

Verdict: absolutely gripping from start to finish. When Ryan Summers walks into college and shoots dead 13 female students before turning his gun on himself the fallout is immense. With a fantastic cast of strong female characters we are led through the aftermath of blame and regret.

This captivating crime novel deftly balances that perfect line between moving and gripping, tackling a topical and emotive issue that has been in the headlines a lot lately. A why-dunnit rather than a who-dunnit crime novel, you see the crime and how it happened early on, then the novel explores the reason behind it.

All the Hidden Truths centers on the aftermath of a school shooting in Edinburgh, in which a teenage boy shoots and kills a number of other teenagers. There are three POVs: the mother of the perpetrator, the mother of the first victim, and the detective in charge of the investigation. Each of these characters is thoroughly developed, their motivations and the situations they find themselves in completely believable, with strong female voices that I could truly get behind.

For me a story has to tick three boxes: strong plot, character development and beautiful, lyrical prose. Claire Askew has managed to do all three, plus a fourth - she’s written a book that genuinely left me thinking about the themes and issues tackled, and how we as a society deal with the aftermath of these crimes.

An explosive and gorgeous debut. I highly recommend.

Three Rivers College is the scene of a mass shooting. Thirteen women have been killed and the shooter Ryan Summers has killed himself. D I Helen Birch has just been promoted and she is the first on the scene. The aftermath will reveal hidden secrets of two families who had lost loved ones in this terrible tragedy. So many questions and human nature always has an answer even it is wrong.
This book deals with the story of the mother of the shooter and the mother of the first victim, how they deal with the deaths of their loved ones, how they deal with the public, social media and the press and how far some will go to get that scoop. A really good read and it made me think. Could this really happen here?
I would like to thank the author Claire Askew, Holder and Stoughton books and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

This book kept me hooked right up to the last word!
It was very well written and the story was excellent, I was gripped and needed to see how it would all end. I thought that the characters, were detailed and very strong and loved their interaction.
Five stars from me - one I would definitely recommend!

This was really boring for me. Too much descriptiveness with not much going on in the way of a story.

This is a searing and emotional journey into the lives of three people directly affected by a shooting in a college in Scotland. There is the mother of the first victim, the mother of the shooter and the detective inspector who has been assigned the case. Told from each of their perspectives, as each character struggles to understand why the crime has occurred, and how they are going to deal with the aftermath of such a tragedy. The raw emotions felt by the two mothers were almost painful to read, such is the skill of the author in the creation of these characters.
The hidden truths of the title could be indicative that no-one will ever fully understand why the tragedy occurred, but from my perspective it seemed to relate more to the role of the media in the aftermath; the pernicious way that the media (in the shape of a particularly odious reporter) shapes the way that the victims and the event is perceived by the public. It is this aspect of the book that left me thinking about the book long after I had read the last page.

My thanks go the the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this. Very topical with the never ending spate of school massacres in the US, and this is handled very sensitively. Like the style of writing and some very compelling characters to propel the story forward.

When a mass school shooting rocks Edinburgh to its core the women at its centre struggle to come to terms with the involvement of their loved ones. Will they ever be able to forgive or understand?

It’s interesting that Claire Askew chose to set this story in Edinburgh, rather than in the US where gun laws are more lax and more actual case studies are prevalent. However, setting it in the UK certainly hits the issues closer to home and shows that with the sensationalising of these attacks - they can happen anywhere. It’s also quite sad that although this book is not yet out for publication, it is out of date when it lists large scale shootings in the US!

The story jumps between the perspectives of 3 main characters – Moira, the mother of the perpetrator, Ishbel the mother of one of the victims and DI Birch who is investigating the attack. All 3 characters are heavily relatable and well written; their grief and attempts to understand and forgive the attacker are heart-felt and the story they have to tell is immensely powerful. The story throws up questions of nature vs nurture and explores how much we truly know about those we love and care for.

The story tells us from the outset that we already know all of the key details of the crime – we know what happened and who did it and it admits that we may never understand the actual reason for why the shooter decided to do what he did. This might have diminished the story somewhat as the answers to those questions are usually what drive a reader through a crime thriller, however despite this the plot still had a defined plot progression and still wrapped everything up to a (somewhat) satisfying conclusion. However, my only negative was that I felt was that the book was a little long – it did feel a little repetitive and drawn out in places.

Overall a deeply heart-felt and disturbing book which asks the question how well we know those that we love and how far we go for forgiveness. Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book made incredible reading and very sadly reflects what is happening at this very time. What made it so much more interesting was that it was written from the perspectives of the gunman's Mum, the grieving parents and also the Police and whilst we would never know the full reason why Ryan Summers killed all those young girls it gave some possible reasons. A great riveting read that had me reading into the small hours because I could not put it down..

I loved this book. Plenty of twists in it to keep me turning the pages. Read it in one sitting.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, it is a crime thriller with a difference. You know who did it and how they did it but you don't know why. The story follows three women all connected by the one event and was refreshingly different. i would certainly recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read and review this title.

To my knowledge I don't think I have ever read a novel by Claire Askew, this definitely won't be my last. Her writing style is punchy, engrossing and natural.

The story follows two women whose children are murdered in a shooting at a Scottish college in Edinburgh. One of the mothers children is a victim, the other the killer. The story was definitely an emotive subject, both children causing their mothers worries before the incident. Ryan, withdrawn and cold towards his mother following the death of his father, Jackie. Abigail, secretive and sarcastic towards her mother who feels frustrated at not knowing what her daughter is up to.

The other main characters are the Inspector of the crime Helen Birch (think Helen Mirren, prime suspect in my head) and Grant Lockley a journalist who will stop at nothing to get the inside scoop.

The story follows the fallout of the incident as the characters try to work out who was to blame for the shooting and how can they move on from the disaster. I loved the characterisation, just wish it had a wee bit more description of Edinburgh to make it feel truly Scottish, at times I kept thinking the novel was set in the USA as the subject matter is sadly more common there. But if that's my only niggle then you know it's a good read.

A good but protracted read. I think I’d have preferred it to be shorter and more concise. However I did enjoy it and will give it 4 stars in goodreads

The author, poet Claire Askew was the subject of four way bid for this book, part of a two book deal with Hodder, and it is easy to see why as this is one of the best crime debuts I have read in a good while.

Askew tells the story from the three main characters and she delves into each character's emotions and how they are reacting to events unfolding around them. It is a classic page turner which although you know the outcome and there is no culprit to find, the book raises lots of questions about the shooting and how it affects the victims' families and that of the shooter in the aftermath. The other key character a member of the press who will try anything to get a story and he is a certainly a character you will love to hate!

Highly recommended read, not just for fans of crime writing but anyone who enjoys a good read that makes you think after reading it.

(Review will go online in early July)

This is a story of three different women on different sides of a mass murder in a college set in Scotland. I loved how the story changed from one women to another but includes excerpts from newspaper webpages, tweets and chat groups. You also have the stereotypical tabloid journalist trying to further his career on the aftermath.

Ryan Summers walks into his college and shoots thirteen young women before killing himself. He was a well balanced character and not demonised by the author, which would have been a very easy thing to do.

I thought this was a great book and, unfortunately, very topical.

A thought provoking book. This book is really interesting and also sad and disturbing in places. When a student walks into his college and shoots and kills other students and then himself, the question is why. There is so much grief and devastation. The book tells the story from different perspectives. It makes you think how everybody would feel and makes you feel emotionally involved with every character. Very well written and I would definitely recommend it.

All the Hidden Truths is a very modern crime novel. It is told though the eyes of three women, but includes excerpts from newspaper webpages, tweets and chat groups. It works really well.
When a 19 year old student walks into his college in Scotland and opens fire on his fellow students, picking out 13 girls, he leaves everyone involved asking the question ‘why?’. The novel is incredibly current with so many school shootings in the USA in recent months/years. And it’s use of social media, conspiracy theories and ‘fake news’ is very well done.
I would recommend this book for readers of all ages (including young adults) and for men and women. The police inspector involved is very likeable and I can see a series developing.
Thanks you for the opportunity to review this book #NetGalley #AllTheHiddenTruths