A historical literary tale, The Secret and The Hidden (2025) by Paul Hastings Wilson is set in a fictional French, North African country. Samiel, a former mathematician is lorded for his role in liberating his country from colonisation. A quarter of a century later, Samiel is on trial in the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Much of the narrative takes part in the Court with numerous flashbacks slowly revealing what happened. Intended as an insight into the Arab Spring and the preceding corruption and nepotism, this first of two volumes on intergenerational accounts of corruption, terrorism, and rebellion has a three star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Blue Atlas Press and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.