Review: Claire Askew's "All the Hidden Truths."

Amazon.com:    https://amzn.to/2lseEB8

Amazon UK:     https://amzn.to/2MORbGS

Synopsis:

This is a fact: Ryan Summers walked into Three Rivers College and killed thirteen women, then himself. 

But no one can say why. 

The question is one that cries out to be answered - by Ryan's mother, Moira; by Ishbel, the mother of Abigail, the first victim; and by DI Helen Birch, put in charge of the case on her first day at her new job. But as the tabloids and the media swarm, as the families' secrets come out, as the world searches for someone to blame... the truth seems to vanish.

A stunningly moving novel from an exciting new voice in crime, ALL THE HIDDEN TRUTHS will cause you to question your assumptions about the people you love, and reconsider how the world reacts to tragedy.

Review: Surj

Claire Askew's "All the Hidden Truths" is one of those books that I could see being turned into a BBC drama. It has that feel to it. The story line is very topical and the way it is told (from three points of view) makes it very emotive for a number of reasons. This isn't a story about "what happened" or "when it happened" or even "who done it." "All the Hidden Truths" is about "why" and that is what each of the main characters strives to discover but equally struggles with when certain truths come to light. This isn't an easy book to read but what transpires and the fall out from that is definitely eye opening, thought provoking and more importantly, believable. 

When I started reading this book, I initially found it a bit slow. I'd read the synopsis some time ago but had forgotten what it was about to be honest. All I knew was that (at the time) I had wanted to read it as I'd requested it from netgalley. 10% in and I was still wondering where the plot was heading but fear not. The further I progressed, the more everything fell into place. The start was about giving me some background into the three main characters. This background provided building blocks for the main plot of the story and some of the sub plots too. It helped provide meat to the bones of this story (for want of a better phrase) and the more I read, the more I got it. 

"All the Hidden Truths" was a story about how three women learn to cope in the aftermath of tragedy. It gives us an insight into the power of social media and the influence it can have both on individuals but also in terms of how stories are manipulated and sensationalised in order to get viewer numbers up. This really was a heart breaking story where no one was a winner and where grief and guilt played such a huge part. 

If you loved "13 Reasons Why," then I'd definitely say give this crime drama a go. Like I said, it's not about the who, what or when but more about the why! Although the story did feel a little bit long at times, overall, it did keep me engaged because I was desperate to know the answer on everyone's lips. "Why did Ryan Summers do what he did?" 

"All the Hidden Truths" gets ❤️❤️❤️❤️