All the Hidden Truths explores the aftermath of a horrific college shooting that has left 13 young women dead, as well as their killer, a troubled young man named Ryan Summers. The book follows the stories of Ryan’s mother Moira, as she struggles to understand what her son has done, Ishbel, the mother of one of the victims whose fragile family has been torn apart, and Birch, the DI assigned to the case. There have been quite a few books on this topic in recent years, but in this novel Askew does something a little different – as well as a deep dive into the families affected by the shooting, she explores an aspect of tragedy that has become all too common: press intrusion. The slimy reporter Grant Lockley does come across as a bit if a grotesque caricature, but the focus is clear and compelling and gives this story an extra edge. It’s well paced and sympathetically and cleverly written, with a lasting message.

I don't know what to make of this book, it dipped in and out of being captivating and slow for me.At times I was page turning like mad and in other parts I found it to be dragging.The story was good and unfortunately very topical,we knew who the shooter was from early in the book the question was why? Told from different points of view and it was a good read but didn't totally grip me.I wish I had been more invested in it but it wasn't a bad read .Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC.

A disturbing topical subject which is handled sympathetically from several viewpoints. The slow start with rather too detailed information about the layout of Edinburgh eventually became an involving read.

I thought this was an incredibly difficult subject to cover in a book, but Claire Askew dealt with it very sensitively. It's certainly a twist when you, and the police, know who committed the crime. The issue of why, and the impact of such a tragedy on the survivors was all done very well. I thought all the characters very credible, and had huge amounts of sympathy for both Moira and Ishbel, (what an unusual name, I'd love to know how Ms Askew came up with that one!). The only aspect I struggled with was the newspaper copy supplied by the repugnant Grant Lockley. I'm not convinced that a reporter would be allowed to whip up such hate for the perpetrator's mother, and, although I had no qualms buying into Lockley being a dishonest and revolting reporter, I'm afraid I couldn't believe in the quoted newspaper articles attributed to him. Leaving that aside, I thought this was an unusual concept, eloquently executed by a talented writer and I'll certainly be reading more by Claire Askew.

An exceptional debut novel which would be perfect for a TV drama !

All The Hidden Truths is based on the horrific subject of mass murder gun crime. We are used to hearing about this in America so it was a insightful twist to base it in Edinburgh.

The story unfolds into searching out the reasons why something so terrible could ever arise in the first place. It focuses on the three main women who are continually sent reeling by the answers they receive as the investigation progresses. Throw in some unscrupulous tabloid journalism and you are hooked by this page turner

An interesting, thoughtful but gripping thriller. A student has shot and killed 13 female students at his Edinburth college and then killed himself. The story looks at the fall-out of this from three female perspectives. We experience the pain and confusion of Moira, the mother of the gunman, and her shame and fear in the face of threats. Ishbel, mother of the first victim, unravels in the face of pain and other revelations and Helen Birch is the new DI leading the investigation and dealing with personal feelings. The main characters are well fleshed out and the story builds fairly steadily to start with, with the tension increasing dramatically towards the end. It is a first-rate thriller but has found room for compassion and human frailty too. I suspect it may be the start of a series and if so, I will be racing to read the next one.

I found this beautifully written novel about the aftermath of a school shooting captivating and engrossing.
The focus is not so much on the horrendous crime itself but the aftermath. It has a small cast of main characters: the mother of the shooter, a police detective and the mother of one of the victims. Their stories are told with great compassion and are totally believable and their rich inner lives are in stark contrast to a crude, populist smear campaign in the media.
I really enjoyed this book, it is heart-breaking and harrowing but with a well-earned slice of redemption at the end.

An excellent gripping read. The storyline is of a multiple shooting at a college and is very disturbing, although sadly all too common in the real world today. But you just have to keep reading, we know who did it at the outset so there is no mystery in the who did this sense but the story concentptrates on the why it happened and the emotional fall out for the families involved. Highly recommended.

On the surface 'All the Hidden Truths' is a novel about a teenager, Ryan Summers, who killed thirteen women at his college and then kills himself. As Ryan is not able to tell the story, we get to see it through the eyes of others i.e. his mother Moira, the detective working on the case, one of the victims parents.

The subject matter was very relevant to what is going on today, and while the shootings take place in Scotland, it sets a heart-breaking eerie tone of what could happen anywhere.

The book was a bit of a slow starter for me. I found it hard to get into in the beginning and I did find some of the narration character changes less smooth at times. As it progresses, it picks up the pace and it seems that the first part third of the book was really background reading. Some of the characters were more fleshed out than others;- Moira (Ryan's mother) was written really well and we get an insight into what it must be like to be the parent of a child/teenager who has caused so much devastation. We get to feel her fear as she's threatened and attacked by the press, the public and the parents of the dead students. In great contrast we also get to hear the side of the heartbreaking story of one of the parents who's daughter Abigail was killed - Ishbel. In the middle of this is the female Detective Inspector Helen Birch, who in charge (and given the case on her first day) and the rest of the police force who aren't used to dealing with mass murders and such a high profile case before. The story sees three main female characters dealing with the fallout in different ways but they will also forever be connected by this tragedy. Throw a dodgy and unscrupulous journalist (also echoing real life events) into the mix who will stop at nothing to get his story and it makes for a compelling story.

The book explores the triggers and motivators behind why someone would commit such a crime and it weighed heavily on my mind while reading the story, but it also highlights that the question - even is answerable, is not always the end goal for those experiencing loss, because it won't bring back their loved ones.

The pace really picked up towards the end but I did feel that it was all wrapped up a bit too neatly to be believable. *As part of their investigation (and in looking for motive), I would have expected the police to conduct interviews with Ryan's teacher/s and the students he interacted with. This doesn't seemed to have happened because a college incident (involving Ryan) is unknown to the DI and the police, and only brought in at the end to connect some dots for the conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Claire Askew for the ARC.

It took me awhile to get through this book, because it's been a very busy summer so far. It's a mark of quality how easily I was able to slip back into the story each and every time. A school shooting, especially in the UK, is a delicate subject for any author. All The Hidden Truths handles the aftermath of a brutal crime surprisingly elegantly. True, I felt that some characters seemed a bit flimsy, especially in the case of our unscrupulous journalist Grant. Aiden, I also felt, had very little purpose outside of his own villainous turns. These flaws are mostly cast in spotlight because of how beautifully written some of the female characters are. Ishbel, Helen, Moira and even Amy drove home for me how deeply this book manages to communicate the power of women. To love, to hurt, to forgive, and frankly to get things done despite overpowering odds.

The ending maybe was a little neat, with obvious effort spent to tie up as many loose ends as possible and good triumphing over evil. For me, that took away from the larger message that sometimes, there IS no evil. There are only human beings.

Beautifully written in its quieter, more reflective moments, when the story dwells on the painful conflict two mothers face over the deaths of their children, and still quite taut and well-paced in those sections which deal with a thriller-ish pursuit of justice. I withheld one star for some incongruous plotting and unused characters (what was the point of Anjan? Is it a relationship-set up for a sequel?)
I have read Sue Klebold's book about her son (one of the Columbine school shooters) and this ties into the unknowable, unbearable aftermath of a mass killing for the people closest to the perpetrator's crime. This novel also has harsh truths for readers about how we react to public tragedies, the responsibilities of media outlets and police and various groups who seek to exploit such events. Not an easy read, but well worth the effort.

I don't think I can find a rating high enough for this book - it is beyond superb and should not be missed. Normally I find books that are primarily psychological - spoken and feelings a bit slow but not this one. I was doubtful after reading the first chapter as I felt the authoress (I'm 71 so from the time when we had male and female nouns!) must have had an Edinburgh street map in one hand! If you read the summary of the book you may feel that the theme of mass school killing and aftermath might be all misery and frustration - but it isn't. This book covers the post killing events from the parent/s of the killer, one specific victim, the police and the press (brilliantly placed in one reporter who fully embraces all negative feelings you have ever had about press as a whole). There is no one week role-playing training course that can prepare people for how they will react and handle a mass killing of someone close. but this book makes a valiant effort at describing in detail how all the characters handle the aftermath and how feelings can change. When I got to the 75% mark in the book I thought 'I hope there is an ending that at least matches or hopefully exceeds what has gone before'. It does more than match the previous chapters, it is very both clever and uplifting. I hope when the book is released a section is added at the end, after acknowledgements, that explains why Claire decided to write this book - I cannot believe Claire woke up one morning and thought 'I know - I'll write a book about a school killing and how if effects people close the killer and victims'. The only minor criticism I have and I don't want to leak any of the ending in case anyone bothers to read my review before the book is that 2 or 3 questions, for me, remain unanswered. Get this book as soon as you can

This book is getting really good reviews but it just didn’t work for me. I found myself wanting to finish it to read something else. I found it slow in parts and i just couldn’t warm to the characters, maybe it was just me? Having said that, the story line is very topical and there were some interesting twists and turns but I have enjoyed books more recently.

An intense read. A young man walks into his college and shoots thirteen female students dead, injures a male student and then turns the gun on himself. The novel follows the police investigation and the personal stories of the mother of one victim and the mother of the killer. Everyone wants to understand the motive behind the killer's actions.

A theme which runs the length of the novel is that of press intrusion and levels to which, one reporter in particular, will stoop to get a story. In Grant Lockley the author has created an odious and entirely believable character. Through his actions he uncovers a number of the hidden truths and employs them purely for his own means.

This is a novel about loss but also about what we really know about those closest to us and what we would differently if we could see into the future. It is also about the responsibility we should carry when we delve into the lives of others. It is very well written with characters you either warm to or despise. The end is great. All tabloid journalists should read this and learn! Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

This book is fiction but it could unfortunately be fact with the regular occurrence of school shootings appearing in the news. What does cause a “normal” boy to walk into a school and shoot dead his classmates? How should people react? How well do we know the people closest to us? The book is very well written and each character has depth and is well thought through. The start of the book is slow however gradually picks up and I had finished it before I knew it.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
All the Hidden Truths was written by Claire Askew, it was her debut book. This book was written and told a tale as if it had been written by a well known and established author. All of the main characters were clearly defined and you could see them, as they spoke. The story of a college shooting was well written and the description of the first police presence on the scene was very clever.
It was one of the best books I have read this year! I look forward to reading more books by the author.
Highly recommended.

It's a heart-stopping scenario we are all too familiar with hearing about from America. Twitter and the airwaves suddenly all talking about a shooting in progress at a college near you. But this time, it's not America, but Edinburgh, and for three women who had no idea they were in the early moments of a day that would unite them all in bloodshed. Two of them have teenagers at the college. One is a shooter, the other one of thirteen kids shot dead. The third woman is DI Helen Birch, on her way to her first day to work following her promotion.

All The Hidden Truths is a fascinating debut novel in which what happened isn't really in doubt from very early on. Instead, all the narrative and emotional energy is devoted to searching out the reasons why something so incomprehensible could ever arise in the first place. Of course, this is what we always ask ourselves each time this happen. Why? Why? How? Why? But what makes it all the more harrowing here is that these questions are being asked by three women who are continually sent reeling as the investigation progresses. Throw in some unscrupulous tabloid journalism and turn the heat up to boiling.

Very early on, one of the characters asks what the point of the police investigation is given that there is no doubt 'what' actually happened. The paperwork being generated is likened to Jenga and it's not as if anyone is pleading 'not guilty' or that the investigation can bring anyone back. And yet, as readers we are frequently embedded with the detectives, and I particularly enjoyed how Ms Askew used this privileged position to deliver emotional insights rather than just ladling out the same old CSI details we so often get in police procedurals.

I also really loved the depiction of Edinburgh. It's a city I know well, having lived there for several years when I was younger (I used to get the 23 bus to work every morning and so knew *exactly* the route Moira was taking on page one). Ms Askew obviously loves the place as well, and her descriptions do it proud!

I loathe spoilers, so won't say too much more, other than that I found the ending(s) very satisfying. I didn't know how it would be wrapped up, but when we got there, I was grateful that the emotional outcomes were handled so artfully. This isn't a story where everyone could have ended up all together drowning their sorrows on a night out or putting things behind them. The resolutions had to be arrived at differently and, as one character observes, orchestrated by a 'smart woman'. I also found the final moments of the book very touching and heartbreaking. As a reader, I was torn between wishing we weren't the only ones who got to know what was on those pages, and feeling a bittersweet satisfaction. After all, we never really get to know everything our loved ones are thinking and feeling anyway.

To coin a phrase, DI Helen Birch is a smart woman I suspect (and hope) we will be seeing a lot more of in books to come.

I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me see an advance copy of All The Hidden Truths.

All the Hidden Truths by Claire Askew was a very disturbing and emotional story of a shooting at a college in Scotland. Twenty year old Ryan walked into his college and shot dead thirteen female students and then himself. The community are devastated and angry and the anger turns on Ryan's mother whom the police say is innocent. This is a heartbreaking story that will stay with me for a long time.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Just finished this and it gave me so much to think about.
Excellent book on a subject matter that is very hard to read especially as a parent.
Emotive storytelling from three different points of view had me thoroughly engrossed from the start.
I hope we are going to see more of DI Helen Birch.

Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC in return for an honest review.

An amazing book. The effect on the lives of families following a College shooting by one of its pupils. The sleazy reporter who 'magically' finds hidden secrets of more than one family and uses them to try and get exclusive interviews, while the police are trying to sort out the killers motivation. Top brass in the police are trying to do a damage limitation in the hope that they won't be sued due to perceived police failings.

A heart rending book where there can't be a happy ending, just a little peace for those involved in the aftermath.