All The Hidden Truths is a depressingly timely novel about a mass shooting in a college. It delves into the lives of some of those affected - the family of the victims, the police officer heading up the investigation and the mother of the perpetrator. It asks questions like who is at fault in such an author scenario, and does so without being gratuitous in its subject matter. A really compelling read (and even more so because it was set in my home town of Edinburgh).

(Thanks to the publishers who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

A fascinating story of an unfortunately common occurrence in this day and age, with an in-depth look at the lives of the people left behind after the tragedy.a thoroughly good read for anyone.



All the Hidden Truths by Claire Askew

This is a book about a school shooting, a teenage boy walks into Three Rivers College and shoots 13 young women, dead. He then turns the gun on himself.

This shocking event happens at the start of All the Hidden Truths, and the remainder of the book tries to sort out the emotions and anguish surrounding the shooting as well as try to figure out why Ryan Summers was driven to do such a thing.

There are several female lead characters that play the key roles in the book:

Ishbel, Abigail's mother - Abigail was the first girl to be shot at Three Rivers College

Moira, the mother of the shooter, Ryan Summer

DI Birch, policewoman in charge of the case

They have very different roles in the book and consequently offer different aspects of the shooting. It is through these women that the story unfolds, until they finally meet at the conclusion of the book

Some of the story is told through the medium of social media such as tweets, emails or newspaper articles and it holds the press to account. It illuminates how the shooting has effected the community and in turn, how it has responded. I think this aspect adds to the edgy, harrowing feel of the book

I am not sure I would have chosen to read this book on the sunny Sunday morning, I did as it is fairly grim both in subject matter and narrative. However, it turned out to be a compelling read that I finished in one sitting.

All the Hidden truths

From the blurb, we know the subject matter of the story; a mass killing at a school campus. In this case, the setting is Edinburgh and that brings a relevance that shows how such tragedies can happen anywhere. I really enjoyed the location details and could visualise the action as it unfolded.

Claire Askew's story is a convincing exploration of motive. She's really into the psyche of each character. Whether it's a bereaved parent, a gutter press journalist, a DI with personal involvement or the mother of the killer, each twist of the tale reveals another secret. These are all ordinary people whose lives are blown apart. Every character reacts in a different way and bit by bit in a tense reveal, all the different threads of the story come together. It's very much a story about people, well plotted, gripping and I really enjoyed it.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I certainly wasn’t disappointed, it was a heartbreaking story for all involved. No parent wants to lose a child or be the parent of the child who done wrong. Most parents worst nightmare I would imagine, I know for me it would. It is a very well written and thought out book. Absolutely brilliant story I will be recommending.

An interesting novel examining the aftermath of a college shooting in Edinburgh by a teenage boy. The story is told from the viewpoint of the shooter's mother, the first victim's mother and the investigating detective.
A very interesting and thought provoking read - all the more so considering the author chose to set the book in the UK rather than the USA who see much more of this type of crime than us thankfully.
As a very current topic I found this captivating, honest and hard to forget and particularly liked that all three points of view were from strong female characters.
Highly recommended and thanks to Netgalley UK and publishers for ARC in exchange for honest review.

A brilliant story about a college shooting, weaving together the narratives of the police, the shooter’s mother and a victim’s mother. I couldn’t put this down. Set in Edinburgh, the novel examines why Ryan Summers shot his classmates but also suggests that people don’t always know what is going on in the lives of those supposedly closest to them.

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.

This book is a slow burner. But it builds and builds. I started by thinking hmm … it’s okay, but I’ve read better. I kept on reading it, then got caught up in it. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. 5*

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.

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.