Sewing the Shadows Together

A very interesting tale. And I got sucked in on the detective front big time.

I’m “busting my backlist” books and can’t believe I lost this treasure down my kindle.

It’s about a re-opened case which I totally was invested in.

Not read a “detective” book in a long time so that helped

An excellent read that I enjoyed from beginning to end ...a thoughtful book that really mad m think and I feel will stay wit me for a long time and i would not hesitate to recommend this book.

An excellent debut mystery with an atmospheric Edinburgh setting!

It was the setting that first attracted me to this debut mystery. It has been on my NetGalley TBR for some time, and I'm so happy that I finally got around to reading it!

Shona and Sarah were best friends. Two lovely young girls growing up in the Portobello suburb of Edinburgh. Then, one evening in 1976, Shona was raped and murdered... A local man is convicted of the crime.

Skip ahead 30+ years.

Sarah is married to a local television celebrity, Rory Dunbar. She is the mother to twins, Lottie and Nick, now young adults living off on their own. She is still haunted by the murder of her best friend these many years later.

Tom McIver, Shona's brother, is back in Scotland to spread his mother's ashes on Eriskay, the island where she was born - and, coincidentally, to attend his school reunion. His family left Scotland after his sister's murder - when he was just sixteen. They emigrated to South Africa. He has never married, and has worked at various jobs in his adult life.

At the reunion he meets up with his childhood friend Rory, and Rory's lovely wife Sarah. Rory had always been handsome and charming and he hadn't changed in that regard. His celebrity status makes him even more attractive to the ladies and he takes every advantage.

Sarah, who had secretly nursed a crush on Tom in her teenage years, finds that she is still drawn to him. The attraction is mutual, and Tom is appalled at the way his old friend treats his wife.

Sarah has been playing 'happy families' for many years. She hosts a weekly Sunday supper for her family. Rory, her mother, and her twins. During the week she is lonely and vulnerable with only her cat Sultan for company. Rory pays her little attention and the twins are busy with their own lives. Her mother, a bitter pill, is not one of her favourite people.

The philandering Rory is irredeemable and his many woman eventually make themselves known to Sarah.

Tom, realizing that Scotland will always be the place where he feels at home, makes plans to relocate back to Edinburgh - much to Sarah's delight.

It comes to light that the man who served all those years in prison for raping and murdering Shona McIver was convicted erroneously. Modern DNA has proven that he could NOT have been guilty! Tragic to be sure, but that means that Shona's killer was never found and could still be among them!

Subsequently, the police reopen the case of Shona's murder and utilize all of the scientific advances that are available to further their inquiries.

The inquiries and their consequent revelations cause Sarah's life to implode in a ghastly manner.

This is more than a cold case mystery, it is a character study into the lives of people living with buried trauma. The characters were well drawn, the plot believable and entertaining. The ending was satisfying and tied up all loose ends.

I had no expectations for this novel, as the author was unknown to me and I had heard little about it before starting the book. This hidden gem was a lovely surprise and I look forward to further novels by this talented author.

Highly recommended!

Set mainly in Edinburgh, but with sections in the Outer Hebrides and South Africa, Sewing the Shadows Together is a highly enjoyable murder mystery with a strong romance element. It begins with main character, Tom McIver, returning to Portobello in Edinburgh to take his mother’s ashes over to Eriskay. Edinburgh is full of memories for him: the sandy bay, his old school, the elegant buildings, his family home. And the culvert under the prom where his sister's dead body was found thirty years earlier. Just thirteen, Shona, had been raped and murdered. Fortunately, the killer had been caught and sent to prison and Shona's family and friends were able to grieve.

Tom attends a school reunion. Here, everyone's memories are churned up. He sees some of the people he grew up with and went to school with. This includes Sarah who was Shona’s best friend. To make matters worse, Tom learns that modern DNA methods have now proved that Logan Baird was wrongly convicted for Shona's murder, and news travels that the man is going to be released and the case re-opened. Understandably, this sends the community into free-fall. If it wasn’t Logan Baird, who who did kill Shona? The shocking revelation leads everyone to question what they thought they knew at the time, and who was where, doing what. It soon becomes apparent that no-one has been completely honest about what they were up to the evening Shona died, and everyone has something to hide. Including Tom. To further complicate things, Tom and Sarah realise that they are attracted to each other but there is one problem: Sarah is married to Rory.

In many ways the novel is about whether it’s possible to get over the death of a loved one, and the various ways in which people cope, outwardly and inwardly. Tom’s family left Edinburgh soon after the tragedy and moved to South Africa. Others remained living in the community where the tragedy took place. Having lived in a community linked to a terrible crime (I was living in Coulsdon when Meredith Kercher was killed), I remember how profoundly shocked the whole community was. Baillie vividly conveys the reactions and emotions of Shona’s friends and her brother. Each person has had to question whether they could have kept Shona alive if they had acted differently on that fateful evening.

Tom is desperate to find out what happened to his sister. I liked his character and, because he has suffered, wanted things to work out for him. He came across as a good man who wanted to do the right thing. As suspicions fall on a number of individuals in turn, I found it interesting to see how the characters reacted as it revealed their concerns, allegiances and vested interests. When people have secrets, self-interest and self-preservation can eclipse everything else and people start to panic.

In the novel, Baillie raises a fascinating question: do we ever really know the people closest to us? This is open to debate, and, to some extent, depends on whether you believe in the concept of a person being ‘born evil’. Can experiences and events in life turn us into ‘bad people’? Another possibility is that we all have the potential to ‘flip’ at any moment, and a final one is that we all exist on a continuum between ‘good’ and ‘bad’. In psychology, personality theory is a vast and controversial area. Most psychologists believe that personality is a set of core traits which are relatively stable over time and across contexts. That would suggest it is possible to ‘know’ a person. However, theorists disagree over which are the core traits and not everyone believes that these are stable across all contexts. Defence mechanisms and facades can make people seem very different, and people can behave differently with different people. Certainly, history – and decades of crime novels – suggest that we can often be surprised by those supposedly closest to us.

I particularly enjoyed the Edinburgh and Hebrides settings in Sewing the Shadows Together, ones which the author clearly knows well and has affection for. I don’t know either, and it was wonderful to see the areas through the author’s eyes and those of her characters. It made me want to get straight on a plane and fly up to Scotland. I am sure that readers who live in, or know, the settings will really enjoy the book. The story flows beautifully with plenty of unexpected twists and turns, and is well written. I found that I was swept along with the plot and wanted to know who had killed Shona. I love stories about secrets, particularly when people think they’ve got away with them and then discover they haven’t.

I only had one issue with the book narrative and this may simply be about my personal preferences: I felt that the Tom-Sarah love affair eclipsed the mystery aspect and could have been developed more subtly and gradually. They seemed to go from meeting up again to being in love almost immediately. However, every author is entitled to write their book the way they want to and I am sure that Baillie has her reasons for wanting their relationship to be the way she portrayed it.

In sum, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. If you like secrets and intrigue, beautiful settings and a compelling mystery, Sewing the Shadows Together will appeal.

I was given an ARC of this book by netgalley in return for an honest review.

Tom McIver returns to Scotland from South Africa to scatter his mother's ashes in her hometown. On the way he stops off in his old hometown of Portabello for a high school reunion. Whilst in Portabello he finds out that the man who was convicted of his sister's murder has been cleared of the murder, so who did kill her? Not only does this book unravel the mystery of Shona's murder but it shows how the tragedy has impacted on the lives of the main characters in the book. Tom a man who could never commit to either a relationship or a career and Sarah who became the "perfect wife and mother", taking care of everyone else's needs above her own.

This is a great debut novel with an interesting plot that keeps the reader engaged, wanting to know "who did it"? There are many twists and turns that keeps you turning the page to find out what happens next. What happens next and the relevation of the murderer is quite a twist, something I never saw coming.

I enjoyed reading this book and would certainly recommend it to others. Alison is certainly an author to watch one that I am hoping to see more of and can't wait for her next novel.

Can you ever get over the death of your sister? Or of your best friend? More than 30 years after 13-year-old Shona McIver was raped and murdered in Portobello, the seaside suburb of Edinburgh, the crime still casts a shadow over the lives of her brother Tom and her best friend Sarah. When modern DNA evidence shows that the wrong man was convicted of the crime, the case is reopened. So who did kill Shona? Sarah and Tom are caught up in the search for Shona’s murderer, and suspicions fall on family and friends. The foundations of Sarah’s perfect family life begin to crumble as she realises that nothing is as it appears. Dark secrets from the past are uncovered, and there is another death, before the identity of the real killer is finally revealed…Set in Edinburgh, the Outer Hebrides and South Africa, Sewing the Shadows Together is a thoroughly modern murder mystery that keeps the reader guessing to the end. Filled with characters who could easily be friends, family or people we work with, it asks the question: Do we ever really know the people closest to us?

Sewing the shadows together by Alison Baillie is a fast paced and exciting debut novel, that is a welcome addition to the Tartan Noir pack. It reminds me of a classic who dun it that you would have expected from the like of Agatha Christie but with a modern twist. What makes this novel is the way in which the author has written about her characters, you can really tell that she really cares about them, there stories, there relationships and there felling jump out from the pages of the book and makes the reader really feel and care for them, it’s like they are real people that you know personally not just characters in a novel. What then follows is a well plotted psychological suspense story with a distinct air of family drama, from the start of the book the author manages to keep the Pace of the novel, so that the reader are taken on a roller coaster of a ride through out the novel up to the last pages.

This is accomplished as we follow the families through a thirty year journey, from the murder investigation and all that entails, but also about the tangled relationships that exist between the main characters. Any return to the past, and a life once led, is always fraught with the danger of reawakening uncomfortable memories, and this story is all about the memories of the past, and about how people are shaped by what has happened to them, whether it be good, or bad and I really enjoyed following their progress, as the cracks in their individual stories start to appear, I had great fun in trying to figure out who had hidden the most secrets and trying to figure out what really happened, which in turn kept me on the edge of my seat until the truth was finally revealed. I can’t wait to see what this talented authors does next, she is definitely one to watch.

Sewing The Shadows Together is a crime drama with a few other things thrown in.

Set in Edinburgh, Tom reignites his high school friendships when the convicted killer of his younger sister Shona is released from prison after nearly 30 years pending appeal. What happens next is a twisty turny story reopening old wounds and memories and discovering family secrets galore.

I felt the characters were very real. Tom, the returning traveller trying to slot back in, Rory the TV personality who takes advantage and Sarah, the housewife devoted to her family but taken advantage of....

This debut from Alison Baillie is a read with intrigue, though real life kept getting in the way of me rejoining Tom in Scotland. The story kept me guessing as to what actually happened to Shona and my culprit kept changing as more is revealed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Troubadour Publishing for sending me this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Great debut Novel..with a really good story line. Keeps you guessing until the end.

This is the author's first book, which I found hard to believe as the book is so well written and written in the style of a more established author. The text flows really well and I became so wrapped up in the story that I didn't realise how many pages I had read. For me this was a real 'CPID' (can't put it down) book, which was seriously addictive. I read this book in just under 48 hours, which to me is the sign of a good book.

Characterwise, I really liked the characters of Tom, his sister's best friend Sarah, and Sarah's children Lottie and Nick. Tom lives in South Africa and returns to scatter his mother's ashes, but whilst at home he attends a school reunion. In a sense he goes on a journey of self discovery, where he discovers all manner of secrets and lies regarding those close to him. Tom and Sarah are like two lost souls bound together by Shona's murder and it is like they are dependent on each other. Sarah is so busy making sure everybody else is ok, that she often forgets herself and her own needs. Lottie and Nick keep things hidden from certain members of the family as they can't deal with the fallout.

This book is set in South Africa, Edinburgh and the Outer Hebrides. The author's descriptions were so vivid that I felt as though I had a feel for the various places and I really do want to visit them to see if they are as described.

Reading this book was like being on a rollercoaster ride as there were lots of twists, turns and stomach churning moments. There were also several red herrings. I smugly thought that I knew who the murderer was but it turned out to be someone else entirely. The author is excellent in that she can create a tense and dramatic atmosphere but she is also able to heighten the suspense at the flick of a switch.

In short I really did enjoy reading this book and I can't wait to read more by this author. I loved the front cover as it reflects the nature of the book, which is dark, mysterious, creepy and shocking.

I really enjoyed this from the first chapter. There were twists and turns aplenty and the story flowed beautifully. The sense of suspense and tension was effective through most of the book. I found the part where the murderer was revealed was rather rushed and a little unsatisfying. However, overall, I would recommend this book.

Oh my, oh my!! I've just finished reading this book and am still reeling from the whirlpool of emotions I've been through. The story sucked me in from the very beginning and kept me pinned to my kindle till the end.

I saw this book's cover on a fellow blogger's facebook page and was immediately attracted to the title. Reading the blurb I was intrigued and wanted to read it asap.

How much do we really know those around us, the people closest to us? Faces never reveal the secrets hidden within.

1976. Portobello's community is shocked when thirteen-year-old Shona McIver is found raped and murdered. A local weirdo is convicted and imprisoned for life shortly after.

Modern day. New DNA testing uncovers the greatest miscarriage of justice in Scotland's penal system. An innocent man has been imprisoned for almost 40 years and is released.

But this means that someone got away with murder. The killer could still be at large. The case is re-opened.

"...he could see his sister again in his mind's eye; so bright, so beautiful and so wild."

Through the years, away in South Africa, Shona's older brother Tom found it less painful to pretend he's an only child and her best friend Sarah has always been haunted by Shona in her dreams. That terrible night has changed all their lives forever.

Suddenly Shona is back in the headlines and Tom and Sarah, now adults have found each other again after many, many years. By the end, old wounds are reopened, painful memories are raked up, secrets uncovered, revelations made and lives turned upside down. There will also be another death.

Who killed little Shona all those years ago? And why?

Well, this book is so well-written that as I was reading, pages just flew by. I've never been to Portobello, but through the author's vivid descriptions of the place it was as if I was there. I could clearly imagine the wide sweep of the bay, the receding tide or the pedestrian walkway edged by the seafront buildings. All characters are also very-well described making you feel as if you've known these people for a lifetime. It was as if I was there, just another character watching what's happening. I could almost feel the pain, the anguish, the suffering, the anger but also the joy, the hope and love experienced by these characters.

With numerous twists and turns, this book kept me on the tips of my toes throughout. The killer's identity is not revealed to us till the very end, but before reaching that point, the author makes us shed our suspicions on numerous characters in turn. In fact there are quite a few individuals who fit the bill.

I couldn't believe that this was just the author's first book. I read on Ms.Baillie's website that this story has been in her mind for thirty years. Now I am just glad she decided to write it as it was a great, enjoyable experience for me. I highly recommend it and hope the author will write many more brilliant books in the future.

With thanks to the author, the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was a great Debut thriller and hopefully the Author will write many more books like this.

This book is set in Scotland. Toms sister was murdered 30 years earlier, when his mum dies he comes back to scatter her ashes.He meets up again with Sarah his sister and his friend from years ago. When they hear the man committed for the killing of his sister has been let out of prison because of new DNA that has come to light.
So who was the killer?
It will all come together at the end great story.

Initially it was the title of this book that drew me towards it, but also the setting was also appealing.

Tom returns to Scotland from South Africa in order to scatter his mother’s ashes on Eriskay, the island of her birth in the Outer Hebrides. En route he stops at Portabello where he grew up and where his younger sister, Shona, was murdered many years before. He also meets up with friends, especially the charismatic Rory and his wife Sarah who had been Shona’s best friend. The news that new DNA results have proved that the man who had been imprisoned for Shona’s murder is innocent open up old wounds and suspicions.

I loved the characters in this book. I felt very involved in their lives. I sort of guessed ‘whodunnit’ but that in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

Thanks to Netgallery for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. It was a good solid four star read.

Superb book! Along with a great mystery with plenty of twists and turns, it was a story of love, loss and renewal.