Broken Shadows

by Sorrel Pitts

A man reunites with his estranged, ailing father to learn the truth about his own tragic childhood.

In 1994, eleven-year-old Callum was abducted from his Wiltshire village. His body was found six months later by his older brother, Tom, near a Neolithic henge called the Shadowing Stones. It was the first in a series of events that would destroy Tom’s family; the boys’ father was a suspect but never charged, and their mother committed suicide a year later. Convinced his father was responsible for his brother’s death, Tom fled to Australia to start a new life.

Now, almost three decades later, Tom learns that his father is dying of cancer. Knowing this may be his last chance to uncover the truth, Tom returns to England. But when childhood acquaintance, Anna, forms a bond with Tom, old feelings are stirred. As he’s reluctantly drawn closer to both Anna and his father, Tom is confronted with a series of shocking twists and revelations that will change his life forever.

Genres: Crime

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2024

Reviews

[Robin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This surely is as far as a novel can go in the emotional sweepstakes. From the hills of Donegal to the ancient landscape of Wiltshire the author maximises her evocative sense of place. The Shadowing Stones provide a sinister and dignified focal point for a stunning psychological thriller.
This is a novel about life and death and all that comes between. It's about revaluing one's family attachments; about the fragility of love and the dangerous excitement of lust. It's about running away and knowing when to stop and it's about coming home to face the music.
This is an outstanding novel. The characters plucked at my heartstrings and refused to let go. It is tough and trenchant but also gentle and beguiling. It is full of mystery and suspense but also intensely and intimately revealing. The author is a natural storyteller with an abundance of talent.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intensely emotional novel starts with a haunting first chapter describing in Tom’s own despairing words, how he tragically found his murdered younger brother, Callum. Set in the Wiltshire countryside, this story is so much more than just the mystery of a murdered young boy but a deeply heartfelt tale of revisiting your youth and the child in you that you must abandon forever. Tom and Anna are back living at home, both for completely different reasons. One is caring for their dying father the other is being cared for by their mother following major surgery. As they both re count their childhood and subsequent years as an adult, the mystery surrounding Callum’s death slowly starts to reveal itself. With a couple of side stories focusing on friends and other family members, which are equally as intriguing, this book is an addictive read that I found very hard to put down at bedtime.

I have to admit to having a tear in my eye during the latter chapters, where the true events of the past were revealed. What a truly sad story of how a family, righting their wrongs, faced such devastation. “Broken Shadows” gave me pause for thought about life, family dynamics and my own mortality.

#BrokenShadows - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually mention the publishers in my reviews. But I'd going to say that whenever I get the chance to read something published by Bloodhound Books, I grab it. Because their books are always fantastic. And Broken Shadows didn't disappoint.

The first couple of chapters were so rich in descriptive language. I could picture Tom's childhood home, and the surrounding countryside so perfectly that I feel like if I were somehow magically transported there in my sleep I would know exactly where I was upon waking.

I thought the cast of characters was well rounded, and added to the overall feel of the book. Although Isabel was a 'side character' I like how much we got to know her. It all added to the book feeling more real.

Of course the main characters being from the same small town, ending up back there as adults and starting a romance is a bit of a cliche. But that's ok. It's a story after all!

I really enjoyed the thriller/mystery aspect of the story. It kept me gripped right until the end of the book, and I had plenty of theories going round in my head!

The book did deal with some tricky themes, with mentions of suicide and murder being the main ones. I think the author really captured the difficult family relationships that many people have, which meant I could relate to the characters in someway, even though I've never had those exact experiences.

[Emma Minazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those reads that get you invested in the story early on. A story with dual pov's of two main characters: Tom and Anna. Tom returns from Adelaide to help look after his dying father, Anna, who lives in the same village is also Tom's childhood friend and also old flame. They have history between them and things get uncovered the longer Tom stays.

Tom had a few upsetting events in his childhood, which subsequently lead to his moving across the world when he was a young man and leaving his father, which Tom thought was for the best at the time but the reasoning gets explained when he returns.

I like Tom and Anna, they seem genuine people but are both at crossroads in their lives. Anna has a Turkish partner but isn't sure it's right, Tom is married with children but he suspects his wife is playing the field. Can Tom and Anna make the right choices for themselves? I really liked the dynamic of this and it's emotional at times, a real page turner and one I would recommend.

[Lauren Flewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a great descriptive piece which really sets the scene in the English countryside. I could picture myself there with Tom and Anna.

The characters were well built and had depth which made them relatable. This was especially noticeable for the two main characters, Anna and Tom, I really felt I got to know them.

The book is slow to start but once you are past the first two chapters you will find yourself engrossed as the author takes you on a journey to discover the truth.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great book, set in Wiltshire. Good twists and well written.

[Dwayne Mathers · Rating 5 out of 5]

From reading the blurb, for some reason, I was expecting a thriller novel, but what I ended up with was a much better story than I ever expected. The main ark of the story is Tom returning home to take care of his father, who is dying, and the hope of finding out what happened once and for all to his brother many years earlier. There is so much more that goes on within this book than a search for answers, though when we do get those answers, there are a few shocks.

To me, the story is about secrets and the impact they can have on people's lives and we see that across a few relationships, but also it is a story of self-discovery and finding someone special mixed in with a deeper darker story that keeps you reading page after page to see where everything leads.

Another strong contender for my favourite book of the year.

[Bookfairyxox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh this was one intensely emotional book with lots of twists and turns throughout! After Tom leaves for Australia not wanting to return again after the trauma he has faced loosing Callum (his brother) and his mum he is also faced with his dad dying which has forced him back but at the same time opened up a lot of wounds leaving him no choice but to ask jim questions he’s been wanting answers to! The last few chapters were totally engrossing, at the same time emotional and sad and definitely pulled on my heart strings! The author has put a lot of thought into writing this book and it’s defo paid off! The start of the book and the ending are like 2 different books it’s insane and worth a read for sure!

[Sam | Sambooka23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an emotional read. Not what I was expecting at all - the emotional element was a surprise.

Tom has to go back to his childhood to help his dying father but he also has an ulterior motive, he wants to find out what happened to brother Callum who was killed years ago. Throughout the book, Tom questions everything and everyone about what happened to his brother.

We also meet Anna and from there, a relationship blossoms with Tom. There is more to Anna than first meets the eye - she is moving back to be with her mother whilst she recovers from a hysterectomy.

The book covers various themes and topics throughout - family breakdowns, relationships, secrets and romances. It really is a whirlwind of a read.

I really enjoyed it and really didn’t expect how deep the book would go. It went down avenues that took me aback but really made the book. I read it in one sitting.

Thank you to @lovebookstours and @sorrel.pitts for having me on tour.

[Sapphire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of predictable crime books and thrillers lately so this one came as a refreshment.

It's a story about family, about suspicion and grief, a story about murder and everything that comes after it.

The author built the story around Tom, his dying father and Tom's suspicion that his father killed Tom's brother. And just when I thought I found real killer there was a twist and I just had to reread the last chapter again.

This was a great read, even I didn't like the ending that much. It was good, unexpected, it fitted the story but I would like some other explanation more. But that's just me 😅

[Keeley Ribchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

11 year old Callum has gone missing later his body is found by his 14 year old Brother Tom, suspicion laid at the hands of the boys father Jim.
After the murder of Callum mum cannot cope and takes her own life a year later .
Tom cannot get away from the sleepy village with all its nightmares and memories soon enough so reaching 17 he leaves to Australia never to return until he receives a call from longer term family friend Ray telling him that his Father Jim is dying and Tom needs to return home.
This return opens the wounds for Tom and makes him face with questions he’s wanted to ask of Jim .. did you murder my brother and your son??
At the same time Tom returns to the sleepy village another ex resident Anna is also forced to return due to ill health. Having been acquainted in their teenage years Tom and Anna meet up and help each other through a difficult period. Tom with unanswered questions and a dying Father also has concerns his wife back in Australia is cheating and Anna has problems with her partner that she has left behind in Turkey.
The 2 come together and face the problems facing them.
Tom asks the difficult questions, Anna also finds out some dark issues from the past and both get answers they didn’t expect.
5 star read from this new author cannot wait to read what else she has in store down the line. Read it in the one day as I couldn’t put it down!

[CeeCee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom and Anna have both returned home to the village where they spent their childhoods, albeit for very different reasons.
Tom's father, the bully and angry man of his younger life, is dying of cancer. Having escaped to Australia soon after the tragic murder of his younger brother Callum when he was 14, Tom has never returned until now.
Anna has come back to England from her home in Istanbul to undergo major surgery and now faces recuperation back in her childhood home with her mother.
The unsolved murder of his sibling has haunted Tom all his life, and he is determined to try and find out the truth of circumstances behind the tragedy.
Anna and Tom meet up again inevitably and rekindle their childhood friendship.
The story unfolds slowly and bit by bit we grow closer to finding out the truth and the growing romance between the two main characters.
I enjoyed the tale, which is related chapter by chapter from either Tom's or Anna's viewpoint.
Lots and lots of descriptions of the countryside, the sky, the sheep, the stones, the weather which I felt myself skimming over.
The ending was a bit predictable but still enjoyable.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the ARC.

[Carl Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure I would like this book when I started it (spoiler: I did!). Sorrel’s first novel (The River Woman) was excellent, but a tough read. Sorrel has the ability to get under the skin of her protagonists and present them in such a compelling way that if – as they often are – they are somehow broken people, then it makes for a difficult read emotionally. But completely compelling.

The story follows Tom who is returning home from Australia to care for his dying father. He had left 20-some years previously because of a series of episodes that started with his younger brother, Callum, being kidnapped and later found murdered, followed by his mother committing suicide through – we infer – overwhelming grief. Tom was the one who found his brother’s mutilated body, and then later begins to suspect his father of being the murderer. At age 17, he goes as far away as physically possible on this planet. His sojourn in Fawley coincides with another broken soul returning: Anna - the posh girl from the big house he knew as a child. She too is suffering in her own way and is also someone running away from pain rather than towards anything good. What transpires is a gradual realisation for both of them that what they have known and assumed about themselves and their families is flawed.

Over the course of the novel, we are given insights into the psyches of both Tom and Anna, and through them learn about how relationships can stagnate, need change, need challenge and need reassessing constantly in life. Pitts achieves this by writing in the first person for both Tom and Anna, and in so doing gives each of them their own voice: no mean achievement and done remarkably well, in my opinion.

So this is a story about relationships. It’s billed as a ”psychological suspense” novel by Pitts’ publishers. While this may be how they want to push it, I found that the story of Callum’s kidnap and murder to be almost incidental at times. It’s less about the crime that had taken place, and far more about the impact of that crime on Tom and his father, and then by extension, on Anna. In some ways, I feel her publisher undersells the psychological study that this is in favour of pitching this as a crime fiction novel: I would argue that it’s much more than a simple ‘whodunnit’ and far more about the complex bag of emotions and reactions that humans are. In the end, I found myself less interested in the solution to the crime and far more engaged with who Tom and Anna are and where they will end up.

I found the story to be engaging, compelling and insightful. The characters are believable and familiar, and their inner thoughts (especially Tom’s) resonated with me. It’s not really crime fiction and I feel Sorrel’s publisher could do a better job of selling the real depth of the story (the blurb on the back cover focuses solely on the crime, for example), it is nevertheless an excellent read and a real page-turner – the first book in a long time that I’ve read in less than a week! I would recommend this wholeheartedly. I’m looking forward to her next novel very much.

Full disclosure: I know Sorrel Pitts personally and was given a copy of the novel in return for an honest review.

[Karolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my review for Broken Shadows by Sorrel Pitts

This is a very intense book but is a brilliant read although it takes a lot of time to get through it. It’s in a diary format between Tom and an old friend of his, Anna, who is back in the village recovering from an operation. Tom’s dad is dying from cancer so he is back from Australia until the end to sort everything out but it’s bringing everything back about how his brother was abducted all those years ago. He learns some interesting things that could change his life forever as he is experiencing some problems back in Australia. This was a really good read and I got invested in reading it. I loved that you got different accounts telling the story as it made it more interesting and plus they remembered things differently. The writer has a good writing style and packs quite a lot into a few words but he is a very descriptive writer which is good, I like one of those. The plotting is great and he’s planned the book out well. This is an exceptional book and great for a psychological read.

Blurb :

A man reunites with his estranged father to uncover the truth about his tragic childhood …

Twenty-seven ago, eleven-year-old Callum was abducted. His body was found six months later by his older brother, Tom, near a Neolithic henge called the Shadowing Stones. It was the first in a series of events that would tear Tom’s family apart. Convinced his father was responsible for his brother’s death, Tom fled to Australia to start a new life.

Now, decades later, Tom learns that his father is dying of cancer. Knowing this may be his last chance to learn the truth, Tom returns to England. But when he crosses paths with childhood acquaintance Anna, the pair are drawn together. As Tom grows closer to both Anna and his father, he is confronted with a series of shocking twists and revelations that will change his life forever…

[mommy_and_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

"[...] Sometimes questions are easier than answers. [...]"

If you like novels with genre mixes, you've come to the right place. "Broken Shadows" by Sorrel Pitts is a combination of thriller literature with social, psychological and love story literature. Does the story end happily for our heroes? Or is the ending as sad as in "Romeo and Juliet"? Of course, you will find this out while reading this novel. The author created a very moving work. That's why it's worth having tissues ready. There will be moments here that bring tears. Is the truth always the same as we see? Is everything obvious? Our main characters are Tom and Anna. Tom lives in Australia. He has four children and a wife. He also runs his own business. His father's terminal illness forces him to return to England. He fled England because something tragic happened in his youthful life. Will he reconcile with his hated father? This character is likeable. Anna is a writer. Currently lives in Istanbul. Life is not easy, either. She, too, will return to England. What made her do this? I liked this character. In addition to these two main characters, you will also meet other characters, including: Isabel and Ray Curtis. It's also worth having a look at them. The novel "Broken Shadows" showed me that it is not worth hiding the truth from your loved ones. The most tragic truth is much better than the best lie. By concealing the truth, misunderstanding and wounds are born. Tom knows something about this. I read this book relatively quickly. I was moved by the plot of "Broken Shadow". The action is smooth. The characters are worth getting to know. The author raises difficult topics here that are worth having a closer look at. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the surroundings; where our heroes were currently staying. It made me feel like I was there. Due to the difficult subject, I recommend this novel to adults.

[Veronika Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This turned out to be very different from what I expected. The ending was a total revelation. How it started and how it finished was almost like two different books.

We begin with Tom returning to England for the first time since he was 17. Following the horrific murder of his 11-year-old brother Callum, and the suicide of his mother shortly afterwards, he flees to Australia, where he marries Stella and has four children. He also runs a successful business.

He felt at the time that he had to leave because he believed that his father Jim may have killed Callum. So when he gets a call that his father is dying of cancer, he knows he must come home and sort things out. But confronted with a frail, dying old man, he is no longer sure about his suspicions. He is determined to discover what really happened.

In the meantime, he meets Anna, an old childhood acquaintance, and they rekindle their friendship. His relationship with Stella is in flux and Anna’s relationship with her partner Kerem in Istanbul where she has lived and worked for the past six years, is also in trouble. She returned to England to have a hysterectomy and Kerem wants children.

At two points in the book, we visit the Neolithic henge called the Shadowing Stones. It was near here that fourteen-year-old Tom discovered his brother’s body. It is described in horrific detail.

There are also other threads that eventually come together. There is Anna’s sister Isabel and her family, Jim’s time in Ireland and why he left and never went back, and of course the main premise of the book – who killed Callum?

It’s a marvellous book with themes I wasn’t expecting. The last few chapters were totally engrossing, emotional and sad. Highly recommended if you are looking for an intelligent read that questions assumptions.

Many thanks to Grace Pilkington Publicity @GracePublicity for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

[Katies_cosy_reading_corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to say a big thank you to @lovebookstours @Sorrel.pitts and @bloodhound.books for my free copy of broken shadows in return for my honest review.

This is a very thought-provoking tale. Its crippled by darkness, sorrow and mystery. I would say this has quite a heavy romance theme and was less of a thriller in my eyes.

It has a very intriguing front cover. The colour itself attractive, (also my fav colour) with leading questions of who is the boy.
The name is very well suited to the book and can be left open to the readers own interpratation. For me broken shawdows describes the books premise of the looming obscurity of life and how it is disturbed or 'broken' by light. With the saying in mind "there's light at the end of the tunnel".

It's an atmospheric book and great descriptive language was used. It transported my mind to the countryside of Wiltshire.
The shadowing stones were a interesting touch to this story, they defined how such places can haunt your thoughts and memories. Especially when trauma is involved.

The characters were well developed and quite interesting. At times I did feel that they were slightly mundane but this was matching to the small village vibes.

The book did jump around in time which was off putting for me and harder to follow, with bit jumps of time between scenes. Although it did add to the overall mystery of 'who killed callum' and the time leading up to the twisted ending!

Perhaps overcrowded with some details at times and the romance side of it was a little drawn out for me. For this reason I did find it a difficult book to read.

I would recommend this book if your after a slow-burn romance, murder mystery style bur I can't say it was for me.

[Scott Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Shadows is an outstanding novel. As the novel starts, Tom is recalling the year his 11-year -old brother Callum was abducted and murdered. After a massive search by the community, Tom discovers his body months later near the Shadowing Stones in Wiltshire. Tom's father Jim becomes a suspect but nothing definitive points to him.

Anyway Tom left for Australia where he married and developed a successful business. As the novel begins Tom returns home to care for his father who is dying from cancer. He is alerted to his father's situation by Ray, a longtime friend of his father's. Having blamed his father for Callum's death, Tom finds it difficult to adjust to caring for his father in his last months. And of course memories of the past come flooding back.

Also returned to the village is a woman Anna that Tom had known at school and had a bit of a crush on which didn't lead to anything. Anna has been travelling and is a writer of travel guides, based recently in Istanbul. She is back in England for a hysterectomy and is living with her mother while she recuperates. Her relationship with her boyfriend is on the rocks because he wants kids which she is no longer capable of providing.

Tom is married with children. Before leaving Australia he begins to suspect that his wife is having an affair with one of their employees. Tom and Anna relive the past and become romantically involved.

After his father dies Tom discovers the tragic truth about what happened to his brother Callum and the reason for his mother's suicide. This is a powerful and emotionally stirring novel.

Thanks to Bloodhound Books for providing me with an Advance Review Copy of this novel.

[Liz T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Shadows is set in an atmospheric winter time in Wiltshire. Tom has returned home to visit his dying father but it soon becomes clear that it may have been his father who had caused him to run away to Australia over 20 years ago. Tom has been persuaded by his father’s business partner to return and make peace with his father. This is not an easy task as Tom’s younger brother, Callum, was murdered when Tom was 15 and he always suspected that his father may have been involved. At the same time that Tom arrives in his home village, Anna, who he knew from his school days, has returned home to recuperate from a serious operation. Anna has also spent much of her time abroad as a travel writer but her time in Istanbul and her relationship with Kerem is coming to an end.
As these two people reconnect there is a lot of heart searching over the past tragedy they were both a part of so many years ago and also what path their future lives are going to take.
I found this book mesmerising in its description of the Wiltshire winter countryside and its main characters were people I did care about. I was at the edge of my seat as Tom tried to process what had happened to his younger brother and the repercussions of the tragic truth about his brother’s death. A great 5* read. Thanks to the author and Bloodhound Books for an ARC.

[Susan Blissett · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotional story with beautiful descriptions and similes, particularly of the Wiltshire countryside, this had an exciting start pulling you in and a climactic ending. Tom has come back to his childhood home as his father is dying, but he also wants to find out what happened to his brother, Callum, many years ago when Callum was killed. Anna has also moved back to the village after an hysterectomy to be with her mother whilst recovering. It covered topics such as relationship breakdowns (both in families and romantically), affairs, death, childhood abuse and women’s health. I liked how endometriosis was touched upon which affects many women. There was a lovely take on British culture, which is also often not touched upon and this resinated with me; that sense of home and being part of a community, which very much showed through within this story. The main characters had a lot of situations to deal with, looking back on their lives and trying to find ways to move through any problems. Sometimes the story felt a little slow, but I was keen to find out what would happen to the main characters, as well as who was behind Callum’s death. Overall, this was an interesting read and covered topics I haven’t encountered in books before, which was refreshing.

I received an ARC from BloodHound Books for an honest review, thank you, and all thoughts are my own.

[Jacqueline Moxon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very moving and interesting novel, which fully explores the complexity of human emotions and relationships. Two childhood friends both return home after many years away. Their early and mutual attraction remains, but both are dealing with complicated and sad present day situations. They are drawn to each other, like moths to a flame, whilst fighting their inner demons. Who killed Tom’s brother, Callum? Why did his mother take her own life? Is his father guilty? Meanwhile, Anna is coping with the devastating psychological effects of an early hysterectomy and coming to terms with knowing that she will never be able to bear children. Whilst she can accept this, her current partner clearly cannot. And, when it comes down to it, does she truly love him? As the two former friends become lovers they become more and more embroiled in the complexities and disappointments of their long term relationships and dare to dream of a shared future. At the same time, Anna watches her sister’s dissatisfaction with her own, seemingly, perfect life and becomes aware that true love and happiness is worth fighting for. I enjoyed this book immensely and would highly recommend it.

[Lori Jean Zuber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Shadows by Sorrel Pitts

Tom’s eleven year old brother, Callum, was abducted from his Wiltshire village and killed. Tom himself found his body. The family dynamics changed drastically as his father was suspected of the murder and his mother committed suicide.

Tom, afraid that his father killed Callum, ran away to Australia. There, he built a new life, getting married and having children. His life was good, until the phone call. His father was dying. Hoping that he will finally find the truth, Tom decides to go back to England to be with his father.

Meanwhile, Anna has returned home from Turkey to have surgery. Her recovery is difficult, but along the way she runs into a childhood friend, Tom. They each bring something different to the table. Anna, wondering where she should be, and Tom trying to uncover the truth about Callum.

This story intertwines the two characters like a tapestry. Pitts has created individual and heartfelt characters. The scenery is deeply depicted. This story has many plot twists that will keep you guessing until the very end. I didn’t want the book to end! It is such a wonderful story!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Shadows by Sorrel Pitts is a brilliant mystery/psychological thriller that really gets you thinking. It’s not just about the mystery—it’s about family, memory, and what “home” actually means. Tom and Anna both find themselves back in the Wiltshire village where they grew up. They’ve got very different reasons for returning, but being back stirs up all sorts of buried stuff—old tensions, unresolved grief, and secrets that won’t stay hidden.

The writing is beautiful, and Sorrel does a great job of weaving together the suspense of the plot with the quieter, more personal moments. You really feel for Tom and Anna as they try to make sense of their pasts and figure out where they fit now.

The families are so well drawn too. There’s a lot here about ageing parents, the guilt of distance, and the strange pull of the place you once called home. All things that most readers will relate to. It’s layered, moving, and full of twists that keep you guessing.

Our book group read it and we were all hooked. This was voted the best book we’d read in our five years of meeting, and we highly recommend it. Thanks Sorrel for putting pen to paper and giving us this treat!

[Lori Jean Zuber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Shadows by Sorrel Pitts

Tom’s eleven year old brother, Callum, was abducted from his Wiltshire village and killed. Tom himself found his body. The family dynamics changed drastically as his father was suspected of the murder and his mother committed suicide.

Tom, afraid that his father killed Callum, ran away to Australia. There, he built a new life, getting married and having children. His life was good, until the phone call. His father was dying. Hoping that he will finally find the truth, Tom decides to go back to England to be with his father.

Meanwhile, Anna has returned home from Turkey to have surgery. Her recovery is difficult, but along the way she runs into a childhood friend, Tom. They each bring something different to the table. Anna, wondering where she should be, and Tom trying to uncover the truth about Callum.

This story intertwines the two characters like a tapestry. Pitts has created individual and heartfelt characters. The scenery is deeply depicted. This story has many plot twists that will keep you guessing until the very end. I didn’t want the book to end! It is such a wonderful story!

[Hania · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked after chapter 1. The author conjures up the whole atmosphere of Wiltshire, the weather and landscape mirroring the emotions and turmoils of Anna and Tom. These two characters are each given their space, their voice; the reader‘s empathies move from one to another. As family histories unfold, we also glimpse into the physical spaces that have shaped the protagonists, from Ireland to Istanbul, from Londonderry to Australia. Confronted with their pasts and presents, with parenthood, illness, the comfort of one‘s roots, unexpected love, the shock of truth and revelations, the uncertainty of the future, Anna and Tom gain the courage to take their lives into their hands once more. The twists and turns of the plot are as unexpected as they are masterful. There are no loose ends yet the ending is open enough for each reader to be left thinking long after the final page has been turned. Thinking and visualising… for the novel has the same vivid pictorial quality already seen in Sorrel Pitt‘s first novel „The River Woman“.
In short: highly readable, highly thought-provoking!

[Anitra Mansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom's mother killed herself a year and a half after Tom's younger brother was murdered.  There was some suspicion that Tom's father had killed 11 yr old Callum, but nothing was proven.  Tom moves to Australia and becomes very successful but not returning or seeing his sfather for 25 years until he returns to be with his father for the final couple of months of the father's life.  Anna, who lives nearby, has also returned home (after a long time away) and their two lives intertwine.  

The book follows Tom and Anna's relationship, Tom and his father's relationship and the story of Callum's murder.  Up until the unexpected final twist the characters are engaging and well fleshed out.  It was hard to put down, especially as I remember that time in history very well (I will not say more to avoid ruining the plot twist).  Good descriptions of people, places and situations, I will definitely read this author again.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book

The very first thing that I noticed about this psychological thriller was the location matched the mood...

This is a dark and brooding book full of secrets and shocking truths, while the landscape these things happen in is dark , brooding, and wild... it is very atmospheric.

The story initially follows two storylines that if Tom and Anna who are old acquaintances as children who reconnect when Tom arrives back home after over 2 decades to care for his estranged, dying father.

I think it was about 15% of the way through, you know something weirder has happened to these people, then what they are letting on, and it was fascinating to see how Tom uncovers the shocking past.

Both Tom and Anna are very complex characters, and through the course of the book, you see both characters slowly develop, and I ended up really liking them both, especially Tom.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, then this one is for you!

[Tami Wylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good read, but it wasn’t what I expected. Told through a dual narrative of the two main characters Tom and Anna, it’s a story about reconciling the past, unearthing truths and forging ahead to the future. Both of these characters were running away from relationships that were really over. Tom was searching for the truth of his brothers murder, escaping a cheating wife and trying to reconcile with his dying father. Anna was healing from a life changing operation, realising that her relationship was over and falling out of love with her life in Istanbul. When the paths cross, they begin a journey that could change their futures. Although the story is written well with well developed characters, for me, it moved a bit slow. I enjoyed the mystery of Callum’s death, giving the book an air of mystery. I also thought Tom and Anna‘s relationship was good, as well as how the relationships with their family members developed. Overall, this was a decent read.

[Michaela Dufour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written emotional novel.
Beautifully written emotional novel. I felt completely immersed in the location of Wiltshire, almost longing for it although I have lived there my entire life! Even those who have never visited will fall in love with the atmospheric landscape shown on the pages. It was a true page-turner, the mystery was unexpected and the ending touching. Although there is the underlying theme of murder and crime, there becomes an emphasis on family ties, roots and even romance throughout, which I found really elevated the story and characters. These characters had real depth to them and felt very raw and humane to me, the struggles they encounter with family and within themselves made them relatable for the reader. Read this book in 4 days I was so hooked and would recommend to all types of readers, a novel with many genres hiding within it.

[Lauren Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller, it was such an intriguing storyline! Firstly, the blurb had sold straight away and the story did not disappoint. I was invested right from the get go and it kept me hooked right up till the end of the book.

I always enjoy reading different points of view in a book and in this book we get to read from the two different POV of Tom and Anna - both desperate for answers from their past. The book portrayed their thoughts and feeling very well and I felt empathetic towards both characters. Full of twists and turns to keep me guessing right through as well as the past unfolded.

A fantastic thriller which explores past trauma and how unsolved crimes can have a great impact on a persons life. Very thought provoking and sensitive to some difficult subjects. Beautifully written, I highly recommend this book!