Violet Hill

by Henrietta McKervey

'Henrietta McKervey is a storyteller of rare gifts. Violet Hill is a wonderfully assured and compelling novel, so evocative of a London that has long ceased to be, yet crackling on every page with urgently contemporary resonance and meaning. I could not put it down.' Joseph O'Connor

December 1918: Post-War London is grieving, the city a wound whose dressing was taken off too soon. Violet Hill, the only female private detective in the city, is hired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's business manager to uncover spiritual trickery he believes is deceiving his employer.

January 2018: Susanna is a super-recogniser, one of an elite Met Police team of officers with extraordinary powers for facial recognition. When a freak injury causes her unusual ability to suddenly disappear, a dangerous criminal whom she no longer recognises decides to close in.

Compelling stories across two eras weave into this page-turning, literary adventure of identity, deception, danger - and detection.

'McKervey is a skilful, intelligent storyteller who looks at the world from fresh perspectives; she raises questions about the gap between appearance and reality, truth and fiction, surveillance and security that will stay with a reader long after they finish reading this novel.' Lia Mills

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2018

Reviews

[Helen Carolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 2 different era's this is a terrific read. London 1918 the great war is over and now many are turning to spiritualists to make contact with their dead loved ones. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle becomes enthralled with one such person and his business manager hires London's only female pi Violet Hill to expose him as a fraud. But after an incident at one of his meetings Violet realises she may not be able to do this. December 2017 Susanna is a super recogniser for the police. After a freak accident she loses this ability. With time off work she begins to explore the history of her apartment block and discovers a link to Violet. But her own life may be in danger. Excellent read.

[Karen Keane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this quite confusing, I usually like books set on 2 different timelines but this one didn't work for me. It follows Violet a female private and investigator in the year 1919 and Suzanne a super recogniser for the police 100 years later. The 2 stories really didn't gel and I found myself getting quite bored with the story.

[Jordan Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very ambitious novel that attempts to weave two stories from two very different eras together, and absolutely pulls it off. Although the plot and characters of the modern-day story were the more engaging of the two for me, the way the two stories and eras became more and more connected as I progressed through the book meant I became less and less frustrated at being pulled out of a story I was more engrossed in, and actually looked forward to finding clues and links to one story after being taken back in time to the other.

The way McKervey is able to write so powerfully and authentically from the perspective of others is demonstrated brilliantly when she steps in to the shoes of a character recovering from debilitating physical and mental injuries suffered during the First World War. Her meticulous research and attention to detail makes this authenticity possible.

I did feel as though the stories and the characters lacked the impact and emotional depth of those in her previous outing “The Heart of Everything”, which is perhaps a symptom of the greater ambition of this novel, and I also felt I was slightly rushed towards what was overall a brilliant ending. But it was still another triumph for a brilliant author (4.5 stars).

[Kimmybookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This caught my eye whilst out and I am so glad I picked it up and read this. I thought it was a great read. It took me a while to get into it, but I think that's more me to be honest and the last half in particular really ramps up. I loved how the stories set in 1918/1919 and 2018 tie in. An eye opener in post war Britain that I wasn't aware of.

A great, different kind of detective read. After discovering this I would definitely read more from this author.

[Karen Hustwaite · Rating 2 out of 5]

Struggled to understand this tale... maybe I've just got a jumbled head at the moment!! I found it hard to connect to characters and couldn't follow the story easily. Not very engaged in this one...

[Sadie Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written thriller, but a bit slow in places.

[Luci · Rating 3 out of 5]

wo women investigate trickery/crime almost a century apart. In December 1918, Violet Hill is a private detective, hired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's business manager to investigate spiritualist trickery. In January 2018, Susanna is a police officer and super-recogniser.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this novel, as I enjoy fiction which explores connections between past and present. I was slightly disappointed by the execution though. I think both storylines could have been a novel on their own, and I was more interested in the historical story. This is a period when so many people had lost loved ones in World War I, and also through previous wars and illnesses. I also wasn't convinced that Conan Doyle would have had someone working for him who questioned his judgement in this way.

The historical writing is evocative and atmospheric. Although I was slightly disappointed by this, I still look forward to reading Henrietta McKervey's other books.