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Burning Secrets
It’s the spring of 2001 and Foot & Mouth disease is raging across Cumbria.
Twelve-year-old Helen Heslop is forced to leave her family farm and move in with relatives in a nearby town because the strict quarantine means she can’t travel back and forth to school in case she inadvertently helps spread the disease.
As the authorities and the local farming communities try desperately to contain the outbreak, tensions run high and everyone’s emotions are close to the surface.
And then Helen disappears.
The police search expands all over the northwest coast where farms are barricaded and farming families have been plunged into chaos - not least the Hislop family, where potentially explosive fault lines are exposed.
Under the strain tensions build inside the police team too, where local DC Maureen Pritchard is caught between old school DI Bell and new broom DS Anna Penrose.
Will Helen survive? And can life for the Heslop family ever be the same, once burning secrets are discovered and old scores settled?
“During the awful Foot & Mouth emergency of 2001 many individual lives were changed forever. Burning Secret is about some of those. At the heart of the book are innocents, threatened by events they could neither prevent nor control, and those who try to protect them…”
Twelve-year-old Helen Heslop is forced to leave her family farm and move in with relatives in a nearby town because the strict quarantine means she can’t travel back and forth to school in case she inadvertently helps spread the disease.
As the authorities and the local farming communities try desperately to contain the outbreak, tensions run high and everyone’s emotions are close to the surface.
And then Helen disappears.
The police search expands all over the northwest coast where farms are barricaded and farming families have been plunged into chaos - not least the Hislop family, where potentially explosive fault lines are exposed.
Under the strain tensions build inside the police team too, where local DC Maureen Pritchard is caught between old school DI Bell and new broom DS Anna Penrose.
Will Helen survive? And can life for the Heslop family ever be the same, once burning secrets are discovered and old scores settled?
“During the awful Foot & Mouth emergency of 2001 many individual lives were changed forever. Burning Secret is about some of those. At the heart of the book are innocents, threatened by events they could neither prevent nor control, and those who try to protect them…”
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 24, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 3, 2018
3☆ A Crime Thriller with a Difference
BURNING SECRETS is a slower paced thriller, crime, mystery, with plenty of police procedural.
The story is centred around the Foot and Mouth Outbreak which was very real and very damaging to British farming and their families.
12year old Helen has been sent off to live with her Aunt and Uncle who are awful. Her uncle tries to perv over Helen and her Aunt turns a blind eye.
Helen's parents are struggling with the foot and Mouth Outbreak so they sent her away to help prevent any potential contamination.
Helen finishes school and is awaiting her parents to pick her up!
Along comes Alex in his van. He's alot older than Helen (almost her father's age).
He tells her that her Mum asked him to pick her up.
From that point on Helen is missing!!
We meet DC Maureen Pritchard, old school policing, was due a promotion to Sergeant but gets nothing as they bring in.....
Detective Sergeant Anna Penrose..... straight from the Army.
The two women clash as there is clearly resentment.
But can they put their differences aside to find missing Helen!
Unfortunately I just didn't connect with the story.
I found the beginning to be confusing as the introduction to characters seemed to mingle without flowing. Meaning I had to backtrack. At times I felt like this was a second book in a series.
I didn't particularly like any of the characters and felt I wasn't able to relate to them.
Having said that I did find the Foot and Mouth storyline intriguing and real, which added a unique touch on the story.
I did enjoy the police procedural side and was willing them to find Helen.
The pace was slower, but the suspense wasn't quiet there for me.
I do however recommend Burning Secrets to those who are looking for a crime thriller with a difference.
Thank you to Dampebbles Tours and Fahrenheit Press for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/1...
BURNING SECRETS is a slower paced thriller, crime, mystery, with plenty of police procedural.
The story is centred around the Foot and Mouth Outbreak which was very real and very damaging to British farming and their families.
12year old Helen has been sent off to live with her Aunt and Uncle who are awful. Her uncle tries to perv over Helen and her Aunt turns a blind eye.
Helen's parents are struggling with the foot and Mouth Outbreak so they sent her away to help prevent any potential contamination.
Helen finishes school and is awaiting her parents to pick her up!
Along comes Alex in his van. He's alot older than Helen (almost her father's age).
He tells her that her Mum asked him to pick her up.
From that point on Helen is missing!!
We meet DC Maureen Pritchard, old school policing, was due a promotion to Sergeant but gets nothing as they bring in.....
Detective Sergeant Anna Penrose..... straight from the Army.
The two women clash as there is clearly resentment.
But can they put their differences aside to find missing Helen!
Unfortunately I just didn't connect with the story.
I found the beginning to be confusing as the introduction to characters seemed to mingle without flowing. Meaning I had to backtrack. At times I felt like this was a second book in a series.
I didn't particularly like any of the characters and felt I wasn't able to relate to them.
Having said that I did find the Foot and Mouth storyline intriguing and real, which added a unique touch on the story.
I did enjoy the police procedural side and was willing them to find Helen.
The pace was slower, but the suspense wasn't quiet there for me.
I do however recommend Burning Secrets to those who are looking for a crime thriller with a difference.
Thank you to Dampebbles Tours and Fahrenheit Press for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/1...
October 9, 2018
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
For a book that clocks in at 264 pages, Sutton packed in a lot of story. I'm having difficulty deciding what to focus on, I've got to say. If only all authors could present a guy with such problems . . .
This book starts off with a child abduction -- a child, Helen Helsop, that we get to know a little bit before she's abducted. Immediately I groaned, because the last thing I wanted to deal with is a book about a little girl getting snatched and then dealing with whatever abuse is looming. Without spoiling much, let me assure you -- nothing like that happens. This is not that kind of kidnapped child story. This doesn't mean that she's been taken for benign or even beneficial reasons, however.
Helen hasn't been living at home -- she's been staying with family in town so she can attend school. Because theirs is a farming community -- predominately, or at least heavily, a dairy and cattle area, and this is 2001 -- the height of the Foot and Mouth crisis. I'll be honest, as an American in a pre-social media age, I didn't have a strong grasp on the effect this had on smaller farmers -- I just never was exposed to it. I got what it meant on the national/industry front, but didn't think much more about it. If I had, it would've been obvious just how much this would decimate a community, an individual family, and why this was such a horrible crisis. Anyway, back to Helen -- she hasn't had a good time of it in this temporary home and is easily persuaded to leave. It's hours (of course) before anyone notices that she's missing, and even then, most of her family doesn't believe she's actually missing.
Before that, thankfully, the police are called in -- we focus on DC Maureen Pritchard -- a well-known fixture in the community (not as well-known as her father, however) and the newly-arrived DS Anna Penrose. There's a little professional jealousy between the two -- Pritchard envies another woman in a position she was denied and Penrose would love the acceptance and respect her fellow officers seem to have for Pritchard. But largely, they can put that aside to focus on Helen. It's obvious from the start that the foster family and Helen's actual family are both holding back from the police, but it's hard to tell if it's germane to the case, or if it's just things that no one wants to share with outsiders.
This is all so compellingly told -- the layers that Sutton is working on are something to behold. She's excellent at revealing more and more about Pritchard and Penrose while they're uncovering more about Helen's life and whoever took her. You could make the case (I think you'd be wrong, but you can make it) that the mystery in this novel takes a back seat to the drama surrounding the women and their superiors. Initially, probably because we meet her first, I was pulling for Pritchard to solve the case, rescue the girl and save the day to put Penrose in her place. But soon, I just wanted the two of them to knock off the nonsense and just work together -- preferably by being open with each other about what's going on. I won't say if I was ultimately satisfied in that desire, but I can say that Sutton deals with their relationship in a way that is absolutely believable and realistic -- a very satisfactory job.
The greatest impediment to the search for Helen isn't the fact that the family is hiding something(s), the difficulty in tracking down a person of interest, the cleverness of the kidnapper, finding a particular van in a decent size, getting a straight answer out of scared kids with overbearing/concerned parents interfering (for nefarious reasons or unintentionally), or any of the other absolutely understandable and inevitable roadblocks. Instead, it's Detective Inspector Stanley Bell -- he's too focused on the budget and on impressing his DCI, not that we can forget his obvious misogyny and blatant racism. It'd have been easy for Sutton to leave him as a buffoon, an obstacle, a foil for Pritchard and Penrose -- but she doesn't, there are times when he seems to be a perfectly capable police officer. But those times are the minority -- it is fun to watch his subordinates play him to get their way, Penrose learns from Pritchard's example quickly on this front.
If I tried to talk about the kidnapper, I'd spoil it -- if I tried to talk about Helen's family, I'd fail. I can't summarize what Sutton did there (I was reductionistic enough with the police -- and I'd still be reductionistic if I'd included everything I wanted to say about them) -- I've known men like her father and older brother. I could feel their pain, their frustration -- with their life in general, even before Helen's abduction, which just seemed like the next-to-last straw for them. Between Foot and Mouth, general hardships (physical and financial) related to this lifestyle, too much alcohol, and a wife who wants more than all this -- it's just too much for people to take.
The depiction of Helen is really strong, as well -- she is a scared twelve year-old doing the best she can in a horrible circumstance. At some point the police don't understand why she did X in a situation. I wanted to yell at them, "because she's a scared little kid!" Of course, she's not going to act like a rational adult. (The other thing I had a hard time buying was that given the emphasis the officers put on local knowledge, was that it was the outsider who understood the importance of getting his cows milked to a dairy farmer)
I've gone on too long, and haven't said nearly enough. So let's hit the important things as I try to wrap up.As I said at the outset -- this is not a typical kidnapping novel. Every assumption you make early on in the book will prove to be mistaken, but it all feels organic, it all seemed natural. This isn't one of those books where you can see the author moving pieces around to achieve her ends. I have no doubt she did -- but I couldn't see it. There's some good action, some very clever policework, and a strong psychological-thriller bent to parts of this as well. There's a strong Perry Mason-esque quality to the strategy the police employed at the end, which I appreciated. Burning Secrets ticks almost every box a mystery-fan will have on their list.
This is a novel about family secrets, family problems -- all families, on some level, I'm sure. There are strong threads about options various women take to take care of their families and themselves -- what lengths they may go to, what shortcuts they may take, what hard choices they may make -- to secure happiness, health, or survival. This is a novel about change -- individual and societal -- how difficult that is. But none of these themes detract from a heart-stopping and heart-breaking story about a kidnapping and the consequences radiating from it. All in less than 300 pages -- not a bad feat.
I have no idea if Sutton intends to write more about these characters (there's every reason to think she will, given her track record) -- but I'd love to spend more time with them. If Penrose and Pritchard can turn their détente into some sort of working understanding, or better, a real partnership, they'd be a fantastic combination (for drama, they'd still be interesting if they don't form any closer relationship, but it wouldn't be as fun to read). Sutton does have a pretty hefty backlist, and I should try to dive in -- and you should, too. Start with this, though, it'll whet your appetite for the rest.
---
For a book that clocks in at 264 pages, Sutton packed in a lot of story. I'm having difficulty deciding what to focus on, I've got to say. If only all authors could present a guy with such problems . . .
This book starts off with a child abduction -- a child, Helen Helsop, that we get to know a little bit before she's abducted. Immediately I groaned, because the last thing I wanted to deal with is a book about a little girl getting snatched and then dealing with whatever abuse is looming. Without spoiling much, let me assure you -- nothing like that happens. This is not that kind of kidnapped child story. This doesn't mean that she's been taken for benign or even beneficial reasons, however.
Helen hasn't been living at home -- she's been staying with family in town so she can attend school. Because theirs is a farming community -- predominately, or at least heavily, a dairy and cattle area, and this is 2001 -- the height of the Foot and Mouth crisis. I'll be honest, as an American in a pre-social media age, I didn't have a strong grasp on the effect this had on smaller farmers -- I just never was exposed to it. I got what it meant on the national/industry front, but didn't think much more about it. If I had, it would've been obvious just how much this would decimate a community, an individual family, and why this was such a horrible crisis. Anyway, back to Helen -- she hasn't had a good time of it in this temporary home and is easily persuaded to leave. It's hours (of course) before anyone notices that she's missing, and even then, most of her family doesn't believe she's actually missing.
Before that, thankfully, the police are called in -- we focus on DC Maureen Pritchard -- a well-known fixture in the community (not as well-known as her father, however) and the newly-arrived DS Anna Penrose. There's a little professional jealousy between the two -- Pritchard envies another woman in a position she was denied and Penrose would love the acceptance and respect her fellow officers seem to have for Pritchard. But largely, they can put that aside to focus on Helen. It's obvious from the start that the foster family and Helen's actual family are both holding back from the police, but it's hard to tell if it's germane to the case, or if it's just things that no one wants to share with outsiders.
This is all so compellingly told -- the layers that Sutton is working on are something to behold. She's excellent at revealing more and more about Pritchard and Penrose while they're uncovering more about Helen's life and whoever took her. You could make the case (I think you'd be wrong, but you can make it) that the mystery in this novel takes a back seat to the drama surrounding the women and their superiors. Initially, probably because we meet her first, I was pulling for Pritchard to solve the case, rescue the girl and save the day to put Penrose in her place. But soon, I just wanted the two of them to knock off the nonsense and just work together -- preferably by being open with each other about what's going on. I won't say if I was ultimately satisfied in that desire, but I can say that Sutton deals with their relationship in a way that is absolutely believable and realistic -- a very satisfactory job.
The greatest impediment to the search for Helen isn't the fact that the family is hiding something(s), the difficulty in tracking down a person of interest, the cleverness of the kidnapper, finding a particular van in a decent size, getting a straight answer out of scared kids with overbearing/concerned parents interfering (for nefarious reasons or unintentionally), or any of the other absolutely understandable and inevitable roadblocks. Instead, it's Detective Inspector Stanley Bell -- he's too focused on the budget and on impressing his DCI, not that we can forget his obvious misogyny and blatant racism. It'd have been easy for Sutton to leave him as a buffoon, an obstacle, a foil for Pritchard and Penrose -- but she doesn't, there are times when he seems to be a perfectly capable police officer. But those times are the minority -- it is fun to watch his subordinates play him to get their way, Penrose learns from Pritchard's example quickly on this front.
If I tried to talk about the kidnapper, I'd spoil it -- if I tried to talk about Helen's family, I'd fail. I can't summarize what Sutton did there (I was reductionistic enough with the police -- and I'd still be reductionistic if I'd included everything I wanted to say about them) -- I've known men like her father and older brother. I could feel their pain, their frustration -- with their life in general, even before Helen's abduction, which just seemed like the next-to-last straw for them. Between Foot and Mouth, general hardships (physical and financial) related to this lifestyle, too much alcohol, and a wife who wants more than all this -- it's just too much for people to take.
The depiction of Helen is really strong, as well -- she is a scared twelve year-old doing the best she can in a horrible circumstance. At some point the police don't understand why she did X in a situation. I wanted to yell at them, "because she's a scared little kid!" Of course, she's not going to act like a rational adult. (The other thing I had a hard time buying was that given the emphasis the officers put on local knowledge, was that it was the outsider who understood the importance of getting his cows milked to a dairy farmer)
I've gone on too long, and haven't said nearly enough. So let's hit the important things as I try to wrap up.As I said at the outset -- this is not a typical kidnapping novel. Every assumption you make early on in the book will prove to be mistaken, but it all feels organic, it all seemed natural. This isn't one of those books where you can see the author moving pieces around to achieve her ends. I have no doubt she did -- but I couldn't see it. There's some good action, some very clever policework, and a strong psychological-thriller bent to parts of this as well. There's a strong Perry Mason-esque quality to the strategy the police employed at the end, which I appreciated. Burning Secrets ticks almost every box a mystery-fan will have on their list.
This is a novel about family secrets, family problems -- all families, on some level, I'm sure. There are strong threads about options various women take to take care of their families and themselves -- what lengths they may go to, what shortcuts they may take, what hard choices they may make -- to secure happiness, health, or survival. This is a novel about change -- individual and societal -- how difficult that is. But none of these themes detract from a heart-stopping and heart-breaking story about a kidnapping and the consequences radiating from it. All in less than 300 pages -- not a bad feat.
I have no idea if Sutton intends to write more about these characters (there's every reason to think she will, given her track record) -- but I'd love to spend more time with them. If Penrose and Pritchard can turn their détente into some sort of working understanding, or better, a real partnership, they'd be a fantastic combination (for drama, they'd still be interesting if they don't form any closer relationship, but it wouldn't be as fun to read). Sutton does have a pretty hefty backlist, and I should try to dive in -- and you should, too. Start with this, though, it'll whet your appetite for the rest.
October 13, 2018
The blurb rather intrigued me on Burning Secrets a case of a missing child. So I imagined a fast paced, tension packed story when in fact is was blended in with the other aspect of the tale involving the ‘Foot & Mouth’ crisis.
I recall the whole drama unfolding at the time when the disease hit and the measures put in place to keep people safe and hopefully prevent cross infection. To me that was just a daily news item at the time but the author has managed to bring the whole subject to life and interweave a police procedural story into it.
Helen the aforementioned child had been evacuated to live with relatives out of the affected area so she could maintain some kind of normality. She doesn’t like the new family or area and is upset one day when nobody came to collect her from school, so of course as soon as a guy shows up saying her mum sent him she happily goes off in his van …..
Two of the main police investigators are women both from diverse backgrounds which meant they didn’t particularity get on. The book kept me entertained and turning the pages, but I never felt any tension, it was almost as if the pace of life had been set to country speed. Having said that it worked on the level of my brain deciphering it and I found it to be a pleasant read.
As the lives of the families are unravelled and secrets emerge it was a case of survival in every sense.
This is an author I haven’t come across before but I will keep an eye open to see what else she has written.
Thanks to the author, publisher and Emma at damppebblesblogtours for my copy and place on the blog blitz. I read and reviewed voluntarily.
I recall the whole drama unfolding at the time when the disease hit and the measures put in place to keep people safe and hopefully prevent cross infection. To me that was just a daily news item at the time but the author has managed to bring the whole subject to life and interweave a police procedural story into it.
Helen the aforementioned child had been evacuated to live with relatives out of the affected area so she could maintain some kind of normality. She doesn’t like the new family or area and is upset one day when nobody came to collect her from school, so of course as soon as a guy shows up saying her mum sent him she happily goes off in his van …..
Two of the main police investigators are women both from diverse backgrounds which meant they didn’t particularity get on. The book kept me entertained and turning the pages, but I never felt any tension, it was almost as if the pace of life had been set to country speed. Having said that it worked on the level of my brain deciphering it and I found it to be a pleasant read.
As the lives of the families are unravelled and secrets emerge it was a case of survival in every sense.
This is an author I haven’t come across before but I will keep an eye open to see what else she has written.
Thanks to the author, publisher and Emma at damppebblesblogtours for my copy and place on the blog blitz. I read and reviewed voluntarily.
October 6, 2018
https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...
As soon as I saw the cover for this book I wanted to know more about the story, it is very atmospheric and having read the story I think it suits it very well.
I really enjoyed this story, it was a bit slow in places but the story was really strong and I thought the plot was well developed and executed very well.
I thought that the main characters were really good and they worked really well together. This is the first book I have read by Ruth Sutton and I am looking forward to reading more by her.
Four stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed it – highly recommended!!
As soon as I saw the cover for this book I wanted to know more about the story, it is very atmospheric and having read the story I think it suits it very well.
I really enjoyed this story, it was a bit slow in places but the story was really strong and I thought the plot was well developed and executed very well.
I thought that the main characters were really good and they worked really well together. This is the first book I have read by Ruth Sutton and I am looking forward to reading more by her.
Four stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed it – highly recommended!!
October 1, 2018
I have to be honest and say that prior to being invited to take part in the blog tour for ‘Burning Secrets’, I hadn’t actually come across Ruth Sutton before. I am so glad that I was invited because I have discovered one cracking author. ‘Burning Secrets’ is one hell of a read and I absolutely loved it but more about that in a bit.
Two of the main characters are female policewomen from very different backgrounds. DS Anna Penrose is from a military background. She was a member of the military police but she has transferred over to the civilian police. Penrose is not a woman that I found it easy to take to. She is very direct, she’s abrupt to the point of being rude and she is very much in your face. I wondered if she didn’t realise that she had upset people or she just didn’t care. Penrose is a new face in a new county and she feels as though she has got something to prove. Penrose is a bit nervous about being in charge of Pritchard given that Pritchard has been in the job for longer and she is so popular. DC Maureen Pritchard is an older lady with a lot more life experience and she has been a police officer for longer than Penrose. I did get the impression that she resents Penrose to a degree and it does come through in her interaction with her. Pritchard had a chance to go for promotion but she didn’t take it and now she is kicking herself. Pritchard is more of a people person and she is easier to get along with. I took to Pritchard from the start, whereas I didn’t take to Penrose all that easily. However, both ladies have to put their differences to one side and work as a team to investigate the disappearance of Helen Heslop. Will Helen Heslop be found? Is she still alive? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
This is one of those books that grabbed my attention from the moment I started to read. The story hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. I was hooked on this book by the time I got to the bottom of the first page. After that first page, the rest of the pages seemed to speed past. I just had to keep turning the pages to find out how the story concluded and to see if there were any twists and turns to the story. There were a fair few twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming. It seemed to take next to no time for me to get through the story but because I was genuinely enjoying the story, the author’s writing style and the characters so much I hadn’t noticed the time fly by. The saying ‘time flies when you are having fun’ certainly applies in this case. ‘Burning Secrets’ certainly had a bit of everything for me – there is an abundance of drama, suspense, shock and secrets, which are gradually revealed as the story continues. The author’s writing style is so realistic that I really did feel as though I was an invisible member of the investigating team and I found that I began to interact with the book. Before anybody starts, I do know that the book is fiction, I know it’s not real and I know the characters can’t hear me. I have a very vivid imagination and if I find a good book then I tend to ‘live’ the story, as well as randomly commenting out loud about something I have read or that the characters have done.
The book is set in Cumbria which isn’t too far from where I live in the North East and it was lovely to read about places which are familiar to me. The book is set during the Foot & Mouth outbreak which devastated Cumbria and other farming communities. I can remember the F&M outbreak and the heart breaking scenes that followed.
In short, I absolutely loved reading ‘Burning Secrets’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I can totally guarantee that this will not be the last of Ruth’s books that I read and in fact I am determined to read her other books just as soon as I can. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
Two of the main characters are female policewomen from very different backgrounds. DS Anna Penrose is from a military background. She was a member of the military police but she has transferred over to the civilian police. Penrose is not a woman that I found it easy to take to. She is very direct, she’s abrupt to the point of being rude and she is very much in your face. I wondered if she didn’t realise that she had upset people or she just didn’t care. Penrose is a new face in a new county and she feels as though she has got something to prove. Penrose is a bit nervous about being in charge of Pritchard given that Pritchard has been in the job for longer and she is so popular. DC Maureen Pritchard is an older lady with a lot more life experience and she has been a police officer for longer than Penrose. I did get the impression that she resents Penrose to a degree and it does come through in her interaction with her. Pritchard had a chance to go for promotion but she didn’t take it and now she is kicking herself. Pritchard is more of a people person and she is easier to get along with. I took to Pritchard from the start, whereas I didn’t take to Penrose all that easily. However, both ladies have to put their differences to one side and work as a team to investigate the disappearance of Helen Heslop. Will Helen Heslop be found? Is she still alive? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
This is one of those books that grabbed my attention from the moment I started to read. The story hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. I was hooked on this book by the time I got to the bottom of the first page. After that first page, the rest of the pages seemed to speed past. I just had to keep turning the pages to find out how the story concluded and to see if there were any twists and turns to the story. There were a fair few twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming. It seemed to take next to no time for me to get through the story but because I was genuinely enjoying the story, the author’s writing style and the characters so much I hadn’t noticed the time fly by. The saying ‘time flies when you are having fun’ certainly applies in this case. ‘Burning Secrets’ certainly had a bit of everything for me – there is an abundance of drama, suspense, shock and secrets, which are gradually revealed as the story continues. The author’s writing style is so realistic that I really did feel as though I was an invisible member of the investigating team and I found that I began to interact with the book. Before anybody starts, I do know that the book is fiction, I know it’s not real and I know the characters can’t hear me. I have a very vivid imagination and if I find a good book then I tend to ‘live’ the story, as well as randomly commenting out loud about something I have read or that the characters have done.
The book is set in Cumbria which isn’t too far from where I live in the North East and it was lovely to read about places which are familiar to me. The book is set during the Foot & Mouth outbreak which devastated Cumbria and other farming communities. I can remember the F&M outbreak and the heart breaking scenes that followed.
In short, I absolutely loved reading ‘Burning Secrets’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I can totally guarantee that this will not be the last of Ruth’s books that I read and in fact I am determined to read her other books just as soon as I can. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
October 3, 2018
Burning Secrets is ostensibly a police procedural drama about the search for a missing girl but actually it's about far more than that. Set during the devastating Foot & Mouth outbreak in 2001, it's as much about long-held secrets and the deep tensions that run can run high in rural communities as it is about the investigation.
Helen's disappearance is investigated by DS Anna Penrose and DC Maureen Pritchard and the two women don't have an easy working relationship. Maureen is the local officer and has years of experience so is bitter that she has been passed over for the role of DS . Meanwhile, Anna is an incomer having transferred from the military police in what is seen as a political move to have more women in the senior ranks. Anna is intelligent and highly skilled but lacks Maureen's local knowledge and natural intuition. Although the two women are very different, I liked and could empathise with both of them. Maureen is the more obviously sympathetic character and I shared her frustration at having been denied a promotion by her misogynistic boss, DI Bell only for him to have his hand forced with Anna's appointment. Anna is perhaps more reserved and struggles to be accepted by the rural community and I really felt for her trying to be accepted by her fellow officers and the locals. It's certainly refreshing to read a book with two women who each bring their own strengths to the investigation and though there are tensions between them, it never feels as though we are being pushed to favour one over the other.
It's hard to say much about the plot without giving anything away, suffice to say that it didn't go in the direction I expected at all. The novel allows us to know more of what is happening than the characters do at times which makes for an intriguing read as the twists and turns ensure it is far from obvious as to how things will eventually pan out. The inclusion of the Foot & Mouth crisis adds an extra element of drama to the proceedings as it affects the police's ability to investigate thoroughly and more poignantly is shown to have a shattering impact on the farmers fearing for their livelihoods. As is pointed out in the book, poverty isn't just an urban issue and the crisis caused terrible misery to many families living in rural areas. There's an almost apocalyptic feel to the novel with roads closed, farms shut off from the outside world and the smell from the vast pyres of burning animals permeating the Cumbrian countryside.
Burning Secrets is a terrifically atmospheric police procedural with a superbly rendered cast of characters. The ending is arguably a little flat following the earlier tension but in truth the conclusion is far more believable than an explosive finish would have been and I admire the author for reflecting what would be the more likely outcome here. There is plenty of scope for a series set in the area and I'd be intrigued to see how the relationship between Penrose and Pritchard develops in the future. However, even if there isn't a sequel I am looking forward to reading Ruth Sutton's next book having thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Helen's disappearance is investigated by DS Anna Penrose and DC Maureen Pritchard and the two women don't have an easy working relationship. Maureen is the local officer and has years of experience so is bitter that she has been passed over for the role of DS . Meanwhile, Anna is an incomer having transferred from the military police in what is seen as a political move to have more women in the senior ranks. Anna is intelligent and highly skilled but lacks Maureen's local knowledge and natural intuition. Although the two women are very different, I liked and could empathise with both of them. Maureen is the more obviously sympathetic character and I shared her frustration at having been denied a promotion by her misogynistic boss, DI Bell only for him to have his hand forced with Anna's appointment. Anna is perhaps more reserved and struggles to be accepted by the rural community and I really felt for her trying to be accepted by her fellow officers and the locals. It's certainly refreshing to read a book with two women who each bring their own strengths to the investigation and though there are tensions between them, it never feels as though we are being pushed to favour one over the other.
It's hard to say much about the plot without giving anything away, suffice to say that it didn't go in the direction I expected at all. The novel allows us to know more of what is happening than the characters do at times which makes for an intriguing read as the twists and turns ensure it is far from obvious as to how things will eventually pan out. The inclusion of the Foot & Mouth crisis adds an extra element of drama to the proceedings as it affects the police's ability to investigate thoroughly and more poignantly is shown to have a shattering impact on the farmers fearing for their livelihoods. As is pointed out in the book, poverty isn't just an urban issue and the crisis caused terrible misery to many families living in rural areas. There's an almost apocalyptic feel to the novel with roads closed, farms shut off from the outside world and the smell from the vast pyres of burning animals permeating the Cumbrian countryside.
Burning Secrets is a terrifically atmospheric police procedural with a superbly rendered cast of characters. The ending is arguably a little flat following the earlier tension but in truth the conclusion is far more believable than an explosive finish would have been and I admire the author for reflecting what would be the more likely outcome here. There is plenty of scope for a series set in the area and I'd be intrigued to see how the relationship between Penrose and Pritchard develops in the future. However, even if there isn't a sequel I am looking forward to reading Ruth Sutton's next book having thoroughly enjoyed this one.
October 2, 2018
Twelve-year-old Helen Heslop disappears on her way home from school. There’s no ransom demand and as time goes on the more worried they are especially as she has asthma but has forgotten her inhaler.
DC Maureen Pritchard has been on the force for twenty years and her local knowledge is second to none but she has been passed over for promotion by DS Anna Penrose, an outsider who used to be in the army’s police service. To top that off their boss DI Bell doesn’t like the fact that there are now two women on his team. They both believe that there’s something the family aren’t telling them and they must put aside their difference to find the little girl.
Burning Secrets is a gripping police procedural that had me biting my nails on several occasions. It is set back in 2001 at the height of the Foot and Mouth epidemic where thousands of cows were slaughtered. It created a rather bleak and desolate backdrop for the story, adding to the tension, showing the devastating effect on both farmers and the landscape, the burning pyres of animals and vans that were leaking fluids gave it a particularly visceral feel.
I liked Maureen, I felt her frustrations as she passed over for promotion, again and again. She’s a really instinctive copper, relying on gut instincts which usually turn out to be right. I also warmed to Anna through the book. She’s really in a tough spot, she’s an outsider and a woman to boot who a lot of people believe is just there to show how progressive the force are putting women in more senior positions. She’s the opposite to Maureen, as she wants evidence rather than intuition, and they play off against one another quite well. Then there’s DI Bell, who puts the Bell in bell end and that’s all I’m going to say on that one.
My only complaint was the ending was quite as satisfying as I’d hoped but I’m not going to say too much more on that for fear of spoilers.
Overall Burning Secrets is vivid drama, full of secrets and suspense that will keep you turning those pages.
DC Maureen Pritchard has been on the force for twenty years and her local knowledge is second to none but she has been passed over for promotion by DS Anna Penrose, an outsider who used to be in the army’s police service. To top that off their boss DI Bell doesn’t like the fact that there are now two women on his team. They both believe that there’s something the family aren’t telling them and they must put aside their difference to find the little girl.
Burning Secrets is a gripping police procedural that had me biting my nails on several occasions. It is set back in 2001 at the height of the Foot and Mouth epidemic where thousands of cows were slaughtered. It created a rather bleak and desolate backdrop for the story, adding to the tension, showing the devastating effect on both farmers and the landscape, the burning pyres of animals and vans that were leaking fluids gave it a particularly visceral feel.
I liked Maureen, I felt her frustrations as she passed over for promotion, again and again. She’s a really instinctive copper, relying on gut instincts which usually turn out to be right. I also warmed to Anna through the book. She’s really in a tough spot, she’s an outsider and a woman to boot who a lot of people believe is just there to show how progressive the force are putting women in more senior positions. She’s the opposite to Maureen, as she wants evidence rather than intuition, and they play off against one another quite well. Then there’s DI Bell, who puts the Bell in bell end and that’s all I’m going to say on that one.
My only complaint was the ending was quite as satisfying as I’d hoped but I’m not going to say too much more on that for fear of spoilers.
Overall Burning Secrets is vivid drama, full of secrets and suspense that will keep you turning those pages.
October 5, 2018
This is a police procedural with a difference and the strongest part of the story for me is the dramatic backdrop of the terrible foot and mouth outbreak of 2001. The book really brings life the horrifying reality of the devastation this crisis wrought on the farming community, particularly in Cumbria where the book is set, as many farmers there barely eke out a living any way and this crisis brought many of them to breaking point. For people who know little about farming, this aspect of the book will be a real eye-opener.
As crime books go, this one is a bit of a slow burn, especially in the first half, although the tension definitely picks up in the second half. The case involves a missing girl and there is a lot of questioning and interviewing and not a huge amount of action to propel the book to begin with. I think the main problem was that I didn’t really feel that there was a lot of peril at the start, and it is the peril that really ramps up the tension in a book of this kind.
There wasn’t much introduction of the characters to begin with, which kept me at arms’ length from their stories to start with, although I did become more invested as we learnt more about them. It didn’t help that the majority of the characters were not particularly likeable, even the ones who we are supposed to be afraid for. The most developed and relatable of the characters were actually the police officers brought in to investigate the disappearance. They were all given very strong and individual personalities and I warmed to them all, even the awkward ones, and they carried this book for me.
This was a book I enjoyed passing a few hours with, I thought the story line was original and well-developed and the police procedural side was very interesting. I definitely was gripped through the second half, although I was not 100% satisfied by the ending. Entertaining, but not edge of your seat gripping. However, I would be interested in seeing what else the author can do.
As crime books go, this one is a bit of a slow burn, especially in the first half, although the tension definitely picks up in the second half. The case involves a missing girl and there is a lot of questioning and interviewing and not a huge amount of action to propel the book to begin with. I think the main problem was that I didn’t really feel that there was a lot of peril at the start, and it is the peril that really ramps up the tension in a book of this kind.
There wasn’t much introduction of the characters to begin with, which kept me at arms’ length from their stories to start with, although I did become more invested as we learnt more about them. It didn’t help that the majority of the characters were not particularly likeable, even the ones who we are supposed to be afraid for. The most developed and relatable of the characters were actually the police officers brought in to investigate the disappearance. They were all given very strong and individual personalities and I warmed to them all, even the awkward ones, and they carried this book for me.
This was a book I enjoyed passing a few hours with, I thought the story line was original and well-developed and the police procedural side was very interesting. I definitely was gripped through the second half, although I was not 100% satisfied by the ending. Entertaining, but not edge of your seat gripping. However, I would be interested in seeing what else the author can do.
October 4, 2018
I think what particularly appealed to me about this book was the setting and what was happening at the time it is set. Cumbria during the foot and mouth epidemic of 2001 provides a devastating backdrop to the story which revolves around the disappearance of a young girl.
Helen Heslop, aged 12, is the young girl. She'd been living away from the family farm because she was unable to risk spreading FMD by going to school and back. You can imagine the disruption this must have caused her, let alone being forced to live with relatives who are far from her favourite people. When she disappears, the local police are called in to investigate and look into who might have taken her and what secrets might be found at the family farm.
The police mainly consist of DC Maureen Pritchard, DS Anna Penrose and their boss, DI 'dinger' bell. I liked the two women. Despite being pitted against each other at a time when women were still expected to stick to the lower ranks, they learn to work together and use their strengths. Maureen has lots of local knowledge, but Anna's background in the Army stands in her good stead in other ways.
If you like a straight up and down police procedural then you'll love Burning Secrets. It looks at an interesting time in recent history, an awful and distressing time, and adds in many complications which hinder the police investigation. The setting is vivid and atmospheric - I could almost smell the burning pyres and the disinfectant, feel the worry, panic and fear of the farmers.
I think this is a very good crime novel. It's well plotted with some really interesting characters and plenty of secrets and lies for the reader to get their teeth into.
Helen Heslop, aged 12, is the young girl. She'd been living away from the family farm because she was unable to risk spreading FMD by going to school and back. You can imagine the disruption this must have caused her, let alone being forced to live with relatives who are far from her favourite people. When she disappears, the local police are called in to investigate and look into who might have taken her and what secrets might be found at the family farm.
The police mainly consist of DC Maureen Pritchard, DS Anna Penrose and their boss, DI 'dinger' bell. I liked the two women. Despite being pitted against each other at a time when women were still expected to stick to the lower ranks, they learn to work together and use their strengths. Maureen has lots of local knowledge, but Anna's background in the Army stands in her good stead in other ways.
If you like a straight up and down police procedural then you'll love Burning Secrets. It looks at an interesting time in recent history, an awful and distressing time, and adds in many complications which hinder the police investigation. The setting is vivid and atmospheric - I could almost smell the burning pyres and the disinfectant, feel the worry, panic and fear of the farmers.
I think this is a very good crime novel. It's well plotted with some really interesting characters and plenty of secrets and lies for the reader to get their teeth into.
September 16, 2018
Burning Secrets is the first book I’ve read by Ruth Sutton.
I found this book to be a sheer delight to read. I know it is a crime / thriller book and most people wouldn’t use the words “sheer delight” but that the tame version of the words I’d use!
The book is set in the beautiful part of the country called Cumbria, however this is during the foot and mouth epidemic that was in the news in 2001. Added to that we have the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl.
Helen the 12-year-old girl is sent to live with family members whilst the farm she normally lives on is on lockdown due to foot and mouth. Helen doesn’t particularly like living in the house so when Alex (who advises he is a friend of her mums) tells her he’ll take her back to her mum, she jumps at the chance. Little does she know what’s going to happen next.
I found this book had just the right amount of suspense to keep me turning the pages and despite have an inkling about how things were going to pan out, was surprised to say I didn’t fully work it out until towards the end of the book.
All in all and enjoyable read and looking forward to more by this author.
I found this book to be a sheer delight to read. I know it is a crime / thriller book and most people wouldn’t use the words “sheer delight” but that the tame version of the words I’d use!
The book is set in the beautiful part of the country called Cumbria, however this is during the foot and mouth epidemic that was in the news in 2001. Added to that we have the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl.
Helen the 12-year-old girl is sent to live with family members whilst the farm she normally lives on is on lockdown due to foot and mouth. Helen doesn’t particularly like living in the house so when Alex (who advises he is a friend of her mums) tells her he’ll take her back to her mum, she jumps at the chance. Little does she know what’s going to happen next.
I found this book had just the right amount of suspense to keep me turning the pages and despite have an inkling about how things were going to pan out, was surprised to say I didn’t fully work it out until towards the end of the book.
All in all and enjoyable read and looking forward to more by this author.
June 29, 2024
The author's impressively evocative portrayal of Cumbria during the devastating Foot & Mouth epidemic, the backdrop against which the search for a young girl from a farming family has been abducted is set, was so disturbingly realistic that there were moments when I wondered whether I'd be able to bear to continue reading about the scenes of horror I witnessed, the smells of burning animals which pervaded the air for so many months during 2001. However, the well-plotted story, the portrayal of a fractured family slowly disintegrating as long-held secrets were revealed, did keep me reading and although there was a need for some suspension of disbelief in places, on the whole the story engaged my attention.
October 20, 2018
If, like me, you will remember the foot and mouth outbreak, you will also recall the utter destruction of the many farms and livestock, but imagine all that and then suddenly your daughter disappears.
For the Helson family it adds to their woes, yet mother Rose remained remarkably calm, almost unworried. Husband Eric seemed more concerned about his livestock. I did wonder if all was as it seemed, or were they all harbouring secrets, secrets that they wanted and needed to remain hidden.
Rose was not a character I particularly liked. I found her very frustrating, and even though I knew she was probably suffering from depression i felt very little sympathy for her. It was a lack of sympathy that seemed escalate as the secrets and truth slowly tumbled out. When she finally did get her act together and realised the consequences of her actions, i still didn’t warm to her, still wanted to shake her.
I did feel a modicum of sympathy for Eric, but again his ostrich like attitude, his utter sense of failure still didn’t twang my emotions.
I think the only person I did like was their daughter, Helen, a young girl, a pawn in a dangerous game.
The investigating officers Sgt Anne Penrose and Maureen Fitzgerald were both very engaging and their relationship a real highlight of the novel. Here was, Anna, the newcomer, the young upstart, promoted over Maureen. I loved the tension that Sutton created and it was wonderfully sustained throughout.
What impressed most was Sutton portrayal of the landscape, the wildness of the Lake District, and the desolation and isolation of the farm,
You could almost smell the rotting, burning flesh of the slaughtered cattle and the images of lorries full of dead livestock were not ones that I will forget.
The foot and mouth epidemic created the perfect backdrop and added to the drama and tension, the stakes raised for all the characters involved.
Unlike most thrillers, Burning Secrets was not fast paced. Instead Sutton took her time setting the scene, looking deep into her characters. The novel wasn’t full of cliches, or easily guessed outcomes, making it a refreshing change and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
For the Helson family it adds to their woes, yet mother Rose remained remarkably calm, almost unworried. Husband Eric seemed more concerned about his livestock. I did wonder if all was as it seemed, or were they all harbouring secrets, secrets that they wanted and needed to remain hidden.
Rose was not a character I particularly liked. I found her very frustrating, and even though I knew she was probably suffering from depression i felt very little sympathy for her. It was a lack of sympathy that seemed escalate as the secrets and truth slowly tumbled out. When she finally did get her act together and realised the consequences of her actions, i still didn’t warm to her, still wanted to shake her.
I did feel a modicum of sympathy for Eric, but again his ostrich like attitude, his utter sense of failure still didn’t twang my emotions.
I think the only person I did like was their daughter, Helen, a young girl, a pawn in a dangerous game.
The investigating officers Sgt Anne Penrose and Maureen Fitzgerald were both very engaging and their relationship a real highlight of the novel. Here was, Anna, the newcomer, the young upstart, promoted over Maureen. I loved the tension that Sutton created and it was wonderfully sustained throughout.
What impressed most was Sutton portrayal of the landscape, the wildness of the Lake District, and the desolation and isolation of the farm,
You could almost smell the rotting, burning flesh of the slaughtered cattle and the images of lorries full of dead livestock were not ones that I will forget.
The foot and mouth epidemic created the perfect backdrop and added to the drama and tension, the stakes raised for all the characters involved.
Unlike most thrillers, Burning Secrets was not fast paced. Instead Sutton took her time setting the scene, looking deep into her characters. The novel wasn’t full of cliches, or easily guessed outcomes, making it a refreshing change and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
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