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In a Veil of Mist
A poisoned breeze blows across the waves...
Operation Cauldron, 1952: Top-secret germ warfare experiments on monkeys and guinea pigs are taking place aboard a vessel moored off the Isle of Lewis. Local villagers Jessie and Duncan encounter strange sights on the deserted beach nearby and suspect the worst. And one government scientist wrestles with his own inner anguish over the testing, even if he believes extreme deterrent weapons are needed.
When a noxious cloud of plague bacteria is released into the path of a passing trawler from a Lancashire fishing port, disaster threatens. Will a deadly pandemic be inevitable?
A haunting exploration of the costs and fallout of warmongering, Donald S Murray follows his prize-winning first novel with an equally moving exploration of another little-known incident in the Outer Hebridean island where he grew up - one that almost remained veiled in secrecy forever.
Operation Cauldron, 1952: Top-secret germ warfare experiments on monkeys and guinea pigs are taking place aboard a vessel moored off the Isle of Lewis. Local villagers Jessie and Duncan encounter strange sights on the deserted beach nearby and suspect the worst. And one government scientist wrestles with his own inner anguish over the testing, even if he believes extreme deterrent weapons are needed.
When a noxious cloud of plague bacteria is released into the path of a passing trawler from a Lancashire fishing port, disaster threatens. Will a deadly pandemic be inevitable?
A haunting exploration of the costs and fallout of warmongering, Donald S Murray follows his prize-winning first novel with an equally moving exploration of another little-known incident in the Outer Hebridean island where he grew up - one that almost remained veiled in secrecy forever.
234 pages, Paperback
First published March 11, 2021
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66 people want to read
About the author
Donald S. Murray
31 books23 followersDonald S. Murray was born in Ness in the Isle of Lewis and taught on Benbecula. An author and journalist, his poetry, prose and verse has been shortlisted for both the Saltire Award and Callum Macdonald Memorial Award. Published widely, his work has also appeared in a number of national anthologies and on BBC Radio 4 and Radio Scotland. He lives and works in Shetland.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 9, 2022
Enorm van genoten! Een fijn stuk historische fictie, ik zat helemaal in het verhaal.
In 1952 lag een stuk buiten de kust van The Isle of Lewis het schip de Ben Lomond. In het geheim werden daar door de Britse regering en de Royal Navy experimenten met bacteriën op apen en cavia's uitgevoerd in het kader van biologische oorlogsvoering: Operation Cauldron. Eerder vonden er al soortgelijke experimenten plaats waar in alle gevallen de bevolking niet van op de hoogte was, maar wel degelijk risico's liep en dat ook niet altijd goed ging.
Tegen deze achtergrond speelt het verhaal zich af. Deels ervaar je de experimenten door ogen van een paar bemanningsleden en onderzoekers op de boot, deels door glimpen die de bewoners op het eiland opvangen. Tegelijkertijd laat Donald Murray, zelf opgegroeid op Lewis, op een mooie manier vervlochten in het verhaal veel van de levens van de mensen op het eiland en de tijgeest zien. Hij heeft de sfeer subtiel en goed weten te vangen.
Als jong kind al spraken de Outer Hebrides me enorm aan, mijn Grandma kon erg levendig vertellen over Schotland en zeker ook de eilanden. Haar vader kwam van Benbecula, net als Lewis een van de eilanden in de Outer Hebrides. Die fascinatie voor hoe het dagelijks leven van de eilandbewoners er moet hebben uitgezien en de altijd aanwezige impact van de zee en wind op ze ben ik nooit kwijtgeraakt.
In 1952 lag een stuk buiten de kust van The Isle of Lewis het schip de Ben Lomond. In het geheim werden daar door de Britse regering en de Royal Navy experimenten met bacteriën op apen en cavia's uitgevoerd in het kader van biologische oorlogsvoering: Operation Cauldron. Eerder vonden er al soortgelijke experimenten plaats waar in alle gevallen de bevolking niet van op de hoogte was, maar wel degelijk risico's liep en dat ook niet altijd goed ging.
Tegen deze achtergrond speelt het verhaal zich af. Deels ervaar je de experimenten door ogen van een paar bemanningsleden en onderzoekers op de boot, deels door glimpen die de bewoners op het eiland opvangen. Tegelijkertijd laat Donald Murray, zelf opgegroeid op Lewis, op een mooie manier vervlochten in het verhaal veel van de levens van de mensen op het eiland en de tijgeest zien. Hij heeft de sfeer subtiel en goed weten te vangen.
Als jong kind al spraken de Outer Hebrides me enorm aan, mijn Grandma kon erg levendig vertellen over Schotland en zeker ook de eilanden. Haar vader kwam van Benbecula, net als Lewis een van de eilanden in de Outer Hebrides. Die fascinatie voor hoe het dagelijks leven van de eilandbewoners er moet hebben uitgezien en de altijd aanwezige impact van de zee en wind op ze ben ik nooit kwijtgeraakt.
Sèid sèimh socair o ghaoth tuath
Gus an cuir i Cluaidh as fàir.
–by Murchadh MacPhàrlain
North wind, blow gentle and blow kind
Until the Clyde is far behind.
–by Murdo Macfarlane
September 29, 2021
Definitely a good book to read to springboard an interest in thd recent history of relations between the Hebredian Islands and the rest of the UK. Although this is a heavily fictionalised account of Operation Cauldon, the author provides good information in notes at the end of the novel.
June 20, 2022
I bought this book after reading about the experiments, the chemicals and the secrets surrounding the entire testing that took place off the coast in North West Scotland.
I've rated it only two stars, not really hearing much about the plot but more about the characters on the Island, there ghosts and foibles
I'm dissatisfied with this title and cannot recommend it to anyone
I've rated it only two stars, not really hearing much about the plot but more about the characters on the Island, there ghosts and foibles
I'm dissatisfied with this title and cannot recommend it to anyone
August 16, 2023
I enjoyed this book enough to finish it, but it wasn't what I had expected. There is no more detail about Operation Cauldron than is contained on the cover. The book is more a peek into the lives of some of fictional islanders from this time.
August 4, 2021
An engaging read, based on events in the island of Lewis in the first half of the twentieth century. Strongly based on its characters, and the locations around the island.
February 22, 2024
This book is set in Stornoway in the Western Isles of Scotland, in 1952, when experiments in germ warfare were taking place on a vessel in the area, an undertaking known as Operation Cauldron.
John, one of the scientists involved in the experiments, wrestles with his conscience over what he and his colleagues are doing to the guinea pigs and monkeys they are working with. His doubts build up, particularly as his wife, Lillian so obviously disapproves of even the small part of his work she is aware of. Then there is the suspicion that mist from the vessel may have caused anthrax to be spread among the crew and to people they mixed with. Meanwhile, the other islanders have their own concerns, suspicions and uncertainties about what is happening so close to their homes, which they are not being told about.
The author comes from the Western Isles and recreates the landscape and atmosphere of the place beautifully, also weaving descriptions of the natural world into the story:
"Jessie was still restless, still unable to sleep. She tried to blame other things for this - the corncrake in a nearby field of oats that was sending out a loud, persistent signal for a partner, the weeping sound of a curlew as it swept overhead - but she knew in herself that it had much to do with her own state of mind..... She felt she resembled the moth that appeared in the room the moment the tilly lamp began to glow. It flitted between the curtains and the edge of the stove..."
As a Gaelic learner, I was also pleased to find the text includes extracts from Gaelic songs and the occasional Gaelic phrase - the Western Isles being a stronghold of the Scottish Gaelic language (and more so back in the time the book is set).
The novel is an excellent look into how uncertainty and paranoia can affect individuals and communities. A lengthy author's note at the end expands on the historical background to the novel and gives some context into its relevance to the time it was written in (the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic).
John, one of the scientists involved in the experiments, wrestles with his conscience over what he and his colleagues are doing to the guinea pigs and monkeys they are working with. His doubts build up, particularly as his wife, Lillian so obviously disapproves of even the small part of his work she is aware of. Then there is the suspicion that mist from the vessel may have caused anthrax to be spread among the crew and to people they mixed with. Meanwhile, the other islanders have their own concerns, suspicions and uncertainties about what is happening so close to their homes, which they are not being told about.
The author comes from the Western Isles and recreates the landscape and atmosphere of the place beautifully, also weaving descriptions of the natural world into the story:
"Jessie was still restless, still unable to sleep. She tried to blame other things for this - the corncrake in a nearby field of oats that was sending out a loud, persistent signal for a partner, the weeping sound of a curlew as it swept overhead - but she knew in herself that it had much to do with her own state of mind..... She felt she resembled the moth that appeared in the room the moment the tilly lamp began to glow. It flitted between the curtains and the edge of the stove..."
As a Gaelic learner, I was also pleased to find the text includes extracts from Gaelic songs and the occasional Gaelic phrase - the Western Isles being a stronghold of the Scottish Gaelic language (and more so back in the time the book is set).
The novel is an excellent look into how uncertainty and paranoia can affect individuals and communities. A lengthy author's note at the end expands on the historical background to the novel and gives some context into its relevance to the time it was written in (the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic).
August 6, 2024
Boring. This was nice prose, but it soon began to dawn on me that for all that.. it wasn't very interesting to me. A handful of characters who seemed to spend all their time thinking back (and thus providing biographical information to the reader - it was a device I didn't much find convicing) interspersed with the author laying on with a trowel the early 1950s timeframe, the isolated Hebridean setting, and the Operation Cauldron factual events which this novel was based around. To me it didn't succeed for the author to create a fictional story around a post-war real event, fell flat more than the other book (about the 1919 sinking of the Iolaire) by the same author I have read.
June 14, 2022
Randomly picked this up on a trip to Skye. Intrigued by the story of germ warfare experiments off the coast of the Isle of Lewis. Thoughtful story considering the morality of performing such experiments and the impact on the local community. Provided an insight into small island life and the interactions of such a close knit community. Worth a read.
May 15, 2023
In a Veil of Mist
Wonderfully atmospheric, I have visited a lot of the areas mentioned in the book also the notion that these tests were carried out, and could be carried out by a succession of devious governments, including our own.
Wonderfully atmospheric, I have visited a lot of the areas mentioned in the book also the notion that these tests were carried out, and could be carried out by a succession of devious governments, including our own.
May 14, 2021
Review to follow.
September 17, 2021
esting to see him develop his skill as a novel writer, this being his second, a follow up of sorts to his previous award winning novel 'As The Women Lay Dreaming.'
Although Mr Murray has lived (been exiled according to his Twitter bio) in Shetland for over a decade, he was born and bred in the Isle of Lewis, and if his vivid descriptions of the island are anything to go by, this is where his heart is.
The blurb on the back of the book tells us that this is a tale of intrigue, of top-secret germ warfare, of government secrets and cover-ups. Set in 1952, it is a fictional account of the very real 'Operation Cauldron' where a vessel moored in the Western Isles carried out experiments with toxins such as anthrax, mustard gas and even the bubonic plague, partly for use as weapons if ever needed and partly to study and learn how to protect the nation in the possible case of a pandemic. However, to say this is the only story within this novel's pages is to do it a disservice. Murray deftly weaves together two main storylines, from opposing points of view, to give a complete, and compelling account of the events.
Our two protaganists are Jessie, a local woman, who has spent years pining for her lost love, and John, one of the men working as a scientist as part of 'Operation Cauldron' who is battling his own inner demons; his struggling relationship with his new wife and his own misgivings about the work he is a part of. It could also be said that there is a very prominent 3rd main character - the island itself. Which is where Donald Murray's love and passion for the island clearly shine.
Throughout the novel the island is described, seen, and experienced by foreigners to the Western Islands as well as by locals who know it like the back of their hands. For all it appears to be a bleak and wild place; barren and devoid of life, when seen through the eyes of local woman Jessie, we see that is not the case, that the moors are filled with many different types of plant life, providing hidden bursts of colour and life, as well as being filled with the sounds of all manner of distictive bird calls and of course the ever present sheep. Unlike incomer John's monotone view of Lewis as an almost frighteningly foreign wasteland, Jessie shows that sometimes you need to look a little closer to appreciate what is right in front of you.
Within these two narratives however, are a host of smaller stories. Although to call them smaller seems unjust, for the stories of the people of the islands are what make these small communities their own personality. The stories of men who have been to war, stationed almost around the globe, who have returned, and the stories of those who never did. Stories of the women who wait for their men and of those who took a leap of faith into the unknown and journeyed to the New World, in search of a new life. These stories are expertly woven into the greater story, like the fine tweed worn by the islanders themselves.
Before reading ‘In A Veil of Mist,’ I had never heard of “Operation Cauldron” where a fishing trawler was contaminated by a cloud of... who knows... Ultimately the scientists caught a lucky break and didn’t cause a disease to wend it’s way from the tiny, insular, testing site, out into the greater world, through their own mistakes and errors, but it could easily have ended in a disaster. One that is all too easy to understand today, a year after the National lockdown response to the Covid 19 pandemic. A timely reminder when John is trying to justify his career to his new wife when he says, “You never know the day or the hour.”
I couldn’t help but feel that the islanders themselves were a metaphor, not for the deadly toxins, but to show the ease in which they could travel throughout the world. The assumption made my the scientists was that these are small people, living small lives, in insular communities in the middle of nowhere, but the Hebredians, much like Shetlanders, are brave and bold, travelling the length and breadth of the world, often returning to the place they call home. The incomers inaccurate assumptions would have been their undoing.
Murray also makes use throughout the novel of the Gaelic language, an unfamiliar tongue to me, living in Shetland, but interesting none-the-less. Just enough is used to create some depth to the characters without going too far the other way, making them strangers to those uninitiated in the complex language. Murray’s obvious familiarity with Gaelic lends a sense of realism to the fictional characters.
Although Mr Murray has lived (been exiled according to his Twitter bio) in Shetland for over a decade, he was born and bred in the Isle of Lewis, and if his vivid descriptions of the island are anything to go by, this is where his heart is.
The blurb on the back of the book tells us that this is a tale of intrigue, of top-secret germ warfare, of government secrets and cover-ups. Set in 1952, it is a fictional account of the very real 'Operation Cauldron' where a vessel moored in the Western Isles carried out experiments with toxins such as anthrax, mustard gas and even the bubonic plague, partly for use as weapons if ever needed and partly to study and learn how to protect the nation in the possible case of a pandemic. However, to say this is the only story within this novel's pages is to do it a disservice. Murray deftly weaves together two main storylines, from opposing points of view, to give a complete, and compelling account of the events.
Our two protaganists are Jessie, a local woman, who has spent years pining for her lost love, and John, one of the men working as a scientist as part of 'Operation Cauldron' who is battling his own inner demons; his struggling relationship with his new wife and his own misgivings about the work he is a part of. It could also be said that there is a very prominent 3rd main character - the island itself. Which is where Donald Murray's love and passion for the island clearly shine.
Throughout the novel the island is described, seen, and experienced by foreigners to the Western Islands as well as by locals who know it like the back of their hands. For all it appears to be a bleak and wild place; barren and devoid of life, when seen through the eyes of local woman Jessie, we see that is not the case, that the moors are filled with many different types of plant life, providing hidden bursts of colour and life, as well as being filled with the sounds of all manner of distictive bird calls and of course the ever present sheep. Unlike incomer John's monotone view of Lewis as an almost frighteningly foreign wasteland, Jessie shows that sometimes you need to look a little closer to appreciate what is right in front of you.
Within these two narratives however, are a host of smaller stories. Although to call them smaller seems unjust, for the stories of the people of the islands are what make these small communities their own personality. The stories of men who have been to war, stationed almost around the globe, who have returned, and the stories of those who never did. Stories of the women who wait for their men and of those who took a leap of faith into the unknown and journeyed to the New World, in search of a new life. These stories are expertly woven into the greater story, like the fine tweed worn by the islanders themselves.
Before reading ‘In A Veil of Mist,’ I had never heard of “Operation Cauldron” where a fishing trawler was contaminated by a cloud of... who knows... Ultimately the scientists caught a lucky break and didn’t cause a disease to wend it’s way from the tiny, insular, testing site, out into the greater world, through their own mistakes and errors, but it could easily have ended in a disaster. One that is all too easy to understand today, a year after the National lockdown response to the Covid 19 pandemic. A timely reminder when John is trying to justify his career to his new wife when he says, “You never know the day or the hour.”
I couldn’t help but feel that the islanders themselves were a metaphor, not for the deadly toxins, but to show the ease in which they could travel throughout the world. The assumption made my the scientists was that these are small people, living small lives, in insular communities in the middle of nowhere, but the Hebredians, much like Shetlanders, are brave and bold, travelling the length and breadth of the world, often returning to the place they call home. The incomers inaccurate assumptions would have been their undoing.
Murray also makes use throughout the novel of the Gaelic language, an unfamiliar tongue to me, living in Shetland, but interesting none-the-less. Just enough is used to create some depth to the characters without going too far the other way, making them strangers to those uninitiated in the complex language. Murray’s obvious familiarity with Gaelic lends a sense of realism to the fictional characters.
July 8, 2022
Kept my attention all the way through. Very well written. However, the ending seems quite sudden and flat.
May 24, 2022
Very interesting character building. And a mighty interesting topic (with historic importance). If there’s a thing I love it’s a good book about plagues.
It was quite unexpected to see a main focus on characters and country rather than the chemical warfare which is the book’s foundation.
It was quite unexpected to see a main focus on characters and country rather than the chemical warfare which is the book’s foundation.
January 3, 2022
Wow what a beautiful and at the same time informative story. Works on so many levels absolutely lived it
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews