Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Shona McIver was thirteen when she was murdered. That was almost forty years ago, and modern DNA evidence shows that the wrong man has been serving time. As Shona's brother Tom returns to Scotland from South Africa to scatter their mother's ashes, he grows closer to Sarah and together they try to figure out who could have killed Shona. Sarah was Shona's best friend and was with her just before she was killed. As Sarah's life begins to unravel she begins to realize that we don't always know the people closest to us.
I felt like I was reading a book. I was not, at any time, absorbed in the story. I didn't really care for the characters. Lots of things were convenient. It all fell flat for me.
I felt like I was reading a book. I was not, at any time, absorbed in the story. I didn't really care for the characters. Lots of things were convenient. It all fell flat for me.
I really enjoyed this book. The story flows really well and I really bought in to the two lead characters and was desperate to know what happened to them in the end. It is full of twists and a great murder mystery and love story.
Sewing the Shadows Together is about Tom, whose younger sister Shona was raped and murdered when they were teenagers. He still carries the guilt of not being there to protect her and it haunts him in the present day many years later. Sarah was Shona’s best friend and she is also still haunted by the loss. Tom and Shona meet again at a school reunion and while Tom is back in Edinburgh they find out the man convicted of killing Shona has been cleared with modern DNA techniques.
This novel is set in the present day but those chapters are interspersed with recollections from the past in the lead up to, and aftermath of, Shona’s murder. I loved the story being told in this way as I wanted to see how everything would connect up. I had my suspicions about who had really killed Shona, and while I can sort of claim that I guessed right I would really be fibbing a little bit as I suspected a lot of the people in this book!
Tom is such a great character. His life has clearly been hugely affected by the death of his sister. He’s lost his ambition to achieve big things in life and instead has been floating along aimlessly seeing what happens. It definitely felt like his life would have been so different had his sister not died. I really felt for him because losing someone young, when you’re also still young, is profoundly affecting and it changes you. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose someone in such a horrific and traumatic way though.
I also really liked Sarah. I did feel that she is something of a doormat within her family – she puts up with a distracted husband, a domineering mother, and is somehow not up to speed with what is happening in her (grown up) children’s lives. She is always doing her best though and she really does care. I can see how she ended up as she is, it’s that juggling act of trying to keep everyone happy and it so often being at the expense of yourself. I was rooting for her and hoping that she would find some happiness for herself.
Apart from Tom and Sarah I didn’t particularly like anyone in this novel but I do so enjoy reading about unlikeable characters. It worked so well in this book as it gave a lot of potential suspects. Everyone in the novel is well-rounded and there is a complexity to the characters – no one seemed all bad or all good and so it made it harder to figure out whodunnit.
Ultimately, Sewing the Shadows Together is a brilliant crime novel. It has a depth to it and while the solving the crime is the central plot there are other things going on that add interest and make this book near impossible to put down! I bought this book when it was first published but didn’t read it until recently and I’m really kicking myself for leaving it so long. It is such a brilliant debut and I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Alison Baillie’s novels in the future!
Sewing the Shadows Together is gripping, engrossing and an all-round brilliant read! I highly recommend it!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
This novel is set in the present day but those chapters are interspersed with recollections from the past in the lead up to, and aftermath of, Shona’s murder. I loved the story being told in this way as I wanted to see how everything would connect up. I had my suspicions about who had really killed Shona, and while I can sort of claim that I guessed right I would really be fibbing a little bit as I suspected a lot of the people in this book!
Tom is such a great character. His life has clearly been hugely affected by the death of his sister. He’s lost his ambition to achieve big things in life and instead has been floating along aimlessly seeing what happens. It definitely felt like his life would have been so different had his sister not died. I really felt for him because losing someone young, when you’re also still young, is profoundly affecting and it changes you. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose someone in such a horrific and traumatic way though.
I also really liked Sarah. I did feel that she is something of a doormat within her family – she puts up with a distracted husband, a domineering mother, and is somehow not up to speed with what is happening in her (grown up) children’s lives. She is always doing her best though and she really does care. I can see how she ended up as she is, it’s that juggling act of trying to keep everyone happy and it so often being at the expense of yourself. I was rooting for her and hoping that she would find some happiness for herself.
Apart from Tom and Sarah I didn’t particularly like anyone in this novel but I do so enjoy reading about unlikeable characters. It worked so well in this book as it gave a lot of potential suspects. Everyone in the novel is well-rounded and there is a complexity to the characters – no one seemed all bad or all good and so it made it harder to figure out whodunnit.
Ultimately, Sewing the Shadows Together is a brilliant crime novel. It has a depth to it and while the solving the crime is the central plot there are other things going on that add interest and make this book near impossible to put down! I bought this book when it was first published but didn’t read it until recently and I’m really kicking myself for leaving it so long. It is such a brilliant debut and I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Alison Baillie’s novels in the future!
Sewing the Shadows Together is gripping, engrossing and an all-round brilliant read! I highly recommend it!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
This was great read. It is the story of Tom and Sarah the best friend of Shona, Tom's murdered sister. When Tom returns to Scotland he renews his aquaintance with Rory, Sarah's husband and an old friend. What Tom thought was a quick visit to scatter his Mother's ashes turns out to be his entry into a Web of lies, half truths and suspicions. When the man accused of his sister's murder is declared innocent and released from prison it leaves Tom wondering who the murderer is. This is only the first of many things to trouble Tom as he gets involved with Sarah, Rory and their family, who hold many secrets of their own. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
Sewing the Shadows Together is a book about how one event can effect so many lives. Almost 40 years ago 13 year old Shona was raped and murdered. Now DNA proves that the troubled man who has been serving time for this crime is innocent.
That sounds like the perfect setup for a murder mystery but this story is more of a character exploration. The two main characters are Sarah (Shona's best friend) and Tom (Shona's older brother). While the backdrop of the story is this miscarriage of justice it is more about who these two are and how there lives changed as a result of this crime. There are massive personal revelations for them and the ability in the end to come out on the greener side.
Once I started reading I had a hard time putting it down. There are characters you love and characters you hate but they all help the narrative that is being told. Don't grab this if you want an investigative story but do if you want to explore these imperfect characters that you just want to root for.
That sounds like the perfect setup for a murder mystery but this story is more of a character exploration. The two main characters are Sarah (Shona's best friend) and Tom (Shona's older brother). While the backdrop of the story is this miscarriage of justice it is more about who these two are and how there lives changed as a result of this crime. There are massive personal revelations for them and the ability in the end to come out on the greener side.
Once I started reading I had a hard time putting it down. There are characters you love and characters you hate but they all help the narrative that is being told. Don't grab this if you want an investigative story but do if you want to explore these imperfect characters that you just want to root for.
I was attracted to this book given the prominence of Portobello, where I live, in the story. I really enjoyed knowing exactly where her characters were and being able to place them precisely.
Aside from enjoying the location, I found this a really enthralling read! As you read, you start to suspect many of the people in Tom's life but are never quite certain who the murderer might be. Alison has built up her characters in a way that makes it seem plausible that quite a few of them could have committed the crime. Sarah is the other main character in the book. She was Shona's best friend and haunted by her death. As more evidence comes to light, it is clear that all is not well in her apparently perfect life. There are many secrets being kept within her family that she is unaware of but which are revealed in a serious of twists throughout the book. I liked the dreams and flashbacks at the beginning of each section which linked the past to the present.
This was an excellent read, with the tension building up nicely, with well developed characters and a excellent sense of place. All the loose ends are drawn together adeptly at the end in a convincing and satisfying conclusion. A promising new voice in Scottish crime writing and I hope to read more from Alison before too long.
Aside from enjoying the location, I found this a really enthralling read! As you read, you start to suspect many of the people in Tom's life but are never quite certain who the murderer might be. Alison has built up her characters in a way that makes it seem plausible that quite a few of them could have committed the crime. Sarah is the other main character in the book. She was Shona's best friend and haunted by her death. As more evidence comes to light, it is clear that all is not well in her apparently perfect life. There are many secrets being kept within her family that she is unaware of but which are revealed in a serious of twists throughout the book. I liked the dreams and flashbacks at the beginning of each section which linked the past to the present.
This was an excellent read, with the tension building up nicely, with well developed characters and a excellent sense of place. All the loose ends are drawn together adeptly at the end in a convincing and satisfying conclusion. A promising new voice in Scottish crime writing and I hope to read more from Alison before too long.
This is another novel that came highly recommended to me so couldn’t not go buy myself a copy to see what all the fuss is about.
A school reunion as well as a reopened case brings Tom back to Edinburgh where his family had moved far away from after Shona his sister was murdered. Coming back into the area brings everything back for Tom and he is desperate to get some answers.
The only people I actually liked at the reunion was Tom and Sarah, who was Shona’s best friend at school. Compared to the rest of them, they were pretty normal and didn’t really have any hang ups.
Tom and Sarah coming together brings back fond memories of Shona and they are determined to try and find out who did kill her and both go in search of the truth.
There are so many unlikeable characters in this novel, I could count on one hand the ones I actually liked and had empathy for. I think this made me grasp at straws at who I thought the killer was. I have to admit I thought I was so clever thinking I knew who it was only to be proven wrong when all is revealed.
Sewing the Shadows Together is just that. It is a tale that once woven all becomes suddenly clear. It is very much one of secrets and lies and is steeped in suspense.
A highly enjoyable read that draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the very end.
A school reunion as well as a reopened case brings Tom back to Edinburgh where his family had moved far away from after Shona his sister was murdered. Coming back into the area brings everything back for Tom and he is desperate to get some answers.
The only people I actually liked at the reunion was Tom and Sarah, who was Shona’s best friend at school. Compared to the rest of them, they were pretty normal and didn’t really have any hang ups.
Tom and Sarah coming together brings back fond memories of Shona and they are determined to try and find out who did kill her and both go in search of the truth.
There are so many unlikeable characters in this novel, I could count on one hand the ones I actually liked and had empathy for. I think this made me grasp at straws at who I thought the killer was. I have to admit I thought I was so clever thinking I knew who it was only to be proven wrong when all is revealed.
Sewing the Shadows Together is just that. It is a tale that once woven all becomes suddenly clear. It is very much one of secrets and lies and is steeped in suspense.
A highly enjoyable read that draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the very end.