In the Shadow of the Hill

Reviews

​

"Ann Cleeves meets Ian Rankin and Kate Atkinson"

​

It is a thoroughly excellent thriller . . . which explodes into a finale which I dare any reader to predict.  Her style is smooth and sweet.  Harris Noir has come home

Roger Hutchison, Author

​

If you give it as a present, don’t expect to hear from the person you gave it to for a couple of days . . . and then take some food round because they might have forgotten to eat anything while they were reading it!  This is a story raw with passion, with deception, and with intrigue.   

Fred Silver, editor of Scottish Islands Explorer Magazine and Events

​

Helen Forbes has hit the ground running.  The page-turning climax has more twists and turns than the road to the isles, making it impossible to put down 

Press and Journal

​

You may think you know what is going on in the story, but trust me – you don’t. Unless that is, you have a mind of the most perverse sort… in the nicest possible way, naturally. What follows involves the unraveling of several lives, and dark deeds of the past being revealed and judged in the present.  I liked the way that Helen Forbes uses the metaphor of the hill. Ceapabhal is its name in Gaelic and it broods over the action both past and present.  A musical term best describes the author’s performance at this point – bravura. The last 50 pages or so had me utterly gripped in a mixture of bewilderment and admiration. 

Crime Fiction Lover, the site for die-hard crime and thriller fans

​

I loved this book. It’s a no-nonsense thriller that has you wondering from the beginning and reeling by the end. The author has created characters that are likeable and that you care about, which is refreshing as a lot of recent crime fiction seems to have dispensed with that crucial aspect of a novel. I felt as though I was part of the story, the descriptions being so convincing. All in all, a great read that ticks all the boxes – good characters, exciting plot, fascinating backdrop.

Jackie McLean, author of Toxic, Shadows and Run

​

There’s an Ann Cleeves meets Ian Rankin and Kate Atkinson vibe going on here. This book is not just any old crime fiction, it’s Tartan Noir crime fiction, and it’s set in the Hebrides. It starts in Inverness on a slow burn and gradually picks up pace until after several clever, unforeseen twists it reaches its exciting conclusion on the island of Harris. The characters are believable and well fleshed out, especially the main character of DS Joe Galbraith who is both flawed and likeable. I definitely look forward to getting to know him as well as I know Jackson Brodie and John Rebus. 

Anne Stormont, author of Change of Life, Displacement, Fulfilment and Settlement