Flora's Musings...: Flora Reviews... The Hidden Legacy by Graham Minett

The Hidden Legacy

Read: 11^th – 17^th October 2015

Format: e-book

My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This is Mr Minett’s debut novel; a crime/thriller/mystery tale of about 436 pages. Although our main character is Ellen Sutherland, it’s also written from the perspective of various other characters throughout this engaging story.

The official blurb says:

1966. A horrifying crime at a secondary school, with devastating consequences for all involved.

2008. A life-changing gift, if only the recipient can work out why . . .

Bearing the scars of a recent divorce - and the splatters of two young children - Ellen Sutherland is up to her elbows in professional and personal stress. When she's invited to travel all the way out to Cheltenham to hear the content of an old woman's will, she can barely be bothered to make the journey.

But when she arrives, the news is astounding. Eudora Nash has left Ellen a beautiful cottage, worth an amount of money that could turn her life around. There's just one problem - Ellen has never even heard of Eudora Nash.

Her curiosity piqued, Ellen and her friend Kate travel to the West Country in search of answers. But they are not the only ones interested in the cottage, and Ellen little imagines how much she has to learn about her past . . .

Graham Minett's debut novel, The Hidden Legacy, is a powerful and suspenseful tale exploring a mysterious and sinister past.

The publication date for this book is 5^th November 2015 but I was lucky enough to be given this book for free from the publisher (Twenty7 Books) via Netgally.com in exchange for a fair review. Thank you.

...So, what did I like about it?

I was very impressed with Mr Minett’s writing style; his use of language, the way he built the plot and added clever twists and turns to his tale. I liked the way this story was told; revealing different aspects of the tale using the viewpoint of his ongoing characters while transporting us to 3 important time frames to expose pertinent situations as they happen. Don’t worry, I think I’m making it sound more complicated than it is ;-) Mr Minett subtitles each section so that we know who we’re reading about and which time period we’re in. It all flows beautifully allowing the plot to deepen and our connections with, and understanding of, the characters to grow.

I was definitely gripped. I feel as though I’ve been on an amazing journey, I’ve giggled, I’ve cried and I’ve been entertained with a well written mystery that’s also left me asking my own questions about how I choose to treat the people around me. I am the sort of person who sees the glass as being half full rather than half empty so my interpretation of the ending may differ from yours – this is not a definite “happy ever after” ending but it did leave me with a smile on my face. I liked it.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

I must confess that when I read in the blurb that part of this story was about a child who’d killed another child, I was reluctant to start reading (it’s not a theme I feel comfortable with) however this part of the story was very well written and left me questioning how we view these tragic instances and the people involved, how the media almost certainly play their part in these events and how the ripples of that one moment in time can still be felt throughout the decades.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I loved this amazing mystery novel. What twists & turns! What raw emotions! I enjoyed every part of this journey! It sort of reminded me of a few of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries in that it had a wealth of well written characters and a plot that exposes the human complexities of life while keeping me reading right to the last page. If you’re a fan of mystery stories I’d definitely recommend buying The Hidden Legacy!