Gallow Falls by Alex Nye

 Gallow Falls 

by Alex Nye

Someone 

wants the truth

 to stay buried

Gallow Falls by Alex Nye  was published in July 2023 by Fledgling Press.

 My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review 

and to Kelly at Love Books Tours 

for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

A remote Scottish estate. A missing teenager. When a young archaeologist discovers bones at the site of her Bronze Age broch on Gallows Hill, the community of Kilbroch hold their breath. Ex-detective Callum MacGarvey came to work on the estate in order to escape from his past, but when a friend asks for his help, he cannot refuse. Missing teenager Robbie MacBride's grandmother wants answers. She doesn't believe what the family tell her, and Callum finds himself reluctantly drawn into a historic missing persons case. He suspects that everyone is hiding a secret, including George Strabane, the landowner whom Callum works for. While the police believe Robbie ran away from home more than a decade ago, not everyone is convinced. The archaeologist, Laura, ex-detective, Callum MacGarvey and Robbie's grandmother continue to investigate, while Robbie's sister, the silent Ruthie, remains haunted by her childhood flashbacks. Sometimes the truth is so dark, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.

My Review

Before you even turn to the first page you will be gripped by the cover and wondering what lies within the pages that follow. Well, if you are like me, you won't be disappointed with this captivating read which I cold not put down. The complex mix of characters, their secrets and hidden turmoils, are all  consuming and serve to create a chilling sense of foreboding. 

Yes, some of what happens is what you expect to happen, and for me I did guess before the end what had happened to the missing teenager, however, this does not detract from the build-up of suspense that Alex creates, and uses, to full effect as the story develops.

For me the atmospheric description was paramount in creating the setting in the misty, midgie Glens of Scotland and they were intricately described along with the Bronze Age Broch set amongst the silence of the misty, remote woodland. Along with the feeling of gloom in the castle and the description of the surrounding landscape I really had to question, at times, Laura's inability to consider her own safety and was very much like a mother hen as I was reading it - worrying for her. However, this just added to the suspense as the story progressed.

As you should have gathered by now this was an absolute 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read for me and I am looking forward to reading more by Alex Nye in the very near future.

About the Author

Alex Nye writes books for people of all ages. She is a current RLF fellow at Glasgow University and a Creative Writing Mentor via the Scottish Book Trust, and enjoys encouraging young people to write.She graduated from King's College, London and grew up in Norfolk, by the sea, but Scotland has been her home for a long time. She is a previous winner of the W. H. Smith Young Writers' Award, run by Ted Hughes, the Royal Mail Award and Scottish Book Trust Award. Gallow Falls is her eighth title and her crime fiction debut.

For further reviews of Gallow Falls please read the reviews by other bloggers on the tour.

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