Where The Missing Gather by Helen Sedgwick

Gone but not forgotten...

 An archaeological dig exposes a brutal history and a witness finally speaks. It seems the wickedness swirling in the harsh sea air of Burrowhead might be excised at last.

 But before DI Georgie Strachan can lift the veil of evil, a black horse is slaughtered on an altar in the woods and human remains begin to surface. Sinister rituals connect past and present but no one wants to see, or tell, or hear, the truth. Soon Georgie must face the question: where do the missing souls of the village gather?

About the author

Helen Sedgwick is the author of The Comet Seekers and The Growing Season, which was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year in 2018. The opener to her Burrowhead Mysteries crime trilogy, When the Dead Come Calling, was published in 2020, followed by Where the Missing Gather in 2021. She has an MLitt in Creative Writing from Glasgow University and has won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Before she became an author, she was a research physicist with a PhD in Physics from Edinburgh University. She lives in the Scottish Highlands.

Review

‘Where The Missing Gather’ is a dark tale that encompasses community, those who are considered outsiders, rampant inbred racism, the aspects of rural areas losing investment and infrastructures, the scourge of drugs and then those who are trying their best to live their lives free of fear. So not a lot then. But it is done with aplomb, empathy and realism despite the aspects of ritualism and the supernatural. I was engrossed from the start to the last page and this time I took my time to savour the fine writing and brilliant storytelling. I cannot help but rave about this series and it certainly deserves more recognition.

There is something about Helen’s writing that is profoundly unsettling. It makes my skin crawl with the emotions it conveys. It literally gives me goosebumps. As much as I enjoy this series and I love reading them, I am also glad to finish them as then there might be some answers. They are not books which you read and them you forget them. They linger in your subconscious, make your cogs whirl and settle in your soul.

The whole cast of characters are deftly drawn, not just the main players but all the side ones and in this book we learn more about Ricky Barr and Natalie. It helps to show us readers that everyone is multifaceted, has a background worth understanding. The same with Trish, who I have to say is my favourite character. You can just feel her anger and confusion radiating off the page.

Another triumph for Helen! Roll on the next and final chapter!!!