#BookReview-‘The Secrets You Hide’ by Kate Helm

Due to be published in February 2019 by Bonnier Zaffre ‘‘The Secrets You Hide’ by Kate Helm gave me a book hangover.

By this I mean in the nicest way possible, I was unable to do anything else until this was read-it was gripping, intelligent, thoughtful and mysterious in one, beautiful package.

And I mean anything, including getting dressed! I went to sleep reading it, got up, fed the kids, fed the animals in the previous day’s clothes! This rarely happens, I am usually fragrant even if my clothes are a mishmash , that is how much I loved this book!

‘My head says he’s guilty. My heart sees a lost man’

This is the story of Georgia Sage, court artist, who renders those accused of crime as well as those judging them. Keenly aware that with a flick of her pencil she can sway the court of public opinion, she is , at the start of the book, embroiled in a rape trial between a young girl and a celebrity footballer.

Employed by the BBC and used to working at a deadline without compromising her art, she has no family and few friends beyond reporter, Neena,and Oli, her ex-boyfriend who is also a lawyer. He is currently defending the young girl in the trial and desperate to bring her some justice. The court scenes are so realistic that you could smell the metal and wood of the railings and see the damp palms of the accused gripping ineffectually and the thrust of his chins as he defies anyone to not do what he has done.

Georgia is a loner, her artistic talent the only remainder of a traumatic childhood (no spoilers) and is content to draw, so when a commission arrives to contribute towards an art book, possibly even the cover, she is happy to be on board. Even if it means being up against Maureen, fellow court artist and purveyor of misery.

Each artist is asked to revisit a case which has touched them in some way, Georgia picks Jim Fielding, a heroic dad who rushed back into a fire to save his 2 children but unable to save his pregnant wife. She drew him at the trial of his eldest son, Daniel, who was charged with starting the fire which killed his mother and unborn step brother.

Contacting Jim and arranging sketching sessions brings up conflict in Georgia about whether her portraits contributed to the wrong person being imprisoned. Coupled with Daniel’s attempted suicide in prison, and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Jim’s best friend and the mysterious death of Jim’s first wife, Georgia’s life plummets into freefall.

‘My heart is beating so violently I’m sure Jim must hear it. I choose Viridian green for the background of blurred leaves beyond the glass roof. Unscrew the cap, pierce the metal seal. Let the scent unfurl ,like a new shoot on a pine tree.’

And that is when she begins to see a small boy in a red football shirt, a small boy who shouldn’t be there and who no one else can see…

I think it’s no accident that Georgia is named ‘Sage’ as it means ‘wise’, ‘solemn’ or ‘calm judgement’ according to whichever dictionary you have to hand.

You, as a reader, are pulled into some dark and horrible places as guilt, regret and justice all fight for recognition in order to access that most important of processes-forgiveness.

It’s simply wonderful and I would definitely give this book recommendation 14/10 .

I am so grateful to Netgalley and BonnierZaffre for allowing me to read this in return for an honest review.

Also, don’t forget to join Kate’s book club at http://kate-helm.com/ and check out her other books as Kate Harrison whose ‘Secret Shopper..’ books I also loved!