What do you think?
Rate this book
Helen Crowther #1
In Place of Fear
A gripping new crime novel set in 1940s Edinburgh at the birth of the NHS, IN PLACE OF FEAR is perfect for fans of Dear Mrs Bird and The Ninth Child . We follow newly appointed Medical Welfare Almoner Helen Crowther who, when a young woman mysteriously disappears, stumbles across something dark in the heart of Edinburgh's medical community.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2022
42 people are currently reading
858 people want to read
About the author
Catriona McPherson
54 books531 followersCatriona McPherson (she/her) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the US in 2010. She writes: preposterous 1930s private-detective stories about a toff; realistic 1940s amateur-sleuth stories about an oik; and contemporary psychothriller standalones. These are all set in Scotland with a lot of Scottish weather. She also writes modern comedies about a Scot-out-of-water in a “fictional” college town in Northern California.
She has won multiple Anthonys, Agathas, Leftys and Macavitys for her work and been shortlisted for an Edgar, three Mary Higgins Clark awards and a UK dagger
Catriona is a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime.
She has won multiple Anthonys, Agathas, Leftys and Macavitys for her work and been shortlisted for an Edgar, three Mary Higgins Clark awards and a UK dagger
Catriona is a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
July 14, 2022
For anyone who enjoys historical fiction or mysteries, Catriona McPherson's In Place of Fear is a delight of a read. (The introduction below is a bit lengthier than I sometimes provide, so I want explain that it focuses on the context of the novel. It doesn't contain spoilers. It doesn't sketch out the full plot of the novel.)
The novel is set in 1940s Edinburgh the day before Britain's new National Health Service (NHS) begins. Helen Crowther, the central character, is starting a job as a Medical Welfare Almoner, a position that's been created as part of the new NHS. Her job involves everything from running post-natal nutrition classes to seeing that items like wheelchairs and accessible housing are provided for those who need them to making home visits. Setting a novel during this particular historical moment strikes me as absolute genius: the author can explore post-war life during which rationing still exists and the shift from private to "socialized" medicine.
Helen's grown up in a working-class family that's just managing to hang on. The most obvious position for her is in the bottling factory where most of the women in her neighborhood work alongside her mother. But Helen was spotted young by Mrs. Simpson, one of those wealthy, do-gooding women committed to telling the lower classes how they should improve their lives—though "improvement" mean cleanliness or thrift, not help with significant upward economic movement.
No one, expect for Helen herself, is happy she's taken the NHS job. Her mother thinks that she's getting "beyond herself" and that the fact that she's working at a small clinic run by two male doctors will ruin not just her reputation, but the family's as well. Mrs. Simpson thinks she's ungrateful because she'll no longer be devoting her life to helping Mrs. Simpson continue to improve the poor and to share their plight with her wealthy peers.
Unexpectedly, Helen is offered use of an an apartment in a small home near her clinic that is owned by one of the doctors she works with. She and her husband move in gladly, having spent their marriage up to this point sharing a box bed in the main room of the apartment Helen's family lives in—not a great setting for a pair of newlyweds who could use some privacy. The home has an Anderson shelter (an improvised bomb shelter) in the back yard, and when Helen opens it, thinking she'll use it as a gardening shed, she finds a dead body inside—one that looks like a daughter of Mrs. Simpson.
That's the set up. From that point, the novel offers intertwining threads: Helen's determination to find out who the dead girl is and what's happened to her; her experiences taking on the demands of her new job; the continuing class conflicts that apparently drive Edinburgh at this time; and getting to know her husband again, a childhood sweetheart who's just spent six years in a German prison camp.
All this could easily become soppy or stentorian, but it doesn't. McPherson knows exactly how much information to give—and how to give it—so that readers can share Helen's journey. If you're looking for a good novel for yourself or to give as a gift, In Place of Fear should prove an excellent choice.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
The novel is set in 1940s Edinburgh the day before Britain's new National Health Service (NHS) begins. Helen Crowther, the central character, is starting a job as a Medical Welfare Almoner, a position that's been created as part of the new NHS. Her job involves everything from running post-natal nutrition classes to seeing that items like wheelchairs and accessible housing are provided for those who need them to making home visits. Setting a novel during this particular historical moment strikes me as absolute genius: the author can explore post-war life during which rationing still exists and the shift from private to "socialized" medicine.
Helen's grown up in a working-class family that's just managing to hang on. The most obvious position for her is in the bottling factory where most of the women in her neighborhood work alongside her mother. But Helen was spotted young by Mrs. Simpson, one of those wealthy, do-gooding women committed to telling the lower classes how they should improve their lives—though "improvement" mean cleanliness or thrift, not help with significant upward economic movement.
No one, expect for Helen herself, is happy she's taken the NHS job. Her mother thinks that she's getting "beyond herself" and that the fact that she's working at a small clinic run by two male doctors will ruin not just her reputation, but the family's as well. Mrs. Simpson thinks she's ungrateful because she'll no longer be devoting her life to helping Mrs. Simpson continue to improve the poor and to share their plight with her wealthy peers.
Unexpectedly, Helen is offered use of an an apartment in a small home near her clinic that is owned by one of the doctors she works with. She and her husband move in gladly, having spent their marriage up to this point sharing a box bed in the main room of the apartment Helen's family lives in—not a great setting for a pair of newlyweds who could use some privacy. The home has an Anderson shelter (an improvised bomb shelter) in the back yard, and when Helen opens it, thinking she'll use it as a gardening shed, she finds a dead body inside—one that looks like a daughter of Mrs. Simpson.
That's the set up. From that point, the novel offers intertwining threads: Helen's determination to find out who the dead girl is and what's happened to her; her experiences taking on the demands of her new job; the continuing class conflicts that apparently drive Edinburgh at this time; and getting to know her husband again, a childhood sweetheart who's just spent six years in a German prison camp.
All this could easily become soppy or stentorian, but it doesn't. McPherson knows exactly how much information to give—and how to give it—so that readers can share Helen's journey. If you're looking for a good novel for yourself or to give as a gift, In Place of Fear should prove an excellent choice.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
April 29, 2022
My thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an invitation to read this book via NetGalley.
In Place of Fear is a piece of historical fiction, and a mystery set in post-World-War-II Edinburgh against the backdrop of the introduction of the NHS. Our protagonist Helen Crowther is a young woman, about to begin a new job as a medical almoner—someone who convinces and helps people sign up for the NHS, helps fill forms for the various things they need, spreads awareness on nutrition and basic health, and even checks in on houses to determine living conditions including hygiene. Helen is nervous but excited about her job, but her mother is strongly opposed, seeming to think that Helen is merely using it as an excuse for ‘dolling up’ rather than that she actually wants the job. Helen’s mother, Greet works at a bottling factory while her father works at a slaughter house; they live in a poorer quarter of town and think Helen is perhaps reaching beyond her station. Helen has been married to her childhood sweetheart, Sandy for two years, but the scars of the war on Sandy mean there are difficulties in their relationship, and he seems to be fighting some demons of his own. Helen is determined to prove that she can do well at her job, and on the very first day also finds herself offered a small home for her use by the doctors at whose clinic she is based.
As she starts her job, we see the various problems that she has to deal with from reticent people to downright hostile ones, with some cases revealing the plight of those in the poorer quarters. There are also those who are wary of the NHS itself, looking upon it as charity to which they are unwilling to sign on. Meanwhile as Helen and Sandy move in to their new home, the very first day, in the Anderson shelter beneath their home, she finds the body of a young woman. The doctor determines it is suicide, but thinking back over it, Helen isn’t convinced. Once she starts to look into the matter, she finds almost everyone wanting to brush it under the carpet. But why? Who was the young woman and why was she killed?
This was an interesting read but rather different from what was promised by its description as ‘a gripping new historical crime novel’.
I enjoyed getting a look into the initial days of the NHS. I had no idea that there was so much reluctance on many people’s part to actually accept the service, or that they saw it as charity which they didn’t feel right accepting, and how much convincing it took to get them to sign on. I had also never heard of a medical almoner before so it was interesting to get to know about the position and what the person employed had to do. And it certainly wasn’t a simple job—filling forms was the least of their duties, there had to be a connect, a sense of comfort with the people they were dealing with so that they would open up about their problems, as well as the ability to handle the more difficult ones—especially when the problem involved touched a raw nerve. Set as this was amongst the poorer quarters of Edinburgh, one gets a glimpse into life in these spaces, the problems and dangers that many had to face, as well as prevalent mores and viewpoints (which prominently included confining women to traditional roles, and to work in only certain acceptable jobs, but with the primary role being of wives and mothers).
The mystery itself isn’t quite at the centre of the story for most part of the book. The body is found only about a fourth of the way into the book, and after some initial confusion, it is something that Helen thinks about but only starts beginning to look into after some time. In her investigations, if Helen is daring and has a strong sense of justice, she also mostly comes across as rather naïve as well. Agreed that she is young, but the way she simply walks in and confronts those that she suspects of wrongdoing or plans to seems a little foolish, considering a murder is involved. Even in her duties as an almoner, she seems to struggle and trip up a little more than one would expect her to, considering she has been assisting a wealthy lady, Mrs Sinclair, with similar duties previously (and which led to her getting trained and getting this job).
The whodunit (as least part of it) was something I felt one could guess from quite early on, from the way certain things were playing out—the clues were fairly strong—but there was also an element which I didn’t work out. The why and what was involved in the plot on the other hand we find out only as we read on. There were some surprises in the plot which I didn’t quite see coming, both relating to the mystery and other threads of the story.
The book uses Scottish dialect quite extensively which had both its pros and cons. While on the one hand, it added a definite sense of authenticity, on the other it was also hard/slow to read. And then again, the fact that the dialect wasn’t used when say, describing Helen’s thoughts, felt a bit of a mismatch though I can understand why this would have been done. There’s no easy answer to this one really.
I enjoyed reading this book, but I think rather than the mystery itself, the look into life in the poorer quarters of Edinburgh in the post-war period, and the initial days of the NHS were aspects I found most interesting. Helen’s life and family and her experiences at work were likewise very readable. This is not to say that the mystery was bad as such—it was engaging enough, but the fact that it wasn’t quite the focus of the book, Helen naivety in handling it, and to an extent, the seedier elements that the solution involved, didn’t make it as enjoyable for me as I’d expected.
3.25 stars
In Place of Fear is a piece of historical fiction, and a mystery set in post-World-War-II Edinburgh against the backdrop of the introduction of the NHS. Our protagonist Helen Crowther is a young woman, about to begin a new job as a medical almoner—someone who convinces and helps people sign up for the NHS, helps fill forms for the various things they need, spreads awareness on nutrition and basic health, and even checks in on houses to determine living conditions including hygiene. Helen is nervous but excited about her job, but her mother is strongly opposed, seeming to think that Helen is merely using it as an excuse for ‘dolling up’ rather than that she actually wants the job. Helen’s mother, Greet works at a bottling factory while her father works at a slaughter house; they live in a poorer quarter of town and think Helen is perhaps reaching beyond her station. Helen has been married to her childhood sweetheart, Sandy for two years, but the scars of the war on Sandy mean there are difficulties in their relationship, and he seems to be fighting some demons of his own. Helen is determined to prove that she can do well at her job, and on the very first day also finds herself offered a small home for her use by the doctors at whose clinic she is based.
As she starts her job, we see the various problems that she has to deal with from reticent people to downright hostile ones, with some cases revealing the plight of those in the poorer quarters. There are also those who are wary of the NHS itself, looking upon it as charity to which they are unwilling to sign on. Meanwhile as Helen and Sandy move in to their new home, the very first day, in the Anderson shelter beneath their home, she finds the body of a young woman. The doctor determines it is suicide, but thinking back over it, Helen isn’t convinced. Once she starts to look into the matter, she finds almost everyone wanting to brush it under the carpet. But why? Who was the young woman and why was she killed?
This was an interesting read but rather different from what was promised by its description as ‘a gripping new historical crime novel’.
I enjoyed getting a look into the initial days of the NHS. I had no idea that there was so much reluctance on many people’s part to actually accept the service, or that they saw it as charity which they didn’t feel right accepting, and how much convincing it took to get them to sign on. I had also never heard of a medical almoner before so it was interesting to get to know about the position and what the person employed had to do. And it certainly wasn’t a simple job—filling forms was the least of their duties, there had to be a connect, a sense of comfort with the people they were dealing with so that they would open up about their problems, as well as the ability to handle the more difficult ones—especially when the problem involved touched a raw nerve. Set as this was amongst the poorer quarters of Edinburgh, one gets a glimpse into life in these spaces, the problems and dangers that many had to face, as well as prevalent mores and viewpoints (which prominently included confining women to traditional roles, and to work in only certain acceptable jobs, but with the primary role being of wives and mothers).
The mystery itself isn’t quite at the centre of the story for most part of the book. The body is found only about a fourth of the way into the book, and after some initial confusion, it is something that Helen thinks about but only starts beginning to look into after some time. In her investigations, if Helen is daring and has a strong sense of justice, she also mostly comes across as rather naïve as well. Agreed that she is young, but the way she simply walks in and confronts those that she suspects of wrongdoing or plans to seems a little foolish, considering a murder is involved. Even in her duties as an almoner, she seems to struggle and trip up a little more than one would expect her to, considering she has been assisting a wealthy lady, Mrs Sinclair, with similar duties previously (and which led to her getting trained and getting this job).
The whodunit (as least part of it) was something I felt one could guess from quite early on, from the way certain things were playing out—the clues were fairly strong—but there was also an element which I didn’t work out. The why and what was involved in the plot on the other hand we find out only as we read on. There were some surprises in the plot which I didn’t quite see coming, both relating to the mystery and other threads of the story.
The book uses Scottish dialect quite extensively which had both its pros and cons. While on the one hand, it added a definite sense of authenticity, on the other it was also hard/slow to read. And then again, the fact that the dialect wasn’t used when say, describing Helen’s thoughts, felt a bit of a mismatch though I can understand why this would have been done. There’s no easy answer to this one really.
I enjoyed reading this book, but I think rather than the mystery itself, the look into life in the poorer quarters of Edinburgh in the post-war period, and the initial days of the NHS were aspects I found most interesting. Helen’s life and family and her experiences at work were likewise very readable. This is not to say that the mystery was bad as such—it was engaging enough, but the fact that it wasn’t quite the focus of the book, Helen naivety in handling it, and to an extent, the seedier elements that the solution involved, didn’t make it as enjoyable for me as I’d expected.
3.25 stars
April 19, 2022
The first few chapters of this book made me think that I missed an earlier story with Helen Crowther. There is some really important background information from an earlier stage of her life, but most of all, Helen is a fully developed character. Reading about her felt as if she's been there all along.
Helen's life is not easy, taking into account that by 1948 the war was still playing a big role in people's lives - a lot of very poor widows and young children living in horrible circumstances since there simply was not enough decent work. Men who survived the war to come back to a country that needed to be build up again, but at the same time there was lack of everything. And don't forget, in those days people had to share everything, from their - outside - toilets to a place to do the washing.
Helen and her husband Sandy are still living with her parents; mother Greet who works in a bottle factory and is very keen on 'doing the right thing', father Mack who's toiling in another factory, and sister Teenie who just wants to do what teenagers can finally do again: have a good time.
Sandy took on work as a street cleaner; Greet frowns upon this because she thinks he could do better, but after being in a POW camp for over three years, Sandy doesn't want to be confined all day. He needs to be out, in the open.
Helen on the other hand longs for her own office; she's trained by a Mrs Sinclair and now she's starting, finally, her own life as an almoner. She's over the moon when one of her employers shows her a real house, with more than just one room and above all, a small bathroom. No more going out in the rain, no more having to make haste because there are other people waiting. She even gets a lot of furniture and other things, because her employer doesn't need it anymore.
Helen is very happy with all this and would be even happier is she wasn't so anxious about Sandy, and so harrassed by the demands of her new job. She's having a hard time explaining to people that the new NHS is really absolutely free for everybody, whether they need a wheelchair, an operation or just some plain advice on cleanliness and health. The latter being very important, she discovers as she makes house calls.
When she finds a dead body and starts to try and find out who it is, and why it ended in her garden shed, it's almost too much but she is a very determined young lady. Determined to do the right thing, just as her mother.
It's a great story, a real pleasure to read, with good characters and lots of interesting historical notes. I would love to read more about Helen!
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this review copy.
Helen's life is not easy, taking into account that by 1948 the war was still playing a big role in people's lives - a lot of very poor widows and young children living in horrible circumstances since there simply was not enough decent work. Men who survived the war to come back to a country that needed to be build up again, but at the same time there was lack of everything. And don't forget, in those days people had to share everything, from their - outside - toilets to a place to do the washing.
Helen and her husband Sandy are still living with her parents; mother Greet who works in a bottle factory and is very keen on 'doing the right thing', father Mack who's toiling in another factory, and sister Teenie who just wants to do what teenagers can finally do again: have a good time.
Sandy took on work as a street cleaner; Greet frowns upon this because she thinks he could do better, but after being in a POW camp for over three years, Sandy doesn't want to be confined all day. He needs to be out, in the open.
Helen on the other hand longs for her own office; she's trained by a Mrs Sinclair and now she's starting, finally, her own life as an almoner. She's over the moon when one of her employers shows her a real house, with more than just one room and above all, a small bathroom. No more going out in the rain, no more having to make haste because there are other people waiting. She even gets a lot of furniture and other things, because her employer doesn't need it anymore.
Helen is very happy with all this and would be even happier is she wasn't so anxious about Sandy, and so harrassed by the demands of her new job. She's having a hard time explaining to people that the new NHS is really absolutely free for everybody, whether they need a wheelchair, an operation or just some plain advice on cleanliness and health. The latter being very important, she discovers as she makes house calls.
When she finds a dead body and starts to try and find out who it is, and why it ended in her garden shed, it's almost too much but she is a very determined young lady. Determined to do the right thing, just as her mother.
It's a great story, a real pleasure to read, with good characters and lots of interesting historical notes. I would love to read more about Helen!
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this review copy.
April 25, 2022
The book has some really fascinating information about the birth of the NHS and the difficulty of overcoming people’s disbelief that health services are now free. I had not come across the role of a medical almoner before and it took me a little while to work out exactly what it comprised. The author certainly succeeds in depicting what life was like for the poorer inhabitants of Edinburgh: living in crowded and often insanitary housing, existing on poor diets and lacking knowledge of how to prevent common diseases. The theme of women’s health, infertility and motherhood run throughout the book.
In the opening chapters, we learn a lot about Helen’s family and their domestic background. Helen’s determination to forge a career meets with opposition from her mother who can’t see why she would want to do anything other than start a family with her husband, Sandy. Unfortunately, there’s a big stumbling block to this, the nature of which Helen won’t fully understand until later in the book. In the meantime, she’s just patiently trying to help Sandy recover from his experiences as a prisoner-of-war. He is reluctant to talk about what he went through in any detail but it has left him with a fear of enclosed spaces.
The use of Scottish dialect, although giving authenticity, did impair my reading experience. (I appreciate this would not be the case for Scottish readers.) Sentences like, ‘She couldn’t stop the weans from palling around the back greens and the front streets, although she told Helen not to give killycodes if she could help it’ left me mystified and had me searching online for clarification. There were phrases I didn’t know the meaning of – drookit (soaking wet, drenched) or hackit (ugly) – and others that had a different meaning to the one I was used to – bunker (a table top or kitchen counter) or press (cupboard).
For me, the book never really lived up to the publisher’s description of ‘gripping’. The mystery element unfolds really slowly although it takes some interesting twists and turns towards the end of the book revealing a distinctly unpleasant side of Edinburgh life. The author slips in some neat deflections and one or two surprises. However, the skip ahead in time at the end of the book and the late introduction of a new character made the conclusion feel a bit rushed.
In the opening chapters, we learn a lot about Helen’s family and their domestic background. Helen’s determination to forge a career meets with opposition from her mother who can’t see why she would want to do anything other than start a family with her husband, Sandy. Unfortunately, there’s a big stumbling block to this, the nature of which Helen won’t fully understand until later in the book. In the meantime, she’s just patiently trying to help Sandy recover from his experiences as a prisoner-of-war. He is reluctant to talk about what he went through in any detail but it has left him with a fear of enclosed spaces.
The use of Scottish dialect, although giving authenticity, did impair my reading experience. (I appreciate this would not be the case for Scottish readers.) Sentences like, ‘She couldn’t stop the weans from palling around the back greens and the front streets, although she told Helen not to give killycodes if she could help it’ left me mystified and had me searching online for clarification. There were phrases I didn’t know the meaning of – drookit (soaking wet, drenched) or hackit (ugly) – and others that had a different meaning to the one I was used to – bunker (a table top or kitchen counter) or press (cupboard).
For me, the book never really lived up to the publisher’s description of ‘gripping’. The mystery element unfolds really slowly although it takes some interesting twists and turns towards the end of the book revealing a distinctly unpleasant side of Edinburgh life. The author slips in some neat deflections and one or two surprises. However, the skip ahead in time at the end of the book and the late introduction of a new character made the conclusion feel a bit rushed.
May 15, 2022
This was my first time reading anything by Catriona McPherson so I’m not sure if it’s typical for her style of writing, but it didn’t work for me. It read like a stream of consciousness narrative, which I don’t care for.
While a vivid portrayal of the realities of life amongst the Edinburgh poor in the years following WWII and the intriguing beginnings of the NHS, the entire story felt convoluted and haphazard. There were aspects of Helen’s character that I really loved — her empathetic drive to genuinely help those in the community needing health services, her tenacity and backbone — yet she alone couldn’t carry the book for me. The mystery itself was at times gripping, but mostly jumbled and rushed, with Helen routinely hurtling in where angels fear to tread without thinking through the consequences. I’d figured parts of it out in advance and as a whole it didn’t mesh well. Too much confusion and rushing about, not enough ‘aha!’ unfolding.
Without giving too many spoilers, I really didn’t like how Helen’s marriage evolved and what transpired at the conclusion of the book. It was frustrating and selfish and lacked a satisfying resolution. Speaking of the ending, the author abruptly switches to a postscript chapter to tie up loose ends, but with a jump forward in time and a sudden addition of a new character with no explanation of who this person is. I stopped and reread the previous few pages to see what I’d missed, then realized I hadn’t missed anything. Strange.
Some were put off by the Edinburgh dialect being a large part of the narrative. This didn’t bother me — I enjoyed the words and phrases — but it definitely makes for a bit of a challenging read at times. The glossary of terms could benefit from being at the beginning of the book and not the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
While a vivid portrayal of the realities of life amongst the Edinburgh poor in the years following WWII and the intriguing beginnings of the NHS, the entire story felt convoluted and haphazard. There were aspects of Helen’s character that I really loved — her empathetic drive to genuinely help those in the community needing health services, her tenacity and backbone — yet she alone couldn’t carry the book for me. The mystery itself was at times gripping, but mostly jumbled and rushed, with Helen routinely hurtling in where angels fear to tread without thinking through the consequences. I’d figured parts of it out in advance and as a whole it didn’t mesh well. Too much confusion and rushing about, not enough ‘aha!’ unfolding.
Without giving too many spoilers, I really didn’t like how Helen’s marriage evolved and what transpired at the conclusion of the book. It was frustrating and selfish and lacked a satisfying resolution. Speaking of the ending, the author abruptly switches to a postscript chapter to tie up loose ends, but with a jump forward in time and a sudden addition of a new character with no explanation of who this person is. I stopped and reread the previous few pages to see what I’d missed, then realized I hadn’t missed anything. Strange.
Some were put off by the Edinburgh dialect being a large part of the narrative. This didn’t bother me — I enjoyed the words and phrases — but it definitely makes for a bit of a challenging read at times. The glossary of terms could benefit from being at the beginning of the book and not the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
July 27, 2022
In Place of Fear had me reading about a topic I didn’t even realize I wanted to read about, the NHS, or National Health Service, of the United Kingdom. I’ve heard how fantastic it is for those I know in the UK to obtain health care without worrying about what it costs. And, in reading this book, I discovered what it was like in its infancy. The disbelief of the UK’s citizens that their healthcare was free took some convincing. Those of us who are ardent fans of Catriona McPherson and in particular her stand-alones will experience a different kind of story in this book. In her previous stand-alones, the creepy factor has been fully engaged, but in this tale, the sinister is disguised as business as usual. And, of course, the cleverness is as evident as it always is in a book from McPherson.
The main character of the story is an “almoner,” whose job it is to get people signed up, to start a file for them where their health problems could be on record and their care could be better coordinated. Of course, paperwork and getting people signed up was only the beginning. Her job included providing nutritional information, pre-natal and post-natal care, ensuring people had proper housing, visiting patients in their homes to assess needs, and keeping the doctors she worked with apprised of her findings. She first, of course, had to convince those who couldn’t afford healthcare that it was free. So, readers will enjoy a well-researched piece of history told through the story of this almoner who is on the front lines of the NHS’s inception. However, this is Catriona McPherson, and readers will also get a first-rate crime/mystery as well.
Life is looking up for newly appointed Medical Welfare Almoner Helen (Nelly) Crowther in Edinburgh. Her new appointment means that she won’t have to follow her mother Greet and other women in her community to work in the bottling factory. Nelly’s father works in the slaughterhouse, and the family barely gets by. Their apartment houses Nelly and her husband, Nelly’s little sister, and Nelly’s parents. It’s a poor existence and one hard to climb out of, but Nelly was noticed by Mrs. Simpson at an early age and came under her tutelage. So, Nelly can work doing something she is passionate about. Greet is adamantly against Nelly taking the job, as there is that odd notion of not rising above one’s station prevalent in their community, and Greet objects to her working with two male doctors. Also, Greet thinks Nelly should be concentrating on getting pregnant and having babies, the normal course of their lives.
Nelly has been married two years to her school days sweetheart Sandy when the story opens. Sandy had been a POW during the recently ended war and they were married when he returned home. He works as a street cleaner because he says he can’t stand to work indoors. There are problems between Nelly and Sandy, but with the new job has come a house of their own, so Nelly is hopeful that being out from her parents’ watch will solve her marital troubles. However, the move to their own home has a most inauspicious beginning. Nelly discovers the body of a young woman in the yard’s Anderson shelter, the lifeless form clothed only in a dirty hospital gown. The doctor declares it a suicide, but Nelly has seen the body up close and is convinced that death was at the hands of another. Thus starts Nelly’s personal investigation and vow to discover who the young woman was and how she died.
One of the overriding themes in the book is women’s health, especially having or not having babies and the care for both. Choices were mostly in the hands of men what happened there, and it couldn’t be a timelier theme. Nelly is the outlier in 1948, loving her job and the independence that came with it. Through Nelly’s cases she works, McPherson does a great job of taking us into the lives of the underprivileged (impoverished) Edinburgh women in the years after WWII. And, the marked distinction between the poor and the rich is all too evident in how lives are lived and problems are handled. The lines of social class are just beginning to blur after the war, and Nelly represents that force of change that is coming. She isn’t content to conform to the traditions of her poor community of repeating one’s parents’ lives. She wants something of her own and isn’t afraid to fight for it. She has a voice and uses it. By the end of the story, readers will understand just how unconventional Nelly is for her times.
In Place of Fear is a historical fiction murder mystery, but I think that even in the murder mystery part, the historical takes precedence. Well, it’s probably more accurate to say the two aspects of the story depend on one another. What happens to the victim and the coverup afterwards is a part of women’s history, what it was, what we were able to change for the better, and the threats that still exist to women’s health. I enjoyed the mystery, as it had me guessing until the end, and I always enjoy being proved wrong about who I think the villain is, and, of course, if not for the investigation into the woman’s death, the unsavory history would not have been uncovered. But, for me, the history in the mystery and the history in the rest of the story is what was so powerful.
A quick word about the Scottish dialect used in the dialogue. I enjoyed it because I love hearing people talk who are from Scotland, like Catriona McPherson. I think there was just enough though, as a whole book of it might have been distracting instead of enriching. I’m familiar with a lot of the words, so I only looked up a few. There is a handy glossary at the back of the book if you’re not familiar or you can’t understand the word through context clues. I think the choice of characters whose conversations use the dialect, Nelly and Sandy and Greet and others in their social circle, adds to the authenticity of their street cred and brings the readers into their world.
Catriona McPherson has given us yet another fascinating narrative in which to immerse ourselves, continuing her brilliance in unique storytelling. Thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette Book Group for an advanced reader’s copy of In Place of Fear.
The main character of the story is an “almoner,” whose job it is to get people signed up, to start a file for them where their health problems could be on record and their care could be better coordinated. Of course, paperwork and getting people signed up was only the beginning. Her job included providing nutritional information, pre-natal and post-natal care, ensuring people had proper housing, visiting patients in their homes to assess needs, and keeping the doctors she worked with apprised of her findings. She first, of course, had to convince those who couldn’t afford healthcare that it was free. So, readers will enjoy a well-researched piece of history told through the story of this almoner who is on the front lines of the NHS’s inception. However, this is Catriona McPherson, and readers will also get a first-rate crime/mystery as well.
Life is looking up for newly appointed Medical Welfare Almoner Helen (Nelly) Crowther in Edinburgh. Her new appointment means that she won’t have to follow her mother Greet and other women in her community to work in the bottling factory. Nelly’s father works in the slaughterhouse, and the family barely gets by. Their apartment houses Nelly and her husband, Nelly’s little sister, and Nelly’s parents. It’s a poor existence and one hard to climb out of, but Nelly was noticed by Mrs. Simpson at an early age and came under her tutelage. So, Nelly can work doing something she is passionate about. Greet is adamantly against Nelly taking the job, as there is that odd notion of not rising above one’s station prevalent in their community, and Greet objects to her working with two male doctors. Also, Greet thinks Nelly should be concentrating on getting pregnant and having babies, the normal course of their lives.
Nelly has been married two years to her school days sweetheart Sandy when the story opens. Sandy had been a POW during the recently ended war and they were married when he returned home. He works as a street cleaner because he says he can’t stand to work indoors. There are problems between Nelly and Sandy, but with the new job has come a house of their own, so Nelly is hopeful that being out from her parents’ watch will solve her marital troubles. However, the move to their own home has a most inauspicious beginning. Nelly discovers the body of a young woman in the yard’s Anderson shelter, the lifeless form clothed only in a dirty hospital gown. The doctor declares it a suicide, but Nelly has seen the body up close and is convinced that death was at the hands of another. Thus starts Nelly’s personal investigation and vow to discover who the young woman was and how she died.
One of the overriding themes in the book is women’s health, especially having or not having babies and the care for both. Choices were mostly in the hands of men what happened there, and it couldn’t be a timelier theme. Nelly is the outlier in 1948, loving her job and the independence that came with it. Through Nelly’s cases she works, McPherson does a great job of taking us into the lives of the underprivileged (impoverished) Edinburgh women in the years after WWII. And, the marked distinction between the poor and the rich is all too evident in how lives are lived and problems are handled. The lines of social class are just beginning to blur after the war, and Nelly represents that force of change that is coming. She isn’t content to conform to the traditions of her poor community of repeating one’s parents’ lives. She wants something of her own and isn’t afraid to fight for it. She has a voice and uses it. By the end of the story, readers will understand just how unconventional Nelly is for her times.
In Place of Fear is a historical fiction murder mystery, but I think that even in the murder mystery part, the historical takes precedence. Well, it’s probably more accurate to say the two aspects of the story depend on one another. What happens to the victim and the coverup afterwards is a part of women’s history, what it was, what we were able to change for the better, and the threats that still exist to women’s health. I enjoyed the mystery, as it had me guessing until the end, and I always enjoy being proved wrong about who I think the villain is, and, of course, if not for the investigation into the woman’s death, the unsavory history would not have been uncovered. But, for me, the history in the mystery and the history in the rest of the story is what was so powerful.
A quick word about the Scottish dialect used in the dialogue. I enjoyed it because I love hearing people talk who are from Scotland, like Catriona McPherson. I think there was just enough though, as a whole book of it might have been distracting instead of enriching. I’m familiar with a lot of the words, so I only looked up a few. There is a handy glossary at the back of the book if you’re not familiar or you can’t understand the word through context clues. I think the choice of characters whose conversations use the dialect, Nelly and Sandy and Greet and others in their social circle, adds to the authenticity of their street cred and brings the readers into their world.
Catriona McPherson has given us yet another fascinating narrative in which to immerse ourselves, continuing her brilliance in unique storytelling. Thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette Book Group for an advanced reader’s copy of In Place of Fear.
August 20, 2022
Daughter of working-class parents, Helen was the protege of a wealthy widow, which enabled her to get some education and now, a job as almoner (Americans, think of a kind of medical social worker) to two doctors at the dawn of the National Health Service. Helen and her new husband, shattered by his POW experiences, are still living with her parents, until one of the doctors suggests they live in a nearby flat he owns. But Helen finds a body in the air raid shelter in their yard, a dead woman who looks much like the daughters of her benefactor. As she tries to help her patients understand that the NHS will not cause them money, and sees their heartbreaking problems, she also learns more about the world she lives in, and whether there is anyone she can trust.
April 27, 2022
Helen is a newly appointed almoner. She is so looking forward to her job but knows that there are many obstacles. She herself comes from a working class background and knows that females working in jobs like this is not something quite acceptable from people amongst her peers. She also knows that those are the very people she has to work with.
Thrown out of her home by her mother who thinks this will be the ultimate challenge to get her to change her ways, Helen lucks out when she and her husband Sandy are offered a beautiful home to live in whilst doing her job. She has never lived in such a "posh" house and is determined to make a go of the job, so as not to lose this home as well.
Finding a dead body in the shed at the end of the property on the first day she moved in was not the beginning she envisaged and discovering that it is her mentor's daughter (or so she thought as the resemblance was uncanny) was also strange and too much of a coincidence. It set off an enquiry on Helen's part because she felt that there was a conspiracy on the part of everyone around her including her boss to cover up the tracks of who this woman is, and to just assign her to a list of Jane Doe's and forget about it.
The story apart from the murders, is very descriptive in the lives of Edinburgh citizens of the 1940s. The class divide so very strong, that that in itself seems to be a story of its own.
Good reading.
Thrown out of her home by her mother who thinks this will be the ultimate challenge to get her to change her ways, Helen lucks out when she and her husband Sandy are offered a beautiful home to live in whilst doing her job. She has never lived in such a "posh" house and is determined to make a go of the job, so as not to lose this home as well.
Finding a dead body in the shed at the end of the property on the first day she moved in was not the beginning she envisaged and discovering that it is her mentor's daughter (or so she thought as the resemblance was uncanny) was also strange and too much of a coincidence. It set off an enquiry on Helen's part because she felt that there was a conspiracy on the part of everyone around her including her boss to cover up the tracks of who this woman is, and to just assign her to a list of Jane Doe's and forget about it.
The story apart from the murders, is very descriptive in the lives of Edinburgh citizens of the 1940s. The class divide so very strong, that that in itself seems to be a story of its own.
Good reading.
April 16, 2022
Historical fiction featuring the early days of the National Health Service in Scotland. This book takes place in 1948 and features a newly minted Medical Almoner who functions much as a medical social worker might today. Helen Crowther makes house calls, tries to convince people to sign up for the service, and is assigned to work for two doctors in the new Health Services program. All the while she is dealing with her own personal issues of having left her parent’s home to live in a house the doctor’s offered, triggering resentment and criticism that she is putting on “airs”. She is also coping with her new husband, who was a Prisoner of War and is now home; but shows no interest in consummating the marriage. Add to all this personal angst the body of a young girl she discovers in the shed behind their new home, and life is complicated for Helen.
If you are interested in an in-depth look, although fictionalized, in how the National Health Service functioned in its infancy, this is a good place to start. The book follows Helen along on her rounds as she contacts possible new patients and deals with issues ranging from unsanitary housekeeping and childcare, to a barren couple who might consider adopting a child. These activities take place as she settles in working with two doctors, learning how to manage their personalities and finding her place in the office.
While dealing with these issues in her professional life, she also must manage her relationship with her family and their criticism of her chosen profession as well as her husband’s decision to sweep streets rather than take a higher paying job. Overlaying all of this is the fact Helen is not yet pregnant, which her parents consider her primary duty.
As Helen battles through the resistance of family and others to pursue her goal, she finds ways to encourage herself toward her goals. She begins making plans for the small patch of green behind her new little house and goes to inspect the shed in the back. It comes as quite a surprise when she finds a dead body, a young woman, in the shed. She hurries to report to the police and she notifies one of the doctors for whom she works and he offers to pronounce. Relieved, she and the doctor follow the ambulance to the morgue where things get very confusing. The dead girl, at first thought to be a girl known to Helen, is identified as someone else. Then, the body is reported to have been sent to another city, which later Helen learns is not true.
Helen becomes determined to find the body and ensure a proper notification, As she begins her search, she uncovers an entire web of salacious activities that have been pursued by some of the more respected men of the community. She determines that one of the doctors for whom she works is also involved in this, and takes on the responsibility of making sure the girl is properly identified and the activities of the entire group of men are shut down.
The mystery focuses on who is involved in the secret activities which have led to death and other negative results for some of the young women and girls in town. While this mystery is an integral part of the book, it is not the main focus of the book and readers who are interested in the other aspects such as Helen’s life, the NHS, ect. will enjoy the book more than those looking for a traditional mystery. One caution, the dialogue is all written in Scottish dialect which may make it a slow read for some. I personally found this aspect to slow my reading and make it difficult to get started in the book at first.
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Publishers for an advance copy of this book to review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
If you are interested in an in-depth look, although fictionalized, in how the National Health Service functioned in its infancy, this is a good place to start. The book follows Helen along on her rounds as she contacts possible new patients and deals with issues ranging from unsanitary housekeeping and childcare, to a barren couple who might consider adopting a child. These activities take place as she settles in working with two doctors, learning how to manage their personalities and finding her place in the office.
While dealing with these issues in her professional life, she also must manage her relationship with her family and their criticism of her chosen profession as well as her husband’s decision to sweep streets rather than take a higher paying job. Overlaying all of this is the fact Helen is not yet pregnant, which her parents consider her primary duty.
As Helen battles through the resistance of family and others to pursue her goal, she finds ways to encourage herself toward her goals. She begins making plans for the small patch of green behind her new little house and goes to inspect the shed in the back. It comes as quite a surprise when she finds a dead body, a young woman, in the shed. She hurries to report to the police and she notifies one of the doctors for whom she works and he offers to pronounce. Relieved, she and the doctor follow the ambulance to the morgue where things get very confusing. The dead girl, at first thought to be a girl known to Helen, is identified as someone else. Then, the body is reported to have been sent to another city, which later Helen learns is not true.
Helen becomes determined to find the body and ensure a proper notification, As she begins her search, she uncovers an entire web of salacious activities that have been pursued by some of the more respected men of the community. She determines that one of the doctors for whom she works is also involved in this, and takes on the responsibility of making sure the girl is properly identified and the activities of the entire group of men are shut down.
The mystery focuses on who is involved in the secret activities which have led to death and other negative results for some of the young women and girls in town. While this mystery is an integral part of the book, it is not the main focus of the book and readers who are interested in the other aspects such as Helen’s life, the NHS, ect. will enjoy the book more than those looking for a traditional mystery. One caution, the dialogue is all written in Scottish dialect which may make it a slow read for some. I personally found this aspect to slow my reading and make it difficult to get started in the book at first.
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Publishers for an advance copy of this book to review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
January 18, 2022
In Place of Fear by Catriona McPherson a great post-WWII era historical murder/mystery that takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was really enjoyable.
I was really impressed with this historical fiction novel that was part HF, part murder/mystery. I have never read anything by this author before, and I am glad that I have now been properly introduced.
This takes place in Edinburgh, 1948. I love that this takes place in Scotland. Such a fabulous city that, at this time, seems to be balancing between two different worlds: the old and new. So many pivotal changes are taking place: post-war, societal roles shifting, the NHS, and the author does a great job incorporating this into the plot and also into the backdrop as well. We really get a sense of how the those within all walks of life are living, some easier than others.
Add in a murder/mystery involving our main character, Helen, and you have got yourself a good story. Helen certainly has her hands full with her family, her new position, and the obstacles she faces personally and professionally at the start of this book, and to then find more problems, well she feels it is justified in the instance of being an advocate for those that don’t have a voice or anyone to fight for their own justice. Her intentions are admirable, however the more she investigates, the deeper she goes, and the darker the undercurrent is that she discovers. Can she solve the crime, all the while solve her own life’s dilemmas? I enjoyed finding out.
I liked Helen as she is a likable, realistic character that one cannot help but root for. The murder/mystery was engaging and kept me in suspense. I also liked the overall pacing, plot, and ending.
I look forward to reading more from Ms. McPherson.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Hodder & Stoughton for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/14/22.
I was really impressed with this historical fiction novel that was part HF, part murder/mystery. I have never read anything by this author before, and I am glad that I have now been properly introduced.
This takes place in Edinburgh, 1948. I love that this takes place in Scotland. Such a fabulous city that, at this time, seems to be balancing between two different worlds: the old and new. So many pivotal changes are taking place: post-war, societal roles shifting, the NHS, and the author does a great job incorporating this into the plot and also into the backdrop as well. We really get a sense of how the those within all walks of life are living, some easier than others.
Add in a murder/mystery involving our main character, Helen, and you have got yourself a good story. Helen certainly has her hands full with her family, her new position, and the obstacles she faces personally and professionally at the start of this book, and to then find more problems, well she feels it is justified in the instance of being an advocate for those that don’t have a voice or anyone to fight for their own justice. Her intentions are admirable, however the more she investigates, the deeper she goes, and the darker the undercurrent is that she discovers. Can she solve the crime, all the while solve her own life’s dilemmas? I enjoyed finding out.
I liked Helen as she is a likable, realistic character that one cannot help but root for. The murder/mystery was engaging and kept me in suspense. I also liked the overall pacing, plot, and ending.
I look forward to reading more from Ms. McPherson.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Hodder & Stoughton for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/14/22.
April 12, 2022
Set in Edinburgh, just after the second world war. Just as the NHS is being born. We follow Nelly as she takes on a newly created position within that (at that time) most magnificent organisation, as a Medical Welfare Almoner. Well... who knew that was a thing. After I finished reading, I did go into that more and learned a lot! I do love it when a book not only entertains but also educates!
Anyway, she is setting up her stall so to speak when she notices a few things. Dark things. And, not one to just leave it alone, she starts to investigate. And opens up the biggest can of worms possible as things get even darker when a body is found in the garden of the house she has been allowed to live in. She won't believe the reasons and method of death, and so carries on, even though doing so could prove dangerous...
I took to Nelly straight away. With her no-nonsense attitude to life and her refusal to put up and shut up. Wanting instead to make a difference. To take on the world and win. And the compassionate way she cares about her broken "husband" after his war.
I was also fascinated about the birth of the NHS - an institution that is these days pretty broken - and how it was implemented at its starting up and the important job that those like Nelly do.
But it was the investigation that really made it for me. It was well plotted and that plot expertly executed and it kept me on my toes throughout, no second guessing was successful here I can tell you! But nothing came out of left field, it all came together nicely at the end. I just didn't spot the signs along the way.
All in all, a cracking read and hopefully, not the last we see of Nelly. I feel she is a character who hasn't finished telling her stories yet...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Anyway, she is setting up her stall so to speak when she notices a few things. Dark things. And, not one to just leave it alone, she starts to investigate. And opens up the biggest can of worms possible as things get even darker when a body is found in the garden of the house she has been allowed to live in. She won't believe the reasons and method of death, and so carries on, even though doing so could prove dangerous...
I took to Nelly straight away. With her no-nonsense attitude to life and her refusal to put up and shut up. Wanting instead to make a difference. To take on the world and win. And the compassionate way she cares about her broken "husband" after his war.
I was also fascinated about the birth of the NHS - an institution that is these days pretty broken - and how it was implemented at its starting up and the important job that those like Nelly do.
But it was the investigation that really made it for me. It was well plotted and that plot expertly executed and it kept me on my toes throughout, no second guessing was successful here I can tell you! But nothing came out of left field, it all came together nicely at the end. I just didn't spot the signs along the way.
All in all, a cracking read and hopefully, not the last we see of Nelly. I feel she is a character who hasn't finished telling her stories yet...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
May 13, 2022
Catriona McPherson is a new author to me and I was positively impressed by this read.
The format, part historical fiction and part murder mystery, is very enjoyable, as is the setting, 1948 Edinburgh and the main character, Helen.
Plot and pacing are perfect, the mystery is engaging and keeps you always interested, the writing style is very good. All in all there's nothing I didn't like about this book and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The format, part historical fiction and part murder mystery, is very enjoyable, as is the setting, 1948 Edinburgh and the main character, Helen.
Plot and pacing are perfect, the mystery is engaging and keeps you always interested, the writing style is very good. All in all there's nothing I didn't like about this book and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 16, 2022
I have read most of Catriona McPherson's series featuring Dandy Gilver, which I really enjoy. This is quite different in tone and approach, where the 'mystery' isn't really that central to the book. As ever, however, the historical atmosphere is well written, and some of the details of the creation of the NHS were certainly eye-opening. An interesting and absorbing read, with Edinburgh as a wonderful backdrop in all its beauty and squalor. A strong 3 stars.
May 22, 2022
Catriona McPherson is an author I’ve wanted to try for a while and her latest novel, In Place of Fear, turned out to be a good one for me to start with; it’s a fascinating historical mystery set in Edinburgh just after World War II.
It’s 1948 and Helen Crowther is about to start a new job as medical almoner for the newly formed National Health Service. Working alongside two doctors, Dr Deuchar and Dr Strasser, Helen will be making home visits to patients, giving them advice and ensuring that they get the help they need – a role similar to a modern-day social worker. She’s looking forward to the new job, but at the same time she knows there are going to be difficulties: first of all, she will have to convince the disbelieving public that healthcare under the new NHS really is free and they no longer need to worry about paying for their treatment; she also has to contend with the disapproval of her mother, who wishes she would get a job in a factory like other working class women. It comes as a relief when Dr Strasser offers Helen the upstairs flat in an empty building he owns, so that she and her husband, Sandy, can move out of her parents’ overcrowded house at last.
Helen’s marriage has not been a particularly happy one so far; Sandy has spent several years in a POW camp and since returning to Scotland has been struggling to cope with married life. Helen hopes the situation will improve now that they can be alone together, but just as she and Sandy are beginning to settle into their new home, she discovers the body of a young woman in the air raid shelter in the garden! The doctor is summoned and after examining the body he decides that it was suicide, but Helen is not convinced. Who is this young woman and how did she die? Helen is determined to find out, even though everyone else seems equally determined to cover up what has happened.
The mystery aspect of this novel takes a while to get started and never really becomes the main focus of the book until near the end when Helen begins to uncover some secrets that have remained hidden for many years. However, I thought it was a very intriguing mystery and although I had my suspicions as to who the culprit might be, I was unable to guess the other parts of the solution. Looking at other reviews of the book, it seems that a lot of readers were disappointed that the crime element wasn’t stronger but this didn’t bother me as I was finding it so interesting to read about life in 1940s Edinburgh and the beginnings of the NHS. There’s also a heavy use of Scottish dialect which I think people will either like or they won’t, but I thought it added to the strong sense of time and place and I found it easy enough to follow what was being said.
A lot of time is spent on Helen’s visits to people in the community, particularly young mothers and those who are hoping to become mothers, so that she can advise them on diet and hygiene and make sure they are receiving the medical care they’re entitled to. I wasn’t familiar with the role of medical almoners before reading this book, so I found it fascinating to learn about what the job involved. Before 1948, the almoner would assess patients to decide how much they could afford to pay, but with the birth of a health service that was ‘free at the point of use’ this became unnecessary and the almoner could devote more time to actually helping the patients with their medical needs. However, Helen sometimes goes above and beyond what is required and sometimes she makes mistakes or is seen as interfering in things that are none of her business. It was watching her going about her daily work and trying to decide how to handle each difficult situation that I found particularly enjoyable, so it didn’t matter to me that the mystery was so slow to develop.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm sure I'll be reading more by Catriona McPherson.
It’s 1948 and Helen Crowther is about to start a new job as medical almoner for the newly formed National Health Service. Working alongside two doctors, Dr Deuchar and Dr Strasser, Helen will be making home visits to patients, giving them advice and ensuring that they get the help they need – a role similar to a modern-day social worker. She’s looking forward to the new job, but at the same time she knows there are going to be difficulties: first of all, she will have to convince the disbelieving public that healthcare under the new NHS really is free and they no longer need to worry about paying for their treatment; she also has to contend with the disapproval of her mother, who wishes she would get a job in a factory like other working class women. It comes as a relief when Dr Strasser offers Helen the upstairs flat in an empty building he owns, so that she and her husband, Sandy, can move out of her parents’ overcrowded house at last.
Helen’s marriage has not been a particularly happy one so far; Sandy has spent several years in a POW camp and since returning to Scotland has been struggling to cope with married life. Helen hopes the situation will improve now that they can be alone together, but just as she and Sandy are beginning to settle into their new home, she discovers the body of a young woman in the air raid shelter in the garden! The doctor is summoned and after examining the body he decides that it was suicide, but Helen is not convinced. Who is this young woman and how did she die? Helen is determined to find out, even though everyone else seems equally determined to cover up what has happened.
The mystery aspect of this novel takes a while to get started and never really becomes the main focus of the book until near the end when Helen begins to uncover some secrets that have remained hidden for many years. However, I thought it was a very intriguing mystery and although I had my suspicions as to who the culprit might be, I was unable to guess the other parts of the solution. Looking at other reviews of the book, it seems that a lot of readers were disappointed that the crime element wasn’t stronger but this didn’t bother me as I was finding it so interesting to read about life in 1940s Edinburgh and the beginnings of the NHS. There’s also a heavy use of Scottish dialect which I think people will either like or they won’t, but I thought it added to the strong sense of time and place and I found it easy enough to follow what was being said.
A lot of time is spent on Helen’s visits to people in the community, particularly young mothers and those who are hoping to become mothers, so that she can advise them on diet and hygiene and make sure they are receiving the medical care they’re entitled to. I wasn’t familiar with the role of medical almoners before reading this book, so I found it fascinating to learn about what the job involved. Before 1948, the almoner would assess patients to decide how much they could afford to pay, but with the birth of a health service that was ‘free at the point of use’ this became unnecessary and the almoner could devote more time to actually helping the patients with their medical needs. However, Helen sometimes goes above and beyond what is required and sometimes she makes mistakes or is seen as interfering in things that are none of her business. It was watching her going about her daily work and trying to decide how to handle each difficult situation that I found particularly enjoyable, so it didn’t matter to me that the mystery was so slow to develop.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm sure I'll be reading more by Catriona McPherson.
October 22, 2022
I read this book via a library loan, and I wished I could leave a note in it: "Future readers, be aware that there is a glossary at the very back of the book. It will help you understand it much easier." Why on earth would you put a glossary at the back, without anything in the front to reference it, and a full two-page glossary at that? Seems to me that if it has to be that long, it would make you think it should be up front, to actually be seen. Especially when a lot of the dialog is in a heavy Scottish dialect? Beats me. I know a few things, such as "bairn" being a baby, and "ken" meaning "know". But when you throw in whole conversations full of words like braw (good), midden (refuse heap), thole (endure), or breenge (rush), to name only a few of the many, its frustrating. Too much time wasted trying to figure out, and only guess, what people are saying to one another.
Other than that, the book for me was just okay. I didn't love it as much as most others seem to. The mystery wasn't all that mysterious, and while it was fairly interesting to hear all the different stories of patients that came up for the young woman connected to the NHS, I sort of ended up looking forward to the end. In fact, I only found the glossary at the back because about halfway thru the book, I looked to see how many pages the book had. And there was the glossary.
Other than that, the book for me was just okay. I didn't love it as much as most others seem to. The mystery wasn't all that mysterious, and while it was fairly interesting to hear all the different stories of patients that came up for the young woman connected to the NHS, I sort of ended up looking forward to the end. In fact, I only found the glossary at the back because about halfway thru the book, I looked to see how many pages the book had. And there was the glossary.
April 30, 2022
I don’t know if my issue with the book is more with the book itself or with the marketing - I was promised “a gripping new crime novel” when the mystery isn’t even the main focus of the book. It’s very slow-paced, and I would not have finished it had I not received an ARC. Also, this is more of a personal preference, but I really hate when dialogue is written in an extreme way that highlights the speaker’s dialect or accent. The Scottish dialogue really slowed me down even more and took a lot of brain power to understand.
I received an ARC for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an ARC for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 27, 2025
I loved the idea of exploring the first days of the NHS and the massive change that must’ve been along with a side of murder mystery. This sounded like the perfect book!
And while it did keep me reading until the end to figure out exactly what happened, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by a few parts. All of these have been mentioned in other reviews: Helen’s naïveté that make her ‘investigation’ feel childish (her looking at pictures in the library trying to tell who was evil felt ridiculous), so much dialect that footnotes would’ve been better than a list of terms at the end — and speaking of the end, the postscript was such a strange way to wrap it up. Additionally: Edinburgh itself is a character in the story, said as much in the prologue. Why not include a map for those unfamiliar with the city? It would help with the enjoyment of the novel.
All that being said, I think there are very few novels that take place in the UK right after WWII compared to during, so this was a welcome read. I thought the historical details were fascinating, and I enjoyed witnessing Helen grow more confident in herself. I kept reading, wanting to know what happens next. If you’re reading this after finishing the book, I hope you enjoyed it too - but that some of this also rings true for your experience (including my list of lingering bugaboos below). If you’re wondering about reading this book, know I think it would be a fun read for you especially from a women’s history perspective and that it explores a lot of topics that were historically taboo, just know it might not be the most fulfilling mystery you read.
(Spoilers from this point on, though I’ve tried to omit any major ones)
Things I was still unsure with even after finishing the book: Why are we suddenly to believe that Helen is palling around with Carolyn (or more) when there wasn’t any bit of chemistry between them in their very few interactions at all earlier in the whole rest of the book? What happened to Mrs. Anderson, was she truly allowed to just “go away” knowing what she did? Why DID Helen hear someone crying in that office if it wasn’t the clerk, how did she see the yellow door to begin with? If the whole situation closed up shop a year or two prior, I don’t think anyone would have been there hiding and crying. (Quite frankly, the whole timeline seemed a bit convoluted?) Why would the murderer suddenly lose heart at the end and not kill Helen and Sandy once they had figured it out? Who was the man glaring up at Helen from their Anderson? I don’t think it was Gavin, and I don’t get why that scene was included. I also have a tough time believing that everyone and their auntie knew what was going on with this surgery but the other doctor had no idea what was going on right under his nose?? I also think it would’ve been better to mention his girlfriend earlier, or at least rumors of her; the ending was too sudden. And this is very petty but I think it needs to be said: publication imperfections. They irk me and I’ve been seeing them more often in recently published books. It doesn’t take away from the story, but it’s a shame for the author who clearly put a lot of love into this book. There were multiple punctuation double ups or omissions throughout.
And while it did keep me reading until the end to figure out exactly what happened, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by a few parts. All of these have been mentioned in other reviews: Helen’s naïveté that make her ‘investigation’ feel childish (her looking at pictures in the library trying to tell who was evil felt ridiculous), so much dialect that footnotes would’ve been better than a list of terms at the end — and speaking of the end, the postscript was such a strange way to wrap it up. Additionally: Edinburgh itself is a character in the story, said as much in the prologue. Why not include a map for those unfamiliar with the city? It would help with the enjoyment of the novel.
All that being said, I think there are very few novels that take place in the UK right after WWII compared to during, so this was a welcome read. I thought the historical details were fascinating, and I enjoyed witnessing Helen grow more confident in herself. I kept reading, wanting to know what happens next. If you’re reading this after finishing the book, I hope you enjoyed it too - but that some of this also rings true for your experience (including my list of lingering bugaboos below). If you’re wondering about reading this book, know I think it would be a fun read for you especially from a women’s history perspective and that it explores a lot of topics that were historically taboo, just know it might not be the most fulfilling mystery you read.
(Spoilers from this point on, though I’ve tried to omit any major ones)
Things I was still unsure with even after finishing the book: Why are we suddenly to believe that Helen is palling around with Carolyn (or more) when there wasn’t any bit of chemistry between them in their very few interactions at all earlier in the whole rest of the book? What happened to Mrs. Anderson, was she truly allowed to just “go away” knowing what she did? Why DID Helen hear someone crying in that office if it wasn’t the clerk, how did she see the yellow door to begin with? If the whole situation closed up shop a year or two prior, I don’t think anyone would have been there hiding and crying. (Quite frankly, the whole timeline seemed a bit convoluted?) Why would the murderer suddenly lose heart at the end and not kill Helen and Sandy once they had figured it out? Who was the man glaring up at Helen from their Anderson? I don’t think it was Gavin, and I don’t get why that scene was included. I also have a tough time believing that everyone and their auntie knew what was going on with this surgery but the other doctor had no idea what was going on right under his nose?? I also think it would’ve been better to mention his girlfriend earlier, or at least rumors of her; the ending was too sudden. And this is very petty but I think it needs to be said: publication imperfections. They irk me and I’ve been seeing them more often in recently published books. It doesn’t take away from the story, but it’s a shame for the author who clearly put a lot of love into this book. There were multiple punctuation double ups or omissions throughout.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2023
What a wonderful book this is! In Place of Fear opens in 1948, on the very day that the new National Health Service in Scotland also opens for business. Helen is one of the new breed of almoners, trained and employed, as opposed to the financially secure ladies who had done some of this kind of work in the past. It is fortunate that Helen is a woman of character as very few of her friends, family and acquaintances are at all supportive. The general feeling from both ends of the social divide is that she should know her place. Her working class parents thinks she's too uppity and the former volunteer lady is horrified that a girl (Helen is actually a married woman in her twenties) should presume to take on her work. And then there are the doctors in whose practice she is working. They seem to be kind, welcoming and supportive but Helen never feels on an equal footing with them. And she's still struggling to make her marriage to Sandy work; Sandy who has returned to her after years as a POW in a Russian camp.
In the middle of all the changes, busyness and adjustments in the new NHS's first few weeks, Helen finds a body in the shed of her new house. Horrified, she is at first dazed by the discovery but gradually realises that this is more than a cry for help gone wrong, bad as that would be. Helen is unable to forget the dead woman and her doggedness and need for the truth open up a horrible truth.
It was Catriona McPherson's authorship that drew me to this book. Having read her Dandy Gilver series with great enjoyment, I was excited to see her depiction of a slice of seventy-year-old Edinburgh life. And I was in no way disappointed. She brings to life Fountainbridge and the Colonies, just a stone's throw from the elegant New Town but far apart in lifestyle. And she brings to life the wonder of the new National Health Service and the disbelief that medical care could actually be free at the point of need. In Place of Fear is being promoted as a crime novel and there is certainly an element of that in the book. But there is so much more hidden in its layers.
In the middle of all the changes, busyness and adjustments in the new NHS's first few weeks, Helen finds a body in the shed of her new house. Horrified, she is at first dazed by the discovery but gradually realises that this is more than a cry for help gone wrong, bad as that would be. Helen is unable to forget the dead woman and her doggedness and need for the truth open up a horrible truth.
It was Catriona McPherson's authorship that drew me to this book. Having read her Dandy Gilver series with great enjoyment, I was excited to see her depiction of a slice of seventy-year-old Edinburgh life. And I was in no way disappointed. She brings to life Fountainbridge and the Colonies, just a stone's throw from the elegant New Town but far apart in lifestyle. And she brings to life the wonder of the new National Health Service and the disbelief that medical care could actually be free at the point of need. In Place of Fear is being promoted as a crime novel and there is certainly an element of that in the book. But there is so much more hidden in its layers.
April 10, 2023
In Place of Fear - Catriona McPherson
A new author for me but one whose books I plan to read more of.
The book is set in Edinburgh in 1948, at the birth of the NHS. The main character, Helen is about to start a new job as a Medical Almoner, which is a welfare role within the doctor’s practice. Working alongside two doctors, Helen makes home visits to patients, giving them advice and ensuring that they get the help they need – a role similar to the combination of a modern-day social worker and a health visitor. Her family don’t seem happy that she’s even working, never mind with two male doctors. They believe that a married woman should be having babies and staying at home. There is also the inverted snobbery attitude that she is trying to rise above her station in life, and girls like her from the poor tenements should be working in factories like her mother.
When Helen stumbles across a dead body, she finds her herself investigating the murkier side of life. It seems people will stop at nothing to prevent scandal, and only Helen cares enough to try to get justice for the dead young woman.
It’s quite hard to categorise this book, which is part social history, part murder mystery. I rather liked the fact that it didn’t feel similar to other books, and that it found room for both social commentary about the plight of the poor and the general attitude towards women, as well as a cleverly constructed tale about the murky, sinister and sometimes deadly side of mid-C20th Edinburgh.
It's a fascinating combination with a good cast of characters and a great deal to discover about attitudes to women, the class system, homosexuality, and the birth of the NHS.
The use of Scottish dialect was interesting and added character and authenticity, but unfortunately my ARC didn’t have a glossary so some of it was incomprehensible. Assuming there will be one in the standard version.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.
A new author for me but one whose books I plan to read more of.
The book is set in Edinburgh in 1948, at the birth of the NHS. The main character, Helen is about to start a new job as a Medical Almoner, which is a welfare role within the doctor’s practice. Working alongside two doctors, Helen makes home visits to patients, giving them advice and ensuring that they get the help they need – a role similar to the combination of a modern-day social worker and a health visitor. Her family don’t seem happy that she’s even working, never mind with two male doctors. They believe that a married woman should be having babies and staying at home. There is also the inverted snobbery attitude that she is trying to rise above her station in life, and girls like her from the poor tenements should be working in factories like her mother.
When Helen stumbles across a dead body, she finds her herself investigating the murkier side of life. It seems people will stop at nothing to prevent scandal, and only Helen cares enough to try to get justice for the dead young woman.
It’s quite hard to categorise this book, which is part social history, part murder mystery. I rather liked the fact that it didn’t feel similar to other books, and that it found room for both social commentary about the plight of the poor and the general attitude towards women, as well as a cleverly constructed tale about the murky, sinister and sometimes deadly side of mid-C20th Edinburgh.
It's a fascinating combination with a good cast of characters and a great deal to discover about attitudes to women, the class system, homosexuality, and the birth of the NHS.
The use of Scottish dialect was interesting and added character and authenticity, but unfortunately my ARC didn’t have a glossary so some of it was incomprehensible. Assuming there will be one in the standard version.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.
April 19, 2022
Helen Crowther is excited and proud to be working as a medical almoner at the start of the National Health Service - she is newly married and this job will let her help others who need it at the same time it allows her and her husband to get out of her parent's house and into one of their own. But when she finds a dead body in the garden of her new home, it sets off a series of events that make Helen start to question what she really knows about her employers and the people around her. In her quest to find out what really happened to the woman in her garden, Helen will uncover secrets and scandals that threaten to expose powerful men in Edinburgh's society and government.
McPherson provides readers with a fascinating glimpse into post-war Edinburgh and the beginnings of the NHS that highlight the lives of poorer members of society in ways reminiscent of Call the Midwife. This book is an education into what it was like to be living in tenements and colony houses in the 1940s and the challenges faced by women in particular. The dialect used by Helen and many of the characters was sometimes difficult to understand (and Google wasn't always helpful in providing enlightenment about what certain words meant), but it added a depth to the characters, especially when they would code-switch when dealing with people of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Elements of the central mystery were fairly easy to work out, though the details connecting all the different threads were woven together quite nicely and there was a lot of enjoyment to be had with watching Helen try to figure out what was going on, even if the reader got there first. I look forward to reading more from McPherson!
Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read In Place of Fear early in exchange for an honest review!
McPherson provides readers with a fascinating glimpse into post-war Edinburgh and the beginnings of the NHS that highlight the lives of poorer members of society in ways reminiscent of Call the Midwife. This book is an education into what it was like to be living in tenements and colony houses in the 1940s and the challenges faced by women in particular. The dialect used by Helen and many of the characters was sometimes difficult to understand (and Google wasn't always helpful in providing enlightenment about what certain words meant), but it added a depth to the characters, especially when they would code-switch when dealing with people of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Elements of the central mystery were fairly easy to work out, though the details connecting all the different threads were woven together quite nicely and there was a lot of enjoyment to be had with watching Helen try to figure out what was going on, even if the reader got there first. I look forward to reading more from McPherson!
Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read In Place of Fear early in exchange for an honest review!
May 5, 2022
Catriona McPherson's psychological thrillers are often deliciously creepy. In Place of Fear is delicious in a different way.
It's 1948, and Helen is excited to take on a new job of almoner, or welfare officer, in the office of two Edinburgh doctors on the very first day of the National Health Service of Scotland. The daughter of parents working in a slaughterhouse and a bottling factory, Helen is also a new bride. Her husband, Sandy, has returned from six years in a prisoner of war camp and has taken a job as a street sweeper, so her wages will be most welcome. Neither expects that an actual house to live in--and get away from Helen's parents and younger sister--will a benefit of her job. But the house holds secrets, and the dead body of a young woman found in the shed is just the beginning.
I loved the character of idealistic, spunky Helen, who is determined to help people who previously couldn't afford medical care, and who are suspicious of the new system. She is especially sensitive to the needs of women with reproductive issues and difficult husbands. Helen is at the center of every aspect of the plot, and as she tries to figure out the details and the reasons for the young woman's death, I never stopped rooting for her.
The story is peppered with Scottish dialogue--I wish the glossary had been moved from the end of the book to the beginning--but it isn't a problem. It only enhances the atmosphere and authenticity of the characters. Finally, the ending of the book absolutely blew my mind. I couldn't believe how McPherson had created such a unique, suspenseful story while retaining the humanity and spirit of the central character. More, please!
My review is based on a complimentary pre-release copy of the book.
It's 1948, and Helen is excited to take on a new job of almoner, or welfare officer, in the office of two Edinburgh doctors on the very first day of the National Health Service of Scotland. The daughter of parents working in a slaughterhouse and a bottling factory, Helen is also a new bride. Her husband, Sandy, has returned from six years in a prisoner of war camp and has taken a job as a street sweeper, so her wages will be most welcome. Neither expects that an actual house to live in--and get away from Helen's parents and younger sister--will a benefit of her job. But the house holds secrets, and the dead body of a young woman found in the shed is just the beginning.
I loved the character of idealistic, spunky Helen, who is determined to help people who previously couldn't afford medical care, and who are suspicious of the new system. She is especially sensitive to the needs of women with reproductive issues and difficult husbands. Helen is at the center of every aspect of the plot, and as she tries to figure out the details and the reasons for the young woman's death, I never stopped rooting for her.
The story is peppered with Scottish dialogue--I wish the glossary had been moved from the end of the book to the beginning--but it isn't a problem. It only enhances the atmosphere and authenticity of the characters. Finally, the ending of the book absolutely blew my mind. I couldn't believe how McPherson had created such a unique, suspenseful story while retaining the humanity and spirit of the central character. More, please!
My review is based on a complimentary pre-release copy of the book.
May 26, 2022
'Edinburgh, 1948. Helen Crowther leaves a crowded tenement home for her very own office in a doctor's surgery. Upstart, ungrateful, out of your depth - the words of disapproval come at her from everywhere but she's determined to take her chance and play her part.'
She's barely begun when she stumbles discovers a murdered young woman and learns that, in this most respectable of cities, no one will fight for justice at the risk of scandal. As Helen resolves to find a killer, she's propelled into a darker world than the one she knew existed. Disapproval is the least of her worries now. We follow Helen, known as Nelly, when she takes on a newly created position within the NHS, as a Medical Welfare Almoner (I had to look that up!)
Whilst finding her bearings in her new job she begins to notices things. All is not as it should be. Not being one to just leave it alone, Nelly starts to investigate, opening up a can of worms, only for a body to be found in the garden of the house she has been allowed to live in as part of her employment. She can't believe the reasons why or cause of death, so carries on investigating, even though it will put her in danger.
I really liked Nelly, with her no-nonsense attitude to life, her refusal to let things lie. She really wants to make a difference and to take on the world. I was also really interested in the birth of the NHS and how it was implemented at its beginning.
On the whole I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, only two things bothered me to begin with; I did find that as Nelly has a strong Scottish accent in the book and the way it is written could present some challenges to the reader to begin with. I soon got used to this however.
Secondly, the information about the birth of the NHS was fascinating, particularly the way in which people didn't know to what they were entitled, and no-one really knew how it worked. But none of this information contributed to the mystery and became a bit superfluous. Similarly, the relationship between Sandy, Nelly and her family felt unnecessary.
The mystery itself was clever, well plotted and expertly executed, keeping the reader on their toes. I also loved the nod to Aneurin Bevan's own book of the same name, on Democratic Socialism and the creation of Welfare State.
My thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for my digital ARC.
She's barely begun when she stumbles discovers a murdered young woman and learns that, in this most respectable of cities, no one will fight for justice at the risk of scandal. As Helen resolves to find a killer, she's propelled into a darker world than the one she knew existed. Disapproval is the least of her worries now. We follow Helen, known as Nelly, when she takes on a newly created position within the NHS, as a Medical Welfare Almoner (I had to look that up!)
Whilst finding her bearings in her new job she begins to notices things. All is not as it should be. Not being one to just leave it alone, Nelly starts to investigate, opening up a can of worms, only for a body to be found in the garden of the house she has been allowed to live in as part of her employment. She can't believe the reasons why or cause of death, so carries on investigating, even though it will put her in danger.
I really liked Nelly, with her no-nonsense attitude to life, her refusal to let things lie. She really wants to make a difference and to take on the world. I was also really interested in the birth of the NHS and how it was implemented at its beginning.
On the whole I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, only two things bothered me to begin with; I did find that as Nelly has a strong Scottish accent in the book and the way it is written could present some challenges to the reader to begin with. I soon got used to this however.
Secondly, the information about the birth of the NHS was fascinating, particularly the way in which people didn't know to what they were entitled, and no-one really knew how it worked. But none of this information contributed to the mystery and became a bit superfluous. Similarly, the relationship between Sandy, Nelly and her family felt unnecessary.
The mystery itself was clever, well plotted and expertly executed, keeping the reader on their toes. I also loved the nod to Aneurin Bevan's own book of the same name, on Democratic Socialism and the creation of Welfare State.
My thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for my digital ARC.
September 24, 2022
I had to let this one sit before I rated it because my feelings about it are very much mixed. There is no doubt that it has an amazing sense of place, and the frequent use of Scottish slang definitely adds to that, if not detracts from the reading. Fortunately there is a glossary. Very unfortunately it is placed at the end of the book. Regardless, it definitely interrupts the flow when you have to frequently flip back and forth to decipher what you're reading. If I wanted to do that I'd read more books in French (my second language).
The story is "Call the Midwife" meets "Edwardian Gothic" with some "Will and Grace" thrown in. It follows what would now be called (here in North America) a referral nurse and her experiences with the newly developed National Health System (NHS) in Great Britain, in its early days of rolling out to everyone. Most of the book is about her, her lower class family, and the middle and upper class individuals who assist her on her journey and help her climb that social ladder, plus the nitty-gritty of the new NHS.
If I didn't know better, I'd guess this book was requisitioned as government propaganda for the NHS to sell people in Scotland on the new service, with a cozy-mystery tacked onto it to hide that fact. About a quarter of the way into the book a body is found, and then nothing really happens for quite a while as she goes about her daily job duties, then coincidences and artificial contrivances intervene to make obvious what we all suspected all along.
The book ends with a chapter set several months in the future, which plunges the reader into confusion surrounding names and sexes of individuals present and past until finally it's explained away so flippantly that you're amazed this isn't an arranged marriage by two individuals who are complete strangers.
Ditto with her own marriage. The handling of that was a disappointment and, to my mind, an insult to LGBTQ+ readers no matter how common that was at that time. A cop-out imho. The husband felt very two dimensional and created by throwing darts at a board. I was mildly surprised he wasn't given a bum leg and a vision problem as well.
In the end, it's 2 stars from me.
The story is "Call the Midwife" meets "Edwardian Gothic" with some "Will and Grace" thrown in. It follows what would now be called (here in North America) a referral nurse and her experiences with the newly developed National Health System (NHS) in Great Britain, in its early days of rolling out to everyone. Most of the book is about her, her lower class family, and the middle and upper class individuals who assist her on her journey and help her climb that social ladder, plus the nitty-gritty of the new NHS.
If I didn't know better, I'd guess this book was requisitioned as government propaganda for the NHS to sell people in Scotland on the new service, with a cozy-mystery tacked onto it to hide that fact. About a quarter of the way into the book a body is found, and then nothing really happens for quite a while as she goes about her daily job duties, then coincidences and artificial contrivances intervene to make obvious what we all suspected all along.
The book ends with a chapter set several months in the future, which plunges the reader into confusion surrounding names and sexes of individuals present and past until finally it's explained away so flippantly that you're amazed this isn't an arranged marriage by two individuals who are complete strangers.
Ditto with her own marriage. The handling of that was a disappointment and, to my mind, an insult to LGBTQ+ readers no matter how common that was at that time. A cop-out imho. The husband felt very two dimensional and created by throwing darts at a board. I was mildly surprised he wasn't given a bum leg and a vision problem as well.
In the end, it's 2 stars from me.
December 7, 2022
I wasn't sure I would like this book when I picked it up off the library shelf, but something about it intrigued me. When I started reading it, there was a charm about it that made it difficult to put down.
The Good
1. The story revealed just enough throughout each chapter to keep you drawn in without holding your hand through it or giving away too much at once. The story didn't feel rushed and the reveals built up over time, allowing the reader to come to the same conclusion as the protagonist around the same time.
2. The main character was likable and relatable in a lot of ways--but not perfect. She had flaws and things about her that were frustrating at times, making her human.
3. The mystery kept you on your toes and led to a satisfying end.
4. The two plot twists at the end of the book didn't completely come out of left field. After looking back at the rest of the story, you could see the hints leading up to the reveals. This isn't always common in books; oftentimes, plot twists can feel jammed in for shock-value, but these felt natural.
The "Bad"
1. Not bad, just confusing at times, but as an American English speaker, it was difficult to follow the Scottish dialect at times. I feel like I might've missed out on some aspects of the story. Not at all the fault of the author, just something to note before picking up this book.
2. The first part of the story felt like I was missing key background information into the characters lives. As I read on, and particularly when I got to the end, I realized this was mores intentional and my earlier confusion was answered by the end of the book.
Overall, it was well-written and intriguing with a satisfying end.
The Good
1. The story revealed just enough throughout each chapter to keep you drawn in without holding your hand through it or giving away too much at once. The story didn't feel rushed and the reveals built up over time, allowing the reader to come to the same conclusion as the protagonist around the same time.
2. The main character was likable and relatable in a lot of ways--but not perfect. She had flaws and things about her that were frustrating at times, making her human.
3. The mystery kept you on your toes and led to a satisfying end.
4. The two plot twists at the end of the book didn't completely come out of left field. After looking back at the rest of the story, you could see the hints leading up to the reveals. This isn't always common in books; oftentimes, plot twists can feel jammed in for shock-value, but these felt natural.
The "Bad"
1. Not bad, just confusing at times, but as an American English speaker, it was difficult to follow the Scottish dialect at times. I feel like I might've missed out on some aspects of the story. Not at all the fault of the author, just something to note before picking up this book.
2. The first part of the story felt like I was missing key background information into the characters lives. As I read on, and particularly when I got to the end, I realized this was mores intentional and my earlier confusion was answered by the end of the book.
Overall, it was well-written and intriguing with a satisfying end.
April 2, 2022
Set in 1948 Edinburgh, In Place of Fear is a fabulous Historical Crime Fiction book oozing with pristine brilliance, wit and cleverness in every word. From the cover and title to the vernacular to the characters and plots, this to me is the epitome of the perfect book. I was glued to every word and did not want to miss the tiniest snippet. What joy to shut out the rest of the world for a few wondrous hours and escape to another world completely!
Helen (Nelly) is a trained medical almoner in Edinburgh and starts her new job the first day of the NHS implementation in Scotland. Her job is an interesting one in which she counsels and provides information and child/home care. She works with doctors and carries a nurse's bag full of paraphernalia. Her husband and mother also make appearances. But there are other appearances of other sorts, including a dead body in her shed. The twists start even before the discovery and continue to the awesome ending.
There is so much to enjoy about this book but amongst my favourite aspects (other than mentioned above) are the socioeconomic glimpses and realistic descriptions and touches, almost as though Catriona McPherson lived during this era (she did live in Scotland for a time). She writes originally and gorgeously without being twee, cliched or saccharin. This is the kind of book you want to gobble up and savour at the same time.
Historical (Crime) Fiction fans hankering for something truly special, do read this. So well worth your time and focus. I am besotted!
My sincere thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this sublime book, an easy 5/5.
Helen (Nelly) is a trained medical almoner in Edinburgh and starts her new job the first day of the NHS implementation in Scotland. Her job is an interesting one in which she counsels and provides information and child/home care. She works with doctors and carries a nurse's bag full of paraphernalia. Her husband and mother also make appearances. But there are other appearances of other sorts, including a dead body in her shed. The twists start even before the discovery and continue to the awesome ending.
There is so much to enjoy about this book but amongst my favourite aspects (other than mentioned above) are the socioeconomic glimpses and realistic descriptions and touches, almost as though Catriona McPherson lived during this era (she did live in Scotland for a time). She writes originally and gorgeously without being twee, cliched or saccharin. This is the kind of book you want to gobble up and savour at the same time.
Historical (Crime) Fiction fans hankering for something truly special, do read this. So well worth your time and focus. I am besotted!
My sincere thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this sublime book, an easy 5/5.
April 2, 2022
Set in Edinburgh in 1948, a few short years after the end of WWII and at the inception of the NHS, Helen Crowther is about to start work as an Almoner at a Doctors surgery. She is newly married to Sandy, who’d been a POW for the duration, and is struggling to settle into her new life all round. Then she makes a frightening discovery and she knows she can’t just leave it all alone.
Set in just about my favourite city, this is a really well thought out Murder/mystery with all the atmosphere of the time coming through. It talks about the way the world had been turned on it’s head during the war, the struggle to get back to ‘normal’ and how people couldn’t grasp the concept of free Health Care. Add to that the goings on of so called professional men, at their club, and the use of their power over women, and you’ve got an intriguing read. I loved Helens character, which developed so well, the more confident she became with each passing day and how tenacious she was, intent on getting the truth out there. You feel for Sandy who felt so bad about his part in the war, and as he says, no one calls them heroes as they didn’t fight back. It’s thought provoking and a really good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Set in just about my favourite city, this is a really well thought out Murder/mystery with all the atmosphere of the time coming through. It talks about the way the world had been turned on it’s head during the war, the struggle to get back to ‘normal’ and how people couldn’t grasp the concept of free Health Care. Add to that the goings on of so called professional men, at their club, and the use of their power over women, and you’ve got an intriguing read. I loved Helens character, which developed so well, the more confident she became with each passing day and how tenacious she was, intent on getting the truth out there. You feel for Sandy who felt so bad about his part in the war, and as he says, no one calls them heroes as they didn’t fight back. It’s thought provoking and a really good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
May 11, 2022
In Place of Fear is a great read, I love books written in the vernacular and have noticed some reviewers had difficulties understanding the text, which is understandable. I find through using the language as spoken by the characters makes the story believable. Anyway, the story is set in the late 1940s after the war in Edinburgh. Helen is a medical almoner working in a doctor's practice at the inception of the National Health Service. The author focuses initially on the massive changes which was happening after the war years and on the cusp of modern healthcare as we know it today. Helen is married to a soldier who came home a different man and living with her parents and sister in a tenement house- working class people with their attendant issues are her priority and it was fascinating to learn how difficult it was for these communities to accept free health and social care that wasn't charity. Although this narrative takes up a lot of the book, it is important to put the crime and her marital problems into the context of the environment and issues of the time. I thoroughly enjoyed In Place of Fear, it is interesting, exciting and well written. I highly recommend this book and thank Netgalley, the publishers and Catriona McPherson. Five well deserved stars.
June 18, 2022
Set at a key point in history, newly-married Helen has been appointed medical almoner working with two doctors in Edinburgh. Her husband was a POW during the War and has come back a changed man, and they are living with her sharp-tongued mother and father. The National Health Service is about to be introduced, so Helen will be one of the first in her new role, persuading the poor that the NHS can help them, without charge, and its not charity.
She sets too with a will, and is such an endearing and human person that many who would not have welcomed a well-to-do do-gooder will talk to Helen. However, her parents throw them out, not approving of her working now she's married, but the doctors offer the couple a flat. From there, Helen is drawn into a world where evil reigned, the rich took no responsibility and the poor paid the price.
A fascinating read, made brilliant by the accents people speak; I really felt I was transported to Edinburgh in the forties. The small prejudices, the worry about 'what people will think', the poverty and grime. Excellent - can't wait to find more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
She sets too with a will, and is such an endearing and human person that many who would not have welcomed a well-to-do do-gooder will talk to Helen. However, her parents throw them out, not approving of her working now she's married, but the doctors offer the couple a flat. From there, Helen is drawn into a world where evil reigned, the rich took no responsibility and the poor paid the price.
A fascinating read, made brilliant by the accents people speak; I really felt I was transported to Edinburgh in the forties. The small prejudices, the worry about 'what people will think', the poverty and grime. Excellent - can't wait to find more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2022
Two things to know about this book before reading: 1. There is a glossary in the back 2. There is a glossary in the back. First, that will be really monumentally helpful to know at the outset and NOT AS YOU TURN THE LAST PAGE because, second, you're going to REALLY NEED IT! This book is as Scottish as it gets while still being written in English. It is work, but oddly, it is enjoyable work. A little like reading Austen. You'll have to slow down and focus on what's being said, and it can interfere with immersion, but I still found the process rewarding.
McPherson is a writer who just will not be pigeon-holed. She is malleable in the extreme and every series (and stand-alone) has its own tone and voice and flavor. I am still a die-hard fan of Dandy Gilver, and I credit those books for my first foray into the historical fiction genre. But McPherson can write comedy with the best of them, suspense that is on the brink of horror, and now this... a category I can't really define. Historical? Yes. Scottish? Yes. Mystery? Yes. But... different.
As an afterword: I think the book's title and the catch-phrase on the cover are misleading. Maybe that's just me, but neither does justice to the content.
McPherson is a writer who just will not be pigeon-holed. She is malleable in the extreme and every series (and stand-alone) has its own tone and voice and flavor. I am still a die-hard fan of Dandy Gilver, and I credit those books for my first foray into the historical fiction genre. But McPherson can write comedy with the best of them, suspense that is on the brink of horror, and now this... a category I can't really define. Historical? Yes. Scottish? Yes. Mystery? Yes. But... different.
As an afterword: I think the book's title and the catch-phrase on the cover are misleading. Maybe that's just me, but neither does justice to the content.
April 18, 2022
IN PLACE OF FEAR may well be the best of McPherson's best. I thought CHILD GARDEN was the one, and then there was QUIET NEIGHBORS.
This new book, about the first days of the NHS, and dedicated to the NHS takes us to 1948 Edinburgh, not the Edinburgh of University and academia, but to the blue collar working people, still stuffling in the aftermath of war. And the beginning of universal health care. The protagonist is a medical almoner, rather like a social worker but with mostly on the job training as opposed to master's prep.
There is a murder -- or two -- and a mystery involved. What gripped me most, however, was the picture painted. From the first line I was there. The sights and the sounds, and yes, the smells surrounded me. As a medical professional, there are few things closer to my heart than health care for all. This was a book I had to make myself put down, only to try to make it last longer. I want to know more about Nelly and Sandy and the Dr. Strassers. I want to live in Fountainbridge and see how the Sinclairs get on.
And almost most of all, I want more dialect. It's as if I were reading in a new language, but one I could easily understand. Kudos Catriona!
This new book, about the first days of the NHS, and dedicated to the NHS takes us to 1948 Edinburgh, not the Edinburgh of University and academia, but to the blue collar working people, still stuffling in the aftermath of war. And the beginning of universal health care. The protagonist is a medical almoner, rather like a social worker but with mostly on the job training as opposed to master's prep.
There is a murder -- or two -- and a mystery involved. What gripped me most, however, was the picture painted. From the first line I was there. The sights and the sounds, and yes, the smells surrounded me. As a medical professional, there are few things closer to my heart than health care for all. This was a book I had to make myself put down, only to try to make it last longer. I want to know more about Nelly and Sandy and the Dr. Strassers. I want to live in Fountainbridge and see how the Sinclairs get on.
And almost most of all, I want more dialect. It's as if I were reading in a new language, but one I could easily understand. Kudos Catriona!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews