The Stolen Voice

Gil Cunningham #6

by Pat McIntosh

In Sir William’s remote part of Scotland it seems almost possible that a young boy could have been stolen away by the fairies and returned forty years later without having visibly aged. And if the boy isn’t Davie Drummond, who is he? Then he suffers a succession of near-fatal “accidents.” Could there be a connection with four other local singers who have vanished, one of them with political information of value to Scotland’s enemies? Gil Cunningham and his wife Alys have been sent to Perthshire to investigate.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Historical Mystery, Historical, Scotland, Fiction

212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

McIntosh was born and raised in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Having begun to write at age seven, she credits the author who inspired her to write as "probably Angus MacVicar!" She lived and worked in Glasgow for many years before moving to the west coast of Scotland. Prior to making her mark as an author, she worked as "a librarian, a receptionist for an alternative therapy centre, taught geology and palaeontology, [and] tutored for the Open University."

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2010, and its the 6th volume of the amazing "Gilbert Cunningham" series.

This historical mystery in mainly set in Perthshire, where Gilbert and Alys have arrived after being summoned by Sir William Stewart to help him in solving a miraculeus mystery.

This mystery is the disappearance of Davie Drummond years ago by the fairies, and now forty years later he has somehow returned, apparently no older than when he disappeared.

Is he the same Davie Drummond, and if not who's he really, but at the same time what happened to four young local singers of which one of them has secret political information that could be of value to Scotland's enemies.

In pursuit of the missing singers, Gilbert will meet the vision of the devil as well as the reappearance of an old adversary, while Alys will get involved into the affairs of the Drummond family, especially the mysterious Davie.

What is to follow is an intriguing mystery, in which Scots is once more brilliantly interwoven within this tale, and where Gilbert and Alys will have to dig deep in their quest to find the culprit, but only after some twists and turns, followed by a superbly executed plot, will they be able to solve this mystery in a most thrilling fashion.

Highly recommended, for this is another amazing addition to this excellent series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Stunning Stolen Voice Mystery"!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This particular book in the series truly transported me, as if the "fairy people" picked me up and placed me in a very interesting and enchanting realm.
Gil and Alys continue to support one another in uncovering truths. I look forward to the next in the series. Happily I did not find these books when published, so I don't have to wait a year for each next one. I like that!

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting better. Gil and Alys find themselves on a quest to solve two mysteries, the disappearance of a clerk and the reappearance of a young boy said to have been taken to Elfhame (by the fairies) some 30 years prior. Two mysteries turn to several as we meet up with some former acquaintances and are introduced to some new. I loved the description of the countryside and especially the description of the ceilidh. The author's note at the end provides a much appreciated link to an online dictionary of the Scottish language as well as a resource for those interested in the songs that make up such a large part of this story. I love the glimpse into the other realms that is included in this series-either with the Harper (in the earlier books), the dreams, and the appearance of different ones, such as Angus. I just wish I had a good grasp of the Scottish dialect so that I might better her the words in my head. For some reason, this series tends to have me waxing poetic. Oh, I got a great laugh from the scene with Robert and Davey, with Robert's heartfelt 'Our Lord be thanked for that!'.

On the down side, I will say that I still tend to get the characters mixed up in my head and, as it's been a while, I don't remember a lot about Robert Montgomery's character and his previous interactions with Gil. I suspect I may be missing some insights because of this lack of memory on my part, but it didn't keep me from enjoying the story.

The online dictionary of the Scots Language is a free, searchable dictionary at: http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/

History and folklore of the glen available in Elizabeth Beauchamp's The Braes o'Balquhidder: a History and Guide for the Visitor.

Folker and songs as quoted in this book can be found in Alexander Carmichael's collection The Carmina Gadelica.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bishop's clerk is missing, as are several singers from the Highlands of Scotland. One singer, lost for 30 years, has returned home unchanged from "under the hill" with the good neighbors. Someone has leaked the details of a treaty. With the help of his wife Alys, who comes into her own in this latest mystery, Gil Cunningham must determine what's going on - and whether all these cases are related.

Unusually, Alys and Gil are detecting separately, although they are both in the Highlands, adding some interesting dialogue and sociology to an already interesting series. As usual, some of the plot seems obvious, but there are some ending twists that really throw the reader for a loop. Terribly enjoyable - I can't wait for the next book!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy McIntosh's books, and I look forward to new ones. They're not quick reads, but they're carefully plotted and rich with period detail. There's so much to learn about the society of the time, and it's interesting to see Gil Cunningham try to solve crimes using the knowledge of the day. This one had a lot of characters, so I had to keep reminding myself who was talking, and the plot was a bit convoluted, but I do really enjoy both Gil and his wife Alys. She's an extraordinary character, and I also like the way McIntosh is developing the characters through the series. Lovely texture and understanding of the people and the period.

[Sadie Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stolen Voice is the sixth of Pat McIntosh's series of mysteries set in 15th-century Scotland. This one sees Gil Cunningham and his wife Alys investigating the apparent return of a boy chorister who vanished near his home in Balquhidder thirty years earlier, seemingly only a handful of years older, and the disappearance of four other choristers from the cathedrals of Dunblane and Perth. It's an engaging mystery which manages not to feel anachronistic, Gil and Alys are a likeable detective couple and there were some lovely descriptions of the Highland scenery of Balquhidder. It's not deep or groundbreaking but it was a perfect light read.

[Bryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot; I don't know how accurate the cultural details were, but I appreciated that McIntosh is trying to show a different Scotland than the one we've been in up until now.

[Lynne Tull · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was not a fast read. There were a lot of languages interspersed and I had no idea what they meant or how they related to the story. Also, a lot of characters involved in different mysteries and in several different locations. The story switched back and forth between characters and locations. It took me over half the book to decide where I was. Gil and Alys were not in the same place for most of the book so that gave me a hint. I still like this series just thought this one was too complicated. Recommend. Start with 1st book: 'The Harper's Quine'.

[Nance Roepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like this book as well as I have liked others in the series. The Apparently different Mysteries that the author is trying to weave together just made the story confusing and choppy. I enjoyed the series a great deal but was disappointed in this book.

[Tomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The more I read, the worse they get..."get away to a keeking-glass and burst your plooks." Seriously? And I'm still not sure who did what, or why...

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️

[Spuddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy this series set in 16th C. Scotland, and this one was a particularly interesting mystery relating to a young man who has supposedly returned home after 30 years--but only having aged a few years. Supposedly he was stolen by the fairy folk--whom most believe in at least to a degree, and don't often speak about out loud. Gil is sent north to investigate the disappearance of some other choral singers that may be tied in to Davie Drummond's reappearance and of course the whole mess ends up being a lot more complicated than it seems.

My one complaint is, and continues to be, the overuse of the vernacular in conversation...it's hard enough to understand a modern-day Scot, but to try to decipher historical Scottish slang and written phrases while still maintaining a bead on the thread of the story is sometimes rather difficult. I feel that it's overdone and completely unneccessary and is quite distracting. I'm sure eventually my patience will give out and I'll just stop reading the series, but for now I'm continuing reading because I do enjoy the setting and characters so much.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a few disappointing books, where 'whodunnit' was obvious from the start, this was a nice return to quite a puzzling plot, involving disappearing choristers, murdered servants, espionage and a boy returned from the land of fairies.
The boy spirited away and returned to his family 30 years later is a bit of a red herring, and turns out exactly as you'd expect, but links in to the other two mysteries nicely, and not being set in Glasgow or nearby the newly-weds get a little bit of an overdue honeymoon to boot. :)

The only annoying thing was the return of the Gaelic or Ersche as it's called here. In the first book it was simply written and left for you to puzzle over, here there is a historical note added as an afterword, but again no glossary and Gaelic is used, then repeated in Scots by another character as a translation for the reader. Having things repeated this way does wear a bit thin.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sixth In a series of mysteries set in 1400s Scotland and I think it is the best so far. The investigators are now a settled partnership and the tale is related through both their viewpoints. The story begins with the apparent return of a teenage boy whom it was believed was snatched away by fairy folk 30 years ago and kept in Elfland (where they don't eat much kale apparently). The investigators are understandably dubious but are more concerned by the recent disappearance of more individuals.
We encounter a miscellany of interesting characters - my favourite is probably the army sergeant who is now a lay brother. The 'historical' element is interesting and not overdone. A list of characters would be useful as a few have similar or alternative names.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to earlier books in the series, I had trouble getting into this one. The multiple plot threads made the first third of the book pretty dry, to the point I didn't care whether Davie was the missing son or not. FORTUNATELY, when Gil begins to make the case that all three mysteries are linked, I enjoyed the unraveling of it all. Still, to give the reader too many clues to sort through, it wasn't as good as McIntosh's books because you didn't stand a chance of solving things on your own. The confusion of three different threads made it less than a mystery "cosy," as the Brits would call it.

[Sandy Shin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A part of a series I am really enjoying.

I was born a Hamilton and my visit to Scotland introduced me to the very real importance of clan and loyalty to your name - a concept vshery new to a modern American who had been taught to look at each person, their attitudes and actions rather than assign a set of expectations to a person based on their family name.

This series shows a complete society which is based on such widely-held expectations and the contrast of the intelligence and familiarity of Gil, his wife and her family make very good reading.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gil comes cross a Martin Guerre case, this one involving the return of a young man supposedly stolen by the fairies 30 years ago and only aged about 5 years. There are also missing choirmen and the return of some old adversaries. Decent enough book in the series but there seemed to be too many strands to try and follow

[Mary MacKintosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books! I just sink right into the environment and live in the past. The occasional problem is a Scots word that I do not understand, but McIntosh has recommended the Dictionary of the Scots Language on the Internet, and it has answered my needs effectively, since I misplaced my Gaelic Dictionary . . .

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just picked this up on a whim from the new book shelf at my library, and was not expecting much from it. To my surprise, it is a nice little story and a pretty good little mystery. I enjoyed it a lot; it is apparently the sixth in a series and I am off to hunt up the other five.

[Mairi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was quite tricky! I couldn't figure out what was going on at all. Some characters from an earlier book returned in this, which was handled nicely. There were intricate, interesting characters. I really enjoyed it.

[Patricia Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting mystery set in the middle ages in Scotland. The hero has to solve murders, arson, and a theft of a young boy supposedly by the fairies. The most intersting part is all the details of daily life among various social groups in the towns that he needs to visit.

[Sushan Konar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder mystery set in fourteenth century Scotland. Gill
Cunningham and his wife are the detectives. Excellent -
both as a novel depicting the setting beautifully, exploring
the human relations and also keeping the pace of mystery
investigation. Shall read more.

[Maureen E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this one a lot. The mystery was fascinating, and I enjoyed the new view into Robert Montgomery’s character. [Sept. 2010]

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew the answers to this one within a few pages...

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty fun - some of the dialogue was hard to get past though.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insight to the importance of singing in Scotland and the lengths villages would go to having the best.

[Julie Durovchic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing persons, political intrigue and fairy abduction are all part of the mix in the 6th book of the Gil Cunningham series.