Unseen by Heather Critchlow review: 'enjoyable twists and turns'
This latest book in the Cal Lovett series really puts the titular hero through the wringer, writes Rachel Mackie
Bella Davies is thrown back into the trauma of her past when she hears a voice on the radio that reawakens memories of the murder of her sisters and mother. She was a young girl when the attack happened, and as she starts to remember the horror of it all, she seeks out world-weary podcast host Cal Lovett to help her understand the truth.
Unseen is the fifth book in the Cal Lovett Files series by Heather Critchlow, following the titular journalist who solves mysteries while trying to overcome the grief he feels following the disappearance of his sister when he was a child.
If you’re planning to read the full series and want to avoid spoilers, don’t read this book first but start with 2023’s Unsolved. Some series manage to avoid spoilers, allowing you to leap in and out, but this isn’t one of them. Cal’s ongoing issues, shall we say, wind through the stories like ivy.
That said, I read this book as a standalone, and it manages to get a first-time reader up to speed without too much clunky exposition. So, if you’re not bothered about ruining the plot twists of the previous novels for yourself, then by all means jump in. It is compelling and engaging, and you quickly find yourself on Cal’s side, travelling this rollercoaster with him.
Critchlow gets into the action in no time and, while the direction we’re heading in feels pretty clear from the start, there are still some enjoyable twists and turns.
The characters are believable and likable - they are empathetic, and move and speak in a way that is recognisable. However, perhaps the main issue with the book is that the characters are too believable. Cal, Bella and their respective families all really go through it, and for them the story is a non-stop emotional battering ram. We also get the sense that Cal’s has been through the wringer in previous novels, so it does feel like he deserves a break - perhaps just one book where he can stand on the periphery of the world of dangerous gangsters and violent kidnapping, rather than being bundled up in the centre of it all.
As series like this one progress, it’s not uncommon for authors to ramp up the drama in order to maintain momentum. However, if we’re also deep-diving the impact of violent crime on traumatised, realistic individuals, that ramping up can feel jarring and make the books difficult to get through. We are not quite at that point with Unseen - this book is still eminently readable - but the imbalance is notable all the same.
This is a relatively minor issue, however, in what is otherwise a-well written and engaging novel. Not only am I eagerly hoping that Cal will return, I’m also turning my eyes to the previous novels in the hope of devouring them with the same delight.
Unseen by Heather Critchlow, Canelo Crime, £9.99
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