Undiscovered Scotland

 

It's December 1743. Captain Robert Catto, a 23 year old veteran of the wars on the continent, is seconded, against his will and his better judgement, to the post of Captain of Edinburgh's City Guard. He finds himself in a city that is full of intrigue. A number of prominent citizens are known to be Jacobite supporters who might well be actively fermenting another uprising, while others in the city feel that following a Jacobite flag would be the best way of returning a greater degree of independence to a Scotland whose identity is fast becoming lost in "North Britain". The powers that be think that Catto is uniquely qualified to help guard against the Jacobite threat in the city, for reasons he has tried very hard to put behind him.

Catto has no idea who he can trust, though a clearer idea of some of those he cannot. When a raid on the home of a Jacobite sympathiser and leading surgeon-apothecary goes wrong, it becomes clear that those he is seeking have been warned of his coming. Life becomes more complicated still when Catto meet's the daughter of the household, Christian Rankeillor, to whom he feels strangely drawn despite the deeply adversarial nature of their encounter. The story is told mainly from the perspective of Robert Catto and Christian Rankeillor, and builds towards a satisfying conclusion that still leaves enough loose ends to allow it to close with the words "...to be continued."

"Gathering Storm" by Maggie Craig is an outstandingly good read. The characters are thoroughly convincing, and the sense of time and place rings absolutely true. Edinburgh in 1743, before the development of the New Town, had the highest population density on earth as an ever larger population built upwards within the confines of the city walls, and the sheer squalour of life there comes over very well indeed. This is a book that will probably be categorised by the bookshops as "historical romance", something that is certainly not challenged by the cover art. But while "Gathering Storm" does have a historical setting, and does have potential romantic interest at its core, it could equally be described as a political thriller or a historical crime novel. If historical romance isn't your thing, don't pass this book by simply because it shows a couple about to kiss on the cover! We very much look forward to reading the promised follow-up...