‘Unseen’ by Heather Critchlow

Published by Canelo,
20 August 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-83598102-3 (PB)

 Heather Critchlow continues her ‘Cal Lovett Files’ in this riveting sequel to ‘Unknown’.  The reader is lead into a satisfying, carefully crafted and labyrinthine plot. 

Cal Lovett makes podcasts about true crime.  It’s a subject he is immersed in, because his beloved older sister Margot was murdered when he was a child, and so far nobody has been brought to justice.

Bella Davies used to have a loving mother and two sisters until a brutal attacker murdered them one sunny afternoon by the river. Bella was left for dead, and it was assumed that she was too young to have any cogent memories of that day, until her visceral reaction to a voice heard on the television proves otherwise. 

Bella and Cal both believe that there is one man responsible, and he is not the man who is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of Bella’s family.  They both believe that Jason Barr is the killer, and Bella begs Cal to re-examine the case. 

The story begins with Jason Barr being sentenced in court for taking Cal hostage the previous year at knifepoint.  He’s locked away in prison, but that’s not nearly enough for Cal.  That won’t see justice for Margot or bring her back.  Cal is determined to nail him on a capital charge. 

As Cal starts digging, and Bella’s memories begin to resurface, danger starts to emerge.  These crimes may have been committed many years ago, but there are powerful people committed to hiding the truth, and it becomes clear that they are willing to murder again. 

Again and again, the solution seems tantalisingly close, but there is the fact that doesn’t fit the coincidence that is too neat, and the instinct that there is more to discover. 

How deep does this go, and will they survive to see the true killer brought to justice?  And are there crimes worse than murder?
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Reviewer:  Jane Andreoli

Heather Critchlow grew up in rural Aberdeenshire and trained as a business journalist after studying history and social science at the University of Cambridge. Her short stories have appeared in crime fiction anthologies Afraid of the Light, Afraid of the Christmas Lights and Afraid of the Shadows. She lives in St Albans.
 

Jane Andreoli. I have been in love with words ever since my mother read me bedtime stories before I could read for myself. As a writer, I enjoy creating mysteries with twists in their tails, and I love a well-crafted plot. My literary heroes are Jane Austen for her superb social observations, Shakespeare for the amazing way he crunched the English language into new shapes to express his emotions, Margery Allingham for her satisfyingly convoluted plots and Phil Rickman for his masterful command of supernatural atmosphere.  I also love Douglas Adams and Sir Terry Pratchett for their humour, satire, and social commentary. I have an honours degree in English, but fortunately that was so long ago that I have forgotten all those pretensions and rediscovered the joy of creative writing.  I am now a published author, currently working on my next book. I have just reached that delicious stage where the characters become autonomous and start making their own decisions.  Anything could happen and probably will.