Overview

The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill opens on the remote Orkney island of Evera, where a body is uncovered in peatland decades after a young woman vanished. As the community is forced to confront what was buried, the novel moves between past and present to piece together the life and disappearance of Grace McGill.

Writing & Voice

We found Robertson’s writing controlled and quietly unsettling. The prose is measured and observant, allowing atmosphere and character to do the work. She resists sensationalism, instead building tension through small details, withheld truths and the slow accumulation of unease.

Content & Perspective

The story shifts between the original investigation and the present day, revealing how memory, gossip and silence shape a community. Grace is slowly reclaimed from the margins, while those who remain on the island are shown carrying guilt, fear and complicity across generations.

Themes

The novel explores power, secrecy and the cost of being unprotected in an isolated place. It looks closely at how institutions fail women and how communities can choose comfort over truth. The landscape itself becomes a witness, holding what people refuse to say aloud.

What Worked

• Atmospheric island setting that shapes every choice.
• Careful handling of violence without exploitation.
• Strong structural control across timelines.

Minor Quibbles

• The restrained pace may feel slow for some crime readers.
• Key revelations arrive quietly rather than dramatically.

Final Thoughts

The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill is a haunting, humane mystery we found deeply affecting, honouring a silenced woman while exposing the complicities of place.

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5