Gwyn Hillerman loves being a nurse at her father’s clinic on the beautiful Alaskan frontier. But family life has been rough ever since her mother left them, disdaining the uncivilized country and taking Gwyn’s younger sister with her.
In Chicago, Dr. Jeremiah Vaughan finds his life suddenly turned upside down when his medical license is stripped away after an affluent patient dies. In a snowball effect, his fiance breaks their engagement. In an attempt to bury the past, Jeremiah accepts Dr. Hillerman’s invitation to join his growing practice in the isolated Alaska Territory.
Gwyn and Jeremiah soon recognize a growing attraction to each other. But when rumors of Jeremiah’s past begin to surface, they’ll need more than love to face the threat of an uncertain future.
All Things Hidden is a most unusual Depression-era story with a very unique twist: the settlement of Alaska. I didn’t know that the poor national economy spawned a huge government movement to shift people to the territory of Alaska, so the very premise was exciting. Since the reality of Alaska as our final national frontier is of a rustic, dangerous place, the setting screamed ‘new’ and ‘different.’
I really liked as a leading lady. She was both humble and hardworking but human, too. She wanted to fall in love and have a family, all the while struggling with the one that she was born into. She’s pulled in too many directions, like far too many of us, and she could be the girl next door.
The action sped up throughout the story. In the beginning you learn primarily about what will happen, at least according to government agents, but as time progresses the plan’s problems begin to arise. With Gwyn and her father being the primary troubleshooters in the new Alaskan settlement, they’re on the front lines of action – and that continues as stalkers, murder, and general mayhem ensue. This makes for a dramatic and page-turning read, and after a chapter or two, I couldn’t put it down.
I’ve never read a Peterson novel that I didn’t like, and All Things Hidden didn’t disappoint. If you’re a Peterson fan, this is a must-read.
I received a free copy of All Things Hidden from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
