The Hiding Place: A Thriller
The Hiding Place: A Thriller book cover

The Hiding Place: A Thriller

Kindle Edition

Price
$6.99
Publisher
Berkley
Publication Date

Description

Praise for The Hiding Place “An artfully constructed tale that charts the devastating, life-changing effects over twenty-five years on the people most affected by the murder of a four-year-old boy….a powerful, provocative novel.”— Publishers Weekly “David Bell does a masterful job of crafting a crime story, with the guilty and innocent existing next to each other, whether they realize it or not. He has also created a tense drama of emotions and relationships. It is a riveting book with surprising but believable twists on every page.”— Suspense Magazine “A gem of a book….Bell has written another winning thriller that is certain to entertain, frighten and swiftly climb bestseller lists.”— Bowling Green Daily News More Praise for David Bell “One of the brightest and best crime fiction writers of our time.”— Suspense Magazine “A natural storyteller and a superb writer.”—#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Nelson DeMille “David Bell writes spellbinding and gripping thrillers that get under your skin and refuse to let go."— New York Times Bestselling Author Linwood Barclay David Bell is a bestselling and award-winning author whose work has been translated into six languages. He’s currently an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He received an MA in creative writing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a PhD in American literature and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati. His novels include Bring Her Home , Since She Went Away , Somebody I Used to Know , The Forgotten Girl , Never Come Back , The Hiding Place , and Cemetery Girl .

Features & Highlights

  • Twenty-five years after a child's murder shocks a small Ohio town, new evidence forces everyone to question what they believe in this tense thriller from the bestselling author of
  • Bring Her Home
  • and
  • Cemetery Girl
  • .
  • Janet Manning has been haunted by the murder since the day she lost sight of her four-year-old brother in the park. Now, with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Justin’s death looming, a detective and a newspaper reporter have started to ask questions, opening old wounds and raising new suspicions. Could the man convicted of the murder—who spent more than two decades in prison—really be innocent?Janet’s childhood friend and high school crush, who was in the park with her that day, has returned to Dove Point, where he is wrestling with his own conflicted memories of the events. And a strange man appears at Janet’s door in the middle of the night, claiming to know the truth. Soon, years of deceit will be swept away, and the truth about what happened to Janet’s brother will be revealed. And the answers that Janet has sought may be found much closer to home than she ever could have imagined.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(187)
★★★★
25%
(156)
★★★
15%
(93)
★★
7%
(44)
23%
(142)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Boring, poorly written...

I painfully finished this book just because I try to make it a point NOT to leave a book unfinished (I learned my lesson with The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which ended up being a great book). This book is NOT suspenseful, poorly written, and the characters are boring and undeveloped. I can't believe that some gave it a good review; I'd like to give them a list of books that are actually worth reading.
32 people found this helpful
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the hiding place

This story could have been told in in 20 words or less. The author went over and over and over the same points forever. I read the first few pages and knew the ending. Very transparent and not worth the money.
15 people found this helpful
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Quite Satisfying

This mystery/thriller is not action packed, so -- if that's what you like -- you'll want to look elsewhere. It is, however, full of twists and tidbits and interesting revelations. Unlike a few other reviewers, I did not find the story predictable until very near the end as the threads and revelations started to come together. That's not "predictable" in my opinion, that's just good writing.

This is a mystery for those who like relationships, and getting to know characters. Very little actually happens in the book, but, along the way, you grow to know the characters, care about them, and enjoy learning what really took place 25 years ago as it gets uncovered. I found it a satisfying read, and read it through in an evening.

Just to note: There is a certain amount of foul language in the book. It is used in places that make sense (i.e. characters with these personalities would use these words in similar situations in real life). But, I originally was pre-reading this book for my younger daughter, and it would have been nice to know about the language before we bought the book. It is not too excessive, and -- while I don't usually care for a lot of foul words -- I did not find their occasional use in this story to be too distracting.
9 people found this helpful
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Good mystery

It was a hard start. Didn't think it was that good till about 1/4 of the way through. Then it picked up and I didn't want to put it down! However, I was right in who "done it" from the start so that was a bummer.
5 people found this helpful
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Entertaining, but...

Occasionally found myself yawning or wishing characters would just get on with it already, but was fine when nothing better was on TV.
3 people found this helpful
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The Truth Will Out

This book makes you start to believe in the supernatural, but it really wasn't. The central character, Janet, a thirty-something single mom, is haunted by the death 25 years before of her three-year old brother, Justin. A Black man has been convicted of the murder and has now been released from prison.
Back in town, the events of the murder 25 years ago are suddenly being relived.
And the appearance in the middle of the night of a stranger at Janet's door claiming he knows what really happened sets events into motion that eventually reveal the true story.
I liked the book a lot. It became more and more compelling as I read further in the book.
2 people found this helpful
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General consensus from my book club is that everyone liked it. The author has a great writing style ...

General consensus from my book club is that everyone liked it. The author has a great writing style and the story is attention grabbing.
1 people found this helpful
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Another good one

Another good story for the collection. I had a hard time really getting into the book in the beginning but about 2 chapters in I was hooked. Easy read! Would recommend.
1 people found this helpful
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Excellent

Well written, well plotted, will keep you guessing till the very end. Highly recommend. I will definitely check out other books by this author.
1 people found this helpful
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Bell Does it Again

David Bell never fails to impress me. The first book of his that I read, "Cemetery Girl", kept me hooked from cover to cover. This one was no different. Fabulous character development, great tension and suspense. I love an author who can make me feel an emotional connection to his characters and Bell does it every time. I'd definitely recommend.
1 people found this helpful