Thank you to Viking Books UK and Simon Lelic for an advanced readers copy of this brilliant thriller, for the blog tour!
Blurb:
Four Friends. One Murder. A game they can’t escape.
‘It was only a game.’ Until a boy went missing.
‘No one was meant to get hurt.’ But a body has been found.
‘Just some innocent fun. ‘Except one of them is a killer.
Ready or not, here I come. It’s time to play hide and seek again.
A PULSE POUNDING DETECTIVE THRILLER: 20 years after a boy goes missing at boarding school, his body is found and his friends, now some of the most powerful people in the country, are the suspects – for fans of THE CHALK MAN and THE GUEST LIST.
My Thoughts:
The book starts with Ben hiding from someone, praying for safety. We then flash forward twenty-two years, to Detective Inspector Rob Fleet and Detective Sergeant Nicky Collins, who have been called to Beaconsfield College as skeletal remains have been discovered. An anonymous email to crimestoppers was received, telling them where Ben’s body could be found.
Ben Draper is on his fourth boarding school, the only time he sees his father is when he’s being dropped off there. A father who doesn’t acknowledge his existence, a mother who died from cancer when he was 7, and a step mum, who couldn’t care less about him.
Known as a troublemaker, he befriends some other children, who are not what they seem, Callum Richardson, Lance wheeler and Melissa Haynes. The three were the last ones to have supposedly seen Ben alive, after a playing a game of hide and seek.
Nicky and Rob are incredibly likeable characters, and as the story progresses, we learn about their lives, with their parents, and how they can connect with the investigation.
As the story progresses, there are many characters involved in this complex mystery, with many twists and turns. Such as the insufferable Callum Richardson, who has grown into a TV star, and a politician who would like to become PM one day. A truly evil person who epitomises everything a lot of people cannot stand! Adrian Harris, the headmaster at Beaconsfield College, who appears to want this scandal to just disappear. And then, the school chaplain, Father Steiner, who seems to know more than he says.
All of this happens because of a deadly ‘game’ that went horribly wrong.
The book is brilliantly written, and has you hooked from the very beginning. A dark and sad tale of family secrets, wanting the love and approval of a parent, and twisted ‘friendships’, that are made to ruin other people’s lives.
A thriller that will keep you up at night, as you can’t put it down! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the ending had a twist I thought I saw coming, but in actual fact I didn’t!
So, if a fast paced thriller, with a dual timeline (which I love!), and a whodunnit right up to the end is for you, then I highly recommend ‘The Hiding Place’ by Simon Lelic!
Miranda x
About The Author:
Simon Lelic is the author of seven highly acclaimed thrillers: Rupture (winner of a Betty Trask Award and shortlisted for the John Creasey Debut Dagger), The Facility, The Child Who (longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger), The House, The Liar’s Room, The Search Party and The Hiding Place. He has also written The Haven series for younger readers, twice shortlisted for the CrimeFest awards.
Available to buy from the 5th May
Published by Viking Books
Mirandas Book Scape 