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rainbowsparkle7x's review against another edition
1.0
I thought this was poorly written. I could almost hear the b-rated scary movie music playing behind the scenes. I forced myself to finish to the end, I wanted to find out what happened, though I had zero emotional stirrings for any of the flat characters.
jmj697mn's review against another edition
4.0
Flew through this one in about 24 hours. I just couldn't put it down.
SPOILER:
Definitely one of my new favorite authors. Highly recommended for fans of mysteries & suspense novels.
SPOILER:
Spoiler
I definitely knew that Michael had something to do with it. He acted way too shifty right from the beginning. I loved the twist where Justin possibly could have been alive.Definitely one of my new favorite authors. Highly recommended for fans of mysteries & suspense novels.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
David Bell delivers THE HIDING PLACE, an absorbing multi-layered, suspenseful mystery crime thriller--leaving you page-turning to learn the events surrounding the disappearance of a small boy, some twenty-five years ago, which will forever change the lives of two families. Nice Cover
Years ago, a four year old boy, Justin went missing. In the blink of an eye, he was gone forever. He was sent to the park with his sister and a friend, Michael, without adult supervision. Several months later his body was discovered in a grave in the woods, not far from the park.
Janet, the sister, only seven at the time, has never got over the death of her brother. It is approaching the twenty-fifth anniversary of Justin’s death—with a lot of publicity, a newspaper reporter and a detective, asking questions, and re-opening old wounds.
There is much controversy in the town, as some people think there was racial injustice and the murder investigation was rushed, an African American boy was sent to prison without having full investigating the case. He is about to be released and working at the local church and has the support of the priest. Could he really be innocent? If so, who is the real killer?
Janet is now grown with a daughter of her own, living in the house she grew up in. To further complicate matters Janet’s childhood friend, Michael who was in the park that dreadful day, has returned to Dove Point. He is wrestling with what really happened that day, as he has been in therapy for years, driving him back to the scene of the crime. He has been seeing things and remembering things which may add clues to the long ago puzzle.
Then a mysterious stranger shows up, in town and approaches Janet, acting strange. Could he be Justin, and if he is, who was in the grave? How is he connected? As the detective which was on the case years ago, begins questioning the way the murder investigation was handled years ago, as he digs further.
As we move along, more deep dark secrets come to the surface surrounding this tragedy, with twists and turns around corner, leaving you guessing the identity of the real killer. Each character has issues and a past, connected in different ways - leading up the explosive ending.
I enjoyed this complex mystery, of secrets and lies, with well- developed characters for a mix of psychological, mystery, crime, and suspense, keeping you engaged until the end. There is so much guilt surrounding this one day with years, of covering up a dirty secret with human dynamics and family drama. I listened to the audiobook and Fred Lehne delivered an outstanding performance, keeping the intensity, high.
Looking forward to reading more from Bell, with his new upcoming Somebody I Used to Know, coming July 7, 2015.
JDC Must Read Books
Years ago, a four year old boy, Justin went missing. In the blink of an eye, he was gone forever. He was sent to the park with his sister and a friend, Michael, without adult supervision. Several months later his body was discovered in a grave in the woods, not far from the park.
Janet, the sister, only seven at the time, has never got over the death of her brother. It is approaching the twenty-fifth anniversary of Justin’s death—with a lot of publicity, a newspaper reporter and a detective, asking questions, and re-opening old wounds.
There is much controversy in the town, as some people think there was racial injustice and the murder investigation was rushed, an African American boy was sent to prison without having full investigating the case. He is about to be released and working at the local church and has the support of the priest. Could he really be innocent? If so, who is the real killer?
Janet is now grown with a daughter of her own, living in the house she grew up in. To further complicate matters Janet’s childhood friend, Michael who was in the park that dreadful day, has returned to Dove Point. He is wrestling with what really happened that day, as he has been in therapy for years, driving him back to the scene of the crime. He has been seeing things and remembering things which may add clues to the long ago puzzle.
Then a mysterious stranger shows up, in town and approaches Janet, acting strange. Could he be Justin, and if he is, who was in the grave? How is he connected? As the detective which was on the case years ago, begins questioning the way the murder investigation was handled years ago, as he digs further.
As we move along, more deep dark secrets come to the surface surrounding this tragedy, with twists and turns around corner, leaving you guessing the identity of the real killer. Each character has issues and a past, connected in different ways - leading up the explosive ending.
I enjoyed this complex mystery, of secrets and lies, with well- developed characters for a mix of psychological, mystery, crime, and suspense, keeping you engaged until the end. There is so much guilt surrounding this one day with years, of covering up a dirty secret with human dynamics and family drama. I listened to the audiobook and Fred Lehne delivered an outstanding performance, keeping the intensity, high.
Looking forward to reading more from Bell, with his new upcoming Somebody I Used to Know, coming July 7, 2015.
JDC Must Read Books
mellabella's review against another edition
4.0
The Hiding Place started out a little slow for me. But when it got going, it really got going. I liked the twists and turns and kind of figured out what the ending was going to be. This is my second book by David bell. I am becoming a big fan.
readingwithmygoldens's review against another edition
2.0
This book is hard for me to rate. It went from a definite 2 stars at the beginning to a 3 then almost to a 3.5 and then it just went back to a 2. I didn't care for the ending. I think this book had a lot of potential and could have turned out differently. I don't think that this book should be discouraged from being read....it just wasn't what I hoped it would be...if that makes sense.
ari__s's review against another edition
1.0
Oh goodness this was hard to get through. It reads really easily, as in you can whip through it; but to be quite honest, the only reason I kept reading - and picked up in the first place, truly - is because it was loaned to me by someone and I couldn't figure out how to politely decline after expressing polite interest. And let me be clear: I was expressing genuine, deep interest in the fact that someone was reading; my interest in WHAT they were reading began as deep and quickly became more superficially polite when I realized I did not want to read what they were reading. I don't like this shift that I now reflexively do, because even if I hate what someone is reading, I maintain a genuine interest to learn more and gain insight into why they like it or what they think about it. Unfortunately, other people are ruining this innate quality by insisting on loaning me their books. It's a kind gesture, but I'm socially awkward and don't want to hurt your feelings - AND I don't want to read your books when I'm at home rapidly being outflanked by my books. Dear readers, you are kind; keep your books to yourself.
I do not recommend this book. It was not interesting enough to overcome the sexism and cheesiness that occurred. I will give the author some props to addressing the racism in our criminal justice system - but not that many props because it felt more like buzz words than bold statements.
End rant.
I do not recommend this book. It was not interesting enough to overcome the sexism and cheesiness that occurred. I will give the author some props to addressing the racism in our criminal justice system - but not that many props because it felt more like buzz words than bold statements.
End rant.
kaulyjo's review against another edition
3.0
A few months ago I read David Bell's other novel, "Cemetery Girl," the review of which you can find on here. One of my biggest complaints was that "Cemetery Girl" had a less than satisfactory ending. I felt like I was left hanging. In contrast, "The Hiding Place" has a complete ending. All of the questions are answered, and you don't need an epilogue to tie things up. However, and that's a big however, I'm not sure it's an improvement.
Janet Manning is haunted by the murder of her little brother 25 years before. The man convicted of the murder has been paroled and returned to their town, but when the anniversary of the death comes around, Janet is plagued by the idea that the jury convicted the wrong man, a man she helped convict with memories she now questions. The "investigation" (informal for most of the book) centers around whether Janet's memories are correct and the information that two men who've returned to her life have any new information.
The details of the murder are telegraphed early, and you probably won't be wrong in any assumptions you make. There are some twists and turns to try to throw you off the trail, but in the end the result is exactly what you'd think it is.
In some ways I liked this novel better than "Cemetery Girl." For one the main character is much easier to like; you don't constantly want to wring her neck. For another thing the action - what there is of it - seemed to build at a better pace than "Cemetery Girl. Yet for all of those things, I'm still rating it lower than "Cemetery Girl" because the story felt like it had been told many times before, and better.
Janet Manning is haunted by the murder of her little brother 25 years before. The man convicted of the murder has been paroled and returned to their town, but when the anniversary of the death comes around, Janet is plagued by the idea that the jury convicted the wrong man, a man she helped convict with memories she now questions. The "investigation" (informal for most of the book) centers around whether Janet's memories are correct and the information that two men who've returned to her life have any new information.
The details of the murder are telegraphed early, and you probably won't be wrong in any assumptions you make. There are some twists and turns to try to throw you off the trail, but in the end the result is exactly what you'd think it is.
In some ways I liked this novel better than "Cemetery Girl." For one the main character is much easier to like; you don't constantly want to wring her neck. For another thing the action - what there is of it - seemed to build at a better pace than "Cemetery Girl. Yet for all of those things, I'm still rating it lower than "Cemetery Girl" because the story felt like it had been told many times before, and better.
brycodding99's review against another edition
I just couldn’t get into it. Nothing wrong with the book! Just not my type 😬
clinerose's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5