Book Synopsis:
Some secrets can never be concealed . . .
Nell Galilee, her husband and twelve year old step-daughter Maude rent a holiday cottage by the sea, needing time and space away from home. Nell grew up in this small, wind-blown town and has mixed feelings about returning, and it isn’t long before she is recognised by a neighbour, seemingly desperate to befriend her. The cottage has been empty for some time, and from the start Nell feels uncomfortable there. Something isn’t quite right about this place . . .
Maude, furious about being brought here against her will, soon finds herself beguiled by the house’s strange atmosphere. There are peculiar marks in the roof beams above her bedroom, and in another room, a hiding place, concealing a strange, unnerving object.
As the house gradually reveals its secrets, Nell becomes increasingly uneasy – and Maude spellbound. But these women – and the women that surround them – are harbouring their own secrets too, and soon events will come to a terrible head . . .
A brilliant, unsettling and chilling novel of mothers and daughters, truth and deception and the lengths people will go to, to obtain power over their own lives, The Hiding Place is the second chilling novel from the acclaimed author of The Wayward Girls.
The Wayward Girls is published in ebook and hardback on the 14th October 2021. You can pre-order your copy using the links below.
My Review:
The Hiding Place is a chilling, atmospheric thriller that will definitely stay with me. It’s a perfect book to read at this time of year as the nights draw in and Halloween approaches.
As frequent readers of my blog may know I love books that feature creepy houses so this book instantly appealed to me. I really enjoyed slowly exploring the house and discovering it’s disturbing secrets. I was very intrigued by Maude’s discoveries and was soon trying to work out what happened there.
The coastal setting was perfectly for this book as the town has a real life history of witchcraft making the book seem more realistic The atmosphere in the book slowly increases with things gradually becoming stranger and stranger. I found myself reading faster as I neared the end, both wanting to find out what was happening and not sure I would like the answer. The ending was brilliant and I thought the conclusion very clever.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Zaffre for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Amanda Mason was born and brought up in Whitby, North Yorkshire. She studied Theatre at Dartington College of Arts where she began writing by devising and directing plays. After a few years earning a very irregular living in lots of odd jobs, and performing in a comedy street magic act, she became a teacher and has worked in the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany. She now lives in in North Yorkshire and has given up teaching for writing.Her short stories have been published in several anthologies, including collections from Parthian Books, Unthank Books, and The Fiction Desk, and her debut novel, The Wayward Girls was published in 2019. The Hiding Place is her second novel.
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