#BookReview: Hide by Nell Pattison @Writer_Nell @AvonBooksUK #Hide #NellPattison #YouCantHide

Book Synopsis:

Seven friends. One killer. You can run, but you can’t hide…It’s Boxing Day and your friendship group has planned a hike.You know tensions are running high. You’ve heard the rumours flying around.But this trip is a chance for you to reconnect.As you head into the reserve, everyone is quiet. It almost feels like you’ve imagined the rift.But as the sun sets, you hear a gun shot.One of your group is dead.And someone you know killed them…A fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller with a killer twist you just won’t see coming. Fans of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley and T.M. Logan will be totally gripped from the very first page.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author’s books so when I found myself in a recent reading slump I started Hide to help get me out of it as I alway find them to be gripping and easy to read. The story follows seven ‘friends’ who all belong to a nature group that meets once a month at the local nature reserve. However things quickly turn interesting (and a bit scary) when one of their group is murdered on a boxing Day hike.

I must admit when I first starting reading I thought I had guessed who the murder was but I was wrong (and very wrong). As the book progresses the author slowly peels back the layers on the characters so the reader finds out more about their history and, crucially, the secrets they’ve been hiding. I absolutely loved this as just when I thought I had everything figured out, something else would be revealed that sent the story in a completely different direction. My favourite characters were definitely the twins and I found it fascinating learning more about the dynamics of their relationship. Emily was definitely my favourite as I was very impressed with the strength and courage she showed throughout the book. She’s definitely had a hard life and I found it very poignant reading about her struggles when she was younger but I loved the fact she never lets her deafness hold her back!

The books starts off slowly as we get to know the characters and find out a little bit about the group. The reader gets to follow the story from each of the character’s points of view which alternates each chapter and I was very glad of the characters list at the front of the book so I could keep track of who was who. It quickly gathers pace though and I soon found the book very hard to put down. The snowy, dark nature reserve helped create a claustrophobic, unpredictable setting which seemed to be full of danger at every turn. My heart was in my mouth as I followed them as they tried to get out and I think I physically jumped a couple of times when things happened as I was so engrossed in the story.

The ending was brilliant, very dramatic and I loved how realistically it ended without any huge jumps in the story. It hints at there possibly being a sequel which I would love as I think there’s definitely more to explore with these characters and I don’t think I’m quite ready to say goodbye to them yet.

Huge thanks to Avon for my copy of this book. If you’re looking for a gripping read this Christmas I definitely recommend this one!

About The Author:

After studying English at university, Nell Pattison became a teacher and specialised in Deaf education. She has been teaching in the Deaf community for 14 years in both England and Scotland, working with students who use BSL, and began losing her hearing in her twenties. She lives in North Lincolnshire with her husband and son. Nell is the author of novels The Silent House, which was a USA Today bestseller, and Silent Night, featuring British Sign Language interpreter Paige Northwood.