Fantastic book to read. Loved how fast paced it is. So many twists and turns to keep you focused. Really good plot. Played out well. The book is very well written

Unfortunately not for me! Found it too slow to get into and not pacy enough to care about the mystery.

I'm not sure what to make of #TheHidingPlace by Simon Lelic. There are numerous 4 and 5 star reviews praising the story and the writing but I found both to be flat and without style.

I really like Simon Lelic books, they’re fast paced and thrilling and this one was no exception!
4 friends go for a game of hide and seek and only 3 return - we are treated to a dual timeline in this book where you’re trying to patch up the past and the present and I for one could not put it down!
I liked the relationship between the two detectives and it genuinely had me guessing until the end.
My only criticism is I wish I knew it was the second book so I could have got to know the detectives more!

When this game of hide and seek goes wrong - it has dire consequences.

This was a gripping read which had me hooked from the first chapter. The level of intrigue and mystery was just right. Great characters, an eerie setting and compelling storyline.

Highly recommend this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the review copy.

I was gripped by this from the start and it left me guessing the whole way through. A great read which I would highly recommend

I flew through this. I was gripped pretty early on. The pace is fast and the plot deepens throughout.
While I didnt manage the guess the killer I did enjoy this book the whole time.
With a duel timeline where we get the see the lead up to Ben's death while we see the present day investigation. Trying to connect the pieces.
Unlikeable characters meaning any one of them could be behind the murders. Secrets and lies.
This is a solid mystery.

An entertaining mystery! Kept me guessing until the end.

It was fab to see Fleet in action again too.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this review copy. An entertaining mystery that keeps the reader entertained.

This book had me completely hooked. I didn't expect the story to develop in the way it did. The setting was fascinating and it is obvious that the author has done a great deal of research to bring the story to life for their readers.

This was an ARC from Netgalley.

Four friends go for a game of hide and seek but only 3 come back.

Years later the body of Ben is found in an underground crypt in the prestigious boarding school they all attended. DI Flint, now disgraced to cold cases, is tasked with investigating what happened and how Ben was murdered. As the bodies pile up and his partner goes missing it's a race against to uncover the truth. Can DI Fleet stop another murder and find out what happened to his partner?

Really enjoyable read and worked well as a stand alone.

I read this a while back and forgot to upload my review.

Fast paced, stressful in a way that I love and the two person narrative added layers of depth and tension that made it a great read

A children's game of hide-and-seek turns deadly in this whodunnit crime thriller. Twenty years later a body is found. Told over two timelines, in places it felt slow and dragged out but will keep you guessing until the end.

A body has been found. Ben, the missing school-boy from a decades-old unsolved missing child case, is finally being taken to his final resting place and his case reopened. What dark secrets will be unleashed and what connections to the present-day village inhabitants still remain?

I had high expectations diving into this book, after enjoying other of Lelic's creations. They might have been placed too highly, however, as this remained solidly enjoyable and deliciously twisted but failed to capture my attention in quite the same way as he previously has proven able to do.

Perhaps the increased focus on the crime elements could explain my middling rating, as this is not my usual go-to, preferring my thrillers without a police presence, or perhaps this storyline was less suited for me personally due to the split chronological focus, which I have read in abundance recently. Either way I was absorbed throughout but, sadly, this is not a storyline that will stay for me for a long time, I fear.

For the best part of this book I was simply confused. And not in a good sense, like “who did it” confused. More like: is this a part of a series or stand-alone book? Is it going to be any better or I’ll be forever bored with it and forget about it the minute I finish this novel? There was nothing that would convince me I want to read other books by this author and being completely honest I wouldn't have even finished this one if it wasn’t for writing the review on NetGalley.

There were two timelines in the book: one in 1997 following Ben in the months leading to his deaths and twenty two years later in which we can see the detective's work in trying to figure out what has actually happened to him all those years ago. Frankly, I liked neither of them. In Ben’s part I was dragged through boarding school for rich kids in which I’ve barely met three or four of them - not very much of a character building there. In the police work timeline I saw them trying to uncover what I already started to know (thanks to Ben’s parts) and mostly struggling with too many politicians trying to get their agenda in the investigation. The only personal part of this whole book was Fleet’s interactions with his ex-wife. And let me tell you that this whole thing didn’t make any sense at all. I don’t want to spoil anything here, but I’d prefer there was nothing at all of his personal life than this.

It was almost painful to read this book. Throughout its however many pages there’s nothing really happening. No interesting characters, no ground-breaking developments. And the author's attempts at building suspense were absolutely laughable. They didn’t make me want to know what was coming next or what did the investigator think about. It was only adding to my growing frustration and made me like this book even less. Between that and no characters’ depth I would say I don’t recommend this book to anyone at all.

First book I’ve read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Good storyline and it kept me interested from start to finish. Kept me guessing until the end. Liked the relationship between the two main detectives .
I look forward to reading more from Simon Lelic .

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the arc of this book The Hiding Place by Simon Lelic.

4 star read- I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book it was a gripping, page turner had me on the edge of my seat VIBE! I was obsessed and I was hooked! Very well written and I totally recommend this to anyone!

It pains me to say, as I have always loved this author, but I really struggled to connect with this book

I struggled quite a lot with the characters. I really like to get to know a character, but I felt that the author never really let us in to know the two police officers It wasn’t clear that this was second in a series.

The storyline was cryptic and this read like a Peter james novel for me, who is one of my favourite authors

There was just something missing for me.

I will not be posting my review to any sites as I do not want to out anyone off for something that I can’t quite put my finger on

Brilliant twisty little thriller had me hooked from page one and the ending was not to be missed, will look out for more from the author!

An ok read
I did finish it but it wasn’t one of my favourites
It won’t put me off reading more by this author
Thanks NetGalley