Having thoroughly enjoyed The Search Party by Simon Lelic, I was excited to read The Hiding Place. It’s an excellent, tense, twisty crime thriller which continues with the crime solving partnership of the former and expands on it with their personal stories.

Much to DI Robin Fleet’s surprise, the cold case discovery of the body of schoolboy Ben Draper, who went missing 22 years ago from the prestigious Beaconsfield boarding school, turns into a murder investigation for him and his colleague, DS Nicky Collins, to solve.

As Ben’s heartbreaking story unfolds in an adjacent 1997 timeline, it’s clear just how sad, miserable, lonely, and desperate for friends he was. So when the cool but troubled Callum, Lance and Melissa start to befriend him, he doesn’t guess their ulterior motives at first.

Ben gets inexorably drawn into their dastardly plans by his acute longing for acceptance. It culminates in a high tension game of hide and seek where he is in fear for his life. And it ends with his murder, though the culprit is far from clear cut. Are the so-called friends guilty or not? Because the murders don’t stop.

The gradual unravelling of the truth is brilliantly executed with great characterisation and an intriguing plot. Each red herring is followed by yet another until the unexpected, dramatic denouement occurs. It’s a page-turner novel full of surprises and suspense.

The Hiding Place is a really good thriller, set between the past and the present it is a book that keeps you turning the pages..
Fleet and collins are given this cold case to solve, and in doing so uncover hidden secrets, Lots of Police procedure and one not to miss.. .
A really well writteenn thriller and a follow up to the "Search Party"

Beaconsfield School is a prestigious boarding school that is very proud of its traditions & its alumni. When a body is found in a previously undiscovered crypt DI Fleet & DS Nicky Collins, who work on cold cases are called in to investigate although they find it very difficult to get anywhere with the staff & the officious Headmaster. As investigations progress it seems that the body belonged to Ben Draper, a bit of a loner who had gone missing after a game of Hide & Seek. One of the 'Seekers' is now an up & coming politician - Fleet's superiors are keen that the pair don't upset anyone. However that is not going to stop them finding out the truth!

The story is told through dual time lines- the past events that led up to Ben's death & the present investigation. It was a fast paced story with some pretty ghastly characters! I had forgotten all about DI Fleet in 'The Search Party', although it was a book I enjoyed. It was nice to meet him again. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Ben went missing from his school, years ago. A game gone wrong, runaway perhaps but finally his body is found and the truth of those dark days is about to be revealed but what really happened to the boy and who is responsible?

This was an interesting read though not as engaging as i had hoped. The case jumps from present time to the run up of Ben's murder. Its an interesting case though I did figure out who was the killer. The plot is quite slow to start with and then gradually picks up to the explosive ending. The ending was well written and tied all the various events together. You can't help but feel for Ben and almost wish he didn't get the ending that he did. A good mystery.

Another school, another mystery. It would appear that teen murders are ten a penny at the minute. It does make a change from the pandemic and the number of killer viruses that appeared.

Take one boarding school three friends, one hanger on and a plot to finish the school forever.

It is not enough that they are at school, the influential one, his sidekick and the girlfriend. After one failed attempt to get the school closed on sexual harassment charge. Our party picks on the loner that no one gets on with. Drawing him into their group, to exploit him for their own agenda.

Enter the schools priest, picked on just for that reason. Being framed, for something more than just an insinuated liking for young boys. Whilst untrue, the seeds of doubt were planted by our group, and the plan was initiated. Each step carefully engineered.

Fast forward 22 years. Our group of friends are now down and out addicts and drop outs, apart from the influential one, who has his eye on being Prime Minister.

A body is found, and our down and outs turn up dead with suspicions that they were not from natural causes.

The police and their investigation enters the plot. From here on in, if you want to know more. I would suggest getting a copy of the book.

A nice easy read. I found that I had finished it in two sittings. It is not going to make you tihnk to hard about what is going to happen, but it does keep you wanting to find out just what is going to happen.

The plot is good, and the characters well rounded. There is just enough background to keep everything in the direction that it needs to be going.

Would I recommend, yes. Like I have already stated it is a nice easy read.

Status: Completed

Rating: 4.2/5.0

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.

A great thriller of a novel from Simon Lelic. This was actually the second book I’d read of his so I was excited to read the new novel. This did not disappoint - the story spins back and forth from the past before the murder and current day police investigation. It really gripped me on both the past and present sides and I just couldn’t put the book down to understand how the ”game” had concluded back then and how the investigation panned out. The characters were all engaging and I could definitely read anther novel with DI Rob Fleet and Nicky as the leads.

I definitely need to back through the authors back catalogue as well as looking out for the next one published.

Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
#TheHidingPlace #NetGalley

Another brilliant read from the author of The Search Party, which I also really enjoyed. In fact, The Hiding Place features the same detective – Robin Fleet – who is, this time, investigating the death of a teenage boy whose body in the grounds of an exclusive school he attended, 20 years after he disappeared.

We then flick backwards and forwards in time as we see chapters set in the run-up to the boy’s death, and the present-day investigation. The plot is packed full of intrigue, and the fact it’s set in a prestigious school with plenty of secrets only adds to the mystery… I loved the slow reveal of what really happened and I found it difficult to put the book down!

The characters are great – some are much nicer than others, but DI Robin Fleet and his colleague Nicky Collins are hugely likable and I enjoyed following them as they attempted to unearth the truth. I really felt for Ben, the boy whose body is found, as we read what a hard time he had at school, and there’s a real impending sense of doom as we know what will ultimately happen to him…

The Hiding Place is a fast-paced, thrilling page turner which combines grit and intrigue. Definitely recommended!

What an incredible book, a real,page-turner. I couldn’t put it down. Loved this one very much. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is a great read. A body is discovered after 22 years and DI Robin Fleet is tasked with the case. The book follows his investigation and gives the reader a well written enjoyable tense tale with red herrings and clues and twists.
This is cleverly and seamlessly merged with accounts from the time of the murder giving the reader useful background knowledge.
The pace of the book never falters and the end especially is a real page turner.
There is some mention of Fleet's past so there may be an earlier book - I haven't checked - but nothing that hinders the enjoyment of this book. Simon Lelic is an author I will look out for.

I couldn't put this book down. This was a brilliant read from start to finish.

The story begins when a body is discovered at a crypt at Beaconsfield boarding school. It is the body of a boy, Ben Draper who disappeared from the school over twenty years ago following a game of 'hide and seek.'

This is a dual time frame story moving between Ben's life at the school prior to his death and Detective Fleet's investigation following the discovery of the body.

I loved the characters in the story. Whilst feeling desperately sorry for some there were others that I completely loathed! I particularly enjoyed reading Ben's part of the story as he gets drawn into a sinister friendship with Callum, Lance and Melissa.

This was such a tense mystery that slowly unravelled connecting past events with the present day. I didn't predict any of the twists and the atmosphere was chilling! The ending was unexpected and I couldn't stop turning the pages!

If you like dark, twisty thrillers with lots of suspense I would definitely recommend this!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Four friends play a game of hide and seek... but they cannot hide forever. Who will end up dead? DI Fleet tries to discover the truth behind a deadly game.

The book was well written and I enjoyed Simon Lelic's writing style - this is the second book I have read by him. However, the dual timelines did not work for me. Whereas I do like these, I found the past timeline interesting, but the present timeline a little dull at times, particularly in the police investigations.

It was also the second book to feature DI Fleet and his colleague Nicky. I did not know this when I started reading. I have, fortunately, read the previous book, The Search Party, but I did not feel there was enough information about either Fleet or Nicky in this second book for me to reconnect with them.

The book kept my attention throughout and raised my curiosity, but I was never completely gripped. However, it was enjoyable with a great storyline that leaves the reader guessing.

A very twisty tail! Loved the setting and the characters were well crafted. I will definitely read more by this author.

Another terrific character driven thriller from Simon Lelic, with some recurring characters but working perfectly well as a standalone.

A body discovered years after a disappearance sets off a violent sequence of events that our main protagonist police investigator has trouble staying ahead of and its a proper page turner.

The Hiding Place has a lot of elements I adore - a boarding school, a secretive group of friends, a past mystery screaming its way into present day and the author manages them all well, keeping things unexpected and addictive.

A great read. Looking forward to more.

Really fine writing, Characterisations of mean adolescents and trapped in boarding school very persuasive... the search for a murder 20 years later makes things wonderfully complex .. really good .. maybe over played but nonetheless a terrific read

This is my second novel by Simon Lelic although I have had another of his books on my reading list for some time.
In The Hiding Place, a body has been found on the grounds of the prestigious Beaconsfield boarding school. It is Ben who went missing twenty plus years ago. DI Robin Fleet leads the investigation assisted by his colleague, DS Nicky Collins.
This book incited me and I read it in a single sitting. It's well written with precisely the right amount of drive, and the characters were interesting, though mainly abhorrent, including the majority of the police but they are a good cross-section. DI Fleet, with his personal problems, was one that I considered affable. The backdrop of the school created a chilling atmosphere, along with all the game-play, enhancing the story and adding another level of suspense. As this sinister and compulsive thriller headed towards the startling conclusion, the tension really escalated and I was caught off guard. A must-read for thriller aficionados.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin Books/ Viking via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

There must be something in the air…public schools are coming in for something of a literary hammering just now. I think authors are channelling their thoughts about the behaviour of some of our politicians into their work…

Be that as it may, Simon Lelic has a public school at the centre of his latest novel, The Hiding Place.

Told in a dual timeline format it is the story of Ben Draper who went missing from his elite boarding school 22 years ago while playing hide and seek. Now a body has been discovered in a crypt on the school grounds. DI Rob Fleet and his colleague Nicky Collins are in charge of cold cases – a punishment for Fleet who is out of favour with his boss. So they take the lead on this case before the boss catches on that one of the key persons of interest is Ben’s old school friend, Callum Richardson, now a politician challenging the government with some success and riding high with an impressive media profile.

The narrative to The Hiding Place moves between the police investigation and the events of 22 years ago, as told from Ben’s perspective. An outsider with no friends, Ben was an unhappy child with no friends and so when three older children, Callum, Lance and Melissa take him under their wing he is grateful to them for including him in their activities.

Lelic describes the school vividly and the toxic, bullying nature of the school’s culture really stands out. Many of the school’s characters are wholly unlikable and Ben’s situation is sad and depressing.

Although you do get some sense of Rob Fleet and his domestic situation, it’s a bit of a slow drip feed and not quite enough to lift the sense that everyone else in this book is really rather awful and so it’s just as well that Fleet is a relentless pursuer of the truth.

The pace quickens towards the end as the tension builds and it is clear that events of 22 years ago are now driving a killer’s agenda and more deaths are discovered as well as lives put in danger.

Lelic builds in some nice deceptions and a couple of great twists which makes this murder mystery zing a little more. He also has some nice one-liners to lift the tension when it all becomes a bit intense.

Verdict: All round a well-crafted police procedural with some intriguing characters and good plotting.

Another very enjoyable read from Simon Lelic.

This was a compelling murder mystery with a fun game element to it. A trope which I really enjoy and would love to see more in thriller books.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book. I love when thrillers are set at schools.

I also enjoyed the switch between perspectives, from the past and the present, it made for a very intriguing read.

The pace was really strong. I was hooked throughout and constantly trying to guess where the story was going.

My only criticism of the book was that it felt slightly drawn out in places. However, apart from that it was a throughly enjoyable read with a shocking and dramatic ending you won't see coming.

Overall, highly recommend if you enjoy detective murder mysteries or thrillers with the trope of a deadly game.

The Hiding Place is a dual timeline thriller that I enjoyed. I didn’t realise there were other books with the same investigators in but I can’t say I felt like I’d missed anything by not reading previous books so it can definitely be read as a stand-alone.
The book is based at Beaconsfield, a high class boarding school the remains of a body have been found in the woods in an abandoned chapel crypt. The boy who is found is Ben Draper, missing since 1997 after a game of hide and seek goes wrong. We follow Bens life in the past from when he started at Beaconsfield to his death and the present is DI Robin Fleet and DS Nikki Collins who have been assigned cold cases due to Fleets boss not liking him as he prefers the pen pushing type not the get out there and get the job done sort.
As you read this book you are led onto a path to try and make you think it’s someone when deep down you know it’s not the right culprit. The book had a good pace and didn’t seem to let up, I did prefer the past chapters as a lot more seemed to happen and I looked forward to these chapters getting to grips with who Ben was.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin General UK, Viking for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Just a game of hide and seek .... That is until Ben goes missing and isn't found until over,20 years later an annoymous too is left with the police to look in the crypt at school and they will find a body. The problem is its a cold case and with so many potential suspects Fleet and Nicky have their work cut out trying to find out who is telling the truth and who is lying.... Then more people turn up.murdered also connected with the case and potential suspects. Will they be able to find the murderer before they commit another one and why are they doing it anyway?
Couldn't put this down, read well into the night. Many thanks Net galley for letting me read this book and to Simon Lelic for writing it can't wait for the next one....

Wow, what a rollercoaster of a book. Utterly thrilling.
I lost sleep over this as I was turning the pages late into the night.
Simon Lelic is at the top of his game with stories this high quality.
Thank you to NetGalley, to the publisher and author for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.