Penny’s elderly parents Sissy and Heath are looking for a lodger to move in to their basement flat to help with rising living costs. Penny helps them to arrange it and is instantly attracted to the new lodger Cooper. He is handsome and mysterious but soon becomes dangerous. Penny tries to get Cooper to leave but when he won’t we find out how far she will go in order to protect her family.

I thought I knew exactly where this story was headed and then was completely surprised when it didn’t. I love when a twist is completely unexpected. The book has lots of dark humour especially with the main characters elderly parents who are my favourite characters overall.

Really well plotted and a great read.

Overall Good Read 🤓

After reading the premise, Dad’s phone call to Penny was the line that drew me to this book and made me chuckle. Whilst overall this was a good read, it didn’t have as many laugh out loud moments I thought it would, based on this. Not an author I’ve read before, but would do again.

This is the third book I have read of Laura Marshall and I have to say, I enjoyed this more than I did with her other two books!

This book is slightly different from the books I have read from the same author before. Penny is taking care of her elderly parents...her elderly parents decided to rent out their basement and soon they find a tenant named Cooper. But Cooper has a dark history which involved the fact that he was released from prison on drug charges. Penny's parents believe that Cooper is stealing and damaging their property. One night, Penny gets a frantic call from her parents, asking her to come over immediately. When Penny did, she finds a damaged rose garden and the body of Cooper lying on the ground, dead. Then comes the story of how Penny helped her parents find a good place to hide the body and at the same time dealing with the consequences.

This book is fast paced and I really like the writing style of the book. I think things got interesting towards the middle of the book and I have to say, I found some parts in the book a little funny and hilarious to read, particularly when Penny and her father are trying to find a place to hide the body. I also like Sissy, Penny's mother as well and found her character to be funny and witty. This book also makes you think twice about renting a tenant a spare room as this is what the whole story is about--money issues, renting a part of your house, turns out the tenant is bad and then drama. I really love the drama behind the book and overall, I actually enjoyed the book. If you are looking for binge read, check this book out, worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

When Penny’s older parents ring her, she is expecting to help fix their Wi-Fi, but when they ask her for help disposing of a body, her life takes an unexpected turn.

This is my first read from Laura Marshall, but it won’t be my last! The writing was fast paced and engaging, and I was hooked throughout, finishing it in 2 days. The book starts with Penny receiving a call from her parents to bury a body and then goes right into flashbacks with them opening their home to lodger Cooper. Cooper is thoroughly dislikeable, and this part of the book is actually difficult to read at times, as you can see his manipulation and how helpless the family are to stop him. The second half then becomes a cat and mouse chase as they try to quite literally get away with murder. There’s a lot of twists and turns, particularly in the second half which left me gasping as I read.

I really like Sissy, the mother who used her age to her advantage - it was sad to see how easily people would discount the parents for being old (including their daughter). They more than proved how capable they were by the end though! Penny as a main character makes a lot of mistakes which are frustrating at times for the reader but also felt quite realistic for someone who felt lonely and betrayed by her husband. Although it’s a very dark theme, it was told so well and made for a truly compelling read – a Kindig Gem for 2024.

Overall, A Good Place to Hide a Body is a gripping and compelling read and one of my books of the year. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, a really gripping read. An elderly couple need to find extra income so they rent out their basement, but the tenant is far from ideal. Then they take action, and their daughter Penny has to help them sort out the aftermath.

Penny has her own problems, being divorced with a son at Uni who appears to have problems of his own that he's not telling her about. The story is far more than murder and mayhem, it deals with relationships, generational issues and how you can lose sight of your children.

At parts I was almost afraid to keep reading, as the tenant begins to terrorise the homeowners; in others I was chuckling away and cheering them on. Its a complex tale, told really well and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sorry its finished now, how can I follow that!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As reviews go, this is going to be a pretty vague one. I don't want to give anything away about the identity of the body in the garden, how they came to be there, or who did them harm. It's all revealed quite early on so you don't have to wait too long to find out.

At first, it's more important to understand how things got to this point. It all begins very innocently. Penny's elderly parents are struggling with paying the bills. They refuse to downsize. All their memories are in this house, and they can't even begin to think of leaving their pride and joy behind. Their garden, where they spend so much time, turning it into something nearly prize-worthy. Penny could move into the basement, but there would be no space for her teenage son. So the only other option that remains, is to find a tenant. That is how the story begins.

At some point, as you've already read, Penny will receive a phone call from her parents because there is a dead body in their garden. Now, the story takes another turn altogether. Penny and her parents are out of their depth here. There is very little time to think things through, but they are adamant they will not be calling the police. But what IS a good place to hide a body?

Penny and her parents are ordinary people, who suddenly find themselves knee-deep in extraordinary circumstances. It's impossible not to think about what you would do, if you were in their shoes. Just like it's remarkably easy to sit back and judge them on their bad judgements, and the sometimes awful choices and decisions they make. I thought Penny, in particular, was awfully naive.

The tension seems to kick up a notch on pretty much every single page, and slowly but surely, Penny's life starts to unravel. But 'A Good Place to Hide a Body' isn't merely about hiding a body and hoping nobody ever discovers what you did. It's also about not ever really knowing someone, and what they're capable of. It's about how children so often forget their parents had, and still have, a life that doesn't involve them. It's about how people seem to become invisible after a certain age.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It has somewhat of a dark humour thing going on, which I always appreciate, and I'm pretty sure I chuckled at some inappropriate moments but that's just me. Maybe the story is a tad far-fetched, but that didn't bother me at all. It's full of suspense, deliciously twisty and I dare say there is one utterly fabulous character I will not forget in a hurry. Pacy, well-plotted, and hugely entertaining. Do yourself a favour, though, and go in blind.

Ignoring for the moment that this author is one of my favourites, I think I would have snaffled this book up on the title alone...!
After a shocking opening, we go on to properly meet Penny, divorced with a teenage son Zach. She dotes on and looks after her elderly parents - Sissy and Heath. When she discovers that they are struggling to maintain their large home and pretty much refuse to move, Penny being unable to help them financially, agrees with them that the best way to generate the income they need is to rent out their basement self-contained annex.
Enter the devastatingly handsome and charming Cooper... He seems, on face value, to be the answer to all their worries. But, as we all know, looks can be deceiving and what began as the solution swiftly switches to adding to their woes... But I'll leave you to meet him properly, warts and all, yourself...
This book was an absolute joy to read. We have all the shenanigans that Cooper gets up to, as well as those of Penny, her parents and even Zach falls foul and gets roped in... It contains some really excellent black humour, mostly delivered by the wonderful Sissy! Cooper is a cracking bad boy with the way he started out all nice and charming and then as we watch, the mask falls and the real side of him starts to show through. He's intelligent and calculating and pretty much the perfect con-man. I'd love to wax lyrical about all the nasty things he does but, well, that'd spoil things for you...
There are some really well plotted twists and turns along the way too which really kept me on my toes and also had me fearing for and wondering how certain characters would get out of certain situations they had got into. It's hard to explain without spoilers but you'll understand when you get there. Suffice to say that tension was high and I was on the edge of my seat a lot towards the end. And that ending... simply perfect!
All in all, a cracking addition to an already well impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Everybody who loves their parents can relate to Laura Marshall‘s latest novel, A Good Place to Hide a Body. The story centers on Penny, whose elderly parents, facing financial difficulties, decide to rent out their basement annex to a charming middle-aged man. Penny is instantly smitten, but little does she know that he is a ruthless criminal.
From the outset, Marshall instills a sense of foreboding and yet it is still shocking how easily the situation escalates. This psychological thriller is absolutely unputdownable, blending suspense with great humor that had me laughing out loud. I was particularly charmed by Penny’s parents, whom the author describes lovingly. The family dynamic is further enriched by Penny's ex-husband and her troubled son.
Marshall masterfully weaves numerous twists and turns into the narrative, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. And the moral of the story is…Never underestimate pensioners!

Thanks to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Laura Marshall for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For many women of Penny’s age, helping elderly parents is a natural part of life. But for Penny, things have taken a more serious turn.

One night, Penny receives a frantic call from her parents. No, they haven’t had a fall – they’ve killed someone, and his body is in the garden right next to the rose bushes!

Laura Marshall is an author whose books I pick up without a second thought. They are always fast-paced, gripping, and consistently shocking. So, when I had the opportunity to read A Good Place to Hide A Body, I was thrilled to dive in.

First things first: you should never judge a book by its cover, but I have to admit I was drawn to the vibrant cover of this one (that green will look beautiful on the bookshelf!) The caption '‘Everyone is Capable of Murder. They just need to meet the right person’' promised a suspenseful journey and the book certainly delivered.

The prologue introduces the main event, making it engaging from the very first page. Laura Marshall’s use of short chapters adds to the brisk pace. One writing technique I’ve noticed across her works is how she portrays ordinary characters. By this I mean, we often expect perpetrators to stand out, but her characters could easily be you, or me, which adds an extra layer of suspense.

I really enjoyed the characterisation in the book. The characters were all quite stereotypical, but this added some humour to the story, and I felt warm towards the main character Penny. She faces so many relatable problems, such as caring for ageing parents, parenting teenagers, dealing with grief, juggling a full time job, divorce and co-parenting. I emphasised with her struggles and could truly feel the pressure she was under.

To summarise, Laura Marshall has crafted yet another page-turner with A Good Place To Hide A Body. It’s a compelling read that keeps you on the edge of your seat, if you’re a fan of suspenseful thrillers, this book is a must read. Five Stars.

The book starts with Penny getting a phone call from her parents asking her to come round and help them. Expecting it be something straightforward she does not expect to see a body in their garden and her parents asking her to help get rid of the body!

The book then goes back to explain how we got to this point, a troublesome lodger, a fling and people at the end of their tether. Will they get rid of the body successfully or will they be discovered?

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down.

Jezus, Cooper is such a creepy guy. This was such a scary but also funny? story! In the beginning I didn't know where the story would go but it actually turned out well! The characters were so well written and I'm still in shock with Penny her parents (you have to read the story, I'm not gonna spoil this). I'm really hyped to read more books by this author! I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a quick fun read this summer!

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc!

This was such a fantastic book it was a thrilling funny read which I enjoyed so much. What would you do for your parents and how far would you to protect them cause that is the decision Penny has to make. I love the way this book so flowed throughout and really enjoyed the way it wasn’t to serious it made me laugh throughout. Such a talented author to be able to write a book like this. I will definitely be recommending this fantastic book to everyone. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy,

A fast-paced, easy read that I simply sped through. The premise was intriguing from the start, and the dynamics of the family were entertaining to read.
Sissy and Heath were brilliantly written characters, and I loved their role in this story. They were certainly two characters I couldn't help but root for.
Penny, however, I just didn't like. I can't even really put my finger on why, but everything about her just irritated me.
I also feel the book could have benefited from a few POVs from Cooper, just to give the character a little more depth to explain his behaviour better.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I would still recommend. I was never bored, but it didn't hugely grip me. It's not a bad book by any means, just not my favourite book of this year.

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a super fun mystery/thriller. If you are looking for a fast-paced book to add to your beach bag this summer, I definitely recommend this book! This book had a lot of twists and turns and I didn't see the ending coming! I enjoyed this book!

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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The story follows Penny, a fifty-year-old woman balancing her job, her young adult son, and her aging parents. Her parents rent out their basement to a tenant, Cooper, who quickly turns their lives into a nightmare. When Penny gets a late-night call from her dad about a dead body, she's thrown into a whirlwind of secrets and danger. The book touches on family dynamics, how far people will go for their loved ones, and the hidden surprises in everyday life.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for an entertaining and engaging read.

Bad things happen to good people, but bad things also happen to bad people. Heath and Sissy, mid-seventies, are good people, as is their, fiftyish, daughter, Penny. However, they are all a bit strapped for cash; in Penny’s case because she’s recently divorced and has a teenage son, in her parent’s case because they’re living on limited incomes. At Penny’s suggestion, Heath and Sissy decide to rent-out the annex which used to be her place to hang-out when she was their teenager. Enter Cooper, fiftyish, handsome, debonair, in need of a short let, glowing references according to the letting agent. Although initially attracted to him, Penny soon realises that he is ‘bad people’, which becomes more obvious as people keep turning up, see him for a few minutes, then hurry away, actions consistent with him being a drug dealer. He then starts a campaign of harassment of the old couple, which ends up badly for Cooper, badly meaning in his case dead, and badly for Heath, Sissy and Penny since they now have a body to get rid of.
A not unusual situation in murder mysteries (e.g. Alexia Casale’s “The Best Way To Bury Your Husband”) albeit with somewhat unusual protagonists. What makes this stand out is the series of unlikely incidents that get in their way, which are told in a lightly comedic style. That is not to obscure that there is a well-managed, if unlikely, plot lying beneath the humour. There are some surprises (to call them twists would be stretching the definition), but everyone behaves in a manner consistent with their character, so there is a kind of inevitability about everything. There is no real intellectual challenge, so it is in a category I’d define as ‘cosy-thriller’. It is a very entertaining and undemanding story, perfect for relaxation.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Loved this - it was such a fun read! You know from the get-go that there’ll be a murder in this book - if only from the title alone. What I didn’t expect however was the reactions of those involved! I loved how the characters were written, especially the reminders us not to take our elders for granted - or to underestimate them…

What a great read! I am new to Laura as an author but she had me hooked, not a who dunnit book but a well written plot from the view of who did it!
It really makes you think what lengths you would go to for your family and also what you maybe don't know or expect.from those closest.
I also read the opening chapter to My Husband's Killer at the end and can't wait for that release!!!

‘A Good Place To Hide A Body’ is a tense, darkly comic and quite unpredictable novel about 50-year-old Penny, who is summoned to her elderly parents’ house in the dead of night to help them cover the tracks of a terrible (but perhaps understandable) crime! This book challenges the reader to decide whether it’s really true that “everyone is capable of murder… they just need to meet the right person”, and if so, whether that negates the necessity for justice, while also providing an insightful, amusing and relatable portrait of complex family dynamics.

Penny’s parents, Sissy and Heath, were entertaining - as a reader I felt for them while also feeling the tension build and wondering when helplessness would tip over into ruthlessness. The broader cast of characters, including unpleasant tenant Cooper, Penny’s son Zach and ex-husband Martin, and a variety of meddling neighbours and downtrodden police officers, was well-developed and realistic.

It was great to see an older female protagonist, which along with the plot itself made the book feel very fresh and unique. I finished it in a couple of hours, driven to continue reading and reach the conclusion. I admired the author for sprinkling in twists and shocks right until the end. At times, I felt the pacing could have been faster, and a few choices by characters frustrated me, but not enough to stop me devouring the pages.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to fans of Richard Osman’s ‘Thursday Murder Club’, Bella Mackie’s ‘How To Kill Your Family’ and Herman Koch’s ‘The Dinner’. It’s a surprising, deliciously dark and riotously funny read which I’m awarding 4.5 stars to!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Hodder and Stoughton via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I've been in a bit of a thriller slump lately so I didn't think I'd enjoy this one going into it, but I sat and read over 2o% in the first sitting and managed to read the entire thing in just over a day or so.

I really enjoyed this one, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the 'second ending' as I like to call it. It could have ended nicely at a certain point, but the added extra bit threw me a little. Still a great book!