The Hiding Place (Spoiler-Free)

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sending me a free copy of The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor to read and review! This book makes me want to read more mystery thrillers, especially those written by C.J. Read on for my spoiler-free review!

Genre

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Intended Audience

All those who love a good mystery

Overview (From Book Jacket)

“Joe never wanted to return home. After the way things ended with his old gang—the betrayal, the suicide, the murder—he got out and never looked back. So why, after all these years, is Joe once again in his hometown, lying through his teeth to get a teaching position at his former school? Is he just there to settle old scores? Is he trying to escape his enemies? Or does it have something to do with the recent killing that has shocked the small village?

One thing is for sure, Joe has a very good reason for coming back. There is a reason he’s staying off the grid, renting an abandoned cottage that was once the site of a gruesome murder. There is a reason he’s taken an unsettling interest in one local bully, the son of a former friend who has since married Joe’s boyhood crush and who will now do anything to drive him out of town. There’s a reason he’s keeping secrets from the quirky, attractive new teacher who might be his only ally.

And above all, there’s a reason he’s fascinated by the abandoned local mine that has been closed for years, ever since the tragic events of that fateful day…

Because only Joe knows what really happened all those years ago—and who is to blame.”

Setting

The small village of Arnhill

Characters

The Hiding Place follows Joe and is told in such a way that gives readers a clear and strong sense of his character. His acerbic, and often flippant, personality makes for some great narration and I found myself chuckling at his witty comebacks quite often.

What I Liked

I love C.J.’s writing style. It’s descriptive and very balanced—not too overwhelming in detail, not too vague, but just right. I was immersed from start to finish and the story moved along at a great pace. Of course it helped that C.J. kept dropping little nuggets of information that kept me turning the page to find out more.

She seamlessly weaves past and present together throughout Joe’s narration. I’ve read books where flashback scenes take me out of the story and interrupt the vibe, but that didn’t happen with The Hiding Place. Each scene fits perfectly into the story and helps move the plot along nicely.

What I Liked a Little Less

Nothing! 😊

Score

5/5! The Hiding Place is a brilliant novel with twists and turns abound! I really enjoy mysteries that give readers enough information to puzzle things through and fit the pieces together (if that’s what they’d like to do) and this was definitely one of those. I was formulating theories left and right, but like I said, twists and turns.