Thursday 11 August 2022

Emma's Review: Hide and Seek by Andrea Mara

Reviewed by Emma Crowley 

CLOSE YOUR EYES

The game of hide and seek is over, everyone has gone home, but little Lily Murphy hasn't been found. Her parents search the woods and tell themselves that the worst hasn't happened - but deep down they know this peaceful Dublin suburb will never be the same again.

COUNT TO TEN

Years later, Joanna moves into a new house. It seems perfect in every way, until she learns that this was once Lily Murphy's home. From that moment onwards, a sense of dread seems to follow her from room to room.

AND WHEN YOU OPEN THEM, YOUR CHILD IS GONE

As Joanna unravels the secrets at the heart of this close-knit community, her own dark past begins to resurface. Because she thinks she knows what really happened to Lily - and if the truth gets out, it might be her undoing...

Book Links: Kindle or Hardcover

Many thanks to Random House UK/Transworld via NetGalley for my copy of Hide and Seek to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.

Just when you think Andrea Mara couldn’t possibly top her last book she goes and does it with this new story Hide and Seek. It’s a sublime read from beginning to end full of tension, suspense, unease and endless twists and turns and revelations right until the very last page. Andrea Mara takes the reader on an exhilarating and insanely gripping journey. One which you quickly become fully invested in until it reaches the utter triumph of a conclusion that leaves you reeling in shock but still deeply satisfied. This book really needs to come with a warning that you will not get any work done until you have finished it. Put everything aside as you delve into Joanna’s world as she struggles to uncover just what happened to a little girl who once lived in her new home. Just what happened to Lily on that fateful day so many years ago when a game of Hide and Seek went wrong and so many years later the exact truth behind a little girls disappearance still remains unsolved. Someone out there surely must know the truth? 

Right from the opening paragraph there is a creepy, eerie and unsettling feeling that only grows the further the book develops. There isn’t a minute where you can sit back and relax because Andrea keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and gripped, constantly guessing what could have happened? Who does suspicion fall upon? Why is such a character acting this way or why has someone said such a thing? What are the residents hiding? For this quite little neighbourhood that Joanna and her young family have recently moved into has lots to hide and when Joanna discovers the young girl that went missing in the 1980’s used to live in their house, her sense of discomfort and of something not being quite right eats away at her. She feels that guilt clings to her permanently and the reader wants to know why but in order to do so we must journey with her as she questions and seeks answers and justice.

Joanna is married to Mark and they have three children Sophie, Ben and Emily. She is a psychotherapist but her current contract has ended and she is taking some time out to be with the kids and settle into their new home. Given her job Joanna analyses and dissects everything down to their finer detail so it’s no wonder she becomes like a dog without a bone when she discovers the tragic past of her house. Creepily Joanna tells the reader early on that she believes she killed Lily. But how could that have been possible? What was the author playing at? But really I had to sit back and just let the story unfold which it did at a confident pace for Andrea Mara is a very very clever author and is brilliant at taking her readers down the garden path only to think you are reaching the final destination and then bang off you go in another vastly different direction that has you thinking in a completely different mindset as to how you thought the story was going to pan out.

There are lots of characters in the story and there was the potential that the amount could have become overwhelming trying to keep track of who was who and how they connect to the overall plot but this didn’t happen at all. I had feared that I would have had to write a list of people but I didn’t need to and I was eager to see how relevant each person was or if they were just filler in people to throw you off the main scent. The storyline weaves effortlessly back and forth between the present day and the 1980’s. Slowly but surely through Joanna’s persistence and eagle eye for any inconsistencies we edge ever closer to the truth. Rumours, whispers, and stories swirl around her and she never knows who quite to believe. What are people hiding and if they are keeping something close to their chest why are they doing so? It seems life in the neighbourhood is not all hunky dory and apart from Lily’s disappearance that people have good reason to keep schtum about things. Behind closed doors people harbour grudges and harbour resentments. This is a multi-layered story and not as clear cut as one might have thought but given this is the brilliant Andrea Mara writing at the top of her game I would expect nothing else. It’s a superbly crafted story that showcases what a genius the author is. She can get deep inside her characters heads and reveal so much up to a point and then the reader is left to guess what really is going on before everything gets turned on its head and everything you thought to be true gets cast aside and off we go again in search if the truth.

No one is to be taken at face value in this story. Don’t judge the characters on first introduction and what Jenny learns about them. Let the bigger picture build up and watch out for every little thing mentioned no matter how small or insignificant you deem it when you are reading. Yes there are lots of red herrings dropped in and your opinion as to what did happen to Jenny on that fateful day will change umpteen times. As to who you think was behind it all, well you’ll just be confused but in a good way. There were one or two occasions where I briefly stopped and thought oh why is such a thing being referenced for it seems so inconsequential? I was on high alert and never could I exactly pinpoint the eventual outcome. Who could given it was so twisty and brilliant but I was ever so slightly on the right track but as to the finer details I was way off track and delighted this was the case.

No doubt about it, you’ll race to the end of this book with your heart thumping and nails bitten to the quick as this is such a terrific read that slowly and assuredly uncovers the lies and half truths that have entwined themselves around the neighbourhood of Rowanbrook. Hide and Seek is extremely well plotted and considering the amount of characters to keep track of this is no mean feat. The reader is left guessing until the last possible moment. Andrea Mara never disappoints and Hide and Seek is an impressive read which gets a big thumbs up from me. Make sure you buy this incredible read as soon as you possibly can. You won’t be at all disappointed and just want to read more and more from this wildly talented author. 

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