I loved the idea and as a loyal fan of the author, I was so intrigued to read her contemporary horror adult debut! A lot of thriller writers in recent years seem to be fans of the slow burn approach and often that can leave a reader underwhelmed. The opening section of Hide and Seek immediately grabs hold of you, slaps you in the face and leaves you cast aside agonising over what's to come. Jumping between time periods, Mara seamlessly ties the various timelines of the story together perfectly. She isn’t afraid to delve into some very dark topics in her books and Hide and Seek is no exception. Maggie's attorney is a secret member of a secret bar, so the judge spares Maggie from the charge of murdering her husband, Will.

Modern twist on a legend in Greek mythology (not telling though). Throw in a bit of Hunger Games and ready, set, go! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. I don’t want to say too much; it’s killing me not to comment on some of my favourite parts of the story but it would give it away. June 2018: Joanna Murphy (mother of 3) moves into a new house in the SoCoDu suburbs, only to learn that it was the home of Lily Murphy before she disappeared.This was a wild little book that's being compared to Fantasticland and Hunger Games. I've not read Hunger Games but, for me, this is no Fantasticland. It just can't compare with Fantasticland's brutality. If I had to compare this to another book I would say it reminded me a bit of Reprieve by James Han Mattson due to the social commentary and the fact that while both are marketed as horror novels they aren't actually overtly frightening. They seem to be making you think more about the characters than the actual jump scares. Personally, I don't mind it. I don't need to be splashed with guts and gore to gain enjoyment from a horror novel. I'm not so much into creature features anymore but this was exceptionally well written and I cared enough about some of the characters that I enjoyed the ride from beginning to end. If this sounds appealing then I strongly suggest giving it a try because you could do a whole lot worse in this genre. 4 stars! suuuuch slow pacingbut i will say this - the opening prologue is a perfect first chapter. absolute perfection. so its really too bad the rest of the book falls so short of it.

Joanna has moved into a new home with her husband and three children in a mature housing estate in suburban Dublin. Her sense of contentment at finding their "forever home" soon subsides when a new neighbour tells her that her home once belonged to the family of Lily Murphy, a three-year-old who went missing in the mid-80s while playing a game of Hide and Seek. Lily was never found and the peaceful suburb was forever changed. it's less graphically brutal than i'd anticipated, but more psychologically brutal, an emotionally effective survival story of class divide and the entitled elite driven by the same "some people are disposable" philosophy as The Most Dangerous Game and Good Rich People, but with more monsters at the story's center. In Hide and Seek Detective Inspector John Rebus is confronted with the top and bottom of Edinburgh society. As usual a brilliantly conceived and tautly plotted thriller from an author at the top of her game. From way too many references of peeing and two main characters with the exact same name, this was one confusing mess with way too many characters. I didn’t like any of them and even found the main protagonist annoying. This probably would have been better if it trimmed down some of these characters to make them memorable.This lyrical text, narrated to a young girl named Amani by her father, follows her as she plays an evening game of hide-and-seek with friends at her apartment complex. The moon's glow helps Amani find the last hidden child, and seems almost like a partner to her in her game, as well as a spotlight pointing out her beauty and strength.