Author:David Pirie
Imprisoned in a dank cottage deep in the English countryside Arthur Doyle lies half-unconscious and at the mercy of his nemesis - Cream. Gathering all his dwindling strength he smashes a window and crawls to safety. With a sharp piece of broken glass he awaits his torturer's return, but the man has eluded him once more, leaving behind the rotting body of a local miser and thwarted in his attempt to obtain money for his 'deadly' cause. Securing the help of the remarkable pioneering criminal investigator Dr Joseph Bell the two men return to the scene of the crime but find few clues. London reveals little more except the possibility that their archenemy has gone to the Suffolk coast under the name of Dr Mere. Full of legend the local community fear the 'Dunwich witch' has returned with her evil curse. A man has died in suspicious circumstances and it seems many are unwilling to talk about it. More hideous crimes are yet to come as Dr Bell and Doyle move closer and closer to confronting Cream: Bell to capture a notorious villain, Doyle to avenge himself for a crime which robbed him of his future happiness. Dr Bell and Arthur Doyle are reunited once again in their quest to hunt down a criminal mastermind in a sinister tale of intrigue and violence, which reaches a terrifying and dramatic climax -
The Francis flair is clear for all to see
—— Daily MailFrom winning post to top of the bestseller list, time after time
—— Sunday TimesThe master of suspense and intrigue
—— Country LifeA tremendous read
—— Woman's OwnThe fights are convincing and the dialogue is as brilliant as always.
—— Literary ReviewI am very much in love with Jack Reacher - as a man and a role model. If I can't shag him, I want to be him.
—— Lucy Mangan , StylistThe Reacher books are Westerns: they are about the man of honor coming to the lawless frontier town in order to impose a rough sort of justice...[Reacher]’s leading us back into the wilderness, with the reassurance that our psychopaths are bigger and stronger than the bad guys’ psychopaths. I’ve read all twenty of Lee Child’s novels. Maybe there’s something wrong with me. But I can’t wait for the twenty-first.
—— Malcolm Gladwell , New YorkerDoes a fine job of ratcheting up the tension...The relentlessly entertaining Reacher format shows no sign of wearing out its welcome just yet.
—— Mail on SundayAs well as romance, there's as usual plenty of fast-paced, punchy action and deceptively deft plotting.
—— Sunday MirrorI was unable to put thebook down...a brilliantly crafted mystery and one of Child's best.
—— Huffington PostTurns into a sinister tri-state conspiracy with a massive body count...a Reacher novel par excellence, fuelled by the terse diague and breakneck action sequences that make Lee Child so popular.
—— Sydney Morning HeraldNo one writes more compelling thrillers than Child, who is at the top of his form with Make Me.
—— Chicago TribuneA crack detective who’s tougher than the toughest guys in the army…at bottom he’s a knight errant or a one-man A Team...he also has a streak of learning...Make Me is a return to form.
Beautifully drawn characters
—— SpectatorNot all great novelists can write crime fiction but when one like Susan Hill does the result is stunning
—— Ruth RendellA well-crafted crime novel… Hill writes so clearly, and the plot is so well put together, that you can't help gobbling it up
—— Independent on SundayPitch perfect, addictive, fast-paced – Hidden is the thinking man’s thriller!
—— Fiction BooksA brilliant whodunit… The story is told through a number of voices but manages to unfold coherently with suspense and subtlety. As suspicion falls on different heads, Seemingly unconnected happenings eventually combine to form a chilling, dangerous and dramatic climax. It's a thrilling book, with believable and engaging and rounded characters in a well described setting… definitely a book to look out for.
—— Magic Armchair TravellerHorrific and heart pounding, it will draw you straight into the story and that will be that… It is all so addictive, so elegantly constructed and once again I found myself deep deep into the emotion of it… Turns out if anything this was better than Falling – certainly if you love a psychological crime thriller that is mostly character driven, you’ll love this. The ending was pitch perfect and may surprise you. Don’t miss it whatever you do.
—— Liz Loves BooksIt's hard to know where to start with a book like this. It starts off brilliantly, with probably one of the best openings to a book I have read this year… Hidden is an extremely thought-provoking book… Emma was an author to watch after the release of Falling, but that is the case even more now with Hidden and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
—— Book Addict ShaunEverything about this book was tense. From the horrific opening via deep-rooted flashbacks that continue to resonate to the final so-quick-you-barely-have-time-to-catch-a-breath closing chapters, Hidden is a novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat through every word. Even the heatwave was palpable… Beyond the immediate gritty drama of the whodunnit driving the plot, this story also becomes about dealing with life or death situations and how they affect you. It’s a very clever, very well thought-out storyline, with plenty of red herrings acting as stumbling blocks on the reader’s quest to figure out the identity of the gunman before the characters do… Beginning at the end may usually be a sure-fire way of taking the thrill out of the story but here it just made the countdown all the more electrifying.
—— Culture FlyHidden is plotted like the most addictive crime TV shows... The tense network of relationships between the characters, as well as the episodic plotting, really drive this book forward, and the author’s drip-feed of clues as to the shooter’s identity will keep you guessing about his identity, even as we see inside his head... a solid, tense read.
—— Crime Fiction LoverEmma Kavanagh tells this story with great verve, weaving the strands of her story expertly
—— I Read NovelsAn intelligent read
—— EurocrimeI loved Falling, Emma Kavanagh’s debut novel. With Hidden I feel she has taken it to the next level. Emma Kavanagh is bound to be a leading light in psychological thriller authors. This is gripping, compulsive read. If her next book is half as good as this one it will be a cracking read.
—— From First Page To LastThis book is a refreshing take on your traditional thriller. There is no lengthy police investigation after the event - instead, the entire book is devoted to events prior to the shooting. Less a 'who done it' than a 'who's going to do it?' And it works brilliantly, with Emma Kavanagh laying her bait cleverly. Just when you think you've worked everything out, she throws in a bit more information and you realise you're barking up quite the wrong tree. Hidden is a very well-written book, packed with detail yet remaining a book so easy to read that you could devour it in just a few greedy gulps. Dialogue is relevant and characterisation is excellent, making for a most enjoyable, and layered, read.
—— The BookbagI think this is the first book I’ve read where the main police character is a Police Firearms Officer rather than a detective. This fresh angle really makes the story stand out, as does the rest of the brilliantly drawn characters and the complex relationships (and hidden secrets) they have with each other. It’s hard to go into detail about this book without giving away spoilers, but what I can say is that it’s a story that keeps you on your toes as a reader. I love books that keep me guessing and challenge me to work out who is responsible, and this story did just that. With several crimes taking place, multiple narrators giving glimpses into different elements of the story, and a super pacey non-linear timeline, the author cleverly ramps up the suspense and the mystery, and kept me guessing right to the end. This is a gritty, tense, twisty page-turner of a book – and a must read for crime and thriller fans.
—— Crime Thriller GirlA second novel is a tricky beast – can the author do it again? Can they build on the success of the first? Can it follow in the same genre without being too much the same?
Kavanagh has succeeded with Hidden when other authors have failed. Similarly to some series on television, the novel starts with the crime and then takes the reader back a stage, to the start of the action. Rather than peeling away the layers to get at ‘who dun it,’ Kavanagh builds up the layers, so that we get to the ‘why’ of ‘who dun it’. Clever stuff, with multiple viewpoints. Kavanagh uses her years of experience training police forces and military units on the psychology of life threatening incidents, to give credence to her work. The tension builds, and never lets up.
Let’s hope there’s another Kavanagh gem soon. Bravo.
The most cunning crime novels, like many of the greatest detectives, trick you into believing you’re smarter than them before pulling out the rug from under you. None more so than Hidden… Kavanagh is certainly deft, batting around the reader like a car with a caught mouse.
—— Crime SceneIt’s clever, complicated and the characters are completely believable….Kavanagh is an original and interesting addition to the genre.
—— Crime Review