The Hiding Place
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
David Bell's The Hiding Place is a powerful psychological thriller delving into the secrets of a damaged family in small-town America.
Sometimes it's easier to believe a lie . . .
Twenty-five-years ago, four-year-old Justin Manning disappeared. Two months later his body was found in a shallow grave in the woods, shocking the small town of Dove Point, Ohio.
Janet Manning has been haunted by her brother's death since the day she lost sight of him in the park. Now, a detective and a reporter are asking questions, raising new suspicions and opening old wounds. But if the man jailed for the murder is innocent, who did kill Justin?
At the same time a stranger appears at Janet's door claiming to know the truth and a high school friend returns, with his own confused memories of what happened. Janet thought she'd put the past and guilt behind her. But now the truth about her brother is heartbreakingly close - has she the courage to find it?
Immerse yourself in David Bell's wonderfully gripping UK debut The Hiding Place and unravel the truth which lies buried in Janet's past. A wonderful treat for all fans of Kate Atkinson and Dennis Lehane.
Praise for David Bell's Cemetery Girl:
'David Bell writes spellbinding and gripping thrillers that get under your skin and refuse to let go' Linwood Barclay
'Reads like a collaboration between Michael Connelly and the gothic fiction of Joyce Carol Oates . . . A winner on every level' Will Lavender
'A haunting meditation on the ties that bind parent to child, husband to wife, brother to brother. An absolutely riveting, absorbing read not to be missed' Lisa Unger
David Bell is an assistant professor of English at Western Kentucky University. He received an M.A. in creative writing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a Ph.D. in American Literature and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati. Cemetery Girl was David Bell's first novel - The Hiding Place is his second.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bell follows his 2011 debut, Cemetery Girl, with an artfully constructed tale that charts the devastating, life-changing effects over 25 years on the people most affected by the murder of a four-year-old boy, Justin Manning, in Dove Point, Ohio. Justin's sister, Janet, and playmate Michael Bower, then seven-year-olds, were supposed to look after Justin in the park where he disappeared. A 17-year-old black boy, Dante Rogers, was arrested for the crime, tried as an adult, and served 22 years in prison. When the local newspaper revisits the killing, so perforce do Janet; her father, Bill Manning; her 15-year-old daughter, Ashleigh; and Det. Frank Stynes, who was part of the original investigation. Bower's return to Dove Point and a stranger hinting at new knowledge about Justin's death prove to be catalysts for a total re-examination. The quiet dignity of Rogers, the secrets the Mannings buried with Justin, and the conscience-clearing efforts of Stynes make for a powerful, provocative novel.
