Official blurb
About to break the news to his wife, Diane, that he’s infertile, criminology expert, Harper Penn, gets a call to say she’s been rushed to hospital with a miscarriage. Five days later, when Diane fails to return from the village shop, police think she must have taken off with a secret lover, but Harper is convinced the online messages are not from her. In the same Hampshire village, plucky seven-year-old Clara has retreated into a make-believe world after an accident. Then she, too, goes missing.
I have just finished reading this psychological thriller by A.J. Waines and here are my first impressions:
About to break the news to his wife, Diane, that he’s infertile, criminology expert, Harper Penn, gets a call to say she’s been rushed to hospital with a miscarriage. Five days later, when Diane fails to return from the village shop, police think she must have taken off with a secret lover, but Harper is convinced the online messages are not from her. In the same Hampshire village, plucky seven-year-old Clara has retreated into a make-believe world after an accident. Then she, too, goes missing.
I have just finished reading this psychological thriller by A.J. Waines and here are my first impressions:
Pretty good read.
The story is told from the POV of Harper, the main character, in the first person and is interspersed with chapters written in the third person from the POV of the second character, Diane (a.k.a the missus). The narration by Harper provides us with an insight into his desperate state of mind during the time his wife is missing, which adds a great depth to his character.
The characters are well researched and developed in my opinion. Harper is a great character mainly because he is not too perfect. He has his own problems with anger and abandonment issues, which adds to the richness of his personality.
Clara is a good character too and it is evident that Waine's background as a psychotherapist has helped shape the personality of this little girl obsessed with fairy tales.
The secondary characters (Diane, Marion, Tara, Alexa) are all equally well developed and credible throughout the story.
Clara is a good character too and it is evident that Waine's background as a psychotherapist has helped shape the personality of this little girl obsessed with fairy tales.
The secondary characters (Diane, Marion, Tara, Alexa) are all equally well developed and credible throughout the story.
The plot in itself starts dramatically from the very first pages and is well woven together, with a second layer forming an excellent sub-plot. I sure did not see that one coming!
As a result, Dark Place to Hide immediately sucks the reader into a dramatic and intriguing story, and keeps us interested with great character development and even greater twists.
The Bibliovore's verdict ⋆⋆⋆⋆
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