A sluggish and disjointed slow-burn mystery that kept changing perspective.

Nell Galilee has reluctantly returned to her insular home town for a family party after nearly seven years away following the death of her father. Husband, Chris, was behind the decision to combine attending the party with taking his twelve-year-old daughter, Maude, away for a holiday in the wake of problems at school. Recently Nell and Maude’s relationship has disintegrated and Maude is craving her father’s attention after her mother’s remarriage and the recent birth of a step-brother. A last minute booking by Chris sees the trio staying at Elder House, an imposing house overlooking the surrounding houses of Bishops Yard and backed up against a cliff. Although the house has a wealth of history it has none of the inviting features of a holiday let and Nell feels uncomfortable from the start with a smell of damp, decaying earth filling her senses. Chris is distracted by a problem at the gallery the couple own and Nell, by her desperate need to know if she has conceived, whilst Maude is acting like a spoilt brat. It doesn’t take long for neighbour Carolyn Wilson, a supposed old school friend that Nell struggles to remember, to impose and start pestering Nell about the shadowing patch of land behind the house that she calls the drying ground. Clearly keen to befriend Nell she seems to have a fixation about Elder House and an evident dislike towards the far less abrasive Gina Verrill, owner of Rowan Cottage, also situated within Bishops Yard.

Maude, meanwhile, is taken with a series of carvings in the beams of her attic room and rather entranced by the house, however it is the discovery of a void in the wall and a hiding place that gives up a curious object which concerns the entire family. When Chris returns home to see to work issues, relations between step-daughter and step-mother turn ever more fractious with Maude reading up on the history of Elder House and local folklore. The relationship between Nell and Maude, who is constantly spoiling for a fight with her step-mother, simmers with tension but as the story unfolds there are several other troubled mother and daughter relationships that prove equally fascinating. For me this was the most compelling aspect of the novel which I found a disjointed read with frequent and abrupt changes of perspective that made it hard to gain any traction as to what was going on. I did not find the strange noises or things being moved around the house unsettling but the more of these incidents I read about without the story actually going anywhere meaningful, the more frustrated I got! A further point of confusion was that I couldn’t envisage the set-up of Bishops Yard or where Gina or Carolyn’s cottages and the drying ground were situated in relation to Elder House. Overall a slow-moving story with the entire mystery of Elder House rattled through at breakneck speed in a denouement that leaves no opportunity for reflection.

Intertwining Of Threads…
A house reveals its’ secrets and prompts a revisit to contemporary relationships of those now within its’ walls in this haunting, often intriguing tale with an underlying menace. Nicely written with a broad cast of characters and much intertwining of threads.

When Nell goes to her old family town for a party she is reluctant to spend time there. Her partner, Chris, is distant and they are struggling with stepdaughter Maude. Their holiday home is an eccentric place, which seems to have a history of strange events linked to it. However, she is determined to make the most of it.
Elder House is a strange place. They hear unexplained noises, there’s an unusual atmosphere and lights keep cutting out. Nell doesn’t want to admit to her difficulties, but the unwelcome attention from an old schoolmate that Nell doesn’t remember adds to the sense of unease.
When Maude finds a child’s shoe hidden behind a panel in her room the marks burnt into beams take on a more sinister air. Increasingly withdrawn, it’s hard to see why Nell stayed.
Atmospheric, and a thought-provoking read. My main issue was that the ARC I received was very hard to follow, with sections of narrative muddled, making it hard to keep track of who was involved and exactly what was happening.

I understand that this book was supposed to make me feel uneasy but it just didn't work. I found the characters hard to believe and generally just didn't enjoy myself.

This book was so interesting. I really enjoyed reading it. It's such a good page turner. I kept needing to know more.

I had suspicions as to what was happening early on but they were soon squashed when the real culprit was revealed and I was completely wrong.

I loved the witchy element to it and I really enjoy books that venture into wicca and witchcraft.

I'm looking forward to reading more by Amanda.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The slow build up of tension in this book is terrifying from the start for a wimp like me when it comes to horror stories. Appropriately set in atmospheric Whitby, a holidaying family aren't all that they seem, and the house they rent for an extended stay gives them far more than they bargained for.

A clever weaving of old and modern stories, mums and daughters relationships are looked at without mercy, and made unstable by events that aren't entirely supernatural. An absorbing read with some interesting characters and some sinister motivations, you are left willing the relationship between Nell and her stepdaughter to survive as sacrifices are made and the net of strong women from previous generations join with the fresh energy of the younger characters to find a resolution.

I'll start by saying, expect the unexpected.

This novel follows Nell, her husband and stepdaughter as they make a return to Nell's roots, where she grew up. They're wrapping it up as an extended family break, but I got the sense very early on that there was more to this trip than just simply wanting time to relax.

Staying at Elder House, which is quietly hidden away in Bishop's Yard at the base of a cliff face, this isn't your typical holiday home. Elder House is an older building, one that has existed for centuries and it keeps a dark, hidden past masked within its walls.

For me, the house was like an added character to the story. Adding a rather sinister element to an already mysterious tale.

Tensions build slowly, the hairs gradually rising on my arms with each turn of the page.

As objects start to move and even disappear, things take a more sinister twist.

After a child’s shoe is weirdly discovered in the walls of Nell's bedroom and disturbing witch marks in the attic are also seen, Nell and Mauve become worryingly aware of something in the house. Another presence, someone or something that isn't friendly.

And whilst Mauve becomes increasingly consumed with the house and the secrets that it holds on to, the rift between her and her stepmother continues to get bigger.

What I really enjoyed about the hiding place is that the focus wasn't purely on scaring the reader. There was great care and attention to the family themselves. The trauma they had faced/were facing and the dynamics between a family that is already fractured by divorce, new partners and extra siblings.

Each character experiences their own hardships, plagued with sad thoughts and memories, this only adds to the torment both individually and together.

Forever unsettled.

The Hiding Place is a story that takes its time, the details given in no hurry which for me added to that 'need to read' feeling.

Hauntingly good.

I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to the spooky horror genre of literature and can’t make myself watch films involving ghosts and supernatural hauntings .It is however coming up ok Halloween so I thought I’d challenge myself with this book
Right from the start there are unexpected unexplained things going on in the background with half seen images in the darkness in the corner of rooms and flickering lights .I could feel my pulse increasing as this happens more and more frequently during the story .The author is highly accomplished at setting the scene for spooky happenings and I felt like I was uncomfortably sitting on the edge of my chair .As I said at the beginning of my review I personally don’t find this as enjoyable as some people would .I felt so uncomfortable that I had to read the book in sections and put it down and go and do something else for a while .
I loved the setting of the book in a British seaside town in early summer with the grey skies and sea mists adding to the spooky atmosphere.The house itself is described in great detail so I had a good mental picture of the inside of the house .I did struggle a bit to put the neighbouring houses in their places around the main house ,particularly the drying ground which had importance in the plot .I would have liked a ground plan perhaps at the start of the book
I got a bit confused with the relationships between some of the neighbours who are integral to the story towards the end .In particular I found the last third of the story less convincing than earlier parts which set up the story so well
Personal preference for me always influences my star rating and I’ve given this book 3 stars ,I think someone who likes the genre better may well give the book 4 stars

I read an early copy of this book on NetGalley Uk the book is published in October 2021

The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason
General Fiction (Adult) & Horror
Publisher: Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre
Publish Date: 14 October 2021

Star Rating: 4/5

I was first interested in this book because it claimed to be “for fans of Laura Purcell”. Purcell is one of my favorite authors of all time, therefore, for me, this was a bold statement and a challenge! Has Mason replaced Purcell in my affections? No, but I will read her again. Her novel was a slow burn with the first half being more of a story about the inhabitants of a sleepy village and then the second half twists all these characters together into a supernatural sinister tale. I have read others reviews saying that the slow burn was too slow and I can see why they would say this. For me, the slow burn threw me off the secant, created an atmosphere, and made me consider sleeping with the light on when the drama kicked in.

The Hiding Place centers around Nell Galilee a resident that got out of a sleepy town to live her dream as a successful Jewellery designer and find love. Years later she is drawn back to the town for an anniversary party, staying in a very old, comfortable house with her husband and step-daughter. But soon her husband has to go back home for work, her stepdaughter is pulling away from her and she’s reconnecting with old faces…but she can't place one of the faces who insists they know each other.

A lot is covered in this tale. The relationship between all kinds of mothers and daughters, secrets, affairs, desires, and considering if it was all worth it in the end. I like some characters more than others and the dynamic between Nell and her stepdaughter was perfect. Likewise so were Evie and Caroline in a heart-breaking way. I love the supernatural elements, the blends of real-life artifacts, traditions/rituals/legends, and Mason's ability to plant pictures and terrifying noises in my head.

This book is worth a read and I highly recommend it. If you’re not a slow-burner kind of person please don’t give up on it, it's worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately this just didn't work for me.
I couldn't get in to it and DNF at 42%

Set in Whitby (although it's never actually named) this supernatural tale with lots of atmosphere is a slow burn of a read. Nell, her husband and stepdaughter return to Nell's roots for an extended family break, they stay at Elder House, tucked away in Bishop's Yard at the base of a cliff face. Elder House has existed for centuries and has a dark hidden past, the family find that the dark essence of the house seeps into their life, when things start to go wrong Nell wonders if the house is at the heart of their worries. This is a novel about the past, relationships (especially mothers and daughters), our roots and the supernatural, the tension builds slowly rather than jump scares. A great read for those dark evenings.

A mother’s spell ★★★☆☆

When Nell, her husband Chris, and her taciturn stepdaughter Mauve rent a house in Nell’s home town they find themselves embroiled in a web of secrets as something ghostly stalks the grounds of the little community of Bishop’s Yard.

After the discovery of a child’s shoe in the walls – a possible fertility ritual – and witch marks in the attic, Nell and Mauve become increasingly aware of another presence in the house. As Mauve becomes increasingly obsessed with the house and its secrets the gap between her and her stepmother widens.

At the same time local girls Kym and Evie are also delving into the mysteries of the house – where Kym’s father died in an accident all those years ago. Will the three girls discover what is really happening at Elder House before it is too late?

Gradually the secrets of Elder House and Bishop’s Yard reach boiling point and the true cost of the fertility sacrifice and a very human foe is revealed.

A slow burn which combines the complex human relationships between mothers and daughters and the pain of struggling to conceive with the ghosts of the past and the haunting of the living.

Sadly, this fell a bit flat for me. Too much trying to create an atmosphere and too long for any action. I'm normally Ok with characters I dislike but one in particular I found too annoying to get past and it just spoilt it for me. Just missed something special.

I live stories that have a gothic or horror feel and this really delivered. It is dark, atmospheric and builds in tension perfectly. I loved it

The hints that things aren't quite right in the house, are so subtle to begin with,that it really is a blink and you might miss them situation.
Non the less,the uneasy feeling follows you through the book.
A lot of the book is more like a week in the life of a small village,nothing too remarkable.
Then the story really ups its game,and everything happens,so suddenly,that I was left wondering how we got where we were.
A great follow up to the wayward girls.