We start with the discovery of a body. That of a teenage boy, missing a good while. I say body but it has been there some 20 odd years so... It's found in a disused crypt in the grounds of a prestigious boarding school.
The timeline then splits to follow the deceased, Ben Draper, as he arrives at the school. A misfit, loner, and soon to be social pariah. But he is taken in by a trio of older children. Meanwhile, back in the present and we follow DI Fleet and DS Collins, Robin and Nikki, as they try and get to the bottom of what happened. Their investigation is a bit strained as the boarding school is prestigious and has produced several notable alumni. Including one of the aforementioned "friends" of Ben. They are told to tread lightly, but the death of a child is important...
I do love a dual timeline when done properly, as it is here. Where the past is injected at the right times and divulges just enough information to progress the investigation in the present, without giving away too much too early. Here, this book excels, and it really worked as, to be honest, I really had no idea where we were going half the time!
Characters were well defined and all acted as they should. Some were easier to connect to than others but that could have just been me as I was a bit overly suspicious of several who turned out to be innocent and missed quite a few "clues" along the way!
Pacing was good and consistent with the narrative all the way through. Ramping up to the finale which I really wasn't expecting but which made perfect sense at the end of the day and had me kicking myself for not realising .
All in all, a good solid read that I have no hesitation in recommending to fans of the genre. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. Atmospheric plot, just the thing to read over a weekend.

A good read. A typical whodunnit police procedural type of read with a good amount of drama to keep up the anticipation! It starts with a death; and then the story switches between the build up to this and the present day, some 20 years later, following the discovery of some human remains hidden in a crypt of an old Chapel. The detectives have to piece things together despite the 20years delay, whilst also trying to prevent other fatalities. Are they linked to the past and what happened to the boy?

An enjoyable crime thriller, The Hiding Place is an intriguing police procedural with a great concept that is sure to leave you anticipating its answers.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to its potential for me. I requested this book as it boasted "THE WHISPER MAN meets THE GUEST LIST" but those expectations really don't work in this book's favour. I was constantly interested in the story, but there was never a moment where I felt gripped or taken in by the atmosphere, so I don't think it was a good idea to set those standards so high with these comparisons.

The concept of this hidden, chilling crypt and the way the body was found did spark my curiosity, but my issue was with the investigation itself. This is the second book in the DI Fleet series which I didn't know beforehand as it doesn't seem to be promoted in that way anywhere that I've looked.

But I could tell that I had missed out on something as I didn't get to know Fleet or his DS, Nicky Collins, personally at all. I liked them, for sure, but it took me a while to get a basic understanding of their characteristics, so having read the first book beforehand might have made this more enjoyable for me.

On top of that, so many of the revelations came in the past narrative rather than the present investigation that I didn't really have the chance to see Fleet or Nicky's skills put to the test.
They seemed to heavily rely on their instinct, but it felt more like they got themselves in the way as they coincidentally uncovered some truths, so the clever police procedural box wasn't ticked for me.

The Hiding Place is an enjoyable read and I certainly enjoyed Lelic's writing. The story is a good one and had I read the first book, I think I would have been a lot more engrossed by the lead characters. But for me, it all just needed a bigger push of adrenaline with more shocking twists, a creepier atmosphere, and more intelligent developments to really leave me wanting more.

Still, I will definitely go back to The Search Party to see if I can find what I was missing with this one, as I know that I need to give Lelic another chance.

Didn’t realise this was the 2nd in a series but read it fine as a stand alone
Good eye catching cover
An involved police procedural which considering are nit my favourites kept my attention and focus and was a well written crime thriller,I guessed the baddie but not the ending

This is a great read.
A teenage boy’s body is found hidden in a crypt on the premises of a boarding school.
It’s found that he was killed there 22 years ago but why?
Fleet and Nicky are tasked with finding out who killed Ben and their enquiries lead them to a popular politician who attended the school at the time.
With pressure on them not to mess this up as the media are watching, Fleet is determined to find the truth, no matter what.
This is a gripping crime thriller with flashback chapters showing what happened on the lead up to the murder.
A great read.
Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I finished this book and looked back and thought you know what I really enjoyed this book! It is a great crime thriller that I was really enjoying and when the reveal came I’m pretty sure my jaw physically dropped as I seriously did not see it coming! It is a brilliantly paced, well plotted story with two timelines perfectly woven together to come to the perfect ending. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and it definitely won’t be the last.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.


3.5/5.

‘It was only supposed to have been a game – a stupid game he hadn’t even wanted to play.’

We first met Detective Inspector Robin Fleet and Detective Sergeant Nikki Collins in Mr Lelic’s last novel, ‘The Search Party’. Currently out of favour with management after the events of ‘The Search Party’, DI Fleet and DS Colins have been assigned low priority and difficult cold cases. They are called in when a long dead body is discovered in an abandoned chapel crypt at Beaconsfield, an exclusive English boarding school.

The murdered body belonged to Ben Draper, a student who went missing from the school twenty-two years earlier. Ben had not been a student at Beaconsfield for long when he disappeared, and it had been assumed that he had run away during a game of ‘hide and seek’ with three older students. Discovery of his murdered body casts suspicion on those present at the school when he disappeared.

The story shifts between the present-day police investigation and the events leading up to Ben’s disappearance. Fleet and Collins must track down those who were acquainted with Ben. While one of the three former students is now a prominent celebrity, the lives of other two have taken very different courses. The events of the past take us into a world of privilege and pain, where maintaining traditions is more important than pastoral care. And this world, which is reflected in the present-day attitudes to the events surrounding Ben’s murder, puts pressure on DI Fleet find a politically acceptable way to close the case.

This novel held my attention from beginning to end. I thought I had it worked out twice, but then a couple of unexpected twists took me in a different direction.

Full of suspense. A terrific read.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This one wasn't really my cup of tea, I didn't love the characters and I wasn't engrossed. It had some good elements and might be perfect for someone....just not me :)

Terrific story, with a driving plot and well-developed characters. The Hiding Place is written alternately today and 22 years ago, which give an immediacy and context to the event of the past.

Following an anonymous tip given to a TV programme, DI Fleet has been given the job of solving the mystery of solving skeleton remains found in a collapsed crypt in the grounds of a distinguished private school, favoured by the Establishment. The corpse is not ancient, as initially assumed; it is found with bashed-in skull and a school badge, that has only been in use since 1984. We quickly find that the murder victim is Ben, a 14 year old schoolboy that disappeared 22 years ago.

The missing teenager happens to be the subject of one of the cold cases currently the responsibility of DI Fleet, who has been side-lined into the role seemingly as a punishment, following his successful solving of a previous case, in which he also managed to embarrass his superiors.

Fairly soon, there are 3 obvious suspects, a clique of former pupils at the school with Ben (including one who has become an unscrupulous a television personality and socialite that wants to launch a non-political party and become PM.) At the time, the 3 concocted a story that Ben disappeared during a game of hide and seek, which leads them to be the prime suspects today.

I found this book difficult to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for me providing a review.

A boy goes missing from a private school. He has been missing for over 20 years then his body is found on the school grounds.

The story is told on two timelines, present day after his body is discovered and the lead up to his death.

Many suspects from the Headmaster, priest and his fellow classmates who is to blame and has the killer finished with their killing?

Good cold case investigation when a skeleton is discovered in a hidden church crypt at a private school old hatred’s are revealed. The investigation led by a detective who had been sidelined to the cold case unit initially discovers a suspect that the powers that be don’t want revealed for political purposes. But when another murder linked to the old case things get very dark. Moving back to before the original crime then forwards to the present day is a format that works really well in this yarn. Good characters all contribute to a fine story.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant book

and the hits dont stop coming with this book

20 plus years when ben went missing from his boarding school, he was a troubled boy but no one knew where he went

fleet is in charge of cold cases, it was sort of a demotion but he thrives on a challenge and when finally a little hint about one of his cold cases comes up he sends out officers to have a look

skeleton remains are found at the boarding school

and so begins the hunt for the killer

there are plenty of suspects but no one has any idea what is about to happen....

brilliantly written and i never saw it coming... brilliant just brilliant

The Hiding Place is a good follow-up to Simon Lelic’s last novel, The Search Party, which introduced the detective pairing of DI Robin Fleet and DS Nikki Collins. Assigned to cold cases after the events in The Search Party, the pair are called into action when the body of a long dead schoolboy is discovered in an abandoned chapel crypt at Beaconsfield, an expensive and prestigious English boarding school. The body belongs to Ben Draper who went missing in 1997 after a game of ‘hide and seek’ that went wrong. Among the ‘seekers’ that day was Callum Richardson, who is now a prominent media and political celebrity, and Fleet finds himself under considerable pressure to close the case in a politically acceptable way.

Using a dual timeline and shifting point of view, Lelic alternates between Fleet’s investigation and the events back in 1997 when disaffected newcomer Ben Draper came under the spell of three older students, including the charismatic Richardson. The dual unfolding works well, and Lelic maintains a good level of interest as both storylines smartly move to their respective conclusions.

The characters are well-developed and Lelic provides revealing insights into the private lives of Fleet and Collins, without slowing the story too much. He is also very good at bringing forth the personality of Ben and his struggles to fit in. The book touches on a range of issues from loneliness to homelessness to the politics of policing and the lasting effects of childhood experiences, particularly those at boarding schools, on individuals. At its core, however, it is a good murder mystery and Lelic skilfully brings the novel to a surprising conclusion.

Overall, The Hiding Place is a well written and entertaining novel that will not disappoint regular readers of British police mysteries.

See my full review at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/cold-cases-and-missing-children-wake-by-shelley-burr-and-the-hiding-place-by-simon-lelic/

A game of hide and seek between friends.
Someone is missing.
Twenty years later a body is found.
Who knows what happened and who is prepared to murder to keep the secret?

'It was only a game.' Until a boy went missing.

'No one was meant to get hurt.' But a body has been found.

'Just some innocent fun.' Except one of them is a killer.

Ready or not, here I come. It's time to play hide and seek again.

This story has a dual timeline, the present day and twenty two years ago. It's dark, chilling, filled with filled with suspense and has a fast pace. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, I was wrong, because it's unpredictable. The characters are a mixed bunch of likeable and unlikeable. DI Fleet and DS Collins are called out to investigate. the discovery of a cold case murder that leads to more deaths twenty two years later. The two stories join together seamlessly. I liked the authors style in writing this book and all the loose ends were tied up by the end.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenguinGeneralUK and the author #SimonLelic for my ARC of #TheHidingPlace in exchange for an honest review.

The Hiding Place is a very enjoyable read. The story is told in two timelines which I really like as I feel you get more of a story .DI Fleet is working the Cold Cases and gets a tip off about a 22 year old cold case of a missing schoolboy called Ben. From then on Fleet and his very small team are on the case .The characters are very realistic though some of them are not very nice ! Fast paced the story unravels as the clues come in thick and fast .A Compelling story which like a jigsaw all the pieces fitted together very nicely in the end .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

In a way it felt like there wasn't too much new here - cold case, body found, story set between the police investigation now and flashbacks to the time of the murder - but it didn't matter. It was tense, well written and full of suspense, twists and turns, I really enjoyed it and kept reading it far too late at night because I couldn't put it down!

I understand that there's also previous novels with the same main policeman in - it didn't matter, this was fine to read as a standalone book. But I'll be seeking the others out!

When I started reading The Hiding Place I had a feeling I knew these characters. I soon realised that DI Fleet was from The Search Party that I had previously read by this author. But in saying that, you can read this book as a stand alone very easily. Another great book from Simon Lelic.

A dual timeline and multiple POV story of a boy who goes missing only for his remains to be found over 20 years later under the grounds of the boarding school he was last seen in. We learn about his time at school, and the friends he had - then and now. It kept me guessing and is for those with a weak stomach. Who killed him, how and why? Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK, this book is out May 5th.