A Good Place to Hide a Body by Laura Marshall starts off with a prologue and it's a clever move by Marshall. Not the use of a prologue of course as it's quite common, but the way she leaves us hanging at the end of it... allowing us to make certain assumptions, before moving three months into the past when a family's lives were turned upside down.

Penny's a devoted (if somewhat impatient and judgemental) daughter, supporting her ageing parents and trying to do the same for her son, Zach, who's away at University. Zach's father dumped Penny for a woman 20 years his junior though the pair get on for the sake of their son. Penny's struggling though, just making ends meet on her mortgage so when her parents get into financial stress and she can't help them she suggests they take in a tenant.

Cooper Brownlow has been screened by the real estate agency and Penny assumes he's had a similar experience to her, needing temporary accommodation as a result of a break-up. He's charismatic and well-spoken though her parents quickly regret their decision as he has visitors at night and they suspect him of drug dealing. Penny finds Cooper attractive and believes her parents are confused and over-reacting.

And before too long Penny realises her parents were justified in their concerns and she's misjudged Cooper who's now showing his rather ugly true colours. And it's obvious he's played this game before as he's far better at it than Penny and her family who run out of options in their attempts to evict him.

This is the third book I've read by Marshall and I enjoyed this though it's obvious early where it's going... we did see several similar movies a decade or two ago about horror tenants who are unable to be evicted. We know from the prologue that this reaches some sort of crisis (resulting in a body) and I liked the way Marshall lures us in, then throws in a few surprises as well as a few OTT moments. This is an entertaining read and slightly nerve-wracking as readers will wonder if the guilty will be punished and how exactly one defines guilt and innocence. It would probably make a good book club read for that reason... it'd incite some robust ethical or moral discussions.

3.5 stars

Penny Whitlock is a mother and a daughter trying to keep all the balls in the air whilst balancing a job with the needs of her 19 year old son and also elderly parents who rely on her more and more. When her parents are struggling to pay the bills she suggests they rent out their basement annexe for extra cash, however none of them could have had any idea of what the consequences would be. What follows is a story with dark humour but ultimately a disturbing one of awful behaviour from people that you take on trust.

The book begins with a body in the garden – the reader doesn’t know who it is and I won’t spoil the moment. Suffice to say that Penny is not a natural criminal mastermind and struggles with the aftermath and responsibility. As well as supporting her parents, her husband has left her for a younger woman but still tries to use her as an agony aunt, she is struggling financially, her son appears to be suffering from the effects of addiction and, when someone pays her a little attention, to have something nice happen and to not be invisible for just a moment is too tempting to pass by.

There are characters here who will raise red flags and for much of the book I had this feeling of unease wondering what would come next. Besides Penny, her parents Sissy and Heath were probably my favourite characters, particularly Sissy with her Greenham Common background and no nonsense attitude. Penny’s dilemmas and struggles were clear to see, some of her decisions were not the wisest but made on the spur of the moment leading to a comedic element.

I very much enjoyed this well paced story where the unexpected was always around the corner. It was entertaining but also had its dark and disturbing side. It just goes to show that you never really know what people are capable of and what secrets they are keeping.

A Good Place to Hide a Body is a darkly comedic murder mystery style thriller.

When Penny receives an alarming phonecall from her elderly parents with exclamations of "the garden" and "a body" she rushes over, hoping against all hopes to find it's something far less serious than it sounds.

But there, splayed out on her parents' lawn, is Cooper Brownlow, the tenant who recently moved into their basement annexe and has turned all of their lives into a living nightmare.

At the start of the book, we meet charismatic Cooper, who charms everyone—Penny perhaps a little too much!
But once he has his foot in the door, a tenants agreement in place with decidedly shady letting agent Woodford Peters, and he has shared all the sordid details of his date with Penny with seemingly everyone, we begin to glimpse the real man behind the façade.

But now Cooper is dead, what are they going to do? Do they approach the police, aware that they have been persistently pressuring them to detain Cooper for his illegal activities, which they have struggled to substantiate? That would only serve to expose them as murderers with premeditation! Their only option is to hide the body! However, where is a decent place to conceal a corpse?

As Penny and her parents attempt to hide their actions, the book's latter half adopts a somewhat darkly humorous tone.
I particularly enjoyed Penny's mum, Sissy's, little old lady moments.

Penny, a fifty year old divorcee, will do anything for her older parents. One night Penny receives a frantic phone call from her father, who Penny thought was staying with a friend in Norfolk, asking her to come round now. The reader is then taken back three months to the start of a nightmare. Enter the tenant from hell! I am sure tenants like Cooper do exist although how many would take such revenge on a loved and well cared for rose garden!

I found Penny's character a bit frustrating and irritating at times. The stars for me were Penny's parents especially her mum Sissy, who used her age (and people's perceptions of older people) to her advantage. Whilst I was able to predict most of the twists I didn't see the final one coming and loved the ending. As well as the main plot there are some interesting family dynamics that added to my enjoyment of the book.

On the whole I found this book entertaining and read it over one weekend. It is an ideal Summer book if you are looking for an easy read with some humour and a few twists and turns to keep you entertained.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my advanced reader copy received in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

"A Good Place to Hide a Body" by Laura Marshall is a thrilling and entertaining read that doesn’t disappoint.
The story follows Penny, who receives a frantic phone call from her parents, informing her that they have killed someone and the body is lying in their garden. From the outset, I was invested in the story and found myself racing through the pages to discover what had happened.
One of the strengths of this book is its pacing. The tension builds steadily throughout, making it difficult to put down. The writing style is also engaging, making it easy to become immersed in the world of the characters.
However, I did find Penny to be a frustrating character at times. Her naivety and impulsiveness made it difficult for me to connect with her on a deeper level. In contrast, her parents, Sissy and Heath, were more well-developed and complex characters that I found myself caring about.
I also felt that the book could have benefited from including chapters from Cooper's perspective. His motivations and backstory were not fully fleshed out, which made it difficult for me to understand his actions.
The plot itself was predictable, with few surprises along the way. However, this didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. The story is well-structured and engaging, making it easy to follow along.
One of the themes that resonated with me is that people often forget that their parents have their own lives and secrets outside of their relationships with their children. This is particularly poignant in this story, where Penny's parents' actions are driven by a desire to hold onto their independence and sense of self.
Overall, "A Good Place to Hide a Body" is for fans of domestic thrillers. While it may not be a particularly original or groundbreaking story, it is well-written and entertaining. Just be sure to go in without any preconceptions and enjoy the ride!

Opening with Penny's elderly parents battling with a dead body in their garden, Laura Marshall's latest black comedy centres around Penny a 50 something year old woman who is being pulled in a hundred different directions at any point.

Her proud parents Sissy and Heath are struggling to maintain their house and are short of money, continually calling on Penny for assistance; her teenage son is finding university life hard and is sullen and withdrawn; her ex-husband has left her for a woman 20 years younger and is about to start a new family; and her hgh-stress job is piling on the pressure at a rate of knots. She's coping with it all but is rapidly approaching burn out. Something has to give, but what is it going to be?

When Penny suggests her parents rent out their shabby but passable basement flat to bring in some much needed income, little do they know that they are about to make everything infinitely more complicated.

Enter Cooper, a divorcee looking for a flat as a stopgap. He seems charming and effusive, and is happy to take the flat as it is. He's also looking at Penny in a way that she hasn't been looked at for a while, and she's enjoying the feeling of being noticed and appreciated.

Unfortunately this happy state doesn't last for long - Cooper quickly becomes a nightmare tenant, blaring out music, causing noise, lots of dodgy looking visitors coming and going. Sissy and Heath's complaints are brushed aside by the authorities, ignored due to their age and assumed ill health, whilst Cooper is afforded the right to do anything. Tensions escalate between the two households, with Cooper standing his ground and promising retaliation for any complaints made, whilst Sissy and Heath are driven round the bend by his underhand ways.

This brings us on to the body - no surprises for guessing who it is, but the way that Laura Marshall handles the aftermath of the incident and the wider repercussions, is inspired. Cooper had connections far and wide, and I could feel the pressure escalating as the story developed.

Sissy is the standout character for me, her ability to go undercover and undetected is second to none, and she turns out the frail old lady act like nobody else. Her forward planning is exemplary too if not a little too chilling!

I always look forward to new books from Laura Marshall; her bleak black comedy suits my tastes perfectly. This is a great edge of seat page turner where you're totally rooting for Cooper to get his comeuppance, and order to be restored.

When you read a lot of one type of genre it sometimes feels formulaic. My choice is crime fiction and whilst this book falls into that genre it is completely different to anything I’ve read before.
The crime itself is pretty much similar, a character is murdered because of the way they were to others but the perpetrators, the way in which the crime was concealed and the added humour was something I haven’t read before. Two elderly parents, Cissy and Heath, their harassed and totally out of her depth daughter, Penny, her son who is an addict and the lodger straight from hell. And these are just the main characters, there are all those who feature less but add to the storyline perfectly.
There are aspects of this novel that many will identify with. Financial concerns, house repairs, declining health, anxiety in the younger generation, loneliness. Penny had a lot to deal with, all of these problems were affecting her and her family. But there wouldn’t be many who had to deal with disposing of a body in their parent’s garden.
Cissy and Heath were brilliant characters, especially Cissy. One minute a frail, confused elderly lady, the next a determined ex Greenham Common agitator who wouldn’t give into bullies and was prepared to do anything to protect her own. I’m not sure which I adored most.
Penny was another I liked a lot. Her way of coping with her parent’ predicament, her acceptance of her broken marriage, awful boss and her son who was struggling more than anybody realised. It could have been difficult reading but the wry humour made it totally different.
I read this book in two sittings, I know from other reviews that this is common. It’s perfect holiday reading.

"A Good Place to Hide a Body" is a gripping and darkly humorous exploration of family dynamics and the unexpected consequences of secrets kept buried. Penny, a woman navigating the challenges of middle age and parental care, finds herself thrust into a chilling predicament when she receives a frantic call from her father one night.
The novel opens with a jolt as Penny rushes to her parent's home, expecting a medical emergency or some mundane mishap. Instead, she discovers a far more sinister truth: her parents have killed someone, and the body lies hidden in their garden. Marshall deftly sets the stage for a twisted tale where the line between loyalty and self-preservation blurs.
Penny, initially a relatable and sympathetic protagonist struggling with the demands of caregiving, is thrust into an unimaginable dilemma. Marshall's characterization shines as Penny wrestles with her conscience, torn between protecting her parents and confronting the heinous act they've committed. The dynamics within the family are intricately woven, revealing layers of dysfunction and buried resentments that add depth to the narrative.
The pacing is brisk and suspenseful, propelled by Marshall's plotting and sharp dialogue. As Penny navigates the aftermath of the murder, tensions escalate and secrets unravel, leading to unexpected twists that keep you guessing until the final pages. The exploration of moral ambiguity and the lengths people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones is both compelling and thought-provoking.
Marshall's writing is atmospheric, evoking a sense of unease that fills the story. The quaint setting of a suburban garden compared with the horror of a hidden crime scene creates a chilling backdrop for the unfolding drama. The novel's dark humour adds a layer of complexity, offering moments of levity amidst the tension.
"A Good Place to Hide a Body" is a brilliant thriller that showcases Laura Marshall's talent for creating suspenseful narratives with compelling characters and intricate plot twists. It's a book that delves into the darkest corners of human nature while keeping you absorbed from start to finish. For fans of psychological thrillers and domestic suspense, this novel is a must-read that delivers on every front.

Pacific Heights meets Weekend At Bernie's, in this dark crime drama, of tortuous tenants, troubled, teens, and worried parents galore.

3.5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC of #AGoodPlaceToHideABody.

An interesting book, I wasn't sure during the first half how I was going to rate it as I found the story dragging and the main character annoying. Once I hit 50% I couldn't put the book down. A good fun murder with a little bit of humour and mystery.

How far would you go to help your parents? A Good Place To Hide A Body is a cracker of a book! I have read several of Marshall's previous books and this one is somewhat different, but absolutely brilliant. Tense, gripping and darkly comedic, I raced through it.

Penny is in her 50s, divorced and has a teenage son, Zach. After a dramatic opening when she rushes round to her elderly parents in their hour of need, the story goes back to how, struggling to make ends meet, her parents Sissy and Heath rent out their basement - but their new tenant Cooper proves to be the tenant from hell. Things go rapidly downhill from there ….

This is a book full of tension as Sissy and Heath’s lives are made a misery by a truly nasty piece of work - and your heart goes out to them as the situation escalates. What makes this book so clever is that in amongst the real tension there is some absolute comedy gold, thanks in large part to the wonderfully drawn Sissy. And in amongst it is also a book about family and about parenting as we see Penny not only deal with her parents but also face challenges with her son Zach.

Pick this one up - I promise you won’t be disappointed and for me this is Marshall’s best book yet.

I love this author and was excited to get an opportunity to read this book before it was published, and the book did not disappoint. It is a story that could be true on so many levels  The great thing about Laura Marshall is she describes her characters so vividly and it makes you get more involved with the book.  The characters in this book were well rounded and made you want to read it quickly to see what happened.  This is a great read and at times made me feel a little uncomfortable in relation to how true to life this can be!  Some people think renting out a property can be easy money, but not if you have a manipulative violent and aggressive tenant! You really feel for the elderly couple in this book who have to put up with a less than ideal lodger. And you can relate to the heading ‘Everyone is capable of murder. They just need to meet the right person.’ This book also made me laugh out loud at times. It was funny, dark and tense in places.  A real page turner, a great read that keeps you guessing till the end!

Penny’s elderly parents Sissy and Heath are looking for a lodger to move in to their basement flat to help with rising living costs. Penny helps them to arrange it and is instantly attracted to the new lodger Cooper. He is handsome and mysterious but soon becomes dangerous. Penny tries to get Cooper to leave but when he won’t we find out how far she will go in order to protect her family.

I thought I knew exactly where this story was headed and then was completely surprised when it didn’t. I love when a twist is completely unexpected. The book has lots of dark humour especially with the main characters elderly parents who are my favourite characters overall.

Really well plotted and a great read.

Overall Good Read 🤓

After reading the premise, Dad’s phone call to Penny was the line that drew me to this book and made me chuckle. Whilst overall this was a good read, it didn’t have as many laugh out loud moments I thought it would, based on this. Not an author I’ve read before, but would do again.

This is the third book I have read of Laura Marshall and I have to say, I enjoyed this more than I did with her other two books!

This book is slightly different from the books I have read from the same author before. Penny is taking care of her elderly parents...her elderly parents decided to rent out their basement and soon they find a tenant named Cooper. But Cooper has a dark history which involved the fact that he was released from prison on drug charges. Penny's parents believe that Cooper is stealing and damaging their property. One night, Penny gets a frantic call from her parents, asking her to come over immediately. When Penny did, she finds a damaged rose garden and the body of Cooper lying on the ground, dead. Then comes the story of how Penny helped her parents find a good place to hide the body and at the same time dealing with the consequences.

This book is fast paced and I really like the writing style of the book. I think things got interesting towards the middle of the book and I have to say, I found some parts in the book a little funny and hilarious to read, particularly when Penny and her father are trying to find a place to hide the body. I also like Sissy, Penny's mother as well and found her character to be funny and witty. This book also makes you think twice about renting a tenant a spare room as this is what the whole story is about--money issues, renting a part of your house, turns out the tenant is bad and then drama. I really love the drama behind the book and overall, I actually enjoyed the book. If you are looking for binge read, check this book out, worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

When Penny’s older parents ring her, she is expecting to help fix their Wi-Fi, but when they ask her for help disposing of a body, her life takes an unexpected turn.

This is my first read from Laura Marshall, but it won’t be my last! The writing was fast paced and engaging, and I was hooked throughout, finishing it in 2 days. The book starts with Penny receiving a call from her parents to bury a body and then goes right into flashbacks with them opening their home to lodger Cooper. Cooper is thoroughly dislikeable, and this part of the book is actually difficult to read at times, as you can see his manipulation and how helpless the family are to stop him. The second half then becomes a cat and mouse chase as they try to quite literally get away with murder. There’s a lot of twists and turns, particularly in the second half which left me gasping as I read.

I really like Sissy, the mother who used her age to her advantage - it was sad to see how easily people would discount the parents for being old (including their daughter). They more than proved how capable they were by the end though! Penny as a main character makes a lot of mistakes which are frustrating at times for the reader but also felt quite realistic for someone who felt lonely and betrayed by her husband. Although it’s a very dark theme, it was told so well and made for a truly compelling read – a Kindig Gem for 2024.

Overall, A Good Place to Hide a Body is a gripping and compelling read and one of my books of the year. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, a really gripping read. An elderly couple need to find extra income so they rent out their basement, but the tenant is far from ideal. Then they take action, and their daughter Penny has to help them sort out the aftermath.

Penny has her own problems, being divorced with a son at Uni who appears to have problems of his own that he's not telling her about. The story is far more than murder and mayhem, it deals with relationships, generational issues and how you can lose sight of your children.

At parts I was almost afraid to keep reading, as the tenant begins to terrorise the homeowners; in others I was chuckling away and cheering them on. Its a complex tale, told really well and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sorry its finished now, how can I follow that!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As reviews go, this is going to be a pretty vague one. I don't want to give anything away about the identity of the body in the garden, how they came to be there, or who did them harm. It's all revealed quite early on so you don't have to wait too long to find out.

At first, it's more important to understand how things got to this point. It all begins very innocently. Penny's elderly parents are struggling with paying the bills. They refuse to downsize. All their memories are in this house, and they can't even begin to think of leaving their pride and joy behind. Their garden, where they spend so much time, turning it into something nearly prize-worthy. Penny could move into the basement, but there would be no space for her teenage son. So the only other option that remains, is to find a tenant. That is how the story begins.

At some point, as you've already read, Penny will receive a phone call from her parents because there is a dead body in their garden. Now, the story takes another turn altogether. Penny and her parents are out of their depth here. There is very little time to think things through, but they are adamant they will not be calling the police. But what IS a good place to hide a body?

Penny and her parents are ordinary people, who suddenly find themselves knee-deep in extraordinary circumstances. It's impossible not to think about what you would do, if you were in their shoes. Just like it's remarkably easy to sit back and judge them on their bad judgements, and the sometimes awful choices and decisions they make. I thought Penny, in particular, was awfully naive.

The tension seems to kick up a notch on pretty much every single page, and slowly but surely, Penny's life starts to unravel. But 'A Good Place to Hide a Body' isn't merely about hiding a body and hoping nobody ever discovers what you did. It's also about not ever really knowing someone, and what they're capable of. It's about how children so often forget their parents had, and still have, a life that doesn't involve them. It's about how people seem to become invisible after a certain age.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It has somewhat of a dark humour thing going on, which I always appreciate, and I'm pretty sure I chuckled at some inappropriate moments but that's just me. Maybe the story is a tad far-fetched, but that didn't bother me at all. It's full of suspense, deliciously twisty and I dare say there is one utterly fabulous character I will not forget in a hurry. Pacy, well-plotted, and hugely entertaining. Do yourself a favour, though, and go in blind.

Ignoring for the moment that this author is one of my favourites, I think I would have snaffled this book up on the title alone...!
After a shocking opening, we go on to properly meet Penny, divorced with a teenage son Zach. She dotes on and looks after her elderly parents - Sissy and Heath. When she discovers that they are struggling to maintain their large home and pretty much refuse to move, Penny being unable to help them financially, agrees with them that the best way to generate the income they need is to rent out their basement self-contained annex.
Enter the devastatingly handsome and charming Cooper... He seems, on face value, to be the answer to all their worries. But, as we all know, looks can be deceiving and what began as the solution swiftly switches to adding to their woes... But I'll leave you to meet him properly, warts and all, yourself...
This book was an absolute joy to read. We have all the shenanigans that Cooper gets up to, as well as those of Penny, her parents and even Zach falls foul and gets roped in... It contains some really excellent black humour, mostly delivered by the wonderful Sissy! Cooper is a cracking bad boy with the way he started out all nice and charming and then as we watch, the mask falls and the real side of him starts to show through. He's intelligent and calculating and pretty much the perfect con-man. I'd love to wax lyrical about all the nasty things he does but, well, that'd spoil things for you...
There are some really well plotted twists and turns along the way too which really kept me on my toes and also had me fearing for and wondering how certain characters would get out of certain situations they had got into. It's hard to explain without spoilers but you'll understand when you get there. Suffice to say that tension was high and I was on the edge of my seat a lot towards the end. And that ending... simply perfect!
All in all, a cracking addition to an already well impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Everybody who loves their parents can relate to Laura Marshall‘s latest novel, A Good Place to Hide a Body. The story centers on Penny, whose elderly parents, facing financial difficulties, decide to rent out their basement annex to a charming middle-aged man. Penny is instantly smitten, but little does she know that he is a ruthless criminal.
From the outset, Marshall instills a sense of foreboding and yet it is still shocking how easily the situation escalates. This psychological thriller is absolutely unputdownable, blending suspense with great humor that had me laughing out loud. I was particularly charmed by Penny’s parents, whom the author describes lovingly. The family dynamic is further enriched by Penny's ex-husband and her troubled son.
Marshall masterfully weaves numerous twists and turns into the narrative, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. And the moral of the story is…Never underestimate pensioners!

Thanks to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Laura Marshall for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.