For many women of Penny’s age, helping elderly parents is a natural part of life. But for Penny, things have taken a more serious turn.

One night, Penny receives a frantic call from her parents. No, they haven’t had a fall – they’ve killed someone, and his body is in the garden right next to the rose bushes!

Laura Marshall is an author whose books I pick up without a second thought. They are always fast-paced, gripping, and consistently shocking. So, when I had the opportunity to read A Good Place to Hide A Body, I was thrilled to dive in.

First things first: you should never judge a book by its cover, but I have to admit I was drawn to the vibrant cover of this one (that green will look beautiful on the bookshelf!) The caption '‘Everyone is Capable of Murder. They just need to meet the right person’' promised a suspenseful journey and the book certainly delivered.

The prologue introduces the main event, making it engaging from the very first page. Laura Marshall’s use of short chapters adds to the brisk pace. One writing technique I’ve noticed across her works is how she portrays ordinary characters. By this I mean, we often expect perpetrators to stand out, but her characters could easily be you, or me, which adds an extra layer of suspense.

I really enjoyed the characterisation in the book. The characters were all quite stereotypical, but this added some humour to the story, and I felt warm towards the main character Penny. She faces so many relatable problems, such as caring for ageing parents, parenting teenagers, dealing with grief, juggling a full time job, divorce and co-parenting. I emphasised with her struggles and could truly feel the pressure she was under.

To summarise, Laura Marshall has crafted yet another page-turner with A Good Place To Hide A Body. It’s a compelling read that keeps you on the edge of your seat, if you’re a fan of suspenseful thrillers, this book is a must read. Five Stars.

The book starts with Penny getting a phone call from her parents asking her to come round and help them. Expecting it be something straightforward she does not expect to see a body in their garden and her parents asking her to help get rid of the body!

The book then goes back to explain how we got to this point, a troublesome lodger, a fling and people at the end of their tether. Will they get rid of the body successfully or will they be discovered?

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down.

Jezus, Cooper is such a creepy guy. This was such a scary but also funny? story! In the beginning I didn't know where the story would go but it actually turned out well! The characters were so well written and I'm still in shock with Penny her parents (you have to read the story, I'm not gonna spoil this). I'm really hyped to read more books by this author! I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a quick fun read this summer!

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc!

This was such a fantastic book it was a thrilling funny read which I enjoyed so much. What would you do for your parents and how far would you to protect them cause that is the decision Penny has to make. I love the way this book so flowed throughout and really enjoyed the way it wasn’t to serious it made me laugh throughout. Such a talented author to be able to write a book like this. I will definitely be recommending this fantastic book to everyone. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy,

A fast-paced, easy read that I simply sped through. The premise was intriguing from the start, and the dynamics of the family were entertaining to read.
Sissy and Heath were brilliantly written characters, and I loved their role in this story. They were certainly two characters I couldn't help but root for.
Penny, however, I just didn't like. I can't even really put my finger on why, but everything about her just irritated me.
I also feel the book could have benefited from a few POVs from Cooper, just to give the character a little more depth to explain his behaviour better.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I would still recommend. I was never bored, but it didn't hugely grip me. It's not a bad book by any means, just not my favourite book of this year.

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a super fun mystery/thriller. If you are looking for a fast-paced book to add to your beach bag this summer, I definitely recommend this book! This book had a lot of twists and turns and I didn't see the ending coming! I enjoyed this book!

—


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

The story follows Penny, a fifty-year-old woman balancing her job, her young adult son, and her aging parents. Her parents rent out their basement to a tenant, Cooper, who quickly turns their lives into a nightmare. When Penny gets a late-night call from her dad about a dead body, she's thrown into a whirlwind of secrets and danger. The book touches on family dynamics, how far people will go for their loved ones, and the hidden surprises in everyday life.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for an entertaining and engaging read.

Bad things happen to good people, but bad things also happen to bad people. Heath and Sissy, mid-seventies, are good people, as is their, fiftyish, daughter, Penny. However, they are all a bit strapped for cash; in Penny’s case because she’s recently divorced and has a teenage son, in her parent’s case because they’re living on limited incomes. At Penny’s suggestion, Heath and Sissy decide to rent-out the annex which used to be her place to hang-out when she was their teenager. Enter Cooper, fiftyish, handsome, debonair, in need of a short let, glowing references according to the letting agent. Although initially attracted to him, Penny soon realises that he is ‘bad people’, which becomes more obvious as people keep turning up, see him for a few minutes, then hurry away, actions consistent with him being a drug dealer. He then starts a campaign of harassment of the old couple, which ends up badly for Cooper, badly meaning in his case dead, and badly for Heath, Sissy and Penny since they now have a body to get rid of.
A not unusual situation in murder mysteries (e.g. Alexia Casale’s “The Best Way To Bury Your Husband”) albeit with somewhat unusual protagonists. What makes this stand out is the series of unlikely incidents that get in their way, which are told in a lightly comedic style. That is not to obscure that there is a well-managed, if unlikely, plot lying beneath the humour. There are some surprises (to call them twists would be stretching the definition), but everyone behaves in a manner consistent with their character, so there is a kind of inevitability about everything. There is no real intellectual challenge, so it is in a category I’d define as ‘cosy-thriller’. It is a very entertaining and undemanding story, perfect for relaxation.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Loved this - it was such a fun read! You know from the get-go that there’ll be a murder in this book - if only from the title alone. What I didn’t expect however was the reactions of those involved! I loved how the characters were written, especially the reminders us not to take our elders for granted - or to underestimate them…

What a great read! I am new to Laura as an author but she had me hooked, not a who dunnit book but a well written plot from the view of who did it!
It really makes you think what lengths you would go to for your family and also what you maybe don't know or expect.from those closest.
I also read the opening chapter to My Husband's Killer at the end and can't wait for that release!!!

‘A Good Place To Hide A Body’ is a tense, darkly comic and quite unpredictable novel about 50-year-old Penny, who is summoned to her elderly parents’ house in the dead of night to help them cover the tracks of a terrible (but perhaps understandable) crime! This book challenges the reader to decide whether it’s really true that “everyone is capable of murder… they just need to meet the right person”, and if so, whether that negates the necessity for justice, while also providing an insightful, amusing and relatable portrait of complex family dynamics.

Penny’s parents, Sissy and Heath, were entertaining - as a reader I felt for them while also feeling the tension build and wondering when helplessness would tip over into ruthlessness. The broader cast of characters, including unpleasant tenant Cooper, Penny’s son Zach and ex-husband Martin, and a variety of meddling neighbours and downtrodden police officers, was well-developed and realistic.

It was great to see an older female protagonist, which along with the plot itself made the book feel very fresh and unique. I finished it in a couple of hours, driven to continue reading and reach the conclusion. I admired the author for sprinkling in twists and shocks right until the end. At times, I felt the pacing could have been faster, and a few choices by characters frustrated me, but not enough to stop me devouring the pages.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to fans of Richard Osman’s ‘Thursday Murder Club’, Bella Mackie’s ‘How To Kill Your Family’ and Herman Koch’s ‘The Dinner’. It’s a surprising, deliciously dark and riotously funny read which I’m awarding 4.5 stars to!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Hodder and Stoughton via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I've been in a bit of a thriller slump lately so I didn't think I'd enjoy this one going into it, but I sat and read over 2o% in the first sitting and managed to read the entire thing in just over a day or so.

I really enjoyed this one, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the 'second ending' as I like to call it. It could have ended nicely at a certain point, but the added extra bit threw me a little. Still a great book!

A Good Place to Hide a Body by Laura Marshall

Penny Whitlock is in her early fifties and recently divorced, she now finder herself juggling work, her young adult son, Zach and her elderly parents, Sissy and Heath, who could really use some extra income to help with the upkeep of their property. Penny has a great idea, why don’t her parents rent out the self-contained downstairs basement annex to a tenant, the rent would help her parents get some extra cash.

It was a great idea but Penny did not realise her parents were going to get a tenant from hell, almost as soon as Cooper moved in their lives became a living nightmare.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. I have read many books by Laura Marshall and I could not pick my favourite as I love them all.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton Publishers for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review

This was such a fun read, perfect for a lazy day of reading. I really enjoyed the whole thing; the concept, the characters and the tongue in cheek vibe throughout.
The story touches on some dark themes but with compassion for the human condition, and also a slightly gritty edge. I think the author did a great job of balancing all of the elements.
I’m not going to risk spoilers, I think the synopsis says enough.

They say never judge a book by it's cover and I did.. I assumed this was a light hearted, funny book about an elderly couple who accidentally killed someone. Well I was completely wrong and will happily admit it.

A Good Place to Hide A Body is the 5th standalone book by Laura Marshall and is published in July 2024.

The story is narrated by Penny. She's in her 50's, divorced, has a teenage son Zach and her elderly parents, Sissy and Heath are requiring more of her time as they struggle with getting older, physical limitations and the financial implications of maintaining their large family home.

Unable to help them financially herself, they decide to rent out the self-contained annex in the basement and that's where handsome, charming and single Cooper turns up. He seems too good to be true and could he be the answer to their money worries? Err, NO.. he is literally the beginning of the problems and soon Penny and her parents find themselves terrorised by the very person they hoped could help.

I don't want to go into much detail because you need to read this for yourself. Yes, there is some humour and light moments and yes it's a really enjoyable book which I read in one sitting, but the underlying feeling throughout this book is of dread and tension. The horrific actions and behaviour of the tenant simmered in pure evil and my heart broke for both Sissy and Heath.

I did mention the humour and light moments above and have to say Sissy deserves an award just for being "absolutely fabulous".

This is a wonderful book about being a parent and having parents and the complicated dynamics of family life. I absolutely loved it and have no hesitation in recommending A Good Place to Hide A Body.

★★★★★

Penny is a ‘sandwich generation woman’, beset on one side with caring for her ageing parents and on the other side with endlessly worrying about her troubled student son. Then, to make matters worse, her annoying ex-husband seems to still expect her emotional support at a time when she is turning 50 and is feeling invisible to the opposite sex. The very last thing overstretched Penny needs is a late night phone call from her father informing her that he needs her help to dispose of an unexpected dead body. Can she cope or will it be the last straw?

‘A Good Place to Hide a Body’ is a book of two halves, I found the first half (before the body is dead!) to be quite stressful and not the cosy light hearted comedy I was expecting, however this all changes once the deed is done and Penny’s parents start to relax and revert to their normal loveably eccentric selves and surprise her with their strength and ingenuity.

Utterly believable and well written, brimming with memorable characters and dark humour, ‘A Good Place to Hide a Body’ is a satisfying and very enjoyable read. Well worth diving into.

Many thanks to all concerned for letting me read and review this terrific novel.

A Good Place to Hide a Body is an excellent book if you love your crime thrillers, but you need something just a little bit lighter. It's not quite cosy crime, but neither is it dark and twisted, Laura Marshall has done an amazing job of making the reader feel sick to their core with dread one minute, and then amused by all-to-relatable family dynamics the next.

Yes, there are a few details that will mean you need to stretch the bounds of believability, but this book is pure escapism. Despite the odd raised eyebrow I still ploughed through it like it was due back to the library and I couldn't afford a late fee.

The characters are relatable, grounded and whole beings. I personally loved Sissy, and there is a part of me that hopes to be causing mayhem and keeping everyone guessing just like her when I'm older.

An amusing, insightful and gripping thriller.

Such a fabulous read!!

Penny is divorced and desperately trying to hang on to her job so that she can hang onto her flat and provide a home for her son. She is also on call, 24/7, for her elderly parents and this takes up a huge amount of her time. On the receiving end of a call from them one evening asking her to rush over and NOT call the police, she does just that while her mind conjures up all sorts of scenarios she is racing towards. However, she hasn't counted on the one thing which has actually happened - murder.

Oh, what a great read this is! So much happening, so much angst and yet there is humour threaded throughout. I laughed, I was shocked and I empathised with almost everyone. Beautifully written, this is one I definitely recommend. In my experience, most readers have discussed or thought of ways of disposing of a dead body - it comes with the territory, much like writers - and this is definitely a very entertaining read. 5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder Stoughton for the ARC

What a delightful and fun read. The story had me gripped from the first page and I couldn't put it down. Read it in a few hours. The book was so engaging and I loved the fact that the main character was a bit older. An everyday person who becomes wrapped up in something one definitely wouldn't expect. Just from the synopsis you know the book is going to be good, and it didn't let me down.

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

I absolutely raced through this book. I’ll be honest, I was expecting it to be more comical and far-fetched, along the lines of Bella Mackie & Katy Brent, but I feel it was a more serious thriller than those. And although I wouldn’t describe this book as a comedy in any way at all, there was some dark humour at times.

The behaviour and character of Cooper infuriated me. The fact that the police and letting agents didn’t believe what he was up to, I could feel the frustration and fear of this happening in real life, and the worry of when and how it would ever stop. I felt really sorry for Sissy & Heath, and could feel Penny’s heartache over the whole situation.

Although not a main character in the story, I found Penny’s ex husband Martin especially funny.

I was sad to finish this book as I loved everything about it. I can’t recommend it enough.