Hiding Lies
Author: Stephanie Rose
Page Count: 246
Publisher: MadAxe Media
Format: E-Pub ARC NetGalley
Release Date: Oct.29, 2024
General Genre: Horror
Sub/Genre- Forensic photography, Morbid curiosities, Murder
What You Need To Know: When Lydia is grown after surviving a horrifically traumatic childhood,she is the leading most forensic photographer In Oregon. After being called on scene for a remote crime scene with the FBI, she starts to discover that she may have more in common with the persons scene she is photographing that the people she is supposed to be helping…. I loathe love stories or any type of romance story BUT this one was dark & the one for me! Utterly obsessed!
My Reading Experience: Dark Urges, morbid curiosities, and forensic photography! This book had me from the opening line. What an eclectic story from the start! I ABSOLUTELY was enthralled by the premise and development of this book.
Final Recommendation: If you have a morbid curiosity then this is the book for you! Remote camping, twisted relationships and a super grey line between right and wrong are up your alley then snap this book up quick!

I absolutely loved this book! From start to finish, it had me hooked. The author does an incredible job balancing the gruesome, dark moments with thought-provoking explorations of humanity. It’s a deep dive into how we all, as people, harbor some level of dislike or resentment toward others, and Lydia is no exception. Her character felt real and relatable, even as she navigated some truly intense situations.

The pacing was fantastic—I couldn’t put this book down and breezed through it in no time. It’s one of those reads that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eager to see what happens next. Considering this is a debut novel, I’m incredibly impressed by the author's talent, and I have no doubt that they’ll be a name to watch in the future.

I honestly wish there was more to this story. It left me wanting to know what happens next or perhaps to dive deeper into the characters and their motivations. This is a book I highly recommend to anyone looking for a gripping and thought-provoking read.

Emotional depth, characters you care about, with heartfelt storytelling -- all in a book about gruesome murder and true crime maniacs! Recommended!

this was super repetitive Joe from You fanfiction with even less character depth and a romance that gave me the ick

I found this book to be very engaging. It took me a bit to read this, but it was mainly due to life situations coming up...but I was always looking forward to what came next. This isn't a long book at all and it has themes and triggers that isn't for the light hearted, but obviously by the cover, we can tell that. The main characters were well thought of and rounded with clear likes, dislikes, triggers, a background, etc. The pacing of the book was great. I didn't get too bored and was not tempted to rush the book. The ending felt a bit rushed and it could had been more to the ending, but that's it.

This book had SO MUCH POTENTIAL but it just failed.

At the start, I thought I was in for a twisty ride that was going to absolutely love, but unfortunately it fell short for me.

I really wanted to like Lydia - she comes from a hard background and she's doing the best she can to try to make a life for herself. She has a foster sister she doesn't really like, but a nephew she really does like, and her job is incredibly interesting.

I loved the idea of a serial killer that seems to go after families that aren't what they seem. I do love a good serial killer story and being able to be in the serial killer's head was sort of fun.

However, as the book wore on a found myself skimming it to get to the end, and I really hated how it ended. I'm not entirely sure what the author was going for, but this just was not it for me.

This gripped me in ways i forgot existed. really good book! if you want a good thriller horror deal, I recommend this one hands down

This was such a great ride to go on!
I loved the fact that we go multiple POVs, including the killer's.
The setting was handled really well and it had lots of great twists.
My only complaint would be that it ended a bit too abruptly for my liking. But I can't wait to see what Stephanie Rose does next.
It was a quick easy read, with it being nothing like anything else I had read before.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Forensic photography is fascinating and it was very interesting to have the main character have this skillset. I enjoyed the fast pace and the character development.

Chapters told in multiple POVs...and one is the killer's POV.

This book was intriguing, gruesome, hard to put down read. Both of the MCs minds were dark and twisted. They both had secrets that haunted their lives every day which the author gives a great background into this.

The gruesome murder scenes weren't overly full of gore which I appreciated in this book. The author did a good job of making you feel like something was going to happen each chapter too.

The unexpected romance in this book was actually welcome as well. I think it added to the storyline of the MCs.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stephanie Rose, and Mad Axe Media for the ARC.

This book? So good! Dark, twisty, serial killers…what’s not to like here? This was so well written, from the story, to the plot, to the characters, loved it!
Will be recommending this one for a good time to come.
Thank you for the ARC.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars. WOW. I’m shook to my core over each set of murders. Holy crap. How does a book have me both rooting for the murderer to get away with it and hoping for his capture all at the same time? It felt like those nature documentaries where you either watch the lion hoping it gets its prey or you watch the prey hoping it gets away. So sickly twisted and gory. This is like a true crime podcast but on another level. I did take off half a star because I felt like we, as readers, got an insight into their backstories and it was really regurgitated at the end when they reveal their “true” selves to each other. It felt like we could’ve skipped ahead a bit and kept the pace up. I loved the twist at the end.

Fast paced and dark, we follow a forensic photographer (Lydia) as she works on the case of a murdered couple on a camping trip. Lydia meets Adam and they connect, which is something new for both of them. This book was thrilling and unputdownable.

This was a dark and creepy ride and I loved every minute of it! I'm a sucker for serial killer stories and this one hit so well. A fantastic debut from Stephanie Rose! Thank you NetGalley and Stephanie Rose for the opportunity to read this book.

This one was good and dark! I'm a sucker for a creepy serial killer story, and this one grabbed me right away. I liked that it felt like a mix between horror and psychological thriller, and at 240 pages, it's a super quick read. I liked that we got POVs from both Adam and Lydia and thought things got pretty interesting after they crossed paths.

The ending was pretty abrupt, which makes me wonder if there will be a second book or if it was just left open to interpretation.

This is the author's debut novel, and I think she did a great job! I'll be looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

Thanks, @netgalley and @madaxemedia, for the #gifted e-arc!

Great story that kept me on the edge of my seat! The book was will written and I felt connected to the characters. Also makes me never want to go camping again!

Hiding Lies is the story of a serial killer and a forensic police photographer whose lives will intersect over some gory killings. Both Adam and Lydia are damaged people, due to their upbringing. Adam cannot tolerate what he considers lies in other people's lives, which leads him to his path of killing. Lydia finds herself fascinated by the unknown killer whose work she is photographing, and strangely sympathetic.

The positives of the book, for me, were it kept me reading; it was a fast read, and I would consider it well written.

For me, the negatives outweighed the positives, though. This story was just too dark for me. The author gave a lot of background on the characters to make us try to understand their actions and reactions, but I just couldn't follow the premise of the story.

I am in the minority, so if you enjoy dark, brooding stories with damaged people, this one is fast-paced and well told.

Thank you to NetGalley and Stephanie Rose for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 rounded down to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Axe Media for an advanced copy of Hiding Lies in exchange for an honest review.

Hiding Lies is a story about Lydia, a forensic photographer, who becomes involved in a gruesome case involving a serial killer. First of all, I love that this is told from two POVs - Lydia's, and that of the serial killer. Lately I love dual POVs, especially when the storylines overlap and you get to see things play out from both sides. I also loved that this story wasn't what I expected AT ALL. It was much darker and controversial than I expected it to be, and not for the faint of heart based on the subject matter. Lydia is also not what I was expecting her to be either. She was a highly complex character, which stemmed from her childhood trauma in the foster system (and includes DV and SA at a young age). Based on that, she has an obsession with serial killers and death - to a level that honestly creeped me out a bit, and I appreciated the author took the liberties and went there - because not everyone makes it out and lives a perfect life following that sort of trauma. To me, it felt more realistic, and maybe honest (even if I can't relate to that way of thinking). There was also a bit of a romance subplot, which was totally unexpected for me too and I think it made the story a lot more interesting.

Hiding Lies was brutal, fast-paced, and unapologetic. I loved it, and this was a unique and refreshing take on a serial killer/vigilante (in some ways) trope. Definitely a fantastic debut novel from Stephanie Rose, and I look forward to reading more in the future!

This was a dark, gripping thriller that dives into the twisted world of crime, obsession, and human frailty. It’s the kind of book that grabs you by the throat from page one and doesn’t let go until the very end. Lydia, the main character, is a forensic photographer with a traumatic past and an unsettling secret—she’s not just documenting crime scenes; she’s fascinated by them. Her personal struggles and her eerie passion for studying gruesome cases add layers of complexity to an already chilling plot.

The story kicks off with the discovery of a brutally murdered couple at a campsite. The killer leaves behind staged crime scenes and cryptic messages that seem to resonate with Lydia on a deeply personal level. Enter Adam, a bookstore worker with his own dark history, and their connection adds a romantic undercurrent to the otherwise bleak narrative. As the body count rises, the tension escalates, and Lydia’s life becomes increasingly intertwined with the investigation—and the killer.

What sets this book apart is its bold exploration of the killer’s psyche. Told from multiple perspectives, including the murderer’s, the story delves into the motivations and methods behind the crimes, creating an unsettling intimacy with the villain. Stephanie Rose masterfully balances this darkness with engaging procedural elements and emotional depth, making the characters feel authentic and flawed.

Though packed with twists and turns, the book doesn’t shy away from heavy, triggering themes like abuse, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. And while the ending might not satisfy everyone, it’s undeniably impactful and thought-provoking. If you enjoy thrillers with morally gray characters, chilling crimes, and a hint of romance, this one is for you.

This a great creepy fall read! I enjoyed the camping and outdoor vibes and the serial killer was creepy!!