full honesty: this one is a dnf for me. i dnfed right around 6-7%.

within that reading time we're introduced to lydia, who is a forensic photographer. a big chunk of the reason i put this down is lydia's voice. she's a gillian flynn-esque archetype, very self-congratulatory and oh so edgy. she wants to walk in the footsteps of a killer.

unfortunately, the way her voice was used to describ a very fraught childhood where an adoptive mother confessed to her that she was adopted as an alternative option for her husband so that he wouldn't rape his biological daughter came of really... lackadaisical and kinda like it was written for the sake of shock value.

when i got to the part where lydia gleefully describes photos of a dead five year old, drowned by her mother, just proudly displayed on her mirror, i put the book down. i am extremely uncomfortable reading from this character perspective.

perhaps if you're a fan of c.j. leede or gillian flynn, this will work for you, but this did not work for me.

Hiding Lies is the impressive debut from author Stephanie Rose, a cat and mouse thriller set in the Pacific Northwest. Told between alternating first-person POV, the story unfolds as a forensic photographer finds herself assigned to a case that becomes dangerously too personal.
The premise of the book is both interesting and promising, although it could have benefitted from a bit more nuance and character development. Unfortunately, the ending fumbled for me, and the deviation of the plot was underwhelming.
This was a quick read that I would lightly recommend to fans of true crime and horror.

This twisty little tale will leave you a little shocked and horrified at the same time. There are considerable things to be warned about this book as it deals with various forms of abuse and death, including children and animals. There is a nice content warning in the beginning, so the reader is fully aware of the content going in.

Lydia is a crime scene photographer, and when she is assigned to a particularly gruesome case, she becomes obsessed with the work of serial killer, Adam.

This novel is told through alternating POVs, which allows you to get into both Lydia and Adam's minds. It's such a treat to the reader to have the story slowly revealed like this, The cat and mouse aspect of the story will keep you on the edge of your seat and you will find it impossible to put this book down.

It's such a great, quick thriller read.

I could not put this book down. The first chapter is literally perfect—sets us up with backstory, and tone, and then drops us headfirst into the story. Lydia is a forensic photographer for the Portland Police Bureau with a dark history full of abuse in foster homes.

Most of the story is told between this cat-and-mouse POV swap which is reminiscent of a contemporary romance. It works!

I wasn’t expecting to ugly face cry but the scene sneaks up on you—even though you know it’s coming—and bam! emotions! Definitely don’t want to spoil anything, just know youll be questioning your own morals before finishing.

Lydia Walker is a forensic photographer, trudging through life in the shadow of her traumatic past, when she is assigned a case centered around the gruesome murder of a camping couple. Her personal life begins to improve after a chance encounter that makes her feel like she's finally connected with someone, a fellow tortured soul named Adam.

A very well-crafted horror/thriller novel. I enjoyed the tension very much.

This book is good, really good but had the potential to deliver so much more. It is a tense, twisted read with trigger warnings - child and animal death. (Not graphic description)

Lydia is a forensic photographer and Adam is a serial killer, this is the story of their relationship from strangers to much more, the killings are gruesome but Lydia cannot help admiring Adam’s work whilst she works the case. We delve into the minds of both the main characters, whilst learning about both of their pasts.

This was a fast paced read, thrilling and tense, but had so much more it could have offered. However definitely worth a read if you like serial killer books.

Many thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I try to keep my October releases to the horror genre, as I love to take full advantage of spooky season. When I saw Hiding Lies, I initially thought I was breaking my rules by introducing a thriller - but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although technically a crime thriller – Hiding Lies tiptoes the balance between horror and thriller in a delightful, if dark way.

Lydia is a crime scene photographer with a bit of a dark past – but when she is tasked with photographing a gruesome case where the killer leaves photographs that exposes their victims lies, she starts to become obsessed…

Hiding Lies alternates perspectives between crime scene photographer Lydia and serial killer Adam. Don’t worry – this isn’t a spoiler, it’s revealed very early on in the book. Although this is an unusual narrative technique, it means you really get inside the killer’s head and even start to perhaps empathise with him to a certain extent. Please look at the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book before starting it – it is incredibly dark throughout and there’s lots of difficult themes – it is not a light read!

As you know who the killer is, the book starts off as a bit of a cat-and-mouse thriller where you are waiting for the police to catch up with Adam. However, when Lydia and Adam’s paths cross it becomes something all together different! I would say that although I loved most of the book and was gripped throughout, the ending had me a little disappointed. Although I enjoyed the idea of the twist, it felt very abrupt and ruined the stakes that we felt we had been building up to throughout the novel. It was an unusual ending for sure though and I do commend author Stephanie Rose for that!

Overall, Hiding Lies is the perfect bridge between thriller and horror – it’s very dark but a gripping read. Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Axe Media for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hiding Lies presents an intriguing premise, with Lydia Walker, a forensic photographer haunted by her past, caught up in a case that blurs the lines between personal vengeance and justice. The central plot—mixing dark urges, trauma, and moral dilemmas—could have been compelling, but unfortunately, the execution falls short.

The writing often feels surface-level, with large sections reading like a monotonous monologue. The emotional depth expected from such a thriller is missing, as much of the story is told in a detached, non-emotive style that makes it difficult to connect with Lydia, Adam or their struggles. There are also inconsistencies, such as changes in the antagonist's backstory from beginning to end which detract from the overall flow and credibility of the narrative. (e.g. SPOILER: our antagonist says his biological mum was presented to him as his aunt in the beginning of the story and then as his sister at the end.)

While Hiding Lies might appeal to readers looking for a quick, casual read, it lacks the complexity and emotional engagement required to fully deliver on its promising premise. The story I wouldn't categorise as a horror or a mystery, but maybe a goofy sociopath love story.

ARC review
Hiding Lies by Stephanie Rose
Release date: October 29, 2024
✨
Lydia Walker is a forensic photographer with an obsession with all things true crime and horror. She’s thrilled to be assigned the case of what seems to be a serial killer, gruesomely murdering people at remote campsites.

She hides her obsession well, but she craves a companion who will understand. When she meets Adam, she’s hopeful he might. But Adam has a dark side of his own.
✨
I devoured this gruesome, unique story. Both main characters have a darkness they are struggling to keep hidden, but when they find each other, they imagine a life where they don’t have to. Warning: The crime scenes in this story are truly chilling.

I love the concept of this book and the first 10% that I read was enjoyable. Unfortunately the ARC is on black pages with white, almost italic font. I’ve tried to push through a couple times but this one is hurting my eyes. I will try a physical copy once this one releases!

I think fans of horror, slashers, and true crime will really enjoy this one!

I was loving this book. I couldn’t put it down. The serial killer aspect is great. It has taken me several days to write this review. We follow Lydia a forensic photographer then we are introduced to Adam. *Hiding Lies* is an engaging psychological thriller that hooks you from the first page. The book weaves a web of secrets, suspense, and betrayal, making it a gripping read for fans of mystery and suspense. The character development falls a little short and the ending…actually what ending. I feel the author just stopped writing. The story isnt done.

This was a fun thriller that I did not expect. It was gory at times and very twisty and definitely kept me engaged and wondering what was next.

Lydia likes to read “The Silence of the Lambs”, is obsessed with books, hates liars and enjoys taking pictures. She was an abused foster child who turned into a forensic photographer, documenting crimes all over Portland. She admires the killers, decorating her apartment’s walls with gruesome crime scenes. She has a dark side, and doesn’t know what to do with it.

Adam likes to read “The Silence of the Lambs”, is obsessed with books, hates liars and enjoys taking pictures. He and his girlfriend have recently split up, and he has immersed himself with work, and other activities, like kayaking and camping. He has a dark side, and doesn’t know what to do with it.

When the two meet, sparks immediately fly. Lydia is in the middle of crazy things at work, as a potential serial killer seems to be getting started. They stab multiple people to death, then arrange their bodies in tender positions for the police to find. Lydia is getting stressed, especially when one of the cases hits home, but she can’t tell Adam about it, for multiple reasons. There are some things he can’t tell her, either. But maybe he’d like to try…

It’s rare to find good extreme horror on NetGalley, so I’m glad I was able to get this advanced reader copy! The writing was decent, and while the ending felt too abrupt, this story was a horrifying yet touching tale of two people finding each other…just with a lot of murder sprinkled in! 3.5 stars, rounded up for being a debut.

(Thank you to Mad Axe Media, Stephanie Rose
And NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on October 29, 2024.)

this was so much better than I expected, but I really enjoyed it

Lydia is a forensic photographer was abused as a child She is a foster kid and when she meets Adam they seem suited to each other.. and not in a good way

Lydia is working on a murder case which two bodies are found at a camp site. Adam is charming, and also a serial killer

I loved this read it is dark and twisty and quite mind blowing .

This novel is superb. I loved the plot development and how the characters joined together and made this an enjoyable psychological thriller I really enjoyed,

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book. I was instantly intrigued, and read it in a day which rarely ever happens for me. I strongly suggest reading the trigger warnings before starting. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending of the book, and that's why I'm landing on 3.5 stars. If you have no triggers, I would highly recommend reading this

If you want a spooky book then this is definitely one for you and definitely one to read in October, however the mystery just wasn’t there for me. I did enjoy this book despite this

The concept of this is PERFECT for a spooky season read. It literally was giving all of the spooky and fall vibes that I was hoping for. I was only hanging on in this book for the vibes. I think the mystery itself kinda fell apart for me. I wanted to love everything about this, but instead I just loved some parts of it.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my early arc copy of this!

This book was not like I expected it to be but that’s not a bad thing, I really enjoyed getting to know the two main characters Adam and Lydia and found the way the interacted to be beautifully dark. I feel with the ending it leaves this open for a sequel in the future but if not that’s fine too I do enjoy and open ending.

Lydia is a forensic photographer for the Portland police with sociopathic tendencies due to being abused as a child growing up in foster care. Adam has sociopathic tendencies himself, which finally erupt when he's fed up with people who, in his opinion, are living a lie. When their paths finally cross, they may have found their soulmate.
The concept for the novel was intriguing, something like "You" and "Dexter" but with both characters being sociopaths. However, when the book switched to Adam's perspective it just felt more and more contrived as the story went on. And I just couldn't reconcile with it going from seemingly serious serial killer novel to soapy romance-serial killer parody.

I wanted to like this book as well. However, I should have read the trigger warnings prior so that was my error. The writing is a bit different and it was just a very mentally difficult read. Thank you for the copy.