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David Bell
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The Hiding Place: A Thriller Kindle Edition

by David Bell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 643 ratings
Twenty-five years after a child's murder shocks a small Ohio town, new evidence forces everyone to question what they believe in this tense thriller from the bestselling author of Bring Her Home and Cemetery Girl.

Janet Manning has been haunted by the murder since the day she lost sight of her four-year-old brother in the park. Now, with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Justin’s death looming, a detective and a newspaper reporter have started to ask questions, opening old wounds and raising new suspicions. Could the man convicted of the murder—who spent more than two decades in prison—really be innocent?

Janet’s childhood friend and high school crush, who was in the park with her that day, has returned to Dove Point, where he is wrestling with his own conflicted memories of the events. And a strange man appears at Janet’s door in the middle of the night, claiming to know the truth. 

Soon, years of deceit will be swept away, and the truth about what happened to Janet’s brother will be revealed. And the answers that Janet has sought may be found much closer to home than she ever could have imagined.
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  1. Print length
    396 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Berkley
  4. Publication date
    October 2, 2012
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. File size
    1.5 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Hiding Place

“An artfully constructed tale that charts the devastating, life-changing effects over twenty-five years on the people most affected by the murder of a four-year-old boy….a powerful, provocative novel.”—Publishers Weekly

“David Bell does a masterful job of crafting a crime story, with the guilty and innocent existing next to each other, whether they realize it or not. He has also created a tense drama of emotions and relationships. It is a riveting book with surprising but believable twists on every page.”—Suspense Magazine

“A gem of a book….Bell has written another winning thriller that is certain to entertain, frighten and swiftly climb bestseller lists.”—Bowling Green Daily News

More Praise for David Bell

“One of the brightest and best crime fiction writers of our time.”—Suspense Magazine

“A natural storyteller and a superb writer.”—#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Nelson DeMille

“David Bell writes spellbinding and gripping thrillers that get under your skin and refuse to let go."—New York Times Bestselling Author Linwood Barclay

About the Author

David Bell is a bestselling and award-winning author whose work has been translated into six languages. He’s currently an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He received an MA in creative writing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a PhD in American literature and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati. His novels include Bring Her Home, Since She Went Away, Somebody I Used to Know, The Forgotten Girl, Never Come Back, The Hiding Place, and Cemetery Girl.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0083P4ANC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (October 2, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 2, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 396 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 643 ratings

About the author

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David Bell

David Bell

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David Bell is the New York Times bestselling author of sixteen novels. His most recent books are TRY NOT TO BREATHE and SHE'S GONE. He is a professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky and can be reached through his website www.davidbellnovels.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
643 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book highly engaging with a story that keeps them guessing until the very end, featuring well-developed characters and being very easy to read. However, some customers express that the book was boring and didn't hold their attention.

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64 customers mention "Readability"60 positive4 negative

Customers find the book highly engaging and easy to read, describing it as a quick good read.

"I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's the best book I've read in a long time. The characters were likeable and interesting...." Read more

"...The idea of the lost child - with a twist - is very appealing and I imagine would be difficult to write...." Read more

"...I liked the book a lot. It became more and more compelling as I read further in the book." Read more

"...It was not exhilarating by any mean, but it kept my attention. I did really feel the characters so, for that reason, it was excellent...." Read more

60 customers mention "Story quality"52 positive8 negative

Customers praise the book's engaging plot, noting it keeps readers guessing until the very end with its many twists and turns.

"...I do not want to give out any info, but the story will keep you guessing...." Read more

"...The characters were likeable and interesting. The one thing I thought was a bit much was seven-year-old Janet's infatuation with Michael...." Read more

"...The story of the young boy killed years ago and the questions about it are compelling but the plot lines are too much of a mess...." Read more

"...I liked the book a lot. It became more and more compelling as I read further in the book." Read more

26 customers mention "Writing style"26 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, finding it very easy to read and follow, with one customer noting they could not put it down.

"...It flowed well and was very hard to put down. I'm planning to see what else Mr. Bell has written." Read more

"...They were very easy to connect to as was the story...." Read more

"...The writing style is clean and minimalist--even when you're not enthralled with the story, it's very easy to read." Read more

"...This book is well written, there aren't so many characters to keep track of and it turns into a whodunit mystery...." Read more

13 customers mention "Character development"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book.

"...It's the best book I've read in a long time. The characters were likeable and interesting...." Read more

"...I did really feel the characters so, for that reason, it was excellent. They were very easy to connect to as was the story...." Read more

"...Great plot, experienced from multiple characters' viewpoints, and it keeps you guessing from beginning to end - loved it and plowed through this one..." Read more

"...This one was no different. Fabulous character development, great tension and suspense...." Read more

13 customers mention "Interest"0 positive13 negative

Customers find the book boring and say it doesn't hold their attention.

"...to understand what really happened to Justin and the book started to lose my interest...." Read more

"...Janet is a good person but mostly a flat character who is just not that interesting. She’s perhaps too good and it ends up being boring...." Read more

"This was a very good book. It was not exhilarating by any mean, but it kept my attention...." Read more

"...Worth reading I guess but not as good as others." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • blaze
    5.0 out of 5 stars A REALLY GOOD READ
    Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I really liked this book. I do not want to give out any info, but the story will keep you guessing. In the end, it made me cry thinking I hope my girls think of me the way Ashleigh thinks of her mom now.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Drags a bit at the end, but a good book!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This was the first book I have read by David Bell. Once I picked the book up, I had a hard time putting it down. It really drew me in and I really liked Janet, the main character. Janet's brother Justin dies when she is 7 years old. As an adult, with a daughter, Janet's father gets laid off from his job and Janet and her daughter Ashleigh move into with Janet's Dad to help him make ends meet. I didn't find all the characters in this book likeable and realistic. But most characters were people one can relate to. Towards the end of the book, they begin to understand what really happened to Justin and the book started to lose my interest. It's one of those cases where the end is almost wrapping up too soon, but there are still alot of pages left. So the reader is left to believe, they don't know the whole story yet, there has to be more about what happened to Justin. This is where I felt the story got dragged out and became a bit predicatable. But if my only complaint is dragging out the last 20 pages or so, not a bad book overall. I have just ordered Cememtery Girl by David Bell and will look forward to reading it.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • sinewavelife
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good read!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's the best book I've read in a long time. The characters were likeable and interesting. The one thing I thought was a bit much was seven-year-old Janet's infatuation with Michael. Most seven-year-old girls aren't in the boyfriend-girlfriend mindset; that comes a few years later. It flowed well and was very hard to put down. I'm planning to see what else Mr. Bell has written.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kate
    3.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a rough draft of a story that could have been a lot better. Also NOT a thriller.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This is one of those books with great potential but poor execution. The story of the young boy killed years ago and the questions about it are compelling but the plot lines are too much of a mess. I don’t think the author had a good idea of the story he wanted to tell. At one point there is the issue raised of whether the man convicted of the crime was only arrested because he was black but the author lets that fizzle out while keeping the undercurrent of it alive. That man was turned in by his own aunt and with a stash of child pornography so as a reader that’s not going to make him sympathetic or help with the racism charge. One of the characters whose POV the story is told from is one of the police officers who first investigated the crime and starts to question his actions at the time and even confront his old partner about the case. Even when the man convicted of the crime actually tells him about wanting to do awful unspeakable things to children the police officer does not react. It’s frustrating to read when again it’s an angle that’s not going to make a reader feel bad for the criminal.

    I also think the story had too many perspectives to make the story as compelling as it could have been. While at times told from from the police officer’s POV which did little to advance the plot it was also told from that of the sister of the victim and her daughter. Janet was only a little girl when her brother was killed and obviously it changed her life and family. Janet is a good person but mostly a flat character who is just not that interesting. She’s perhaps too good and it ends up being boring. Her teenage daughter Ashleigh has more spark but after some chapters from her POV she drops off. The story really plays out mostly from Janet as a passive response to events. As a reader we want to know what happened all those years ago but it’s a slow conclusion after what feels like any momentum to the plot fizzles out. It just could have been a much better read than the just Ok story it tuned out to be. Also it’s ridiculous to call this a thriller. It’s mostly a drama with the mystery of what actually happened but not in any way a thriller.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Rhonda Carpenter
    4.0 out of 5 stars Second Book by David Bell
    Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    If I had read this book by David Bell first - before reading Cemetery Girl - I would have given this a 5 star rating. But I was comparing it to Cemetery Girl and it fell a bit short. Will I pick up more of Bell's books - yes, I will. There seems to be a theme to both The Hiding Place and Cemetery Girl and I wonder if he will continue this, or change direction. The idea of the lost child - with a twist - is very appealing and I imagine would be difficult to write. I understand that David Bell and David Jack Bell are the same author - and there are many books out there by David Jack Bell which don't look that appealing to me. If you want to read a book that will haunt you, read Cemetery Girl. I may have to read it again!
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Henry Lawrence
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Will Out
    Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book makes you start to believe in the supernatural, but it really wasn't. The central character, Janet, a thirty-something single mom, is haunted by the death 25 years before of her three-year old brother, Justin. A Black man has been convicted of the murder and has now been released from prison.
    Back in town, the events of the murder 25 years ago are suddenly being relived.
    And the appearance in the middle of the night of a stranger at Janet's door claiming he knows what really happened sets events into motion that eventually reveal the true story.
    I liked the book a lot. It became more and more compelling as I read further in the book.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Sara S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recommend
    Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This was a very good book. It was not exhilarating by any mean, but it kept my attention. I did really feel the characters so, for that reason, it was excellent. They were very easy to connect to as was the story. I have read some fairly gruesome novels lately so it was nice to read a great crime story without the overly explicit violence.
    One person found this helpful
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  • jujumucc
    4.0 out of 5 stars Another Page Turner!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is another captivating, compelling thriller from David Bell - I was excited to read this after reading his last novel, Cemetery Girl, which I read in a weekend and could not put down. With The Hiding Place, once again I found myself reading late into the night until I could not physically hold my eyes open. Great plot, experienced from multiple characters' viewpoints, and it keeps you guessing from beginning to end - loved it and plowed through this one in just a few nights!
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Aleqx Franz-Grieg
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hiding
    Reviewed in Germany on May 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Alles war ganz super und schnell! Service war sehr gut! Ich wurde diese Firma nochmals benutzen. Ich danke Ihnen nochmal.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Thriller
    Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    If you enjoy an exciting read, choose this book. The Hiding Place: a Thriller. The twists and turns makes it impossible for the reader to believe he/she is on the right track in determining the real killer. Scary...so believable...amazing writer...and a great technique used as in developing such possible and plausible scenes. A great read. 👍
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  • DebbieB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful book by David Bell
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Janet Manning and her family appear to have recovered from the tragic death of her brother Justin twenty five years ago. The murderer was caught and convicted. Then a stranger appears at Janet's door claiming to know the truth about what really happened. An old schoolfriend returns to the town troubled by worrying memories of the tragedy. The investigating officer, not far off retirement, is still concerned about the case. Janet's young daughter begins her own secret and dangerous investigation. The stories builds to a shocking conclusion.
    This is a very gripping and exciting psychological thriller by the author of Cemetery Girl. I pre-ordered this on the basis that I enjoyed David Bell's first book so much. I think this was even better.
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  • Sue Creech
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in Australia on January 1, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Loved the theme, kept me guessing to the end. Well written. One of those I was sad to finish. Great.
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  • I. Turner
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on August 25, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    kept me reading front to back
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