The Hiding Place

By: David Bell

Narrated by: Fred Lehne

Sometimes it’s easier to believe a lie.

Twenty-five-years ago, the disappearance of four-year-old Justin Manning rocked the small town of Dove Point, Ohio. After his body was found in a shallow grave in the woods two months later, the repercussions were felt for years.…

Janet Manning has been haunted by the murder since the day she lost sight of her 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.

©2012 David Bell (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“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 best-seller lists.” (Bowling Green Daily News)

Avoids all the mystery novel cliches

What made the experience of listening to The Hiding Place the most enjoyable?

This is a great mystery/thriller primarily because it avoids all of the well-worn grooves that most mystery writers fall into. I feel that, in a mystery novel, it's important that the conclusion be plausible, but even more so that the events leading to it are independently plausible and not transparently constructed just to lead to that conclusion. This novel satisfied my plausibility appetite more than most, and the dialog was genuine. I can sometimes live with a mediocre plot if the dialog is right, but never the other way around.

Love this book!!

This book was very entertaining and kept you wanting to read and read. It kept your mind thinking and wondering. Looking forward to reading more by David Bell.

So confused

The mother dies after son went missing. The sister tasked with watching her brother when he went missing just seems to have vanished, no mention of the sister - that I’ve heard. The story is concentrated on the niece of the murdered child. So much seems to be missing. Not enjoyable. Returning.

FIRST FOR ME WITH THIS AUTHOR AND NARATOR

What did you love best about The Hiding Place?

KEPT ME GUESSING UNTIL ALMOST THE VERY END

What does Fred Lehne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

GOOD JOB OF VOICES AND INFLECTION

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

NOT IN THE BEGINNING BUT THE 2ND HALF YES

Any additional comments?

MOSTLY A SAD STORY

Great Mystery!!

What did you love best about The Hiding Place?

Kept you on your seat. Just when I thought I figured it out, whoops another twist.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. Didn't quite know when one would find what that "hiding place" was for.

Which scene was your favorite?

When granddaughter and grandfather became as should be.

Yawn, another missing child. Why wait 25 years?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, better than watching the garbage on television.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Hiding Place?

The visit with Sam Coleman while he is in jail.

Which character – as performed by Fred Lehne – was your favorite?

Kevin

Could you see The Hiding Place being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I think that this story or several similar ones have already been made into movies. Ms. Berry is starring in one this fall.

Any additional comments?

Good narration. The story seemed very long and purposefully drawn out. This strategy did not make it suspenseful, just boring.

Excellent overall

loved the story, loved the narrator (the best I've heard) , performance was great ...touching ...just right for the story

Better than OK

This is a more difficult review for me to put into words. It kept me guessing until the end, but I kept waiting for more twists, or something more to happen. I've had this book on my MP3 for months & I've started it several times, but it was slow enough in the beginning that I'd get bored and switch to another book. I finally got to a point where it was keeping my interest, but I expected more - it could have been a better story. As it is, it was better than "just ok", but still below average in my opinion..

It was okay

Would you try another book from David Bell and/or Fred Lehne?

Yes, I would read another one.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was relatively clever.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was fine.

Could you see The Hiding Place being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Maybe

Any additional comments?

It was entertaining.

Suspense That Keeps You in the Car

The Hiding Place is the story of two adults that come to terms with a murder of a child that occurred twenty-five years ago when they were seven. Michael, a close, childhood friend of the murdered boy’s sister, Janet, returns to the small, western Ohio town where he was raised. Janet and he, along with Janet’s teenage daughter and the detective who investigated the murder originally, piece together the events that actually took place that fateful day.

The author, David Bell, interleaves the present and past with a deft hand, gradually revealing the story as it is reconstructed. The reconstruction takes several surprising twists, which provide page-turning suspense.

Bell’s characters are attractive and well developed, and the narrator, Fred Lehne, does a great job maintaining the suspense that infuses the novel. I look forward to listening to other books by Bell.