The Hiding Place is the haunting novel from Amanda Mason. Set in Whitby, although it is never actually named as such, I found this novel to be a real slow burn which gradually ramps up the tension and intrigue to a breath-taking climax.
Nell Galilee, her new husband and her moody tween stepdaughter, Maude, have rented a cottage in Nell’s home town by the sea, to take a much needed break as well as attend a family celebration. It has been years since Nell was last there, and she had reservations about returning and revisiting painful memories she had tried to leave behind. Their holiday cottage, Elder House, is not as welcoming or as comfortable as they had hoped, and Nell particularly feels uncomfortable there from the start; something just does not feel right. Nell and Maude begin to discover more about the unsettling Elder House and the disturbing stories that surround it. As the darkness within the house begins to infect their already fractured family bond, Nell fears that she is going to lose everything she loves.
The Hiding Place fools the reader into thinking it is a novel about relationships; between a families; between friends; or between a person and their environment. I was so immersed in the increasingly fractious relationship between Neill and Maude that for quite a while I had forgotten that this was a ghost story. The clues appear gradually with little unexplained events – things going missing, flickering lights - cleverly interspersed with day to day events and conversations. As the dark history of Elder House is revealed, we also learn more about what had happened to give the family the need to take a break from their own life.
As the supernatural envelopes the inhabitants and neighbours of Elder House, the tension builds to an almost unbearable level, but the strength of the plot and writing makes it impossible to stop reading, with the horror continuing to the final words.
The Hiding Place is the perfect spinechilling novel for these dark nights, but be warned, you may want to sleep with the lights on!
Nell Galilee, her new husband and her moody tween stepdaughter, Maude, have rented a cottage in Nell’s home town by the sea, to take a much needed break as well as attend a family celebration. It has been years since Nell was last there, and she had reservations about returning and revisiting painful memories she had tried to leave behind. Their holiday cottage, Elder House, is not as welcoming or as comfortable as they had hoped, and Nell particularly feels uncomfortable there from the start; something just does not feel right. Nell and Maude begin to discover more about the unsettling Elder House and the disturbing stories that surround it. As the darkness within the house begins to infect their already fractured family bond, Nell fears that she is going to lose everything she loves.
The Hiding Place fools the reader into thinking it is a novel about relationships; between a families; between friends; or between a person and their environment. I was so immersed in the increasingly fractious relationship between Neill and Maude that for quite a while I had forgotten that this was a ghost story. The clues appear gradually with little unexplained events – things going missing, flickering lights - cleverly interspersed with day to day events and conversations. As the dark history of Elder House is revealed, we also learn more about what had happened to give the family the need to take a break from their own life.
As the supernatural envelopes the inhabitants and neighbours of Elder House, the tension builds to an almost unbearable level, but the strength of the plot and writing makes it impossible to stop reading, with the horror continuing to the final words.
The Hiding Place is the perfect spinechilling novel for these dark nights, but be warned, you may want to sleep with the lights on!