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Hiding
Ready or not, the truth will come
Keller Baye and Rebecca Brown live on different sides of the Atlantic. Until she falls in love with him, Rebecca knows nothing of Keller. But he’s known about her for a very long time, and now he wants to destroy her.
This is the story of two families. One living under the threat of execution in North Carolina. The other caught up in a dark mystery in the Scottish Highlands. The families’ paths are destined to cross. But why? And can anything save them when that happens?
(Jenny Morton Potts takes to the psychological thriller stage on an international canvass, and with a unique, bold voice.)
Keller Baye and Rebecca Brown live on different sides of the Atlantic. Until she falls in love with him, Rebecca knows nothing of Keller. But he’s known about her for a very long time, and now he wants to destroy her.
This is the story of two families. One living under the threat of execution in North Carolina. The other caught up in a dark mystery in the Scottish Highlands. The families’ paths are destined to cross. But why? And can anything save them when that happens?
(Jenny Morton Potts takes to the psychological thriller stage on an international canvass, and with a unique, bold voice.)
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2018
11 people are currently reading
843 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Morton Potts
4 books64 followers Jenny Morton Potts was born in a smart, dull suburb of Glasgow where the only regular excitement was burglary. Attended a smart, dull school where the only regular excitement was the strap. Worked in smart, dull sales and marketing jobs until realising she was living someone else’s life.
Escaped to Gascony to make gîtes. Knee deep in cement and pregnant, Jenny was happy. Then autism and a distracted spine surgeon who wanted to talk about The Da Vinci Code, wiped out the order. Returned to wonderful England – and unlikely ever to leave again – Jenny, with assistance from loyal hound, walked and swam her way back to manageable health.
Jenny would like to see the Northern Lights but worries that’s the best bit and should be saved till last. Very happily, and gratefully, partnered for 28 years, she ought to mention, and living with inspirational child in Derbyshire.
Escaped to Gascony to make gîtes. Knee deep in cement and pregnant, Jenny was happy. Then autism and a distracted spine surgeon who wanted to talk about The Da Vinci Code, wiped out the order. Returned to wonderful England – and unlikely ever to leave again – Jenny, with assistance from loyal hound, walked and swam her way back to manageable health.
Jenny would like to see the Northern Lights but worries that’s the best bit and should be saved till last. Very happily, and gratefully, partnered for 28 years, she ought to mention, and living with inspirational child in Derbyshire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
February 27, 2018
5☆ Highly recommend!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Hiding.
Right from the start I felt uneasy and a little bit spooked and I loved It!!!
Hiding is a nicely paced suspenseful book that is full of secrets, family drama, mystery, intrigue, it's thrilling, captivating, and will keep you turning pages to uncover the connections and connect the dots!
We meet 4year old Rebecca and her brother Austen and sister Colette. They become orphaned when there parents tragically die in a car crash.
They go to live with their grandparents in Scotland. However the grandparents are very weird particularly Primmy she is very secretive and a very complex character.
Rebecca is desperate to uncover the truth about her parents and why her grandparents are so secretive, cold and closed.
We also meet Keller he really unnerved me. But you see Keller displays very odd and creepy behaviour.
Keller is in America.
His Father is on death row and he goes to watch his execution.
Right from the first meeting you get a feeling Keller is looking for someone.
Armed with a work permit for the UK.
We discover he is off to Scotland. We can only imagine it's to locate Rebecca!
But why??
As the book progresses it alternates between Rebecca and Keller's stories and how there lives are cleverly weaved together.
The whole way through Jenny drags you into the characters lives. She dangles lil bits of juicy information then leaves you hanging. Which I loved! It kept me wanting to read more to find out just exactly what Keller is up too!
The characters are an eclectic mix but fit together perfectly.
Things are not always what they first appear to be!
Be warned once you start this book you will be enthralled, as Jenny's writing drags you in and captures your attention.
Prepare to enter a web of secrets!
Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my blog website:
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/0...
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Hiding.
Right from the start I felt uneasy and a little bit spooked and I loved It!!!
Hiding is a nicely paced suspenseful book that is full of secrets, family drama, mystery, intrigue, it's thrilling, captivating, and will keep you turning pages to uncover the connections and connect the dots!
We meet 4year old Rebecca and her brother Austen and sister Colette. They become orphaned when there parents tragically die in a car crash.
They go to live with their grandparents in Scotland. However the grandparents are very weird particularly Primmy she is very secretive and a very complex character.
Rebecca is desperate to uncover the truth about her parents and why her grandparents are so secretive, cold and closed.
We also meet Keller he really unnerved me. But you see Keller displays very odd and creepy behaviour.
Keller is in America.
His Father is on death row and he goes to watch his execution.
Right from the first meeting you get a feeling Keller is looking for someone.
Armed with a work permit for the UK.
We discover he is off to Scotland. We can only imagine it's to locate Rebecca!
But why??
As the book progresses it alternates between Rebecca and Keller's stories and how there lives are cleverly weaved together.
The whole way through Jenny drags you into the characters lives. She dangles lil bits of juicy information then leaves you hanging. Which I loved! It kept me wanting to read more to find out just exactly what Keller is up too!
The characters are an eclectic mix but fit together perfectly.
Things are not always what they first appear to be!
Be warned once you start this book you will be enthralled, as Jenny's writing drags you in and captures your attention.
Prepare to enter a web of secrets!
Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my blog website:
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/0...
June 23, 2018
4.5
Hiding is an intense and gripping story about perseverance, survival, love, retribution and hate.
Since Rebecca’s parents have died in an automobile accident, she and her siblings have been living with their reclusive and secretive grandparents in a remote mansion in Scotland.
There are many secrets to uncover and many questions to find answers to for Rebecca. Why are her grandparents reluctant to talk about the accident? Why the certain incidents she can remember from her past don’t match with what she has been told? Why can’t she have friends over? Who is Uncle Neil?
We leave Rebecca in Scotland and join Keller in America, who is on his way to watch his father being executed. “I want to know if my son can see me”; those are the last words he hears his father utter before being injected with poison. For Keller there is one path left. The path to revenge. And he is prepared to dig as many graves as it takes to get what he wants.
Soon he will be on his way to Scotland. He is on a deadly mission and nothing and no one is going to stop him.
Thanks to Jenny Morton Potts, Cahoots Publishing and the NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.
Hiding is an intense and gripping story about perseverance, survival, love, retribution and hate.
Since Rebecca’s parents have died in an automobile accident, she and her siblings have been living with their reclusive and secretive grandparents in a remote mansion in Scotland.
There are many secrets to uncover and many questions to find answers to for Rebecca. Why are her grandparents reluctant to talk about the accident? Why the certain incidents she can remember from her past don’t match with what she has been told? Why can’t she have friends over? Who is Uncle Neil?
We leave Rebecca in Scotland and join Keller in America, who is on his way to watch his father being executed. “I want to know if my son can see me”; those are the last words he hears his father utter before being injected with poison. For Keller there is one path left. The path to revenge. And he is prepared to dig as many graves as it takes to get what he wants.
Soon he will be on his way to Scotland. He is on a deadly mission and nothing and no one is going to stop him.
Thanks to Jenny Morton Potts, Cahoots Publishing and the NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.
July 19, 2018
Unlike most reviewers, I gained little pleasure from reading this book. In fact, I would have given up about a third way through if this wasn't an ARC awaiting a review as I feel I should read the entire book before offering an opinion. It's not so much the plot or the characters left me less than eager, it's the writing itself. It's so jerky, simple sentences that should clearly be combined, issues with tense. Honestly it made me feel anxious for reasons I can't really explain. All the joy of reading dissolved chapter by chapter and I couldn't wait for it to be over. After all of the aggravation with the writing, I was left with a less than savory ending. This one is clearly not for me.
I was provided an ARC of this book by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was provided an ARC of this book by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 31, 2018
In the interests of full disclosure, it's not often that I accept an offer to read a book that comes directly from the author. For the most part, that's because I've been burned in the past, and I have zero confidence that anything in the pages has ever seen the eyes of a proofreader. And as a professional writer/editor (nonfiction only), finding more than handful of errors - even in a pre-publication copy - is enough to make me apoplectic. It is - and forever will be - my belief that anyone who doesn't have the rules of grammar and punctuation down pat has no right to call him- or herself a writer.
That settled, something told me this one would be different (the fact that the author's email message to me was totally coherent went a long way toward convincing me of that, in fact; you wouldn't believe the grammatical awfulness of some of the requests I get).
And guess what? I'm delighted to report that this book is a gem well worth reading. Ms. Potts, thank you for giving me a few hours of reading pleasure - truly, I didn't want the experience to end.
The beginning happens in 2007 with the tragic death of Rebecca Brown's parents in an auto accident. At age 4, she and her older brother Austin and sister Colette were sent to live with their grandparents in northern Scotland. But their lives are mired in secrecy; the siblings are all but confined to a falling-apart home with little outside contact, under the thumbs of two people who are for the most part caring but refuse to allow questions about anything that happened in the past.
In 2021 "across the Pond," as we Americans like to say, is another family of sorts. Keller Baye, the son of a man convicted of a terrorist-type crime in North Carolina, watches as his imprisoned father is given a lethal injection (as an aside nitpick, I've been to the North Carolina Outer Banks something like 27 times and as far as I know there is no hotel on Bodie Island). By this time, Rebecca is a grown woman - albeit with understandable issues - and a relatively successful standup comedian, drawing heavily on her life experiences for material.
From that point on, chapters flip from Keller's life to Rebecca's, with each adding details about how the two characters are connected. To be honest, this then-and-now is a technique with which I've grown quite weary, although I must say it's done quite well here - and upon more reflection, it's most likely the only way this complex story could have been told (all of which is my convoluted way of saying hey folks, it works).
It is, of course, that connection that makes the story intriguing and hard to put down. As Keller leaves the United States for England with a new identity, it's clear he intends to find Rebecca (and slowly, his reason is revealed, heightening the thrill factor). Why, exactly, is Keller so intent on finding Rebecca? And what will happen if and when he does? Most of the loose ends are tied up by the final pages, although a few are left to readers' imaginations at the rather abrupt ending.
So what's next? A sequel might be in order, or not. Whatever is in store, I'll be eager to read it. As for this one, well done!
That settled, something told me this one would be different (the fact that the author's email message to me was totally coherent went a long way toward convincing me of that, in fact; you wouldn't believe the grammatical awfulness of some of the requests I get).
And guess what? I'm delighted to report that this book is a gem well worth reading. Ms. Potts, thank you for giving me a few hours of reading pleasure - truly, I didn't want the experience to end.
The beginning happens in 2007 with the tragic death of Rebecca Brown's parents in an auto accident. At age 4, she and her older brother Austin and sister Colette were sent to live with their grandparents in northern Scotland. But their lives are mired in secrecy; the siblings are all but confined to a falling-apart home with little outside contact, under the thumbs of two people who are for the most part caring but refuse to allow questions about anything that happened in the past.
In 2021 "across the Pond," as we Americans like to say, is another family of sorts. Keller Baye, the son of a man convicted of a terrorist-type crime in North Carolina, watches as his imprisoned father is given a lethal injection (as an aside nitpick, I've been to the North Carolina Outer Banks something like 27 times and as far as I know there is no hotel on Bodie Island). By this time, Rebecca is a grown woman - albeit with understandable issues - and a relatively successful standup comedian, drawing heavily on her life experiences for material.
From that point on, chapters flip from Keller's life to Rebecca's, with each adding details about how the two characters are connected. To be honest, this then-and-now is a technique with which I've grown quite weary, although I must say it's done quite well here - and upon more reflection, it's most likely the only way this complex story could have been told (all of which is my convoluted way of saying hey folks, it works).
It is, of course, that connection that makes the story intriguing and hard to put down. As Keller leaves the United States for England with a new identity, it's clear he intends to find Rebecca (and slowly, his reason is revealed, heightening the thrill factor). Why, exactly, is Keller so intent on finding Rebecca? And what will happen if and when he does? Most of the loose ends are tied up by the final pages, although a few are left to readers' imaginations at the rather abrupt ending.
So what's next? A sequel might be in order, or not. Whatever is in store, I'll be eager to read it. As for this one, well done!
February 1, 2018
Hiding is a well written psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns.
This is the story of two characters Keller Baye and Rebecca Brown who live on different sides of the Atlantic to each other. We read their story in both the past and the present which I felt really added to the story. I don’t want to say too much about the story as I believe you should just jump in blind.
I found this to be a well thought out storyline. The twists and turns had me gripped. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
This is the story of two characters Keller Baye and Rebecca Brown who live on different sides of the Atlantic to each other. We read their story in both the past and the present which I felt really added to the story. I don’t want to say too much about the story as I believe you should just jump in blind.
I found this to be a well thought out storyline. The twists and turns had me gripped. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
February 24, 2018
Hiding draws you in immediately with two very strong and intriguing main characters: Rebecca Brown and Keller Baye. The reader is catapulted into such pivotal points in each character's life that it made me sit up and take notice, rubbing my hands in glee, at such juicy bait dangling from the line cast by Jenny Morton Potts. Now that's what I call hooked from the start.
Rebecca's story starts in 2007 when she becomes an orphan along with her older siblings: brother, Austen, and sister, Colette. When their parents are killed in a car crash they are sent to live with grandparents in Scotland at the family home called Taransay, or The Orphanage as the siblings refer to it. As Rebecca gets older she wants to know what happened to her parents but her family won't talk about it. Why? What are they hiding?
Fast forward to the not too distant future of 2021 and Keller Baye is heading to the prison to watch his father be put to death by lethal injection. Keller is already severely damaged as his time spent living with his cruel Aunt Joya has made him into the man he is today. The event that started all this was the moment his father shot a man in a failed bank robbery and now Keller is out for revenge.
The development of both main characters in Hiding is exceptional. I felt like I could see inside their heads and know what they were thinking and how they were feeling. I actually felt so sorry for both of them as they seemed so unhappy with their lives that they invent a new persona to escape who they really are. Rebecca reinvents herself as a comedian after a life spent feeling as if she didn't belong, her family has even taken her name away as they refer to her as 'Youngest Brown'. It might seem affectionate to them but I felt like it stole her identity. Meanwhile, Keller becomes quite the charmer with the ladies but he is not as controlled as Rebecca as his emotions can change at the flick of a switch.
I was wondering what the link was between Rebecca and Keller from the start and after some nicely built suspense, the pieces all start falling into place. The title of the book is woven so cleverly into the story, meaning very different things for Rebecca and Keller, but ultimately every character is Hiding something.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Hiding; it is so intriguing and compelling that I lost track of time while I was reading (I could have easily read it in one sitting if I'd picked it up on a weekend rather than a work night). Reading Hiding is like doing a jigsaw; you have all of the pieces but you can't see the full picture until the final piece is slotted into place. Hiding is an exceptional book that hooked me from the start and kept me riveted throughout; a well-deserved five stars.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Rebecca's story starts in 2007 when she becomes an orphan along with her older siblings: brother, Austen, and sister, Colette. When their parents are killed in a car crash they are sent to live with grandparents in Scotland at the family home called Taransay, or The Orphanage as the siblings refer to it. As Rebecca gets older she wants to know what happened to her parents but her family won't talk about it. Why? What are they hiding?
Fast forward to the not too distant future of 2021 and Keller Baye is heading to the prison to watch his father be put to death by lethal injection. Keller is already severely damaged as his time spent living with his cruel Aunt Joya has made him into the man he is today. The event that started all this was the moment his father shot a man in a failed bank robbery and now Keller is out for revenge.
The development of both main characters in Hiding is exceptional. I felt like I could see inside their heads and know what they were thinking and how they were feeling. I actually felt so sorry for both of them as they seemed so unhappy with their lives that they invent a new persona to escape who they really are. Rebecca reinvents herself as a comedian after a life spent feeling as if she didn't belong, her family has even taken her name away as they refer to her as 'Youngest Brown'. It might seem affectionate to them but I felt like it stole her identity. Meanwhile, Keller becomes quite the charmer with the ladies but he is not as controlled as Rebecca as his emotions can change at the flick of a switch.
I was wondering what the link was between Rebecca and Keller from the start and after some nicely built suspense, the pieces all start falling into place. The title of the book is woven so cleverly into the story, meaning very different things for Rebecca and Keller, but ultimately every character is Hiding something.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Hiding; it is so intriguing and compelling that I lost track of time while I was reading (I could have easily read it in one sitting if I'd picked it up on a weekend rather than a work night). Reading Hiding is like doing a jigsaw; you have all of the pieces but you can't see the full picture until the final piece is slotted into place. Hiding is an exceptional book that hooked me from the start and kept me riveted throughout; a well-deserved five stars.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
March 17, 2018
The beginning of this book is told from two points of view, Rebecca Brown who is an orphan living is Scotland and Keller Baye whose father is on death row for shooting a man during a failed bank raid. The two threads of the story are each very good as separate stories and for the first half of the book I enjoyed reading each of them although despite knowing that they must intersect at some point it was not clear how and why this would happen.
Rebecca is a bit of a dreamer who was far too young to remember much about how she and her siblings came to be staying with their grandparents in scary Taransay which stood in the wilds of Scotland and had bars on the windows. Brother Austen lives away at boarding school and sister Colette is educated at grammar school, leaving just Rebecca at the local state school. Grandfather Ralph and Rebecca are close and spend a lot of time together in his study while grandmother Primmy is controlling and doesn't allow Rebecca to go anywhere or do anything other than her school work.
Meanwhile Keller's father Othaniel is executed by lethal injection in the USA, witnessed by Keller. On his father's incarceration Keller is sent to live with his aunt Joya who only puts a roof over his head in return for the payment the local authorities give her for doing so. She barely shows him any care, regularly locking him out of the house overnight and not providing food for him. Keller goes off the rails in spectacular fashion and this experience sets up the path of his future life.
The two storylines pretty much collide when Keller tracks down Rebecca and travels to Scotland under a fake identity to find her. Becky has no idea who he is and falls for his charms with no idea the danger she is putting herself in.
I was drawn well and truly into the story right from the start and was interested to find out what linked the two characters and why Keller would go to the trouble and expense of travelling to Scotland to find Becky. The author builds tension steadily along the way and the climax to the story was not what I expected at all. Personally I would have liked more of a back story to the older generation in the tale and I think this would have added a little more depth to the characters but other than that I found this a very enjoyable novel and will look out for further work by this author.
Rebecca is a bit of a dreamer who was far too young to remember much about how she and her siblings came to be staying with their grandparents in scary Taransay which stood in the wilds of Scotland and had bars on the windows. Brother Austen lives away at boarding school and sister Colette is educated at grammar school, leaving just Rebecca at the local state school. Grandfather Ralph and Rebecca are close and spend a lot of time together in his study while grandmother Primmy is controlling and doesn't allow Rebecca to go anywhere or do anything other than her school work.
Meanwhile Keller's father Othaniel is executed by lethal injection in the USA, witnessed by Keller. On his father's incarceration Keller is sent to live with his aunt Joya who only puts a roof over his head in return for the payment the local authorities give her for doing so. She barely shows him any care, regularly locking him out of the house overnight and not providing food for him. Keller goes off the rails in spectacular fashion and this experience sets up the path of his future life.
The two storylines pretty much collide when Keller tracks down Rebecca and travels to Scotland under a fake identity to find her. Becky has no idea who he is and falls for his charms with no idea the danger she is putting herself in.
I was drawn well and truly into the story right from the start and was interested to find out what linked the two characters and why Keller would go to the trouble and expense of travelling to Scotland to find Becky. The author builds tension steadily along the way and the climax to the story was not what I expected at all. Personally I would have liked more of a back story to the older generation in the tale and I think this would have added a little more depth to the characters but other than that I found this a very enjoyable novel and will look out for further work by this author.
January 25, 2018
Rebecca lives with her two siblings with her grandparents as their parents died in a car accident. She does some research and can’t understand why her name is not the same as theirs was. Keller makes his last journey to the prison where his father has been incarcerated and then travels to England to find out more about a family he has known about for a very long time. Two separate stories of two very different lives. This is a well written novel that took me a while to get into but once I did I really enjoyed it and wanted to know what the connection was. Jenny gives excellent character portrayal especially to the main pair. Rebecca you take to easily, Keller you have to wonder what his intentions are and are more and more suspicious as the plot thickens. I couldn’t see where this was going- at all which to me shows how well it has been planned and written. To me it was more of a crime book (albeit with a psychological element) than a pure psychological thriller. That said I still really enjoyed it. One of those books that is a different read from the formatted norm. An unusual, thought provoking read
February 25, 2018
Potts takes us on a journey through Rebecca and Keller's lives. Through intricate back stories, we learn of their families, their own pasts and how they end up intersecting. For me, the beginning was a bit slow in starting and wasn't quite grasping my interest. Keller's journey to becoming a killer was quite more interesting than Rebecca's back story. But once the story starts to mesh together, it takes off.
The concept of this book is fantastic. While the writing felt choppy in certain areas, long winded in others, I think the fully fleshed out back stories were necessary to really get to the full circle towards the ending. For thriller lovers, the slow start may deter you. Power through. The ending will surprise you.
I think there will be a bit of a divide in thriller lover's opinions on this one. But that's what happens when a unique voice enters the genre. I'm a bit torn. Love the concept and twists but it didn't quite grip me or keep me glued to the pages as I had hoped that it would. Certainly intrigued enough to want to see what else Potts brings our way. I mean, who doesn't love a psychological thriller with a bit of a warped love story? 😉
The concept of this book is fantastic. While the writing felt choppy in certain areas, long winded in others, I think the fully fleshed out back stories were necessary to really get to the full circle towards the ending. For thriller lovers, the slow start may deter you. Power through. The ending will surprise you.
I think there will be a bit of a divide in thriller lover's opinions on this one. But that's what happens when a unique voice enters the genre. I'm a bit torn. Love the concept and twists but it didn't quite grip me or keep me glued to the pages as I had hoped that it would. Certainly intrigued enough to want to see what else Potts brings our way. I mean, who doesn't love a psychological thriller with a bit of a warped love story? 😉
February 21, 2018
Brilliant!
Othaniel Baye is to be executed for his crime. A murderer, the father of Kellar Baye. Keller being a man you will pity, you will get to know him better: him and all his motives. A man stuck in a sorry situation trying to make it all better for himself. A hard worker, they all say. Will he capture your heart? Like he did, Rebecca Brown's. Rebecca lost her parents young, and was left with no real answers. She's trying to move on from all that but still wanting to know of her family.
This book is your classic British thriller (thankfully without all the detectives), except everything seems so shockingly real. It was unpredictable but it seemed as if you were quite expecting the ending yet it still managed to surprise. For that, all credit goes to Jenny Morton Potts- she delivered a wacky story that breaks all the rules.
For one thing, for a thriller, this book had a lot of understated humour. Comedy gold: the antics of Rebecca Brown and her family. But the greatest rule broken was that ending! The end to all that bubbling anticipation, this book indeed delivered. Potts writes so imaginatively, placing revelations all through book when you'd least expect them. But more than that, it was how the reader knew something before even the characters, it seems the reader, like the writer knows what is coming, yet... We are still pleasantly surprised. It's a book fit to capture your attention!
I received this book from the author for review consideration.
Othaniel Baye is to be executed for his crime. A murderer, the father of Kellar Baye. Keller being a man you will pity, you will get to know him better: him and all his motives. A man stuck in a sorry situation trying to make it all better for himself. A hard worker, they all say. Will he capture your heart? Like he did, Rebecca Brown's. Rebecca lost her parents young, and was left with no real answers. She's trying to move on from all that but still wanting to know of her family.
This book is your classic British thriller (thankfully without all the detectives), except everything seems so shockingly real. It was unpredictable but it seemed as if you were quite expecting the ending yet it still managed to surprise. For that, all credit goes to Jenny Morton Potts- she delivered a wacky story that breaks all the rules.
For one thing, for a thriller, this book had a lot of understated humour. Comedy gold: the antics of Rebecca Brown and her family. But the greatest rule broken was that ending! The end to all that bubbling anticipation, this book indeed delivered. Potts writes so imaginatively, placing revelations all through book when you'd least expect them. But more than that, it was how the reader knew something before even the characters, it seems the reader, like the writer knows what is coming, yet... We are still pleasantly surprised. It's a book fit to capture your attention!
I received this book from the author for review consideration.
October 5, 2024
Rebecca Brown is an orphan. She is sent to the highlands of Scotland to live with her grandparents and brother and sister after their parents die in a car crash. Keller Baye is in a similar position in North Carolina, having been left with his horrible Aunt Joya after his dad is involved in a failed bank robbery and is on death row.
Keller becomes obsessed with finding Rebecca Brown but why?
The story is told from the viewpoints of Rebecca and Keller. We follow their story from 2007, when Keller is a teenager and Rebecca is ten years old, to 2021 when they finally meet. There’s a lot of mystery, the story really keeps you guessing until the full story is revealed near the end of the book.
The backstories both characters are well crafted and believable, I was very impressed and I feel a lot of research went into the characters to make them authentic.
Keller is a very complicated character. I had a lot of sympathy for him, most of what happened to him was not his fault but as the story goes on he becomes a bit of a monster. I loved Rebecca as a child, she so inquisitive and imaginative, I would have liked her as a friend when I was ten years old.
I felt that the story could have done with a little more fine tuning, there was a little bit of repetition. Also if the author hadn’t said it was set in 2007 or 2021, I wouldn’t have really known. I felt that it could have been set in the 80’s or 90’s or even now without detracting from the story.
Overall a really character driven story with a compelling storyline.
Keller becomes obsessed with finding Rebecca Brown but why?
The story is told from the viewpoints of Rebecca and Keller. We follow their story from 2007, when Keller is a teenager and Rebecca is ten years old, to 2021 when they finally meet. There’s a lot of mystery, the story really keeps you guessing until the full story is revealed near the end of the book.
The backstories both characters are well crafted and believable, I was very impressed and I feel a lot of research went into the characters to make them authentic.
Keller is a very complicated character. I had a lot of sympathy for him, most of what happened to him was not his fault but as the story goes on he becomes a bit of a monster. I loved Rebecca as a child, she so inquisitive and imaginative, I would have liked her as a friend when I was ten years old.
I felt that the story could have done with a little more fine tuning, there was a little bit of repetition. Also if the author hadn’t said it was set in 2007 or 2021, I wouldn’t have really known. I felt that it could have been set in the 80’s or 90’s or even now without detracting from the story.
Overall a really character driven story with a compelling storyline.
February 19, 2018
With thanks to the author for the copy received.
Hiding is a dual narrative novel that was slightly different to the ones that I have read previously.
Keller’s story was the one that I got into more quickly. His descent from neglected child into a murderer was chilling and rapid. Very much a loner but he also knew how to charm, until he had no further use for that person and he then turned to cruelty.
Rebecca was also a loner. I liked her alternative name of Youngest or Youngest Brown. She was adamant that she would do her own thing, all the time giving an outward appearance of independence but inside she was suffering, determined to find answers about her past.
There is a lot of cruelty, all from Keller. He was a character who I struggled to like or have any sympathy for. But as well as the cruelty there was also humour. I liked the way that Keller struggled to understand Scottish and English slang. Primmy was a character who made me smile a lot, the way that her dialect was described was something I have never seen before.
The ending was the part of the novel that I found unexpected. Some have described it as abrupt but I felt that it suited the rest of the narrative perfectly. I’m hoping for a sequel though.
February 26, 2018
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I love this cover, it fits the book so well, it's really striking and definitely drew me in!
It is a well written psychological thriller that has a great storyline to it. I liked the way the story is told by the characters and the settings were great. The only downside for me was that times there was content that could probably have been cut out to make the story a bit more punchy but that's only a minor niggle for me.
This book is very good, I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it - 4 stars!!
I love this cover, it fits the book so well, it's really striking and definitely drew me in!
It is a well written psychological thriller that has a great storyline to it. I liked the way the story is told by the characters and the settings were great. The only downside for me was that times there was content that could probably have been cut out to make the story a bit more punchy but that's only a minor niggle for me.
This book is very good, I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it - 4 stars!!
January 13, 2018
This book had from the beginning. I loved the cover and everything about this book. This is a new author for me and I would read more. As the book promises it is a very gripping psychological thriller! I enjoyed it very much. You should check it out. *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*
March 29, 2018
4.5/5
Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts is a fast-paced new psychological thriller that will keep you hooked right until the very end.
I enjoyed every bit of reading this book! The writing was one of the best parts of this book; it was very fluid, smooth and engaging. The next best thing for me was the mind-blowing plot; it was so interesting that it was hard for me to stop myself from reading the next chapter every time I finished one. The plot unravels beautifully and the reveals were rewarding. Once I started the book, it was literally unputdownable! The chapters are paced brilliantly and the changing timelines of the two different POV characters made this a thoroughly enjoyable read.
The characters were so good and full of life - I loved Rebecca, and though I wasn't able to overly connect to Keller, I did get the motivation behind his actions. The secondary characters were also well constructed and very relatable.
This is my first book by this author and I'm looking forward to reading more by her in the near future. I'd recommend this book to thriller/psychological thriller lovers.
This review is also posted on www.thereadingbud.com
Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts is a fast-paced new psychological thriller that will keep you hooked right until the very end.
I enjoyed every bit of reading this book! The writing was one of the best parts of this book; it was very fluid, smooth and engaging. The next best thing for me was the mind-blowing plot; it was so interesting that it was hard for me to stop myself from reading the next chapter every time I finished one. The plot unravels beautifully and the reveals were rewarding. Once I started the book, it was literally unputdownable! The chapters are paced brilliantly and the changing timelines of the two different POV characters made this a thoroughly enjoyable read.
The characters were so good and full of life - I loved Rebecca, and though I wasn't able to overly connect to Keller, I did get the motivation behind his actions. The secondary characters were also well constructed and very relatable.
This is my first book by this author and I'm looking forward to reading more by her in the near future. I'd recommend this book to thriller/psychological thriller lovers.
This review is also posted on www.thereadingbud.com
February 1, 2018
Set as a sort of time slip and as a transatlantic thriller we meet Keller Baye from America and Rebecca Brown from Scotland. There is a connection that links these two people, well, more their parents actually, but not everyone knows what this link is. As the story unfolds we are taken deeper into the two family’s histories and are given details on Keller and Rebecca, their upbringing within their families, education and friends.
The story starts off at an unhurried stroll and gradually picks up pace as this reader got more engrossed in it. There are several threads have been woven and are gradually twisted and brought together. Jenny has done a brilliant job of giving little snippets and morsels of information and elusive details about the characters at just the right moments, giving hints at what is to come. A little about the plot, and it will be a little as I really do not want to give anything away. An incident occurs, it is very much a wrong place wrong time moment, but the resulting consequences have far-reaching implications, and that is all I am prepared to say, I just don’t want to hint at anything and spoil it for another reader. Just grab yourself a copy and read it, you won’t be disappointed.
As for the characters, they are a wonderful varied mixed bunch that have a whole host of traits that seem to fit really well, you will meet good, bad, ugly, funny, sly, strict and lovable rogue types. Some you will like, others you will not and I also like the ones that make me change my mind on how I feel about them. A great look at the differences within the family dynamics as well, how they interact with each other, or don’t in some cases. The descriptions of the sandstone house that is Taransay I loved, a bleak, grim, cold draughty mansion and the isolation of it gave me a real image as I read.
So in case you had not realised, I really loved this book, I liked the way it grabbed my attention from the very beginning and did not let me go until the very last words. I wasn’t sure of where this book was going to take me, but as it had piqued my interest early on I was quite willing to be led and greedily kept turning the pages.
This is a book that is ideal for those who like a slow burner that then starts to increase in pace as the story evolves and then has you racing to the end. A brilliant read, with well-developed characters, a great pace, very good setting descriptions and plot lines. A definite must read recommendation from this reader to others who like a good thriller.
Now I have to mention the cover, it is intriguing and after you have read the book, take another look at it ! I went from liking it originally, to now loving it, it makes a lot of sense.
The story starts off at an unhurried stroll and gradually picks up pace as this reader got more engrossed in it. There are several threads have been woven and are gradually twisted and brought together. Jenny has done a brilliant job of giving little snippets and morsels of information and elusive details about the characters at just the right moments, giving hints at what is to come. A little about the plot, and it will be a little as I really do not want to give anything away. An incident occurs, it is very much a wrong place wrong time moment, but the resulting consequences have far-reaching implications, and that is all I am prepared to say, I just don’t want to hint at anything and spoil it for another reader. Just grab yourself a copy and read it, you won’t be disappointed.
As for the characters, they are a wonderful varied mixed bunch that have a whole host of traits that seem to fit really well, you will meet good, bad, ugly, funny, sly, strict and lovable rogue types. Some you will like, others you will not and I also like the ones that make me change my mind on how I feel about them. A great look at the differences within the family dynamics as well, how they interact with each other, or don’t in some cases. The descriptions of the sandstone house that is Taransay I loved, a bleak, grim, cold draughty mansion and the isolation of it gave me a real image as I read.
So in case you had not realised, I really loved this book, I liked the way it grabbed my attention from the very beginning and did not let me go until the very last words. I wasn’t sure of where this book was going to take me, but as it had piqued my interest early on I was quite willing to be led and greedily kept turning the pages.
This is a book that is ideal for those who like a slow burner that then starts to increase in pace as the story evolves and then has you racing to the end. A brilliant read, with well-developed characters, a great pace, very good setting descriptions and plot lines. A definite must read recommendation from this reader to others who like a good thriller.
Now I have to mention the cover, it is intriguing and after you have read the book, take another look at it ! I went from liking it originally, to now loving it, it makes a lot of sense.
February 27, 2018
This story is told from two perspectives – Rebecca and Keller. Rebecca and her siblings live with their grandparents and all they know is that their parents were killed in a car crash. Keller is the son of a man that was a getaway driver for a heist but ended up killing a judge. Keller lived with a very uncaring and cruel Aunt and I think this is part of the reason why he became much like his father, a killer.
The story spans a little over a decade as it starts when Rebecca and Keller are younger. Then the story jumps forward to when they are in their early twenties. Keller in this time has watched his father die via the death penalty and has become quite sadistic. Rebecca always wonders what happened to her parents and thought she might have been adopted and wonders who her biological mother might be and if she was still alive. All of this is based on her grandfather’s dying words to her.
While reading the book, it took a long time for the connection between Rebecca and Keller to emerge, over fifty percent. The story still builds from there and the last 10% of the book is probably the best because that is when everything is coming to a head.
As a disclosure, there are several descriptive sex scenes and quite a few f* bombs in case that is the sort of thing you don’t like to read.
The story spans a little over a decade as it starts when Rebecca and Keller are younger. Then the story jumps forward to when they are in their early twenties. Keller in this time has watched his father die via the death penalty and has become quite sadistic. Rebecca always wonders what happened to her parents and thought she might have been adopted and wonders who her biological mother might be and if she was still alive. All of this is based on her grandfather’s dying words to her.
While reading the book, it took a long time for the connection between Rebecca and Keller to emerge, over fifty percent. The story still builds from there and the last 10% of the book is probably the best because that is when everything is coming to a head.
As a disclosure, there are several descriptive sex scenes and quite a few f* bombs in case that is the sort of thing you don’t like to read.
June 6, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, first book i have read by this author and it wont be the last & many thanks to Jenny for sending me an arc of this book to read before publicarion & as always i am late in posting my review so apologies Jenny...
This book tells us about Rebecca and Keller who live at opposite ends of the world basically but they eventually come together, but what is the alterior motive and who has the most to loose, plenty of twists and turns and a great ending x
This book tells us about Rebecca and Keller who live at opposite ends of the world basically but they eventually come together, but what is the alterior motive and who has the most to loose, plenty of twists and turns and a great ending x
February 23, 2018
Loved this book, a real page turner from beginning to end. No spoilers but you will not be disappointed. Well written, great characters, good plot. Lots of twists and turns. Would highly recommend this but be warned, I couldn't put it down so set aside a few hours reading time.
February 16, 2018
‘If you’ll forgive me, memory lane is not where I need to be this minute.’
British author/screenwriter Jenny Morton Potts lives and writes in Derbyshire. She has published two books – PIANO FROM A 4TH STORY WINDOW and the screenplay resulted in a movie filmed in Sussex, and now HIDING.
Jenny’s gift for creating terrifying atmospheres and leading the reader through twists and turns that border on incredible is evident from the start of her book –first we meet Rebecca - ‘Killer Road,
April 2007 - They died, Rebecca Brown’s mum and dad. They were killed on a road with a big reputation. Rebecca could only imagine it. She was hundreds of miles from the scene of the crash when it happened. When she thought of that road, she pictured it covered in ice, black ice, since the accident took place on a bitter December night. The A42 was the road’s alphanumeric name. The Killer Road, they called it back then in the papers. The Killer Road has struck again! The headlines came into Rebecca’s mind like a voice, like Vincent Price, as if the road arched up into vertical life, a tarmac monster stalking its victims. Rebecca Brown was four years old when she became an orphan, alongside her sister, Colette, and her brother, Austen. Rebecca was the youngest. She couldn’t even remember the moment she was told. What had they said? ‘Mummy and Daddy have had a terrible accident, dear. In the car.’ At the time, she knew little more than the fact. They were gone. They’d been there all the days of her life, and then they were not. Of the circumstances and detail, she knew next to nothing. Perhaps Rebecca hadn’t thought to ask questions. Perhaps there was little more to say to a child so young. As Rebecca grew, though, so did her thirst for knowledge. But it seemed that, even if there had been a window of opportunity to make her enquiries, that window got bricked up years ago. There was a solid wall now between Rebecca Brown and the truth.‘
Then we meet Keller – ‘Death Row, June 2021 - Keller Baye made sure to find the shade of a tree when he drove into the parking lot of Ashvale Mall. The weesatch branches hung over the hood of his Chevy Silverado, leaves just inches from the windshield. In a light wind, those leaves would reach down and stroke the glass. But there was no wind on this late June day in 2021 and the sun was already relentless in the North Carolina sky. Keller watched a bug dance across the dashboard, looking for an exit. Was this a good day to die? Keller thought that it was as good as any. The Chevy pick-up was his pride and joy. He worked three jobs to keep up the payments. But he wouldn’t be making a payment next month, or ever again. Keller Baye had lived his whole life in this State. It never occurred to him to look elsewhere but now everything had changed. He’d been on this earth for twenty five years but he felt he was only just starting to really come alive. Up till now, he’d never been further than Charlotte, which is where he was headed right after his meeting with the bounty hunter, day after tomorrow. Of course, Mr. Blonk did not like to be called a bounty hunter, preferring instead the term skip tracer. But essentially, Blonk hunted folk down for money. And since Keller was paying, he’d call the guy whatever the hell he chose.’
These two dissociative time frames and people cross paths into creating a psychological thriller that is one of the strongest before the public. The plot outline offers a whisper of how the story plays – ‘Keller Baye and Rebecca Brown live on different sides of the Atlantic. Until she falls in love with him, Rebecca knows nothing of Keller. But he’s known about her for a very long time, and now he wants to destroy her. This is the story of two families. One living under the threat of execution in North Carolina. The other caught up in a dark mystery in the Scottish Highlands. The families’ paths are destined to cross. But why? And can anything save them when that happens?’
Very strong writing by Jenny – a book that pleads to be another screenplay!
British author/screenwriter Jenny Morton Potts lives and writes in Derbyshire. She has published two books – PIANO FROM A 4TH STORY WINDOW and the screenplay resulted in a movie filmed in Sussex, and now HIDING.
Jenny’s gift for creating terrifying atmospheres and leading the reader through twists and turns that border on incredible is evident from the start of her book –first we meet Rebecca - ‘Killer Road,
April 2007 - They died, Rebecca Brown’s mum and dad. They were killed on a road with a big reputation. Rebecca could only imagine it. She was hundreds of miles from the scene of the crash when it happened. When she thought of that road, she pictured it covered in ice, black ice, since the accident took place on a bitter December night. The A42 was the road’s alphanumeric name. The Killer Road, they called it back then in the papers. The Killer Road has struck again! The headlines came into Rebecca’s mind like a voice, like Vincent Price, as if the road arched up into vertical life, a tarmac monster stalking its victims. Rebecca Brown was four years old when she became an orphan, alongside her sister, Colette, and her brother, Austen. Rebecca was the youngest. She couldn’t even remember the moment she was told. What had they said? ‘Mummy and Daddy have had a terrible accident, dear. In the car.’ At the time, she knew little more than the fact. They were gone. They’d been there all the days of her life, and then they were not. Of the circumstances and detail, she knew next to nothing. Perhaps Rebecca hadn’t thought to ask questions. Perhaps there was little more to say to a child so young. As Rebecca grew, though, so did her thirst for knowledge. But it seemed that, even if there had been a window of opportunity to make her enquiries, that window got bricked up years ago. There was a solid wall now between Rebecca Brown and the truth.‘
Then we meet Keller – ‘Death Row, June 2021 - Keller Baye made sure to find the shade of a tree when he drove into the parking lot of Ashvale Mall. The weesatch branches hung over the hood of his Chevy Silverado, leaves just inches from the windshield. In a light wind, those leaves would reach down and stroke the glass. But there was no wind on this late June day in 2021 and the sun was already relentless in the North Carolina sky. Keller watched a bug dance across the dashboard, looking for an exit. Was this a good day to die? Keller thought that it was as good as any. The Chevy pick-up was his pride and joy. He worked three jobs to keep up the payments. But he wouldn’t be making a payment next month, or ever again. Keller Baye had lived his whole life in this State. It never occurred to him to look elsewhere but now everything had changed. He’d been on this earth for twenty five years but he felt he was only just starting to really come alive. Up till now, he’d never been further than Charlotte, which is where he was headed right after his meeting with the bounty hunter, day after tomorrow. Of course, Mr. Blonk did not like to be called a bounty hunter, preferring instead the term skip tracer. But essentially, Blonk hunted folk down for money. And since Keller was paying, he’d call the guy whatever the hell he chose.’
These two dissociative time frames and people cross paths into creating a psychological thriller that is one of the strongest before the public. The plot outline offers a whisper of how the story plays – ‘Keller Baye and Rebecca Brown live on different sides of the Atlantic. Until she falls in love with him, Rebecca knows nothing of Keller. But he’s known about her for a very long time, and now he wants to destroy her. This is the story of two families. One living under the threat of execution in North Carolina. The other caught up in a dark mystery in the Scottish Highlands. The families’ paths are destined to cross. But why? And can anything save them when that happens?’
Very strong writing by Jenny – a book that pleads to be another screenplay!
March 6, 2018
I enjoyed this book; Jenny Morton Potts has created a good psychological thriller; great plot, believable characters, good dialogue.
Hiding follows two main characters from different countries, both well-rounded and many layered: Rebecca, the protagonist, brought up in the Scottish Highlands with her siblings by her grandparents. It’s a bleak seemingly loveless household according to the narrative from Rebecca’s point of view. But there are many unanswered questions, especially about the death of here parents; killed in a car accident. And Keller Baye, the antagonist; an American youth, and son of a murderer. His narrative is revealed slowly and is, initially, more difficult to grasp. But what is obvious is the lack of love in his upbringing, and explains his total absence of empathy for anyone in his world. (I use the word ‘world’ on purpose, rather than his ‘life’; right from the start his character is portrayed as distanced from any other character in the story – he seemed to me to be more of a spectator). The most unsettling is his graphic, almost internal narration of his presence at his father’s execution.
Told alternately from each of the two main characters’ point of view, the plot lines are related both in the present and in flashbacks, (a device I like as a reader; to me this always adds so many more layers).
But it wasn’t only these two characters that came alive for me; most of the minor characters are many layered as well; some I liked, some I didn’t – which, is, undoubtedly, as the author intended
And both the internal and spoken dialogue expands on all the characters and there is never any doubt who is speaking.
The descriptions of the settings give a great sense of place; it’s easy to envisage each scene. From the descriptions of the isolated chilly mansion in Highlands of Scotland to the cramped unloving house that was Keller Baye’s home with his aunt in the USA, to the external scenes when each character is telling their own narrative and on to the scenes where they are eventually together.
As I said earlier it’s a great plot; seemingly separate tales with no connection, both well told, until a sudden realisation that there is an inevitable link.
Initially there is an even pace to the two separate narratives but then the suspense builds up as threads of the parallel stories intertwine and connect.A gripping read.
And right up to the last chapter I would have given Hiding five stars. So many small twists and turns, so many suspenseful moments joining up all the past narrative. But then, for me, it ended too abruptly. I won’t say how, and no doubt other readers will have their own opinions. But the gradual deepening of the plot and the lead up towards the end worked so well – and then…it was over; a sudden and unsatisfying denouement.
A last point; I love the cover; the silhouette of the woman looking outwards as though searching, the grim image of the man’s face as though watching; the contrast of light and dark. Wonderful!
Despite my reservations of the ending (and I leave that point for other readers to decide), I would certainly recommend Hiding. Jenny Morton Potts has a great style of writing.
Hiding follows two main characters from different countries, both well-rounded and many layered: Rebecca, the protagonist, brought up in the Scottish Highlands with her siblings by her grandparents. It’s a bleak seemingly loveless household according to the narrative from Rebecca’s point of view. But there are many unanswered questions, especially about the death of here parents; killed in a car accident. And Keller Baye, the antagonist; an American youth, and son of a murderer. His narrative is revealed slowly and is, initially, more difficult to grasp. But what is obvious is the lack of love in his upbringing, and explains his total absence of empathy for anyone in his world. (I use the word ‘world’ on purpose, rather than his ‘life’; right from the start his character is portrayed as distanced from any other character in the story – he seemed to me to be more of a spectator). The most unsettling is his graphic, almost internal narration of his presence at his father’s execution.
Told alternately from each of the two main characters’ point of view, the plot lines are related both in the present and in flashbacks, (a device I like as a reader; to me this always adds so many more layers).
But it wasn’t only these two characters that came alive for me; most of the minor characters are many layered as well; some I liked, some I didn’t – which, is, undoubtedly, as the author intended
And both the internal and spoken dialogue expands on all the characters and there is never any doubt who is speaking.
The descriptions of the settings give a great sense of place; it’s easy to envisage each scene. From the descriptions of the isolated chilly mansion in Highlands of Scotland to the cramped unloving house that was Keller Baye’s home with his aunt in the USA, to the external scenes when each character is telling their own narrative and on to the scenes where they are eventually together.
As I said earlier it’s a great plot; seemingly separate tales with no connection, both well told, until a sudden realisation that there is an inevitable link.
Initially there is an even pace to the two separate narratives but then the suspense builds up as threads of the parallel stories intertwine and connect.A gripping read.
And right up to the last chapter I would have given Hiding five stars. So many small twists and turns, so many suspenseful moments joining up all the past narrative. But then, for me, it ended too abruptly. I won’t say how, and no doubt other readers will have their own opinions. But the gradual deepening of the plot and the lead up towards the end worked so well – and then…it was over; a sudden and unsatisfying denouement.
A last point; I love the cover; the silhouette of the woman looking outwards as though searching, the grim image of the man’s face as though watching; the contrast of light and dark. Wonderful!
Despite my reservations of the ending (and I leave that point for other readers to decide), I would certainly recommend Hiding. Jenny Morton Potts has a great style of writing.
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February 28, 2018But where the hell do I start with this book?! I had no idea what to expect when I began reading this, the synopsis not giving an awful lot away and the author being new to me. I couldn't have prepared myself though for the intense roller coaster of a ride it was going to take me on though - not a chance.
The book begins with ten year old Rebecca, the youngest of three siblings and being brought up by clearly reluctant grandparents following the death of her parents in a car crash years ago. It's very clear early on that something strange is going on in the sinister old house in remote Scotland, and that the set up with the siblings and their Grandparents not altogether a happy one, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was other than a creeping sense of unease.
Then the following chapter switches to a few years into the future - this time to the USA where we join Keller Baye as he prepares to witness his father's execution after years on death row. I'm not going to lie, I had absolutely no idea how the two situations where connected and became a little confused. It was such a sharp change of setting and narrative - but incredibly intriguing. I needed to know what the hell was going on!
And the author keeps the reader guessing right the way through the book, as it flips between Rebecca's life in Scotland and Keller's life in the USA. With snatches of a traumatic and unhappy childhood and some seriously disturbing scenes, as we learn slowly about Keller's past and what connects him to the family in Scotland. It's pretty gory at times - my stomach churning more than once, and a little bit violent. This is a gritty read, but while I found it a bit confusing to begin with, by around 25% of the way through I found myself absolutely gripped.
The pace of this book is fast! The author constantly throws twists and shocks at the reader, keeping me on my toes right until the very end. I also thought she wrote the character of Keller incredibly convincingly, meaning that he was terrifyingly sinister and unpredictable throughout.
I wasn't all that sure I was going to enjoy this book when I started - finding the two stories confusing and a little complicated. But man, am I glad I stuck with it. Once it falls into place, this book is unputdownable. Even the ending left me wanting more. Highly intricate and tense, this is a book, and a villain, I won't be forgetting in a hurry.
The book begins with ten year old Rebecca, the youngest of three siblings and being brought up by clearly reluctant grandparents following the death of her parents in a car crash years ago. It's very clear early on that something strange is going on in the sinister old house in remote Scotland, and that the set up with the siblings and their Grandparents not altogether a happy one, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was other than a creeping sense of unease.
Then the following chapter switches to a few years into the future - this time to the USA where we join Keller Baye as he prepares to witness his father's execution after years on death row. I'm not going to lie, I had absolutely no idea how the two situations where connected and became a little confused. It was such a sharp change of setting and narrative - but incredibly intriguing. I needed to know what the hell was going on!
And the author keeps the reader guessing right the way through the book, as it flips between Rebecca's life in Scotland and Keller's life in the USA. With snatches of a traumatic and unhappy childhood and some seriously disturbing scenes, as we learn slowly about Keller's past and what connects him to the family in Scotland. It's pretty gory at times - my stomach churning more than once, and a little bit violent. This is a gritty read, but while I found it a bit confusing to begin with, by around 25% of the way through I found myself absolutely gripped.
The pace of this book is fast! The author constantly throws twists and shocks at the reader, keeping me on my toes right until the very end. I also thought she wrote the character of Keller incredibly convincingly, meaning that he was terrifyingly sinister and unpredictable throughout.
I wasn't all that sure I was going to enjoy this book when I started - finding the two stories confusing and a little complicated. But man, am I glad I stuck with it. Once it falls into place, this book is unputdownable. Even the ending left me wanting more. Highly intricate and tense, this is a book, and a villain, I won't be forgetting in a hurry.
March 16, 2018
Keller Baye is the son of a murderer, a man he is about to watch die for his crime. A man who only wants one thing from his son: revenge.
Rebecca Brown is an orphan who has been brought up by relatives in a remote Scottish house and who's thirst for knowledge about her parents and the car crash in which they died only grows keener the less those around her are prepared to talk about it.
Despite the miles between these two people they are connected by a single thread, and that thread is set to bring them together and reveal the truth.
Roughly the first part of the book tells the backgrounds of the two main characters, gradually revealing one event at a time exactly who Baye and Brown are, what drives them and how the loss of their parents has had an indelible effect on both their lives. The second half relates the events that unfold once fate has driven them together.
Both characters feel very real, especially because of the care that has clearly gone into each of their back stories. Baye in particular could have just been a mere cipher of a child who went off the rails after his father went to prison. But that one event alone conspires with many others to shape Baye into the urgent tool of his father's revenge that he decides to be.
The stories of the character's very different childhoods is engrossing, effectively told a series of anecdotes. Baye delivering justice for his cat. Brown burning the playing cards. All these seem very real because they could really happen.
When the tension starts to build in the second half of the book it's not like a spring winding up; it is more like a boiler that is getting hotter and hotter and the pressure is rising all the time. It's not clear when something is going to break but it's clear that something will go very wrong at some point.
This is a superb thriller with an excellent plot, some very good twists and written at a perfect pace, fast enough to keep the momentum up but slow enough to ratchet the tension up at the end of each chapter. An easy 5 stars and a new J Morton Potts fan.
Rating: Scenes of sadistic violence and some others of a sexual nature.
Rebecca Brown is an orphan who has been brought up by relatives in a remote Scottish house and who's thirst for knowledge about her parents and the car crash in which they died only grows keener the less those around her are prepared to talk about it.
Despite the miles between these two people they are connected by a single thread, and that thread is set to bring them together and reveal the truth.
Roughly the first part of the book tells the backgrounds of the two main characters, gradually revealing one event at a time exactly who Baye and Brown are, what drives them and how the loss of their parents has had an indelible effect on both their lives. The second half relates the events that unfold once fate has driven them together.
Both characters feel very real, especially because of the care that has clearly gone into each of their back stories. Baye in particular could have just been a mere cipher of a child who went off the rails after his father went to prison. But that one event alone conspires with many others to shape Baye into the urgent tool of his father's revenge that he decides to be.
The stories of the character's very different childhoods is engrossing, effectively told a series of anecdotes. Baye delivering justice for his cat. Brown burning the playing cards. All these seem very real because they could really happen.
When the tension starts to build in the second half of the book it's not like a spring winding up; it is more like a boiler that is getting hotter and hotter and the pressure is rising all the time. It's not clear when something is going to break but it's clear that something will go very wrong at some point.
This is a superb thriller with an excellent plot, some very good twists and written at a perfect pace, fast enough to keep the momentum up but slow enough to ratchet the tension up at the end of each chapter. An easy 5 stars and a new J Morton Potts fan.
Rating: Scenes of sadistic violence and some others of a sexual nature.
February 13, 2018
For the sheer ingenuity of the plot this novel is superb. The facts are presented to the reader, but the implications of these are not so that when the revelations to start, the surprised at of the best kind: the answers had been staring in the reader on the page from the very beginning.
The story follows the lives of two main characters: the American Keller Baye, who went to attend the execution of his father and Rebecca Brown, who is growing up on a stern, bleak House in the Scottish Highlands with her grandparents. Rebecca and her siblings are orphans: their parent were mysteriously killed in a car pile-up, but no one talks to the children about it. The Scottish mansion is a something of a gothic trope full of of deep, dark and hidden secrets and as a child, Rebecca's narration of events, if not unreliable, may well be limited.
Each character has flashbacks to the past as the mystery to the link that bonds them is slowly received. Keller left behind his life to stalk Rebecca, though the motives for this are slow in the telling. Meanwhile what we learn of Keller's past proves to be more and more horrific.
This novel does remind us on passing that it is becoming more and more difficult to truly hide with the advent of the internet - sobering it is to be be reminded of this. It also reminds us how buried secrets and old wrongs may warp the psyches of those who are left behind, to say nothing of abuse and neglect.
The pace of the tale is fairly slow but the suspense also effectively built up for a highly gripping read. Hiding is a subtle and atmospheric psychological novel as well as being full of twists and turns that keep going until the last page.
The story follows the lives of two main characters: the American Keller Baye, who went to attend the execution of his father and Rebecca Brown, who is growing up on a stern, bleak House in the Scottish Highlands with her grandparents. Rebecca and her siblings are orphans: their parent were mysteriously killed in a car pile-up, but no one talks to the children about it. The Scottish mansion is a something of a gothic trope full of of deep, dark and hidden secrets and as a child, Rebecca's narration of events, if not unreliable, may well be limited.
Each character has flashbacks to the past as the mystery to the link that bonds them is slowly received. Keller left behind his life to stalk Rebecca, though the motives for this are slow in the telling. Meanwhile what we learn of Keller's past proves to be more and more horrific.
This novel does remind us on passing that it is becoming more and more difficult to truly hide with the advent of the internet - sobering it is to be be reminded of this. It also reminds us how buried secrets and old wrongs may warp the psyches of those who are left behind, to say nothing of abuse and neglect.
The pace of the tale is fairly slow but the suspense also effectively built up for a highly gripping read. Hiding is a subtle and atmospheric psychological novel as well as being full of twists and turns that keep going until the last page.
February 6, 2018
When she was four, Rebecca was orphaned - along with her older brother Austen and sister Charlotte – and sent to live with her grandparents in Scotland. On her tenth birthday, Rebecca tries to find out how her parents died. She knows the rest of the family is keeping something from her and is determined to uncover the truth. Many years later, she meets Keller. He’s keeping secrets, too. Like the fact that he’s been stalking her for a long time and that his father has just been executed in prison. How are Rebecca and Keller connected? You’ll have to piece their stories together to find out.
The author weaves the two stories together in a masterful way, jumping backwards and forwards in time, revealing a bit here and a bit there. We are left to work out what happened all those years ago that will have such an impact on so many lives. I love the intricate descriptions of the characters’ lives. We come to know and love these flawed characters and their twisted relationships. This is one book I can honestly say I didn't want to put down. It will keep you enthralled to the end.
Warnings: coarse language, violence, sex scenes.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (6 February): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
The author weaves the two stories together in a masterful way, jumping backwards and forwards in time, revealing a bit here and a bit there. We are left to work out what happened all those years ago that will have such an impact on so many lives. I love the intricate descriptions of the characters’ lives. We come to know and love these flawed characters and their twisted relationships. This is one book I can honestly say I didn't want to put down. It will keep you enthralled to the end.
Warnings: coarse language, violence, sex scenes.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (6 February): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
May 27, 2018
My Opinion:
That me just say that I am in love with this cover. It represents the book well and I can almost feel the isolation within the picture!
I started reading the book and was a bit perplexed on what I was reading. It seemed to go around and around between Keller and Rebecca. I was a bit lost in the why we were going back and forth between them. It wasn't clear to me through a lot of the book and then towards the halfway mark everything started to come together, in a good way.
We are taken on a journey of the early childhood's of both Rebecca and Keller and how things where for them growing up and how they later turn out. The whole time you know that there is something from the past that is on the surface and I was a bit surprised about how it all turned out. I know I couldn't have done it. (That's all I can say. I don't want to spoil it for you).
I felt the isolation of this castle/mansion in Scotland. I also fell in love with it and always wondered way her grandparents went without. You do find out. I also felt her brother was MONDO creepy. Not as creepy as Keller. He puts new meaning in psycho. We are taken on the life of these two and I enjoyed the ride. The best part was the last few chapters and how everything started to come together. There was enough twists and turns in the book to keep you hooked.
I give this book 4 of 5 stars!
That me just say that I am in love with this cover. It represents the book well and I can almost feel the isolation within the picture!
I started reading the book and was a bit perplexed on what I was reading. It seemed to go around and around between Keller and Rebecca. I was a bit lost in the why we were going back and forth between them. It wasn't clear to me through a lot of the book and then towards the halfway mark everything started to come together, in a good way.
We are taken on a journey of the early childhood's of both Rebecca and Keller and how things where for them growing up and how they later turn out. The whole time you know that there is something from the past that is on the surface and I was a bit surprised about how it all turned out. I know I couldn't have done it. (That's all I can say. I don't want to spoil it for you).
I felt the isolation of this castle/mansion in Scotland. I also fell in love with it and always wondered way her grandparents went without. You do find out. I also felt her brother was MONDO creepy. Not as creepy as Keller. He puts new meaning in psycho. We are taken on the life of these two and I enjoyed the ride. The best part was the last few chapters and how everything started to come together. There was enough twists and turns in the book to keep you hooked.
I give this book 4 of 5 stars!
August 28, 2020
Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts is a story that took a while to get going, but once it did I powered through the story to see how the details played out.
At first, I was unsure how the pieces of this story were going to come together. It took a bit longer than I had hoped for, but it allowed for me to create multiple theories. Despite these theories, the way things played out surprised me. This resulted in me being sucked in, rapidly turning the pages to see how the story played out. It was not at all what I had expected, and I enjoyed watching it develop.
As much as I enjoyed watching things develop, I wish there had been a bit more from the ending. Things end very suddenly – although it does play in with the details we were given – and I would have liked a bit more, as there were still some elements of the story that I had questions about.
All in all, this one started slow but ended up being an addictive read.
At first, I was unsure how the pieces of this story were going to come together. It took a bit longer than I had hoped for, but it allowed for me to create multiple theories. Despite these theories, the way things played out surprised me. This resulted in me being sucked in, rapidly turning the pages to see how the story played out. It was not at all what I had expected, and I enjoyed watching it develop.
As much as I enjoyed watching things develop, I wish there had been a bit more from the ending. Things end very suddenly – although it does play in with the details we were given – and I would have liked a bit more, as there were still some elements of the story that I had questions about.
All in all, this one started slow but ended up being an addictive read.
January 20, 2018
I’ve become a big fan of psychological thrillers over the last 12 months and am totally drawn into the complex human mind and how circumstances shape behaviours.
Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts is of this genre. A very well written novel with twists and turns that when unravelled will leave you wide eyed and feeling slightly breathless.
Have you ever wondered how your actions, how a moment in time can irrevocably and irreversibly change your whole being. How it can change the future of your loved ones. Whether your decisions are right or wrong?
Rebecca Brown and her siblings were orphaned at a young age and have been brought up by their grandparents. Keller Baye is a loner who hasn’t had the best of upbringings. The story weaves a descriptive background and goes back and forth through the timelines of their lives.
The story starts of slow and meandering but I think it’s essential to the plot. I grew to understand and even love some of the characters even through their confusion with their own feelings. It knits together and results in an unlikely love story with devastating consequences.
This is the first novel I’ve read from this talented author and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Read it, persevere and love it as I did.
Big thanks to Jenny for my ARC copy.
Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts is of this genre. A very well written novel with twists and turns that when unravelled will leave you wide eyed and feeling slightly breathless.
Have you ever wondered how your actions, how a moment in time can irrevocably and irreversibly change your whole being. How it can change the future of your loved ones. Whether your decisions are right or wrong?
Rebecca Brown and her siblings were orphaned at a young age and have been brought up by their grandparents. Keller Baye is a loner who hasn’t had the best of upbringings. The story weaves a descriptive background and goes back and forth through the timelines of their lives.
The story starts of slow and meandering but I think it’s essential to the plot. I grew to understand and even love some of the characters even through their confusion with their own feelings. It knits together and results in an unlikely love story with devastating consequences.
This is the first novel I’ve read from this talented author and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Read it, persevere and love it as I did.
Big thanks to Jenny for my ARC copy.
June 11, 2018
I feel that I got swept up in the story of the Brown family very quickly because the author did such a good job weaving a believable and human family narrative. Rebecca, even as a bit of a lonely child, seems so relatable and the relationship that develops with her grandfather is honest and sweet. I found the Keller storyline less easy to settle into, but I did really enjoy his much darker concurrent story of childhood development. I suppose that mostly, especially later, a lot hinges on the power and sway that Keller is meant to have on people and at times it jars with the rest of the writing which seems so plausible. There is also an almost palpable moment that the action suddenly ramps up, then a lot of things are thrown at us as readers, a few odd decisions are made and finally the book abruptly ends. It's an odd choice to change the pacing quite so intensely, it really didn't sit too well with me. We lose important characters almost like footnotes just to get to Keller's finale, it all feels rushed. This is still a great book though, I've levied the same criticism at Stephen King- thriller endings are just a hard trick to pull off sometimes. I would certainly recommend Hiding if you're a fan of the genre.
April 27, 2018
This is a complex thriller, consisting of two seemingly unrelated threads which are created mainly in flashbacks. It takes a lot of reading to get to the point where they finally cross, and even then the reader needs to keep their wits about them.
I can honestly say that I haven't read a psychological thriller like this one before; the truth doesn't come out until the final pages. It is, in my opinion, both unique and chilling. There is a lot of build up to get to the point of conflict. Separately, the stories are full of information and it's difficult to work out where it's all going to end up. How to know which clues to pay attention to? And yet, in the last few pages it all makes complete and perfect sense. The characters are well-drawn, the writing is flawless, the cover is very eye-catching but I could have wished for a few more hints earlier on - or, perhaps they were there and I missed them?
I did wonder more than once where the book was going to end up, but having read it all I can say it is a worthwhile read. The ending? Well, I never saw it coming ...
My grateful thanks to author Jenny Morton Potts for providing me with my copy. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.
I can honestly say that I haven't read a psychological thriller like this one before; the truth doesn't come out until the final pages. It is, in my opinion, both unique and chilling. There is a lot of build up to get to the point of conflict. Separately, the stories are full of information and it's difficult to work out where it's all going to end up. How to know which clues to pay attention to? And yet, in the last few pages it all makes complete and perfect sense. The characters are well-drawn, the writing is flawless, the cover is very eye-catching but I could have wished for a few more hints earlier on - or, perhaps they were there and I missed them?
I did wonder more than once where the book was going to end up, but having read it all I can say it is a worthwhile read. The ending? Well, I never saw it coming ...
My grateful thanks to author Jenny Morton Potts for providing me with my copy. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.
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