'I Survived the Ride'

And what a ride it was! Phew! This was my first book by Richard Jay Parker, and it absolutely blew me away! I was captivated and completely beside myself with worry about what was going to happen to Lana, Cooper, and Todd. This is a page turner for sure! Richard Jay Parker has a talent for suspense!

You are gripped from the start when Lana Cross is caught in what every parent fears, someone is trying to kidnap her child. She's caught in a desperate struggle to save her child, using every bit of strength and will within her to keep Cooper within her grip and keep this man from taking him from her. She's clawing, kicking, and with no other choice, even biting the man. The man finally relents, but as he does, he makes a promise... "Tomorrow".

Months have passed and there has been no sign of 'Mr. Whisper', as Cooper has called him. The family has won a vacation to Blue Crest, an amusement park in Sequonda and decides to get away. They could all do with a break and enjoy two weeks of fun in the sun. Only this doesn't turn out to be the roller coaster ride that Lana and Todd thought they would be riding. Todd is shoved from a rope bridge of one of the rides and Cooper is taken! Lana is distracted and on her cell phone and doesn't see the abduction. Lana and Todd spend the rest of their vacation on a mad and crazy search for their son Cooper.

This story unfolds in ways I never thought imaginable. I kept saying "What the hell is going on?" I at no point ever had a clue where this story was going. Usually you have some sense of who the kidnapper is, or what's going to happen next, and so on. Nope... not with this one, and that's what makes it so enjoyable. The ending... BAM! Lana 1, Mr. Whisper, 0!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Richard Parker for the advance copy of "Hide and Seek" in return for an honest review. This book just grabs you from the very first page when every parent's nightmare becomes a reality for Lana Cross as she looks out into the garden where her little son is playing only to spy a predator wearing a mask of the little boys's favourite tv character and approaching her son before grabbing him thus ensues one of the most gripping cat and mouse thrillers you will read this year. You just will not be able to put it down!!!!!

After fighting off a man who tried to kidnap her little boy Cooper, Lana Cross never really recovered from it. She begins obsessing over murder scenes that involved kidnapped children in hopes to find a link that that criminal was the man who tried to take Cooper. She begins visiting these murder sites based off an app on her phone called "Right Where You're Standing", which finds the murder scene closest to your GPS location. Her husband, Todd, and even Cooper worry about her, so when they win tickets to a theme park they're all exciting to get away and forget everything for a couple days. But when Lana loses track of Todd and Cooper playing, she gets worried. Then they find Todd on the ground and injured and no sign of Cooper. As Lana tries to find her son, she realizes that Cooper may have been kidnapped by the same man who tried before.

The characters in this book were okay, I think my favorite was Lana because she was honestly the most developed and well rounded. Though there was very little character development because this book is definitely one that is focused on plot and twists more so than the characters themselves. But I thought Lana was well done and easily relate-able to anyone who has children and that fear of looking away for one second and losing them the next.

The plot was extremely fast paced and led you through a bunch of twists and turns that I thoroughly enjoyed. The book starts off right in the middle of the action, which really pulled me in and was what kept me intrigued until the ending.
Todd's "plot" wasn't very interesting and I felt like it fell short and just didn't fit very well. I understood what the author was going for but I feel like trying to inset that plot line was very unexpected, and not necessarily in a good way.

The writing was very well done and things were pretty smooth. There were a few editing issues when I read it, which I assume will be corrected in the printed editions but other than that, I enjoyed the writing.

If you're looking for a fast paced thriller, definitely pick this one up!

Wow, what a stunning book. I could not wait to finish it to see Cooper is found, and who Mr Whisper is. Bloody brilliantly done!

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing throughout.

Richard Parker has gone and taken a mother’s worst nightmare and made it a fast paced tense engrossing story. As I finished the closing chapters, I realized I was sat with my jaw-dropped and my heart was beating a lot harder than normal!! It’s not so much twisty as it is super suspenseful – and creepy. In fact, I think it was the creepy factor that I loved the most. Part of it is that I’m a mom and the idea of something like this happening with my own kid fills me with terror. But part it was just he incredibly creepy idea of the horrifying little game that’s being played here.

This is my first encounter with Mr Parker’s writing and it’s not going to be my last. At times, you’ll want to throw your ebook against the virtual wall when characters start doing incredibly stupid things. And there will be times when it’s just so obvious that something is going on with one character that it just drives you nuts that our girl can’t see it.

Despite not actually reading it, I fell a little bit in love with Richard Parker’s previous Bookouture release, Follow Me. I have been desperate to read it since it’s release but in usual damppebbles style, I haven’t managed to fit it in between my blog tour reads. So what better way to make sure his latest book was read than to feature on the blog tour (sometimes it’s the only way!).

So having (weirdly) fallen for Parker’s previous release (I promise to read and review it soon!) I was excited and a little apprehensive to make a start on Hide and Seek. And I can confirm, it is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller. Parts of it I absolutely loved. Other parts I enjoyed but I wanted to get to the real ‘nitty gritty’ of the story.

The prologue had me on the edge of my seat. I find books about bad things happening to children hard going at times and the opening of Hide and Seek reminded me of my very worst nightmare. My heart was pounding, helped by the incredibly well-written prologue. I was there, in the moment, with Lana the boy’s mother as she fought for her young son. It was very gripping as an introduction and I don’t doubt that it will pull at every parent’s heart; it was both harrowing and heartbreaking. I was a little surprised by the outcome of that first initial scenario. My curiosity was well and truly piqued and I wanted to know where Parker would take the story next.

And it was not what I expected. The main body of the story ticked along nicely. Lana has an unhealthy obsession with visiting past murder sites and with local serial killers in general. I absolutely loved this part of her. It gave a rather, I’m sorry to say dull and wholesome character a darker, more sinister edge. The search for the missing child is interesting and I enjoyed reading about Lana and Todd’s journey but it was the end of this book which made it for me! It’s never a good thing to admit to liking the bad guy but Richard Parker may have created one of my all time favourite baddies! And the twist, WOW. It was so wonderfully, deceptively delicious – I didn’t see it coming at all.

Would I recommend this book? I would. All in all, this is a great read which I recommend to fans of the family based crime thriller. Fans of the serial killer thriller may also find something to love within the pages as well. The start is brilliant, the middle is good, helped by the main character’s fascination with local murder sites and the ending is superb. I cannot wait to read Follow Me now. Roll on October when I will have more time to concentrate on non-blog tour books.

Four out of five stars.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Hide and Seek. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Lana and Todd are loving parents to their young son Cooper. One day a masked man, aka Mr Whisper attempts to abduct their little boy while he is playing in the yard only to be thwarted at the last minute. Both parents have struggled to cope since that day. Months later Lana struggles with the resulting emotional trauma suffering from anxiety and fixated on preventing this ever happening again. Todd feels guilty for not being there on the day. Both feel their life will never be the same until Mr Whisper is caught. When they win a theme park holiday, it seems the perfect opportunity to get their life back to normal. Little do they know the real nightmare is about to begin.
The beginning of this story really snapped me to attention and what a perfect way to begin. After that, it was a struggle to keep interested as the storyline seemed a bit drawn out and/or slow moving for me. The last few chapters were the redeeming feature fuelling a I cant wait to find out what happens next feeling. Most reviewers are enthusiastic about this book so perhaps it just isnt my sort of book. I recommend that you read it and make your own judgement.

Loved this book from start to finish, kept me guessing until the end. I havent read anything by this author before but will definitely be doing so now. Great to find another great author to add to my list. Thankyou Netgalley!!

Sometimes a book comes along and it reignites your love of reading. Hide and Seek did that for me. I feel like I have been waiting for a book to come along and blow my mind. Well, Hide and Seek did just that. My preemptive advice for readers of this book is to get very comfortable before reading. Set yourself up with some snacks and a nice beverage. Because once you read page one you’re hooked and the intensity and pace don’t stop.

The book is set in the USA with Lana Cross as the main protagonist. When a pot bellied man tries to snatch her little son Cooper from the back yard her whole family’s life change. Lana tries desperately to prevent a reoccurrence of the event by moving her family and trying to keep them locked up safe. When the police are no help, Lana turns private investigator and visits many murder sites using an app on her mobile to find clues of who the pot bellied man is. These chapters are creepy and gave me goosebumps. I was scared and that doesn’t happen to me when I read. Richard Parker’s writing style really sets the scene and as I read everything played out in my head like a movie. It was a terrific new experience.

Lana Cross is a very likeable character, she’s strong, loving and persistent. You become her virtual sidekick as you go on this heart pounding journey with her. This book ticks every box and then some. A refreshing read with a hauntingly gritty fast paced storyline.

I thoroughly recommend Hide and Seek, it most definitely goes on my top books list of 2017. If you want to be challenged and scared witless (in an utterly fabulous way) then Hide and Seek needs to be on your TBR.

You’re there in the kitchen watching your offspring playing out in the sanctuary that is your back garden when appears a figure. A masked figure who proceeds to try and take your child. What do you do?! I don’t know about you but I’d like to think I’d do what Lana did – go and fight. Defend the safety of my property and rescue my son from the clutches of evil. What follows for Lana is a tale of obsession and worry and neither are healthy things to be gripped by.

The whole back garden incident really affects Lana which I personally think it would any parent. She’s OCD about the security of the place they live having moved out of their family home. And she’s become obsessed about finding the masked intruder to the extent of doing her own personal investigation. This obsession is fuelled by a phone app, one that shows you death sites. Now in normal circumstances, it would be rather interesting to have short term (yes I have a slight morbid interest) but Lana is addicted to this app as much as I’m addicted to Facebook…

Richard Parker has gone and taken a mother’s worst nightmare and made it a fast paced tense engrossing story. As I finished the closing chapters, I realised I was sat with my jaw dropped and my heart was beating a lot harder than normal!!

This is my first encounter with Mr Parker’s writing and it’s not going to be my last. I’ve got “Follow You” sat patiently waiting on my kindle however I think after reading “Hide And Seek”, it might start murmuring and then shouting at me!!!

After reading Richard Parker's previous novel, 'Follow You', and being completely and utterly hooked on every single page, my expectations for the authors new book, 'Hide and Seek', were exceptionally high. At least I admit it though, right?

I'm a bit of a cover lover, which means that with every book I read, I end up giving the cover some serious attention. When it came to the cover of 'Hide and Seek', I could not seem to work out what on EARTH the image on the front meant. Yes folks, my major 'DUH' moment. Of course I'm not going to know what the image on the front means until I read the book! It's safe to say that the part of the storyline which the image resonates with, will forever be imprinted in my mind. Something so simple, yet something unbelievably spine tingling.

Lana and Todd are about to embark on a well deserved break with their little boy, Cooper. Up until now, their lives have been filled with copious amounts of stress, as well as having to constantly look over their shoulders in fear. Why are they scared? As 'Hide and Seek' unfolds, Lana and Todd's situation becomes all too clear - a parent's worst nightmare. Pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are missing, and it seems as though time isn't on Lana and Todd's side. If you thought that hide and seek only involved counting to ten, then you're completely mistaken. If you're anything like me, the game of hide and seek will never feel the same again.

In terms of graphic situations, I have to say that Richard Parker's previous novel was A LOT more graphic than this one, yet this book seemed to affect me a lot more. I'm not sure whether that was because the storyline involved a young child, or whether the lack of gruesome anecdotes made the storyline appear raw. Thinking about it now, I would have to say that it would be both. Whilst this storyline did contain some rather cut throat (pardon the pun) material, it didn't seem to be the storylines main focus. Instead, the damage was done to the characters emotionally to begin with, putting them in a complete and utter head funkydunk. Despite Lana being scared and severely worried, she ended up becoming the lion and going straight into the fire to protect what was rightfully hers. Did I think her husband, Todd, should have protected his family? Yes, damn right I did. But, whilst Lana ended up skating on thin ice multiple times through her own doing, I still thought that she was such a ballsy character. Good on her!

There were moments whilst reading 'Hide and Seek', where I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest! I had absolutely no idea what the outcome was going to be and, despite the fact I was on edge the whole time, I was glad that I hadn't a clue about what was going to happen! I say that now, granted. Obviously at the time I was watching my daughter like a hawk, despite us being in the house with both doors locked. Precautionary measures and all that jazz...ahem.

Did Richard Parker's 'Hide and Seek' live up to my expectations? Well, whilst it took me a little while to get into the swing of things where the storyline was concerned, 'Hide and Seek' surpassed my expectations. I mentioned the authors previous novel at the start of this review, and how my expectations for his new novel were high because of that. I need to be honest; both books may have been written by the same author, but they are in no way comparable as my expectations for one of them, cannot be used as a starting block for the other. Why? Because the storylines are completely different, not only because they're about different things, they're also written from a totally different angle. Yes, 'Hide and Seek' for me, was a slow burner, BUT, once that flame started burning it didn't seem to stop. The author grabbed my attention big time, making my eyes follow the storyline until the very end, regardless of how uncomfortable the overall topic had me feeling. I just could not stop reading.

I really enjoyed 'Hide and Seek' as it was full of enough gritty and twisty moments to keep my attention for the foreseeable future. Richard Parker is a brilliant author who in both novels I have read of his, has managed to keep me guessing until the very last-minute. I most certainly can't complain at that!

Cut throat, spine tingling, heart-wrenching, and chillingly addictive; 'Hide and Seek' will have you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. 
Roll on the next book!

Thanks Bookouture.

Hide and Seek is about a boy who goes missing and his parents quest to find him and find out who had done it.
I enjoyed this book, it wasn't as fast paced as some I have read but it really kept me guessing until the end.
The last chapters were really tense as the book came to its conclusion and for me this was the best bit, that's always the case though isn't it?
Definitely recommended.

I loved Richard Parker's previous book, Follow You and have been eagerly awaiting Hide and Seek since I first saw that ominous, memorable front cover. I'm delighted therefore to be one of the hosts for the blog tour today, together with Ali - The Dragon Slayer and Sean's Book Reviews. Many thanks to Bookouture, Richard Parker and Noelle Holten for inviting me to take part and for my review copy, received through Netgalley in return for my honest review.
I was hooked from the very start of Hide and Seek, Richard Parker plays on the fears of every parent as Lana spots an intruder in her garden attempting to abduct her four-year-old son, Cooper. She manages to thwart him but this terrifying encounter with a man Cooper calls Mr Whisper is just the beginning of her nightmare, and probably the start of bad dreams for many of the book's readers who may just need to sneak one last look at their own children before going to bed.
After such a terrifying incident it's not surprising that Lana finds it hard to move on but the reader knows worse is to come and there's a horrible inevitability to Cooper's kidnapping, the chest crushing realisation Lana experiences when she realises the worst has happened is almost palpable. Lana's anguish is painfully relatable, the actions she takes may not always be the most sensible but they are understandable. There is a sort of sub-plot involving Lana's husband, Todd and how his desire to protect his son has means he has put himself in danger which means Cooper's parents are forced to make decisions separately adding to the drama and suspense. As the book progresses there are reminders that too many parents still don't know what happened to their children and while it's possible to condemn Lana and Todd as foolhardy in the cold light of day, under similar circumstances, with our child at risk, we also might try whatever it took to get them back.
As in Follow You, social media has an important role to play, this time in the form of the RWYS (Right Where You're Standing) app, which allows users to discover murder sites in their vicinity. What Lana was originally using as a tool in her obsessive quest to find Mr Whisper becomes something even darker. Although not as gory-scary as the previous book, this very contemporary thriller is equally as disturbing, albeit this time the dread is more psychological.
As Lana and Todd race to rescue their son, they find themselves caught in a terrifying web and as the book reached its gripping conclusion I know I was holding my breath, willing them on yet fearing what they would discover. Richard Parker knows what people's deepest fears are and has created something truly frightening. This is no gratuitous fright fest though, it's also an empathetic look at how people respond to fear and to evil acts that nobody should ever face. Brilliantly chilling, yet also insightful and understanding, readers will be left both unsettled and moved by this impressive thriller.

This is a well written book and is an interesting story. Just a little too slow for me. You do get and understand her fear and the patience of her husband . Will be great for a lot of readers

Well Hide and Seek begins as it means to continue, the author gets you in an arm-lock and there you stay until completion of the book! This is one mega ride that will make your stomach churn in more ways than one.

The opening scene is every mother’s nightmare .. someone is trying to abduct your child from under your nose! Luckily for four year old Cooper his mum Lana manages to deter the ‘nasty’ person.

The tension and emotion flies from the pages, when the family have the opportunity to go to an adventure park it seems a perfect way for them to recover from the near miss ordeal. Little do they know the troubles are just beginning.

There are so many twists in here coupled with secrets between the parents. Todd and Lana both want the best for Cooper but how do you overcome the guilt and agony of a missing child?

Told in nice short chapters from alternating points of view the plot unfolds. I enjoyed the pace of the book and kept asking myself whether I would react in the same way but it’s one of those situations that thankfully only happens in your worst nightmares.

Richard Parker has nailed this book, an excellent story teller who certainly knows how to tighten the coils of the readers’ nerves and only slowly release them at the end.

Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Lana, Todd and their son Cooper have won a holiday. It's just what they need as Lana is still trying to come to terms with the attempted abduction of Cooper from their back yard the previous summer. Now Todd is lying injured on the ground and Cooper is nowhere to be seen - someone has succeeded in abducting him this time. Lana has to work on her own to try and find Cooper while Todd is convinced that some people he has crossed are responsible. Gripping story with lots of twists and turn I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Richard Parker for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a corker of a book. I loved the way the story just moved on at a rate of knots and at times was heart-racing stuff. Lana and Todd almost lose their son when someone tries to kidnap him. Although Lana managed to save him she has found it very difficult to forget what has happened and has done her best to try and track down other criminals who have been found guilty of the same thing to see if it was them. A couple of years later they are offered a free trip to a theme park where Connor their son goes missing. Heartbroken it's a race against time for them to find him by following the clues they are sent via an app. Other children are missing too, are they connected? There are a few red herrings within the story but a very well written book. Loved the short chapters as well.

This book is absolutely AMAZING, fast paced, danger packed, gripping thrill ride from beginning to end!

Lana’s peaceful family existence is ruined when she has to stop her son being abducted at the family home. She becomes obsessed with similar cases, hoping she can get answers about who the abductor might have been. And then it happens again and Cooper is taken.
This is the first book that I have read by Richard Parker and I enjoyed it a lot. I have read some books where the lead character was female and the author male and sometimes they don’t feel true but it wasn’t the case here. Lana was real and she dealt with the situation completely differently to Todd. Lana could only think of Cooper but Todd had to think of both of them and unintentionally made their situation worse.
The police investigation is in the background, most of the focus is on Lana and Todd both trying to get Cooper back in their own way. The narrative switched between the two, sometimes a chapter at a time and each time I was impatient to find out how the other was managing. Although I enjoyed both, it was Lana I wanted to read about. Her fight was full of tension and was at times upsetting but I needed to be with her.
Some of the methods that Lana chose were quite spooky, the app that she uses is one that I would definitely steer clear of. I really hope that there isn’t one like this in the depths of an app store.
I’m looking forward to reading more by the author, I am reliably informed that his other novel Follow You is just as good.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received and for the chance to take part in the blog tour