I have never read a book by this author before and I really enjoyed this as an introduction. Fast moving story, out of the gate grabbed me. Definitely a good start to any book! A little scary to read about the kidnapping of a child as a mom myself, but very intriguing as well. Great writing, believable and interesting story, a quick-paced crime thriller. Several twists kept the story moving along quickly to a very interesting end. I will definitely be looking for more books from this author in the future! Thanks NetGalley!!

It has been a few days since I finished reading Hide and Seek and I still keep thinking about it; playing on a parent’s worst fears of anything happening to your child and introducing one of the most sinister characters I have read this year in the form of Mr Whisper. Seriously, I had the heebie jeebies from the opening chapter and the first failed abduction attempt of Cooper and from then was taken on a heart pounding journey right up until the last page!!

Understandably Lana is a little paranoid after this life changing event and lives in fear every day that Mr Whisper will return to take Cooper as he promised but surely that couldn’t happen right?!

Wrong!! Lana and her husband Todd are plunged back into a real life nightmare when their son Cooper is abducted while they are on a family trip. Todd is injured and has dangerous secrets of his own to deal with and Lana is embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse to try and find Cooper before it’s too late. Hide and Seek was one of those books that I couldn’t put down and raced to finish (much to the detriment of my poor pounding heart!). My feelings towards Lana and Todd were mixed; they both seemed guilty of putting Cooper at risk but I couldn’t knock Lana’s bravery in her mission to solve the puzzles being drip fed to her from the abductor and find her son.

A gripping thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end!!

This book started well and I did read through to the end but, I must admit, I ended up almost skimming, just to see what happened. The premise was good, really good, but the unravelling was contrived and the behaviour of the main characters rather unrealistic, in my opinion.

This was a good story that had it been executed better would have been a 5 star read. There was just so much stuff that seemed too implausible or far fetched that it kind of ruined the book for me. On the positive side it's fast paced, hooks you from page 1 and is a fairly quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy.

My first Richard Parker book. I’d heard such good things about this book and this author that I had to give it a try. The book begins quite shockingly with 4 year old Cooper being abducted from his garden whilst his mum, Lana, is watching from the kitchen window. She manages to foil the kidnapper, but he whispers to her that he’ll be back tomorrow. Some months later, Lana is still trying to find out who the kidnapper was. She uses an app called “Right Where You’re Standing” which identifies murder scenes as she convinced that it will lead her to the kidnapper. On a family holiday to an Amusement Park, Cooper is again abducted. Her husband, Todd, is also attacked and left in a coma. She finds that a picture of her and her family has been posted on the app and listed as potential murder victims. Can she work out who is behind all this?

I enjoyed this book, if that’s the right word! The first part is quite shocking with Cooper and his attempted abduction. As a mother myself, to put myself in that position would be absolutely horrifying and I think the author managed to get the fear spot on! The story starts with a bang, but for me slows up in the run up to the next abduction in the amusement park. I don’t really get why Lana would focus so much on the murderer app, and so obviously put it before both her husband and child. Again, the next abduction gets the fear factor spot on. Being in a busy park area, lots of people and children and you can’t see where your child is. I’ve been in that situation – only for a minute or so – but the fear is immense and I felt every bit of Lana’s fear whilst reading this!

I won’t spoil the book by giving away any of the story, but safe to say this was a creepy thriller which puts you on the edge of your seat. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep your guessing all the way through. The first part for me was a bit slow, but it certainly picked up again and by the end I couldn’t put it down! It kept me awake until the early hours just to finish it! If you like your thrillers, then this is the book for you!

Brilliant. This is an extremely scary novel. Well written, numerous twists and utterly believable. I read it til 2 a.m. to finish it as I couldn't put it down. An attempted kidnapping of a little boy leaves Lana (the mother) petrified and assuming the worst about everybody. Then on a trip to an adventure park her worst nightmare becomes reality as her husband is attacked and son taken. From there the twists keep coming as both parents search for their son. A fantastic novel. Well done Richard Parker.

Every parents worst nightmare is a child abduction. This is the twisted story of four year old Cooper's parents frantic search for him after he is snatched away at an amusement park. There was a couple of twists and turns but for the most part I thought it was a fairly vanilla plot that I wouldn't term a real page turner. Although I have never been in this situation so don't know how I would react, I thought the two main characters weren't overly believable and some of the plot points didn't seem realistic. Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ohhh i totally loved this book. Faced paced, gripping and it sucked me in from the very first page. This book was a real page turner. I found the characters to be believable in this book, especially Lana. I could feel her anguish and desperation in her quest to find Cooper, her missing son. I felt like i was going through every moment with her. Well done Richard in writing such a great book and i will definitely be reading more of your novels in the future.

A parent's worst nightmare ... Lana looks outside where her 4-year-old son, Cooper, is playing. Only what she sees is a masked man grabbing her son and throwing him in a bag of some sort. No time to call for help ... no time to call the police. She goes running out and chasing him for she's worth. He hits her, throws her to the ground and kicks her. She gets up not letting the pain stop her. She grabs him, she bites him, she grabs the bag containing her son. Then they hear the sirens coming closer. Thank goodness! Someone has called 911. The man throws the sack at her and takes off running.

His only spoken word he whispers to her ..... Tomorrow.

It has been several months and this episode has not lessened. Lana spends all her time checking and double checking that all doors and windows are locked. She also is on a quest to research and find the man who attempted to take her son. Her husband, Todd, is suffering from guilt, as he was working at the time and unable to protect his family. He also has nightmares that just won't quit. Cooper is fearful of a mask of one of his favorite characters, the one the would-be-kidnapper wore.

The family decides they need to get away ...away from the memories. *When Lana and Todd win a trip to Blue Crest Adventure Park, their four-year-old Cooper is ecstatic, but when Lana goes to meet them at the last carnival ride they were on, Todd is out cold, and Cooper is missing.*
*No one stopped the man carrying the sleeping boy. The cameras don’t show where he went. Then Lana receives an anonymous message, telling her to visit a local school with a horrifying history... *
*This is no random attack. Whoever took Cooper is playing a twisted game, and if Lana wants to find him, she must participate. *

What's the link between the school and her son? Who wants to do them harm?

This is a terrifically delicious thriller... sort of like riding the world's highest roller coaster ride. Up and up and up ... and then the fast decline to the bottom before starting again. All the while your heart is in your throat, the fear is palpable.

I have read several of this author's books. If you like movies that scare you, books that leave you gasping, you really must read HIDE AND SEEK, as well as his other available works.

It's very well written with a story line that you will not be able to turn away from. The mother's fears and foreboding come off the written page to confront you. Can you bear to keep reading? Can you even put the book down for any reason? Can you turn off the lights after checking on your children?

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for this advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

4.5 STARS

Fast-paced thriller that was difficult to put down. From the near abduction of young Cooper, the reader begins a journey that intertwines the efforts of his parents, Lana and Todd, to put the terror behind them while trying to find the man who promised to try for Cooper again. Several threads are woven together into a surprising climax guaranteed to leave the reader satisfied.

After their son goes missing Todd and Lana Cross must do everything in their power to find him, before time runs out.

I'm not familiar Richard Parker's work, this is the first book by this author that I've read. And honestly, I'm not impressed.
Writing was pretty bland, chapters were pretty short - I thought this was author's first novel (then I checked and found myself quite surprised). Character development was non existent - who is Lana? No idea. Who are these people that keep getting mentioned? Not important, here's some unnecessary action scene that makes no sense when combined with the rest of the story. Another note about the characters: they are very obnoxious at times.
Story had potential, but it was wasted on boring conversations and unnecessary story-lines. Plot twists were easily predictable, nothing about the story was fresh. Only interesting character was Jeanette, and she's mentioned in maybe 5 chapters.
Villain was laughable, there was no logic in his actions, there was an attempt of explaining it in the end but just not enough.

A review I've read said that this book would make a better movie script than an actual novel. Even then it would look rushed, without deeper meaning and with very boring characters.

Thank you Richard Parker and Netgalley for a copy of this book.
Sometimes I read "fast paced" or "dark suspense" and I think Nah it really wasn't. But this book was. I had some moments of saying to the characters Don't Do That or Stay Where You Are and to me that is part of a good book when they don't do what you would do. I didn't think too hard with this book, I just sat back and enjoyed it. That is what a good writer does to me, just takes me along for the ride. And what a ride it was.
I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good "faced paced read of dark suspense".

Wow this book was good, it was full of tension and was charged with emotion. It was a well constructed plot, the ending was excellent never guessed the outcome at all. A solid 5 stars!

Before reading this I didn’t realise Richard Parker had written books called Stop me, scare me, stalk me and follow me - well this book is all of them and more. Child abduction, people in scary masks, and a frantic search around an adventure park in the middle of nowhere.

I read somewhere that this is Bookouture’s scariest thriller yet - it’s very unsettling and gripped me early on that’s for sure. I was screaming at a character before the first chapter has ended! The idea of the RWYS app and all that results was scary and all too realistic. That was a clever development and I’d never read of this in a novel before. I imagine there is such an app somewhere and this could be developed in future novels which I would like to see. People can be really grim and macabre!

The three stars is because of the ending and a story which ran alongside the main one which I felt was distracting. The settings are all fictional but I’ve placed the map in Ohio since Coitsville is mentioned and there is such a place and a prison nearby.

Such a big fan of Richard Parker. I loved this book. It keeps you guessing all the way never knowing what might happen next. When Cooper goes missing on a family holiday his parents will stop at nothing to find him. A very big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book to read and review

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Hide and Seek by Richard Parker.
A parent's worst nightmare - your child is kidnapped and you are left with despair and hopelessness. That's what happens to Todd and Lana - an average couple living in the suburbs. One day, Lana witnesses a masked man taking her son, Cooper, from the yard. She manages to rescue him, but Lana and Todd suffer the after affects of this tramatic incident.
A year later, Todd and Lana win a vacation. This is just what they need to forget everything. That is until Cooper is taken again, and the nightmare begins again.
Great suspenseful book that is fast paced and well written. 4 stars...RECOMMEND!

My review as posted on Goodreads:

This book opens with a hauntingly sinister prologue in the garden of a house. The three main characters are soon introduced. Parents Lana and Todd and their son Cooper.

The characters are believable. The story is set in a couple of fictional settings in rural USA>
The plot is fast moving.
This book is not high-brow literature, but it is a pacey crime thriller.
As the novel builds to its conclusion there are several twists in the tale. In fact it turns into a real psychological thriller!
I will certainly be looking out for future books by Richard Parker on the strength of this book, which is the first of his books which I have read.

I give thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for this review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had recently read Richard Parker's 'Be my killer' which I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was extremely excited to read this one.

The story follows a married couple Todd and Lana. They have a son named Cooper. Someone attempted to kidnap Cooper and the family was living in fear after that. It had especially affected Lana. She uses an app which identifies murder scenes and murderers. Someone posts a photo of her family on this app and that is when things start happening...

The book starts off really well and it is quite fast paced and there were some really interesting twists along the way. I would have given it a 4-star rating but the end did not do it for me somehow. It just seemed a bit implausible.

It is, however, still a good book and the plot was very interesting. I will definitely look out for Richard Parker's next book.

A rollercoaster of a ride from the very first sentence. Beyond every parents worst nightmare, this story delivers a terrifying plot that keeps you guessing. The sort of read you won't want to put down until you have finished it.

This book would, I truly believe, make an excellent motion picture - one that would keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. As a book? Sorry, but it just didn't do it for me.

It's not the plot, which is solid even though it's not terribly original. A child is kidnapped, his parents (one of whom has a deep dark secret) are distraught, police are not doing what parents think they should, parents set out on their own to find their child against all sensible advice and chaos ensues. Rather, my difficulties come from the writing; transition that is sadly lacking (or worse, nonexistent) and way too many unclear antecedents and misplaced modifiers. Consider, for instance, this gem:

"...<i>woman chatting to a doctor in a pink smock</i>."

Well, as it turns out, the doctor was a guy; so no, I rather think he wasn't the one wearing pink.

The story begins as Lana Cross thwarts the would-be kidnapper of her 4-year-old son Cooper. Before he gets away, the mystery man - dubbed "Mr. Whisper" - has the last word: "<i>Tomorrow</i>."

Scared out of their wits, Lana and her husband Todd pick up Cooper and leave the home they love for a small apartment in the city. For months, the kidnapper's tomorrow never comes; but convinced that someday it will, Lana determines that she, and only she, must find Mr. Whisper before he makes good on his promise to return (why, exactly, she thinks that way remains a mystery to me). She taps into a crime-scene-finder iPhone app and does some mostly futile digging around, but that all but stops when she and Todd learn they've won a free two-week vacation to an adventure park.

That's great, they say - we need to get away (my reaction would have been more like, "</i>Are you kidding me? What kind of scam is this</i>?" but then it's different strokes for different folks). And surprise, surprise - once they get to the park, the worst happens: Todd, who leaves Lana to take their son on a ride, is knocked unconscious and Cooper vanishes.

Getting a call to meet up from who she assumes is the kidnapper, Lana rushes off without telling anyone, even passing on heading to the hospital to visit her seriously injured husband. But wait, there's more: Apparently, Todd isn't as bad off as the doctors think; he, too, disappears from right under their noses. From that point on, the action really begins to heat up as Lana goes her way and Todd goes his - mostly for totally different reasons (remember that deep, dark secret)?

From that point on, it's impossible to explain what happens without giving away too much. I will emphasize, though, that the last half of the book was noticeably better and for the most part held my attention quite well. For that, I'm happy; when I'm given the opportunity to read an advance copy of a in exchange for an honest review (as with this one), I make it a rule to not give up till I at least pass that point. In this instance, that worked out for the best even though overall this book really isn't my cup of tea.