'She Lies Hidden' is C. M. Stephenson's debut novel, and although the synopsis sounded exciting, i'm afraid it didn't quite hit the mark for me. There were too many issues for it to be an enjoyable read. For starters the story was quite boring, not to mention repetitive. The classic rookie mistake of making the story as action-packed as possible backfires here as it makes it impossible to keep up with all the different threads of the story. There were also far too many characters meaning they lacked depth and development and were not at all memorable. The writing style made it difficult to get invested in the story and there were no twists as such just the slow discovery of information adding to the boredom. The ending was totally odd and much of it felt as though it had been thrown together and a bit of an afterthought.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion of psychology at certain points in the book, and as I have a deep interest in psychological conditions this kept me reading. The authors use of multiple perspectives to add to the story worked really well, and I felt that Stephenson wove them together seamlessly. Unfortunately, there are many times that the reader could end up very confused because of the amount that is happening, and coupled with the slow pace it felt as though the story was literally not going anywhere. Overall, it was far too much like hard work getting through it all. I found that I could guess the outcome from very early on which was extremely disappointing.

Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The writing in this book was top-notch, in my opinion. This book had so many seemingly unrelated characters and storylines going on that the author weaves together seamlessly as the story goes on. I loved that. The story was complex enough to keep my interest, but not so complex that I got lost.

There were several perspectives that the story is told from, which gives the reader the advantage of seeing all sides of the characters and story.

I did not figure things out until things were revealed in time. It was a nice ending that wrapped things up with some good twists thrown in. It also gives a different perspective than a
"regular" straightforward police procedural, since Thomasine was "on the other side" of this investigation, as a family member. It really showed how the families are continuously affected, years and years after someone goes missing.

I liked Thomasine and hope to see more of her and Mel Phillips in the future. The author doesn't say whether this will turn into a series, but I liked both main policewomen and hope that they reappear in the future.

I was provided with this book in return for an honest review by Net Gallery.

Thomasine Albright had an older sister who disappeared when she was a teenager assumed a runaway .... the story reveals the twisted tale of what really happened to her. It’s an interesting and emotional read.

I found the first few chapters difficult to get used to the writing style. It was confusing to understand who was who but I would recommend that you keep reading this one as things will eventually make sense ... takes a while to get there though ... I would certainly read more by this author.

A crime novel where you know who has done it from around the 30% mark, this is not my kind of book. I do not want to sound harsh as a result but there were elements that caused me some annoyance. I will start with what I enjoyed about this book.

It was an engaging and immersive read. Thomasine was a sympathetic character and I really felt for her throughout. The fact that there was a lot of "psychobabble" also appealed and it was an interesting read in places. The multiple perspectives were well done, with each chapter being dedicated to one character, although the multiple threads sometimes got confusing.

However, I have a few more issues with the book; Thomasine and the police discovered the same information at different times during the book which resulted in a lot of repetition for the reader. This got a tad tedious after a while due to the fact that there were so many threads to keep hold of, it was annoying to have the same information just from a different characters perspective. It was also a shame that Thomasine seemed to be more of a plot device than a character - we are reading her part in the story therefore something important is about to happen, reader take note. I also didn't like the portrayal of two psychological conditions in this book, as both felt a little undercooked, they just didn't sit right with me. Finally, my issues lie with the ending of the book, where the epilogue seemed a little thrown together and not in keeping with the rest of the book, it was also a bit out of the blue as the character perspective was from someone we had not heard from for a long time in the book. I was also a tad disappointed that there were no twists in this book, what you see is what you get.

However, I will say that C.M Stephenson can write really well, I was engaged for most of the story and I did enjoy it to a point. I would recommend for people who like to read murder stories but don't want to solve them.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

“she is missing, she hasn’t come home, she promised to be here by 2 pm”. The story is told from the point of view of “Thomasine”, Karen (the missing girl's sister), how to protect (her) their mother from the tragedy, the fight to find the truth.
I struggled with the outline of this book, I started the book thinking I was in the present time or at least not many months before, I wasn’t certain what was happening or when it was occurring. Unfortunately, I struggled with this read, I felt there was too much going on at times with the various “stories” incidents or characters.
There were some great twists that had me intrigued and wanting more, on average it was a suspense/thriller. Thank You. C.M. Stephenson, Bloodhound books and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Another slow burner that never really gets going. This book did not live up to the blurb.
This is a very confusing read, too many characters all doing their own thing. The storyline is too busy.
Reading this book I was at first confused and finally frustrated.
I finished this book but it was hard work.
Not a book for me
I would like to thank Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

When the body of Karen Albright turns up after she has been missing for 27 years her sister Thomasine goes on the hunt to find out who is responsible for her murder and if her disappearance is linked to that of three other girls, who like Karen had just been considered runaways. Her desire to solve the years old case brought her into conflict with her job in the police force as a family liaison officer as she had been told that under no circumstances could she be involved in the investigations.
I found myself feeling a little bit sorry for Thomasine. For years she had lived with the guilt that even at her young age she could have possibly done more to stop her sister from disappearing all those years ago. The events of 1973 had brought around the early death of her father and her mother had effectively shut herself off from her other daughter. The discovery of her remains had further tragic consequences for her family and then to be shut off from the investigations seemed to set her on the path that could cause her problems with her career. Luckily for her the DI in charge of the case seemed more inclined to use the evidence that she uncovered for the good of the case rather than to end her colleague’s career. I got the feeling that the events of the past led her to her eventual career and the hope that she could help others through the traumas she and her family had suffered.
This is the first novel by C.M. Stephenson and In She Lies Hidden, she takes the reader through the events of both the past and the present through the eyes of several different characters to bring the story to its eventual conclusion. I will admit that at the start of the book I was a bit confused as to where the initial character fitted into the story but the further I got into the book the clearer their relevance became. Telling the story from several different viewpoints certainly required me to concentrate at times but despite this I found that like Thomasine I wanted to see the case through to the end and see the murderer pay for their crime.

Really enjoyed this book. Lots of atmosphere and good scene building. Strong characters which led you through the story and keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book wasn't for me. I found it slow, with a lot of characters to place and very confusing. It sounded like the kind of book that I usually devour but I really struggled to get into it,

Thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

I really enjoyed this book. I've read several reviews where readers said they had a hard time getting into it, but I didn't feel that way. I wanted to know what happened. I was definitely intrigued by the story line and events that took place over decades. My one criticism - I felt that some of the characters could have been developed a little more; had a little more personality. I would recommend this book. (actual rating would be 3.5/5 if I could)

Thank you #netgalley and #bloodhound books for the eARC.

I found it difficult to get into this book. There were just so many characters and storylines to keep track of. I took notes, but I was still a bit lost. Once it started to come together it wasn’t bad. An average thriller.
A thank you to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

It was a good read even though it took me minute to get into because it was a bit boring. I did like how the author portray DI Albright will I recommend this book yes because it had some great twists I just tell them to hang in there because although it was a good read I wish it was better.

Unfortunately I didn't get on well with this book. It took me a while to really get into it and by that point I felt a bit restless and bored. Although once it gets going it's quite good and I did like DI Albright too.
I guess I just expected more from this. Yes It was alright in the end, an OK thriller overall, and there were some twists but I doubt it is a book I will remember well.

Really enjoyed this book although I did find it hard to get into the storyline but once in it was a good read full of twists and I liked the way this author writes.

Can recommend this book if you are looking for an exciting page turner.

Karen Albright disappeared one weekend in 1973. Now her remains have been found and it’s up to her sister, now DI Thomasine Albright to tell their mother. She vows to find the man responsible, even as the original investigator takes over the case. Unwilling to let the case get buried again, Thomasine begins working the case on her own and discovers that her sister wasn’t the only girl who disappeared that same weekend. I liked the way the author portrayed Albright as not just a grieving sister, but also an intelligent, determined cop