Laney was an undercover officer with the NYPD until her husband walked out and she realized that her 13 year old son Alfie's issues demand more support than she's been able to give. She moves to a small upstate town where life is simpler and slower until Alfie disappears in the middle of a school day. Local law enforcement more or less brushes her off and then she discovers that someone she worked against is in town. This moves back and forth in time a bit to spool out Laney's work with the NYPD. Her desperate hunt for Alfie is well paced- it's tense. It's a well done thriller with good characters and storytelling. No spoilers for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut and I'm going to look for more from Naymark.

Hide in Place by Emilya Naymark is an exciting mystery/thriller, and my first book by this author. Laney Bird was a undercover policeman for the NYPD, but when a case went terribly wrong, Laney and her son went into hiding. One day when her thirteen year old son vanishes, and she finds out her real identity is know to the Russian mob, she is in a race to find her son. I enjoyed this book with it's twists and turns, that kept me reading. If you enjoy a fast paced mystery/thriller, I strongly recommend this book. I will be watching out for more books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This story consisted of solid writing with building suspense as Laney Bird searches for her son Alfie. The plot was good and kept me engaged throughout. The writing was atmospheric and I felt transported to up state New York.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one was just okay for me. I found it very slow moving. It took me a really long time to get into it and it just simmered. It sounded really good when I requested it and had high hopes. It just wasn’t fast-paced enough for me, that’s not to say, that others won’t really enjoy it. Just not the style of writing I enjoy.

Thank you #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for the eARC.

All Laney Bird ever wanted to do was become a cop. She was hired by the NYPD and has worked as a detective and an undercover officer. She spent a lot of her time with drug dealers trying to take down a Russian mob. At home was her husband Theo who was an artist and her son Alfie who had issues like uncontrollable temper tantrums and a major stutter. She thought everything was fine in her life...until it wasn't.

When her case blows up and her husband packs his bags after telling her that he's tired of her and Alfie holding him back and that he never loved her anyway, Laney resigns from the force and takes her son to upstate New York.

Three years have passed since their relocation. But one day Alfie goes missing. He's all she has left in her life and she's determined to find him. The local police aren't very worried. Alfie has run off before when stress got too much for him. The school isn't worried either. In fact, they might be relieved because Alfie isn't an easy student. Laney and the principal are on a first name basis after 54 visits to his office because of things Alfie did.

Laney is determined to find her son because she knows something is really wrong. Things get even more difficult when she learns that her former partner has recently died of a heroine overdose and the man who was wrongly convicted when the case against the Russian mob blew up is out of prison and has revenge on his mind.

Laney conducts her own investigation using access to police databases she shouldn't have and social media to build a picture of what happened to Alfie and who might have taken him.

Alfie is also a point of view character in this story as he tells what is happening to him after his kidnapping. I really enjoyed seeing the world through Alfie's eyes and loved that he found his voice and his courage because of his kidnapping.

I liked Laney's determination. I felt bad for her because she felt that she was so alone but glad that she finally realized that she had friends who were willing to help her.

The story was fast-paced and filled with tension. The characters were well-rounded and engaging. I recommend this one to all fans of thrillers.

The book started a little slow for me but once I got in to it, it was an easy read. I was drawn in to the story of Alfie and what would happen to him after he went missing.

Once I got into this, I did find it to be a quick & easy read. However, I did find it a little boring. I liked the back & forth between present day & when Laney was an undercover cop. I just found the story lacking something to have me completely engrossed.

I feel grateful to have the chance to read Naymark’s debut novel. The detail in this book has me hooked from page 1 and is a unique part of this book compared to other thriller books.

“The bus smelled like bologna sandwiches, fruity body sprays, and old soda and sounded like a monkey house. But she was used to it. And she needed the extra money.”

Laney’s son, Alfie, has gone missing. As a former undercover cop, the worst thoughts race through Laney’s mind and, infuriatingly, nobody seems to be taking her as serious as they should.

“She pictured Alfie, her stomach clenching with fear. Where was he? Things had improved lately. A lot. He’d been sweet, even-tempered, talkative with her, had even been mentioning a friend.”

As a school psychologist, Alfie reminds me of many kids I’ve worked with and the fact that the author makes mention of a school psychologist makes me feel so seen! There were a few other far-fetched details in this story and none of the characters were particularly likeable. Some of the decisions Laney made and how she treated other children involved with Alfie’s case did not set well with me either. But I think that just added to the building intensity for Laney and her missing son. There were twists and turns that I didn’t see coming with an intense ending. Overall, I liked this one.

CW: missing child, child abuse, mention of substances and use, inappropriate sexual advancement, graphic injury descriptions, mention of gunfire

Laney Bird
Ex cop...
Most important thing in her life is her son
Alfie..

He's all she has,
Once she she a husband.
But he couldn't take the responsibility of alfies Needs..
He decided a child and marriage wasn't for him..


Alfie vanishes one night after school.
Laney goes to the cops, but not everyone believes this to be the case.. Alfie has been gone been Before. Seems to always come home...


However this time. Is Different.
There more to the story.
Laney goes in to cop mode..
Nothing will stop her from finding her son.

This was a first read for me by this author. Was a good read.
Thank you Netgally for this Early copy..

no suspense and thrill to really grip me into this story. A decently written story although a little slow as you follow a mother trying to find her missing child.

Hide in Place is a thriller about a frantic ex cop searching for her missing son. Laney gave upper career as a cop when her husband walked out and left her to deal,with their needy son. She moved to a small town and dealt with Alfie’s issues. Until he disappeared. Her past haunts her as she has to deal with an old nemesis. The action is fast paced and readers will be on the edge of their seats at the turning of each page. The book kept my attention as I waited for what would unfold next.

Hide in Place by Emilya Naymark is a superbly written book that will hold the reader's attention. well worth the time spent!

Story stars with Laney Bird is the bus driver for a school field trip to attend the performance of “Wicked”. Her 13 almost 14 year old son Alfie had band practice so doesn’t attend. Laney had prepared dinner for him but when she arrives home late that evening she finds the dinner uneaten and no sign of her son.
She had to leave her position as an undercover detective as her son requires full time parenteral assistance and dad has given up and is no longer part of the family.

Why has he gone missing, he know not to go with a stranger. We soon find out that his kidnapper is not a stranger.
Laney must use to detective training to rescue her own son! She finds out that Alfie had met with an older man.
Story backtracks to Laney’s past adventures as an undercover detective; which was certainly interesting a bit wild and terrifying (I read [author: Emilya Naymark’s biography. She is married to an NYPD undercover detective so some of the adventures with Laney’s character were inspired by real life events.).

Although interesting, I cannot say that I liked Laney Hmmm she knew he had issues and left him alone for HOURS!!
However, I did like Alfie and was anxious to read what was happening to him.
He had an interesting experience with Hopper. Alfie states that he appreciated his metaphors and his advice. Alfie was always bullied and Hooper told him that one way to stop it is to stare them down… don’t blink and you will look crazy... think like Charles Manson. You will have them fearful that one day you may do something crazy to them.
Alfie’s relationship was more like father son. In fact, he had a much better relationship with Hooper than his own father.
Note: I am a Jack Reacher fan. Currently reading "The Sentinel" ~ Reacher has similar advice…He states make the bad guys THINK you are going to hurt them and they will leave you alone!
These characters were certainly complicated.
I did end up liking this story ~ round up to ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 9, 2021

I just could not find my way into this one... From the opening pages I struggled to connect with the characters. There isn't anything I can point to that was wrong with it, it just somehow never engaged me. Some writing styles and readers just aren't a good fit, and that seems to be the case here...

Laney Bird is devastated after her 14 year old son goes missing. As a retired detective with the NYPD, she discovers that her son's disappearance may be related to a previous case. Hide in Place tells the story of Laney's search for the truth and her race to connect the dots before it's too late.

Laney is a well-written character who seems to behave as one would expect a mother in her situation to behave-she forgoes reason for emotion all the while trusting her detective skills and mother's intuition to solve the case. Her chase takes her back to people and places she thought she had put behind her, and forces her to realize that she can run, but she can't hide from her past.

I recommend this book for fans for domestic suspense, crime novels, and those who can appreciate reading a book even with a good idea of how it will end. It reads like a Lifetime movie, which is fine with me, I love drama, even when it's a little over top!

Hide in Place tells the story of Laney, an ex-detective whose son is kidnapped while she is at work. A single mother, she is desperate to protect her only child, Alfie at all costs since he is special needs. Alfie, coaxed by an ex-con who his mother once put behind bars, willingly gets into the mans car and is held hostage in the basement of an abandoned house. It takes his mother's detective background to gather the clues necessary to determine where she can find her son. Though she always seems a step behind the captor, she is savvy and knows who is he and his intent with Alfie. Escaping after setting the house on fire, Alfie makes his way home, only to find the captor waiting for him in the living room. Alfie uses his intelligence and the information his mother once shared about her job in order to save himself, though he fears he will be charged and sent to jail. The story is heart wrenching and keeps leading to dead ends, which keeps the reading wanting more.

A moderately paced mystery surrounding that of a missing teen and his mother’s vengeance to find him. The narrative explored more of the family dynamic and relationship quandaries than upholding the true crime fiction/suspense aspect. A decent read but lacks a climatic edge. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #HideInPlace which was read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars
Laney Bird had to quit her job as an undercover detective because her son has issues that require a parent to be around as much as possible—so she can go talk to the principle 54 times, for example. But when her almost 14-year-old son is kidnapped, she uses her detective skills to track him down.

The beginning of this was slow and repetitive, and then something happened fairly early on that lost a lot of the tension for me. I still wanted to see how Laney and the local cop Ed would locate Alfie, and I wanted to learn more about the disastrous case that Laney had worked before quitting being a cop, but there wasn’t much suspense that everyone who should make it out would make it out.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES FEBRUARY 9, 2021.

Laney Bird had it all, her dream job as an undercover NYC cop, a handsome husband, and a son. Her job begins to wear on her family so she makes plans to transfer to a less dangerous job, but her son has yet another breakdown at school and she comes home to find her husband at the door with his bags packed as he walk out on his wife and son. Laney decides it’s time to quit the force and focus on her son, so she resigns, packs up the house, sells it and pays off her ex’s outstanding debts and moves upstate.

While living in a smaller town, Laney has left her old life behind, until her son disappears and she learns that the Russian Mob she was working to take down in he city knows her real identity and location. Now it’s a race to find her son before he pays for his Mother’s past. 

A page turner that will have you on the edge of your seat at times and cheering on Laney and Alfie. It started out a little slow but picked up as I read on and then I had to find out how it ended. A good read.

A mother’s worst nightmare, her young son disappears. Laney Bird has been living a quiet life in a small rural town in upstate New York. Her son Allie has experienced his share of emotional problems but lately things have been going great for mother and son.
Then one morning Laney sees Allie off to his music lesson and doesn’t see him again. He never makes it to the music lesson and doesn’t come home. The local police think her teenage son has run away or is off with friends and will eventually turn up.
What local police are unaware of is Laney was once a top notch undercover cop herself in New York City and she has her own opinions about young Alfie’s disappearance. Laney knows he has been kidnapped or worse and she is determined to find her young son with or without the aid of local police.
A taut, thrilling page turner as more and more information comes to light about a past case Laney was involved with and a high profile prisoner who has now been freed and he’s coming for Laney, the cop that put him in prison.