Tangled roots can't stay hidden.

While DS Joanna Harper deals with a man filling his bathtub with blood, a toddler wanders the seaside, looking for her mummy. Ruby swoops in to take the girl, but she is not her mother. The real mother has jumped into the sea, abandoning her daughter. What could have made her take such a drastic action and who is the man in the tub? Why doesn't the child make a sound when she cries?

This fuzzy picture becomes clearer, though never fully transparent. Constance, the little girl's mother, claims to be of the Roane people — a selkie — and needs to return to the sea. Is this the truth? If so, what is she doing holed up in a strange, controlling man's apartment with a little girl? Why does Ruby entangle herself with these strange people? Why is Gregor the way he is? Some questions are answered, some aren't.

The pacing snowballs, and by the last third, it's an unputdownable read that is complex, layered, subtle, and steeped in history. Everything in this entire book is so carefully intertwined — almost too intertwined to be believable. But that's folklore for you.

The Hidden is that spot in the venn diagram where mythology, domestic thriller, magical realism, and mystery intersects... and it's pure magic.

CW: abuse

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. Sadly, this one just was not for me. A toddler gets abandoned at the beginning and it just never grasped my attention from there. I think others who enjoyed Golding's Little Darlings will enjoy this.

Really enjoyable read. I loved how fast-paced this was, I didn't put it down even once because it was just so quick and easy to read. I also found Ruby really intriguing as a character. I liked the opening with the little girl being lost and thought that was a strong opener for the story, however, the book lost me somewhere along the way. I found the changing timelines paired with the POV switches too confusing and sudden and it was honestly hard to follow the plot and the story. I liked the folktale aspect, it was very unique and different, but still couldn't completely redeem the book for me. I would have wished for a more steady timeline rather than all those details which made it seem messy.

This story starts with Leonie, a one year old left in front of a small store. Leonie is mesmerized standing in front of the window shop. When she turns to call her mother to take a look with her, her mother is nowhere to be found

We then meet DS Joanna Harper(Jo) who is called on a case of a man found in his apartment bathtub, with a head injury and barely alive. As Jo investigates this case, she soon comes to realize that her daughter Ruby is somehow connected to this man and the little girl found of the small shop. She is on crunch time to find her daughter before anyone finds out her that the girl seen in video footage is her daughter. But can Jo find her before anyone else?

Told from different POV’s this story started off slow. You kind of get the feeling at first that this is a psychological thriller, but then moving more towards into the story you find it’s a mix between thriller and a folktale. Which is a first for me to see this combined together, and wasn’t to bad and kept me on my toes for sure

TW: Touch of Alcoholism, domestic abuse

A toddler girl was found abandoned outside the store. The authorities received a call, but the mother came back and claimed that her daughter had escaped and had been looking for her for the past 20 minutes. Satisfied with what she said, they were released and were free to conduct business. Joanna Harper is called to a scene where a man is lying in a bathtub dying. The strange thing is that the bedroom is full of children's toys. Where did the child go? These storylines will be connected in the most fascinating way. The pace in this area is slower but still fascinating. The atmosphere, not knowing what happened, will make you stick to the pages of the book. I can't wait to see what Golding thinks next!

Leonie is left abandoned on the street in a small seaside town. Her mother Constance had disappeared. Ruby is late arriving to collect Leonie.
The police and Social Services arrive before Ruby. Ruby manages to convince Diane from Social Services that she is Constance and Leonie’s mother. Diane has had a busy weekend and is not feeling well so she lets Ruby and Leonie leave.
Meanwhile in a town nearby a man called Gregor is found close to death in a bathtub. He has a head injury. CCTV images show a woman carrying Leonie leaving the building where Gregor was found.
The plot gets more complicated when CCTV images reveal Ruby and Leonie catching a train.
The Detective Sergeant in charge of investigating the crime against Gregor knows who Ruby is and she tries to find Ruby before the police.
This was full of twists and turns, stalking, stolen identities, folktales and family relationships. I loved the description of characters and the way they interacted. Especially descriptions of Ruby’s life. Ruby was lonely and separated from her family. She loved music and shared her love of music with her friend Sam.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I will admit that this book was very hard for me to get into. With its short chapters, changing timeline combined with changing points of view. I was very confused for awhile. But, once I became used to it I couldn't put the book down. I couldn't wait to figure out what happened in the past that caused the characters to get to where they were at in the Now section of the book.

This book was so much fun to read! What an amazing writer! I lived this story so much, here is the synopsis of it: I highly recommend reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this!

Following her acclaimed debut Little Darlings, Melanie Golding's newest folkloric suspense is a spine-tingling twist on Celtic mythology. One dark December night, in a small seaside town, a little girl is found abandoned. When her mother finally arrives, authorities release the pair, believing it to be an innocent case of a toddler running off. Gregor, a seemingly single man, is found bludgeoned and left for dead in his apartment, but the discovery of children's toys raises more questions than answers. Every night, Ruby gazes into Gregor's apartment, leading to the discovery of his secret family: his unusually silent daughter and his mentally unstable wife, Constance, who insists that she is descended from the mythological Selkies. She begs Ruby to aid in finding the sealskin that Gregor has hidden from her, making it impossible to return to her people. DS Joanna Harper's investigation into Gregor's assault leads her to CCTV footage of the mother-daughter pair from town. Harper realizes she knows the woman almost as well as she knows herself: it's her estranged daughter, Ruby. No matter the depth of Ruby's involvement, she knows she will choose her daughter over her career. Steeped in local legend and exploring the depths of what it means to be a mother, Melanie Golding's newest novel is a lyrical and atmospheric folktale for the modern age.

I think Melanie Golding's writing style is just not for me... I was captivated by the concept of The Cave Dwellers, but struggled with the book. Ditto this one. I think she comes up with brilliant concepts. Hands down, I'm intrigued by the blurb every time. But the way she chooses to lay them out just doesn't seem to work for me. I don't know what it is - there's nothing I can point to that is wrong or objectionable, yet somehow I find myself struggling each time I pick one of her books up, feeling like I'm slogging through the story. I think it's just a case of author and reader not being a good fit together.

Detective thriller meets dark Irish folktale - this is a subgenre I need more of. 😍

The Hidden starts off like most DI novels, with a murder to solve and a suspect on the run. But with the split storytelling perspective between past and present, we quickly learn there is much more to this case of domestic violence than what lies on the surface.

I was absolutely captivated by this story and could not put the book down once I began. I really enjoyed how light the fantasy was - really making me wonder whether or not it was true until the very end.

Now excuse me while I go read Melanie Golding's other book immediately.

"In Norse and Celtic mythology, selkies (also spelled silkies, sylkies, selchies) or selkie folk (Scots: selkie fowk) meaning "seal folk" are mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin."-Wikipedia

Melanie Golding has created another engaging book relying on folklore and mythology. If you have read Little Darlings, you will recognize DS Joanna Harper as the lead investigator in that book. She is back, along with Ruby and her parents in this book. It was nice to see them again and with Ruby having a major part in this book.

The book begins as a female toddler is found abandoned in a seaside town. When her mother arrives moments later, claiming the child run off and she has been frantically looking for her, the authorities on had release the pair.

When a man is found clinging to life in the bathtub in his apartment, DS Joanna Harper and her team is called in. What is troubling is children's toys are found as is a bedroom with a padlock on it. Strange and worrisome. Where is the child? Where is her mother? What happened to the man?

Could the missing child be the child that was found abandoned in the small seaside town? DS Joanna Harper believes the abandoned child is the missing child. When CCTV footage is examined, Joanna recognizes the woman with the child - Ruby (her daughter)!!!! CCTV also showed another woman running toward the sea leaving behind the child. Who was she? Ruby gave a fake name when she claimed the abandoned child. Why use the name Constance? Who was Constance? Could she be the woman running toward the sea, the one who abandoned her daughter?

What will a mother do to protect her child? What lengths will she go to? What choices does she have?

Through the various flashbacks in the book, readers learn more about Ruby and her relationships to various characters in this book. We learn who the man in the tub is, who the child is, and who the child's mother is. That is all you are getting from me. I feel it is best to go in as blind as possible.

I enjoyed how she began each chapter with quotes/passages that pertain to the subject matter in this book. I loved the merging of folklore and mythology with fiction. I also enjoyed the look at motherhood and the choices mother's make. What does it mean to be a mother?

This book builds slowly, setting the stage for the second half of the book which picks up speed as it brings us to the conclusion. This book, like an onion, has layers. There is what you think you know, what you are told, and then what really is happening. Told through multiple POV, this book drew me in with its mystery, the danger, and the investigation. After the halfway mark, I did not want to put this book down and it became a real page turner for me. I enjoy Golding’s writing and how she manages difficult subjects while blending dread, suspense and hope all together.

Fans of mythology will enjoy this one. If you have read Little Darlings, you will know what to expect. If you have not read that book, I highly recommend it. Can you read this book without reading Little Darlings? Absolutely! But it is nice knowing more of the backstory of Joanna Harper and her family.

Another hit by Golding! She writes books that I want to read and upon fishing this book, I am looking forward to her next. Be sure to read the Author's note at the end. She described how she was inspired to write this book.

Beautifully written, riveting, and full of tension.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I am not sure what to think about this book. It didn't really have a suspense to it nor a surprise ending for me. I liked that it had a mother / daughter theme in it for both. of the MC but other than that it was a just there book for me. I gave it 4 stars as it did have some good family points and helping others out of an abusive relationship but it is definitely a different king of book for me.

It was a slow start with a mix of mystery and folktale. It definitely had interesting parts, but as a whole it felt clunky. It bounced between past, present and dreaming (I think!) and was far fetched and unrelatable. Thanks to NetGalley for advanced copy.

This book was engaging, intriguing, and kept me guessing to the end. The mix of thriller with folklore was well done and I want more of Constance's story!

I almost gave up on this one, as the beginning was a bit too slow for me, but glad I gave it a shot, because I ended up enjoying it. The author has a very unique, beautiful style of writing, plus, I love that it’s not only thriller, but a bit of fantasy weaved within. I felt the character development was done perfectly, really helping me get more absorbed in the story. I would definitely recommend to both thriller and fantastic/folk lore lovers, as I think this one will really meet their standards. Definitely a fun, chilling read!

Just read this one! A definite gem combining folklore with real time while intertwining a solid mystery, family dynamics, and a psychopath into the mix and keeping you guessing all along the way. The author did a fine job of keeping things moving and keeping the tension high - read it in a day.

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley and crooked lane books for advance copy of this book. The following review/opinion is my own.
What a phenomenal read! Melanie Golding is great at weaving together folklore with the modern world. It’s a mystery, thriller, and holds a touch of the supernatural. In other words, it’s perfect.
Things are not what they always appear to be at first glance. I thought it would be about murder, abandonment, and finding out why. I’ve read Little Darlings; I should have known better. While we do have all of those things, we also have Selkies. Which if you aren’t familiar, do yourself a favor and read up on it. It’s incredibly fascinating.
All in all, a fantastic read. Publication date is November 9th, so plenty of time to have it on your radar!

Melanie Golding writes a haunting folklore in her second novel, The Hidden. It starts with a seemingly ordinary family. Gregor, the charming but awkward father; Constance, the trouble mother, insistent that she is a descendant from the mythical Selkies; 2-year-old Leonie, with her abnormal silent cry. Except they aren’t ordinary at all. Gregor has taken painstaking steps to hide the existence of his partner and child from the world around them and is successful…until he meets Ruby. Estranged from her own family and crippled with failing mental health, meeting Gregor is life a breath of fresh air. But something is off about the stories he tells of his home life. Ruby soon learns there is more beneath the surface of his charming smile. When Leonie is found abandoned on the street the same day Gregor is attacked and left for dead, Ruby finds herself in the center of a race for her life.

Golding’s characters were really well developed. I felt deeply connected to Ruby, her family struggles, her mental health. She was dynamic and her growth from early narrative to epilogue was amazing to follow along with. Joanna’s growth as a character matched it. This book definitely benefited from multiple POVs, but I found Joanna and Ruby’s perspectives slightly blurred together and if not for context clues of their movements, I would have needed to go back and see whose perspective it was and I could have done without Gregor’s perspective entirely. It would have been better to not see his movements, to add to the suspense of the plot. I wish his backstory had come out sooner into the novel.

I cannot get enough of this book’s premise. Celtic mythology feels so underutilized in fiction novels and intertwining it into a thriller was everything I never knew I needed in a book. I wish there had been more of the mythology in the book, though. The insertion of actual story excerpts from history was great, but most of we know in the context of the story was told from Gregor’s perspective. I wish more had come from Constance, from her life and her experience. The plot was wonderfully suspenseful and chilling. I struggled with the writing style a little, but not enough to take away from the overall story. 4/5 stars, I absolutely could not put this book down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have very mixed feelings about this book- on one hand, I really enjoyed the premises and legend of this novel. The mystery surrounding Constance's past easily drew me into the story and left me eager to keep reading to find out more about her and her life. However, on the other hand, I was dissuaded by the shifting of POV of both people and timeframe. I found myself confused, especially at the beginning of the novel, because I didn't know whose point of view I was reading from. I would have liked the novel to focus more on the lore surrounding Constance and how she got to be in the situation she's in, rather than the constant hunting/detective work. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but I was hoping for more of a mythological factor to the story.

Another winner from Melanie Golding! I loved this book and did not want to put it down! I was fascinated to learn more about DS Joanna Harper (introduced in Little Darlings), and was particularly drawn to the supernatural aspect of the selkie legend. I was glad to see that this time the supernatural component was embraced. I loved the pace of this book--had my heart racing and my mind screaming out for answers. Truly an excellent combination of myth, mystery, and family drama.