This was a mix of mystery, folklore, and crime fiction and had me captivated until the end. Ruby watches a man through her window at night doing yoga and doesn't think he notices but when she meets him he invites her in and finds he has a woman and her young daughter living with him. This woman tells her she cannot leave because he has her coat. She is really a selkie and needs to be back in the sea but cannot go until she finds her skin Gregor has hidden. Oh, the twists and turns and when they do escape and Ruby ends up with little Leonie and claims to be her mother the chase is on. But wait there's more! A dead body brings in the police and Ruby's mother is the DS in charge and realizes Ruby is part of it and may be in trouble. Now the chase is across the country and hang on to your seat!

I enjoyed this one. It was different than i expected tho. At first i wasn’t sure how the two parts when together but then it started to click and make sense and the twists starting coming. I really loved the complexity of each relationship with all the characters. It created an emotional aspect and helped me connect to the characters. I was so curious of how this story would end. And the ending was so bittersweet but i did enjoy it. I liked the mythical element to this story but feel like it wasn’t totally necessary either. Definitely would read more from this author.

First line: Leonie presses her palm to the outside of the shop window.

Summary: Ruby has spent many nights watching her neighbor do yoga. She is startled when she notices his previously unknown family. After a chance encounter with her neighbor she is invited into his world. Even though she is drawn to Gregor she feels that she cannot interfere with his family. But as she gets to know Gregor, Constance and their daughter, Leonie, she finds out that the Gregor she knows is not the same as the one seen by his family. With each encounter, Ruby becomes more convinced that Constance and Leonie need to leave and she plans to help them.

My Thoughts: Melanie Golding does a great job again by merging a thriller with mythical events. In the story, Ruby believes that Constance has some mental issues when she talks of her life in the sea. How does this woman believe that she was once a seal?! And as a reader I kept wondering if I believed her or not too. It seems outlandish but also Constance really believes it to be true.

The story is told during different time hops. We see Ruby’s sister dealing with the near death of man in his bathtub, Ruby meeting Gregor and memories of a man who has done some dastardly deeds. As a reader you know that it is all leading to one point but how it’s going to get there is the fun of it. When everything comes together it was shocking. There are many little things from Gregor’s past that make the story thrilling. I could not wait to get to the end as I was reading. It was an elaborate cat and mouse game until the very end! And I was not disappointed.

FYI: Thriller with a mystical twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Melanie Golding for this audio-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

This story is told from a few different characters points. We have Ruby the shy, quiet, loner who befriends a man who has his ex and child living with him. She becomes as enthralled with them as she does him. Soon she finds out everything is not as it seems. DS Joanna is a detective who comes onto a case of a mysterious injured man. Her connection to this case is closer than she could have imagined. Gregor is a man who just wants all of the women in his life to behave and do what he wants. Constance and Leonie are mother and daughter seemingly stuck in a crazy situation.

This story had many interesting things about it. It is not the kind of book I usually read. The folklore was extremely fascinating to me. The narrator of this audiobook kept me hooked. Even the song that Constance sings fascinated me and got stuck in my head. I really liked this book. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes fiction.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Different from most of the other thrillers i read this year! wouldn't mind owning this, really good story

This week I finished The Hidden 🎧. It was an interesting listen with a bit of a magical twist incorporated into a thriller. I was secretly hoping for a 🧜‍♀️ direction, reminding me of Splash but my wishes didn’t come true.

Ruby is struggling to make it as a musician so she’s home often and starts watching yoga guy across the street in his place while he’s working out. She panics when he closes his windows thinking he’s seen her. And then she runs into him on transit and they start a friendship.

Gregor (yoga guy) has his ex, Constance, and their child Naomi living with him. Ruby befriends both Naomi and Constance and starts to learn Gregor isn’t what he seems.

Joanna is Ruby’s biological mother and a police officer. She starts investigating a case when a woman and child go missing and is shocked when she realizes Ruby is somehow involved.

I did really enjoy parts of this but the twist was an odd one for me. I also found the relationship between Joanna and Ruby wasn’t as realistic as it could have been. The way their past was described they would have interacted but they dealt with the complexities years later in the story line which didn’t seem to fit their characters for me.

Thank you to @netgalley @dreamscape_media and the author for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Melanie Golding is an awesome author who does a great job at adding supernatural elements or a supernatural lorecto her stories in a way that they seem completely real. I loved the lore of the seal people that she used to write her story this time. All of the characters were excellent and I enjoyed reading from all the different point of views. I loved the twists with Gregor and I enjoyed all of the action in the book. I thought Ruby’s family history was very interesting and unique as well. Overall I enjoyed the story and the adventure it took me on and I would definitely recommend this one. The audiobook version was excellent as well, I really enjoyed the narrator.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea what I was in for with this book! It really surprised me in the best way. It felt like there were twists and turns in every chapter and kept me on edge until the very last word. It was easy to care about and relate to the characters which made their struggles all the more difficult to read about. There is some domestic violence if you need a trigger warning for that sort of stuff. I loved how it was set in England then moved up to an island off the coast of Scotland. It was all described so well I felt like I was there experiencing all the suspense and drama along with Constance and Ruby! I would definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a fast paced thriller with a touch of the supernatural.

Dark and unnerving, not your typical mystery/thriller. This novel meshes folklore and mythological with a contemporary spin that compliments the "whodunit" aspects of the story. Evenly paced and well written, an entertaining and engaging audiobook experience. The narrator really brings the story to life and does a good job.

A procedural crime mystery novel with folklore, disturbing murders, and missing children. SAY NO MORE.

This book was phenomenal and so creative. I also highly recommend the audiobook of this one, the narrator was brilliant and fit the parts seamlessly.

All around, 5 brilliant stars. The Hidden has easily made it into my top 10 favorite books of this year.

Back-of-book synopsis:


‘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.’



My thoughts:

What a creative book that played on all the things I love: murder mysteries, serial killers, folklore, selkies, sea creatures, the strength of a mothers love, and a beautiful ending. I loved this one. If any of those things are tropes you love, I highly highly recommend you pick this book up. Really talented author as well, the writing was exquisite.

This was a strangely captivating story for me!
We begin with a young toddler who is left seemingly abandoned, but then taken back by a distraught mother.
Ruby is a girl who feels all the frustration of a family drama that is full of internal secrets and escapes into gazing across to the "yoga man" she can see from her apartment, and then finally meets.
Joanna is a DS who comes across a bludgeoned man who may have ties to her sister, Ruby.
Constance is a woman who believes herself to be a selkie (seal-woman) and is held against her will with her daughter.

The beginning did take a bit to get me connected. I am usually all about character development, but there was a lot of this for Ruby. That said, once we got past the "yoga man" phase, it did seem to pick up the pace and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story. The narrator, Penelope Rawlins did a really fantastic job with all the voices, though I did feel like Gregor's voice sounded congested. Maybe he was. It didn't take anything away from the story for me!

As Ruby got closer to her neighbors and began to see what was definitely a difficult situation, she was dealing with a family fracture that gave her a lot of hurt. This story really dove into the sacrifices and consequences of family decisions and specifically, motherhood. I am not a mother, but Melanie Golding wrote scenes that gave voice to impossible decisions and even though it wasn't excused, it was explained with nuance and grace. Grace was the takeaway I really loved in this story.

I wasn't sure how I would do with the selkie references and the mystical undercurrent. Again, I was so pleased to experience a really lovely balance of folklore/fantasy within a good story.

I was able to listen to the audio of this book by NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read/listen to a redemptive family drama with a suspense/mystery and a dash of fantasy! I really enjoyed it and it is out now!

Selkies or mental health issue? The Hidden transport the reader to this amazing folkloric tale and who can tell the truth and tale apart?
This book was a really interesting read. After I read the blurb nothing could prepare me to the journey I was about to embark on. It was surprising and I couldn't put it down. The characters are well developped and without spoiling anything, let me just say that it is hard to really know someone you just met!
The chronology used to relate the events was well chosen, I enjoyed the back and forth movement between the scenes and the characters it added tension to the story.

Melanie Golding became an author to watch after her haunting debut Little Darlings kept me up for nights; it was so unnerving. The book was the exactly the type of mystery thriller I like to read—suspense laced with a touch of the paranormal, just enough to make you wonder. When I learned that her next novel The Hidden would also strike a similar kind of balance, I became very excited to read it, and I’m pleased to say it did not disappoint. In many ways, I might have liked it even more.

The story opens on an intriguing scene: it’s the middle of winter, on a cold dark night. A local shopkeeper at a small seaside town notices a little girl wandering around by herself and calls the authorities. Not long afterwards, a frantic woman arrives, claiming to be the child’s mother, saying that her daughter had run off on her while she wasn’t looking. Both police and social services watch on as the toddler embraces the relieved woman, looking genuinely happy to see her. Satisfied with the explanation, they decide to release the pair with just a stern warning. After all, it is a familiar enough situation—curious kids manage to get away from their distracted parents all the time.

Meanwhile, in a nearby town, DS Joanna Harper is none too pleased to be summoned to a bloody crime scene on Christmas Eve, though if she’s honest with herself, a part of her is somewhat glad for the distraction. Her personal life is a bit of a mess right now, and one way she deals with it is by throwing herself into her work, and this sure to be a case to keep her busy. A man was found in his flat lying in a bathtub bleeding out, but miraculously, he’s still alive, albeit in a deep coma. Interviewing the neighbors, Joanna finds out from one of them that there might have been a child living with the victim, even though records showed that the man lived alone. A search of the apartment turns up a few toys, however, confirming that suspicion, but then that leaves the question, where might that child be now?

The story then kind of switches tack, revealing a portion of it in flashback, going back several months to follow Ruby, a kind-hearted but naïve young woman who had just moved out to be on her own. She ends up at a quaint little apartment complex where she becomes drawn to a neighbor named Gregor who is handsome, charming, and perfect boyfriend-material—except for the fact that he still lives with his agoraphobic and mentally unstable ex and their young daughter. That’s too much baggage for Ruby, who decides to be just friends, helping Gregor care for his little girl Leonie and her mother Constance. As the weeks pass, Ruby begins to see what Gregor means. Constance seems to believe herself to be a kind of sea creature, claiming to be a part of a selkie clan, and that she can’t return to her home in the sea anymore because Gregor has her sealskin coat. Still, as crazy as it all sounds to Ruby, she can’t deny there are things that seem off about Gregor, and as she grows closer to Constance and Leonie, she also can’t help but notice the strange dynamic in the household, or the ever-present atmosphere of fear.

While the above might seem confusing or disjointed, I promise all of it will eventually make sense in the end. Admittedly, I was thrown off very early on by the flashbacks, finding it disorienting with the frequent transitions, but as the story progresses and the timelines eventually converge, following it became easier.

Also, I think it’s worth mentioning that this isn’t DC Joanna Harper’s appearance. If you’ve read Little Darlings, you might recall she was a major character, even though The Hidden doesn’t appear to be a traditional follow-up and neither does this feel like it’s shaping up to be a traditional kind of series. To be clear though, you absolutely do not have to read Little Darlings to pick up The Hidden, and quite honestly, I didn’t even make the connection with Joanna until about halfway through.

Still, I believe readers who enjoyed Little Darlings will appreciate on a deeper level this fantastic opportunity to get to know her on a more personal level as well as discover more about her home life. First, we find out early on that Joanna and Ruby are related, and in a most complicated manner. Though in truth they are mother and daughter, the two were raised as sisters since Joanna had Ruby as a young teen. Joanna’s mother, an alcoholic, made their lives growing up together very difficult, so that by the time The Hidden starts, the three women are barely speaking to each other.

Needless to say, even though the main story is a mystery, the side arcs exploring Joanna and Ruby’s relationship also gets a lot of attention, making this book a tale of family ties and hardships as well, delving into topics related to estrangement, alcoholism, emotional abuse, and mental illness. And you know what? I loved The Hidden all the more for it. As much as I enjoyed the thriller and mystery aspects, I thought the family themes gave the story much greater significance and richness.

If a thrill was what you came for though, do not fret—the final sections of the book will keep you on edge for sure. Thanks to Golding prose, which was just so tense and on point, I found my attention utterly riveted to the events playing out before me and could not stop tear myself away until the very last word.

A final shoutout also goes to the narrator of the audiobook, which I had the unbelievable pleasure and privilege to listen to. I’ve been an audiobook listener for years, and have heard incredible performances by many readers, but only a handful have ever blown me away the way Penelope Rawlins did. Many narrators read the lyrics or verses to songs in books, for example, but not Rawlins, who actually sang all the parts. And what a beautiful voice she has—clear, ringing, and haunting—bringing to life all the Celtic tunes and lullabies that were a big part of the story, and so meaningful as well because the character of Ruby is also a violinist, with music being a huge part of her life. Overall, Rawlins delivered a fantastic performance as a reader, with pitch-perfect accents and voices, making The Hidden one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to.

I was provided an arc of the audiobook via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The narrator was fantastic! She did a wonderful job with the different voices for the characters. She also has a lovely singing voice. I love those little touches when a narrator can add to the story by singing parts of the story, which in this book music and song was an important part of the story. She also did an amazing job with Leonie's voice, it is hard to do a realistic 2 year old voice without sounding fake and ridiculous, but she did a great job with it.

This mystery/thriller takes a while to come together. It is told from several different perspectives, the main being Ruby a struggling musician and Joanna a detective. Joanna is Ruby's mother, so naturally when she finds that Ruby may be involved with a case she is investigating, she wants to protect her daughter. Their relationship is a bit unconventional and has been strained as of late, but as the story unfolds we find out why. We also learn of Ruby's involvement in her neighbor Gregor's life and his own unconventional family. As the story unfolds she sees parallels between her upbringing and that of her new friend Constance and her daughter Leonie.

The timeline for this switches back and forth between then and now, I believe they are about 1 year apart from each other from when Ruby befriends Gregor and is introduced to Constance and their daughter Leonie. In the present we follow Joanna as she is investigating Gregor's attempted murder and a missing child case that may be related. As the story slowly develops, Gregor paints a picture where Constance is mentally unstable. The more Ruby gets to know the strange family, the more she realizes something is off with their story and she is determined to find out the truth if only to help the innocent little girl she has come to love.

I don't want to spoil too much because as things started to come together, this was actually pretty twisty and turny. I loved the mix of mythology and almost magical realism mixed in with the mystery and thriller elements. This took some unexpected turns and I really appreciated how the different perspectives added to the storytelling. This also takes a good look at family and the dynamic between the mother-daughter relationship. This was layered with so many different elements that keep the reader engaged and wanting to know what is going to happen next. It starts off slow, but the pace builds nicely and then takes off and holds steady until the end. I really enjoyed this and will be looking into more of the author's work.

This book started out a little slow for me, but once it picked up I was surprised how dark and interesting it got. The narrator did an amazing job switching voices and I was able to discern each character’s intended voice. This was my first thriller that contained folklore/mythology and I was very entertained. Overall I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

This was so good! I love the way the author Melanie Golding takes folklore and makes it so very real for modern times. Deliciously atmospheric, well written, and thoroughly creepy. I also think the narrator did an excellent job telling this story. A pleasure to listen to.

This was a really unique and engaging thriller! It centers around the mystery of a man who was found unconscious in his home after being attacked and how it relates to a little girl who was left abandoned by the sea. There's some really interesting fantastical elements to this story as well. OverallI I really enjoyed this one. The book was a page turner and I thought that the pacing and reveals were executed well. The audiobook production was great as well! Definitely pick it up if you're looking for a unique thriller with some subtle supernatural elements.

I loved the first few chapters of this book! I couldn’t figure out who to trust and what was real. Around chapter 6 everything slowed right down and became a bit repetitive. I wanted to know where it was all heading but that plot kept twisting in unexpected and unnecessary ways. I found myself shaking my head and rolling my eyes but I pushed through.

Since this was a blind read for me I wasn’t excepting the folklore angle but it definitely made for an unexpected ending!

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.5 stars for this mystical thriller. Only for readers who enjoy the fantastical. Rated 14+

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A little girl found wandering alone. Released to her mother when she arrives later. However just a couple blocks away a man murdered. Could this all be related?This book will have you guessing until the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rated it a 4 star because i ususally don't like fantasy books. I like more realistic books. But at least it wasn't through the whole book. Just a touch of it.
But if you're looking for something unique with a touch of mystical here it is!

The narration was easy to follow with a nice flow and enjoyable. The different voices were well narrated too. From woman to man to child.

Overall i enjoyed this Mystery/Thriller.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media, Melanie Golding & NetGalley for this Advanced Audio Copy narrated by Penelope Rawlins.

#TheHidden #MelanieGolding #NetGalley #Goodreads