The Hiding Place (DC Morgan Brookes #3) by Helen Phifer
Genre: Crime fiction, Police procedural, Suspense, Crime Thriller
Read: 1st June 2021
Published: 1st June 2021
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
The little girl peered down the dark alleyway. She knew she wasn’t supposed to take this shortcut and her mother would kill her if she found out, but it was raining and all she wanted was to get home quickly. She stepped forward, not seeing the silent figure following her into the dark passageway…
When nine-year-old Charlotte Standish goes missing from her street in the small town of Rydal Falls, it sparks a media frenzy. Detective Morgan Brookes leads a frantic hunt for the girl, but little Charlie seems to have vanished into thin air.
Chasing up a lead at Charlie’s school, Morgan is chilled to learn that this isn’t the first time a child has gone missing on this street. Another girl disappeared fifteen years ago, and Morgan is the only one who thinks the cases could be related. But in the moment that she takes her eye off Charlie’s case to investigate the link between the two girls, another child, Macy, goes missing.
Then Morgan gets the call she was dreading, Charlie’s lifeless body has been found in a local park, lying in the shadow of a large tree. Morgan has let one girl down, but she refuses to give up on Macy. Determined to find an overlooked clue, she retraces Macy’s last steps. She’s getting close to the truth when her partner, Detective Ben Matthews, is attacked outside Morgan’s home. Is a twisted killer isolating Morgan from her team? And how long does Macy have left to live? Morgan must solve the case before more innocent lives are taken…
A nail-biting, unputdownable crime thriller that will keep you up all night, for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Patricia Gibney.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Helen Phifer's procedural thriller THE HIDING PLACE.
Having read and loved the two books in the Dr Beth Adams series, which I sincerely hope there is more of, I came into the DC Morgan Brookes series on the second book with the first one still on my list to get to. I didn't feel I had missed a lot as the second book almost felt like an introduction to the series. But having said that, I do recommend you read them from the beginning as there is an ongoing theme involving Morgan and her background which is alluded to in this book but without having read the second one I would be scratching my head wondering just what that was.
I am really enjoying this series as it is easy to read with nice short chapters and the odd one from either the killer or a victim throughout. In THE HIDING PLACE however the killer's voice is silent. We don't hear from him at all. We do hear from the victims with the Prologue and several others throughout. This book did feel a little different to the previous one but it was still just as good as we welcome back the team to investigate the disappearance of a child.
DC Morgan Brookes has had barely enough time to recover from the horrific ordeal that played out at the end of the previous book "The Killer's Girl", for which she and her Sergeant Ben Matthews receive commendations, before she is thrust into another investigation. This time the disappearance of 9 year old Charlie Standish who vanished without a trace from the street on which she lives with her mother. Often seen wandering and playing in the street on her own, Charlie is a loner left to her own devices much of the time. But someone must have seen something surely. However, Charlie disappeared more than twelve hours before with her mother not noticing her absence believing Charlie's father had picked her up to stay with him and his girlfriend.
Still a newish detective herself, this is Morgan's first missing child case and she is determined to find the little girl. But with the golden hour long since gone time is of the essence as every minute without answers increases the prospect of a tragic outcome. The team begins knocking on doors in the street where Charlie lived and searching any outbuildings they may have. And then Morgan discovers that Charlie isn't the only child to have disappeared from the area - the same street no less. Fifteen years ago, 15 year old Eleanor Fleming also disappeared, the police at the time filing her as a runaway and no further action taken. But Morgan believes that this could be more than a coincidence.
Then they receive the news that no police officer wants to hear - the discovery of a child's body less than 24 hours after she had disappeared. With hardly time to identify and investigate, another girl 10 year old Macy Wallace goes missing from the same area. This time, Morgan is determined to find her before it's too late.
An unexpected diversion in this story is the addition of journalist Fin Palmer as he seeks out Morgan at the original crime scene. Attracted to him at first, Morgan soon becomes wary upon discovering his profession but Fin is quick to put her fears to rest when he makes it clear he isn't interested in questioning her for a story. He just thinks she is awesome and wanted to let her know. Against her better judgement, Morgan invites him for a drink at a local pub but nearly didn't make when the discovery of Charlie's body almost scuppered her plans. Despite the investigation going on around them, Fin never queried what was happening and instead made Morgan feel like she was the most important person in the room.
Ben, however, didn't trust him. Call it copper's intuition or the mere fact he was a journalist but he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. And when Fin always appeared to be waiting for her whenever she finished her shift, just seemed a little too creepy that I began to wonder if Ben was right to be concerned.
And then just when the team thought they were running out of options, Ben is attacked outside Morgan's flat and left for dead as Morgan's past comes crashing back at full speed that she feels she is never going to escape it.
The third book in the Morgan Brookes series, THE HIDING PLACE is a real page turner that moves at a frenetic pace throughout. Although it lacks the twists that littered the previous books, don't be fooled by it...there is a twist to come.
I loved reuniting with the characters again - Morgan, Ben and I love Declan and Susie - as they are a fantastic team who complement each other and work well together. None of that superiority amongst the ranks coupled with bitchiness. Everyone gets along which makes a nice refreshing change. And while the identity of the villain wasn't a surprise - I guessed it very early on - there were other unexpected issues to deal with. And then there is that cliffhanger...
I really enjoy the writing style which is soft and gentle and not gritty like many other procedurals. It makes for a refreshing change as well as for readability. It just makes me want to come back for more and I can't wait for the next installment of what is fast becoming one of my most favourite series.
A truly enjoyable book, THE HIDING PLACE is a fast paced read that offers the perfect segue into the next book which I hope isn't too far away.
Perfect for fans who love crime fiction with a little less grit and a lot more heart.
I would like to thank #HelenPhifer, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheHidingPlace in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Helen lives in a small town in Cumbria. Surrounded by miles of coastline and only a short drive from the beautiful Lake District.
She has always loved writing and reading since the days she learnt how to in infant school. She loves reading books that make the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and make her afraid to go to the toilet, alone in the middle of the night. She is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years.
Unable to find enough of the scary stories she loves to read, she decided to write her own.
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