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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Hiding Place / The Taking of Annie Thorne in Books
Jul 24, 2019
Supernatural small town horror meets twisty thriller
I listened to this book on an audio edition narrated by Richard Armitage who did a superb job of bringing the protagonist Joe Thorne to life. There is much of the dialog in this book that is interspersed with Joe’s own contradictory thoughts but I found it all so well narrated it flowed very enjoyably. Based in a part of the world I’m very familiar with the accent and attitudes (well written) all fitted perfectly.
Returning to his childhood home; the former mining town of Arnhill has few attractive qualities; and some very upsetting memories for Joe. As we learn about Joe’s past; which is still very present in Arnhill we get a cross between a creepy mystery horror story and flat out crime thriller. Annie Thorne was Joe’s sister, she disappeared at age eight and reappeared 48 hours later but was somehow different….. When he receives a mysterious note suggesting that history is repeating itself in Arnhill he is drawn back.
It’s dark and twisty tale full of easily pictured characters. Joe himself is far from a reliable narrator and even his true motives are less than clear. The story is well written with some very high standard dialogue that really pulls you into the setting. I can imagine the supernatural nature may be a put off to those just out for a solid mystery thriller but I don’t think it’s too in your face creepy horror. In fact I could have gone for more delving into the history and supernatural origins side of things. The more standard mystery and thriller side of the book has some interesting twists and turns and I give the book a general bump for the high quality audio adaptation I experienced.
Returning to his childhood home; the former mining town of Arnhill has few attractive qualities; and some very upsetting memories for Joe. As we learn about Joe’s past; which is still very present in Arnhill we get a cross between a creepy mystery horror story and flat out crime thriller. Annie Thorne was Joe’s sister, she disappeared at age eight and reappeared 48 hours later but was somehow different….. When he receives a mysterious note suggesting that history is repeating itself in Arnhill he is drawn back.
It’s dark and twisty tale full of easily pictured characters. Joe himself is far from a reliable narrator and even his true motives are less than clear. The story is well written with some very high standard dialogue that really pulls you into the setting. I can imagine the supernatural nature may be a put off to those just out for a solid mystery thriller but I don’t think it’s too in your face creepy horror. In fact I could have gone for more delving into the history and supernatural origins side of things. The more standard mystery and thriller side of the book has some interesting twists and turns and I give the book a general bump for the high quality audio adaptation I experienced.