Dark Place to Hide

Another winner by A. J. Waines. After reading "No Longer Safe," I knew I'd need to read more from this author.
I don't have the "verified purchase" designation because I borrowed this book as a choice through the store Unlimited.

"A Dark Place to Hide" is well-plotted mystery that kept me guessing. There are actually two mysteries running - the first about a dedicated wife who is pregnant, though her husband is infertile, and the second about a very strange little girl.

I was captivated by this book as I tried to anticipate where the story was going and tried to guess at a resolution. But I was baffled and just let the talented author unravel the mysteries for me.

This is a psychological mystery of the best kind! Read and Enjoy being surprised!

I did like the book, but it's not my favorite by this writer. I felt at first like I was reading 2 different books, and not until well into the book, are the 2 stories brought together so you had one cohesive book. You had characters you definitely loved, and some you knew in real life, you just wouldn't get along with...I enjoy when writers can make you feel like you can be in the story with a change of a name. I always feel like I am in for a ride when reading A.J.'s books, and this was no different. Twists and turns more towards the end, but it keeps you guessing throughout. If it had been more cohesive for me in the beginning, then it'd be 5 stars. A man is in search for his missing wife, but he seems to be the only one who feels she's actually missing, then a young girl goes missing, and his attention is divided, and in the end I got the twist with what actually happened to the two different missing females. It was really good, and I wished I could give it 5 stars, but I just couldn't this time.

This story is told from a rather strange perspective. It reads as if the main character is reading from a diary he has written for his wife. It's easy to read but could be more engaging. The biggest reason for my low rating is because the book promises one small village with 2 big secrets, but only delivers on one and doesn't really give a whole lot of information about that one. I would not recommend this book to a friend. This is the 2nd book by this author I have read and she's just not my cup of tea.

A well written book with some great twists and turns that kept me guessing. The writing style lead me to feel the anger, humiliation and frustration right along with the main character. I also felt the sick, helplessness and desperation of another character. I was absorbed in the book with a roller coaster of emotions as the plot unfolds with unexpected twists and turns in this compelling book.

It's a pretty well-written book and an enjoyable read. It wasn't a "can't put it down" kind of book, but I did enjoy reading it. The main character's self-pity and lack of action was annoying at times. I think the author tries a bit too hard to catch the reader's interest--such as the "terrible secret" of the husband. Also, it does drag on a bit here and there. When finished, I did want to read more by the author. Surprisingly disappointed--No Longer Safe--predictable, ludicrous, and quite boring. I won't try any more.

I have read a couple of AJ Waines stories, and find this book a difficult read. Although his wife is missing, he continues to talk to her as if she's still sitting in front of him, remembering various moments when they met, etc. I could not figure out the behavior of the child in the story - I understand she was being threatened by the doctor. But even before that, her mother said she was always running off and getting lost, sometimes over night; hiding under beds, in closets etc even as a small child. Wasn't there any adult supervision? Sounds like she was a wild animal from age of 2. I also felt there was way too much background description of scene settings that weren't necessary and irrelevant to the story. I could skip ahead 10-12 pages and not miss any thread to the story. Sorry, guess it's not my kind of book although I love thrillers and mysteries.

I am a very fussy reader -- I get bored easily with poor writing. I was NOT BORED for one single page of this book. I am now going to read every book written by AJ Waines and have suggested her books to my daughter also. My only complaint was the story ended too quickly -- every page was so detailed, that the ended seemed rushed. But even so, I cannot say anything bad about this book -- it held my interest, was very compelling and I am now a huge AJ Waines fan!!

Early on I felt the pace was a bit slow but half way through it picked up.
The book goes between past and present events until near the end the reader has a clear view of the what occurred in both the disappearance of Dee and Clara.
The British words and phrases were interesting to compare to American ones.
The ending was superb.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. This was an engrossing novel that I had a hard time putting down to return to my own writing, and I found myself really invested in these characters. I want this review to be as spoiler-free as possible, so I will just say I was surprised by the whodunit at the end. I wasn't expecting that at all. I think Waines did a great job with Harper's character arc, especially. I will certainly be reading more of Wayne's work in the future.

I liked this book, however I forgot to review it before moving on and have now read two more books so my memory is a bit fuzzy. The author did a wonderful job of intermingling the characters to create the story. I was surprised by who the culprit ended up being, however I felt the ending was lacking an explanation as to what happened to the wife with the school co-worker and wife situation.

This was a very well written book and I enjoyed the way the author wrote Harpers character and the way he spoke to his wife Diane, like he was writing her a letter. The story pulls you in from the beginning, Harper rushes to the hospital, when he is told his wife is there. He is a little shocked when he finds out that she has miscarried. This is virtually impossible, since he had secret tests that indicated that he was infertile. Then Diane goes missing and the story takes a huge twist.

Overall long,unsatisfying ending, in all a big waste of time, it boggles my mind how this book got such good reviews. I skimmed much of it. It seemed that the author had a lot of time on his hands, so he kept writing and writing and writing.

This is my second book by this author and I am enjoying her work. This story pulled me in and was well written, I like a good British mystery. I must say though it is a little far fetched, overall. Diane goes through two major events during the course of this book, two different stories going on that I just found a bit too far fetched. Overall though, I enjoyed and would read another book from this author!

I enjoyed this story so much. I actually did read it in a day an a half! it's extremely well written ( a real treat, these days). it's totally without grammatical errors, or any other writing mistakes, that tend to ruin a good story. and this is an excellent story! I recommend this little gem for anyone who just wants to enjoy a great story..

Though the plot plodded every now and then, this book was overall a fast paced ride, given that I started it abut four hours ago! Great characters, especially Dee and Clara, and writing from multiple perspectives kept the reader guessing - if occasionally frustrated. I plan on reading more by this author as I was both very gratified and a little teary eyed at the book's end.

Have to agree with others who have said it was overly long, although I think it followed pretty closely to what real life would have been like. In real life answers are not immediate, so having said that, this book is truer to life than most. That said, I found myself day dreaming through much of the dialog. Ok, but not great.

After reading NO LONGER SAFE, I thought I had this story all figured out a quarter of the way through thinking " you fooled me once" and it's not going to happen this time! Well let me tell you! I was tricked again and I loved it!! If you're looking for sex scenes, vulgar language and ongoing violence, this book is not for you. I found the story to be engrossing and suspenseful and hard to out down.

It's well written, I am glad to have found this title in my recommend for you list!! The story is sweet and unassuming, in the first few pages. Then as the character's personality's are reviled, the twists and plot turns were enough to keep me reading all night!!! Thank you for an unexpected and thrilling read!

I really liked this story about a wife that up and disappears. Is it of her own free well or did something happen to her. Then there is this little six yr. old girl obsessed with nursery rhymes, her mom has cancer. And she disappears also, are they connected.

It took me a bit to get into. There are a lot of characters and the back and forth story line gets a bit muddled. If you liked Girl on the Train- you will like this too. It was very good and definitely kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew who done it...I was wrong!

This is a wonderful mystery and intricate story with a lot of different spins of separate stories affecting the same people. Loved the way all the clues were put together to solve the mysterious taking of two people.

I could not put this book down. This story is told with intensity and depth, the characters alive and real. The struggles the characters were dealing with personally contributed to the drama as the mystery unraveled. Beautifully written, a must read.

Dark Place to Hide kept my interest to the end but elements were disjointed and only one of the two major mysteries was adequately resolved. I felt as if the author had to meet a deadline or something and rushed or gave up on the conclusion.

This is a very good mystery.. There were times it was a bit slow but I'm glad I kept reading..!
The characters were interesting and the story was a new spin for me. Predictable but good detective work made it a page turner!

A J Examines is quickly becoming my favorite author. No doubt keeps your interest where you don't want to stop reading. Heroes and villains can possess the same qualities which adds to the suspense. Look forward to more books by this author.

I did enjoy reading this book; however, I felt it was poorly organized. It starts out slow. Nothing really added or built the story. Some parts felt random. The second half of the book things finally started happening, still in a sporadic fashion. If you want a good book to read and pass the time this is a good one but if you want something to challenge your mind I recommend that you keep looking.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I read it quickly and was hooked. I especially enjoyed the way the author used the point of view of speaking to his missing wife throughout the story. I have found a new favorite author. Thank you!

Wariness starts right off with intensity. You have to keep reading to find out what's going to happen next. Even when Harper is alone, his thoughts are always going...Constant movement toward the conclusion. Really enjoy her books.

I really enjoyed this book. It has a good sense of suspense and action. I recommend this to teens and adults. I might only be twelve but I looooove to read. I rated this a five star because it speaks of loyalty but also is a good mystery book that is good to read whenever. Read it I tell you, read it!

The characters and their relationships to one another are not developed enough and in was left yearning for more of an explanation. I also would not describe this as a psychological thriller in anywhere near the same realm as Girl on the Train.

This book started off with a bang! Intense reading it keeps you on your toes and just when you think you have it all figured out another twist leans toward someone else. A real fast paced page turner!

This book has an interesting premise. It has two parallel mysteries and a surprise ending. I only give it three stars because the hero and main character is unappealing. For most of the book he is weak and effeminate in his thinking and behavior. He is suppose to be a superb investigator, but he mainly reacts to what others do to him.

This book holds your attention from page one. It is a mix of suspense and a cruel character and painful situations but, mainly a story of love and hope and understanding and trust with a heartwarming ending.

Excellent story. Love a good mystery. Written by and in the London or England vein but easy to follow and understand. I have read some authors like this and had trouble understanding local jokes etc but not Waines already downloaded another book!!