** Advanced copy received from publisher **

Welcome to my stop on the tour for the deliciously creepy Hide and Seek by Richard Parker.

Author : Richard Parker
Title : Hide and Seek
Pages : 393
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : August 31, 2017

The sun is out. Your little boy is smiling. The next time you look… he’s gone.

When Lana and Todd win a trip to Blue Crest Adventure Park, their four-year-old Cooper is ecstatic, but when Lana goes to meet them, Todd is out cold, and Cooper is missing.

No one stopped the man with the sleeping boy. The cameras don’t show where he went. Then Lana finds her family picture on an online map detailing bloody murder sites. This is no random attack.

Whoever took Cooper is playing a twisted game, and if Lana wants to find him, she must participate. Can she uncover her tormentor’s identity before it’s too late?

Author Richard Parker made quite an impression with his previous offering Follow You. This one is a bit different and I was pleasantly surprised as it shows the author is able to diversify and still produce a most excellent thriller. Think less gore and icky stuff, more deliciously creepy. With a character called Mr. Whispers, how could it possibly be anything else?

Nine months ago, someone tried to kidnap four year old Cooper from his garden. His mother, Lana, foiled the attempt but has been suffering from anxiety since that day. She’s also rather obsessed with finding out who tried to take her son. So much so that she’s often glued to an app on her phone that points out murder sites in her neighbourhood. Seriously? I shudder at the thought. So anyway, when the family wins a trip to an adventure park, it is the break they desperately need. But things soon take a turn for the worse.

The relatively short chapters make for a quick and fast-paced read. The points of view switch effortlessly between Lana and Todd as they both set out to find their son. Hide and Seek is a brilliantly tense ride full of intrigue and I’m pretty sure my forehead now has added wrinkles from frowning so hard as I tried to figure out what was going on!

This is a pretty intricate and complex plot and with twists, turns, a red herring or two and a satisfying conclusion, it all results in a truly enjoyable and gripping thriller. Bring on the next one, Mr. Parker!

Many thanks to Kim and Noelle at Bookouture for the opportunity to join the tour and for the advanced copy, which I received via Netgalley and chose to review honestly!

Hide and Seek is available now!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Richard Parker was formerly a TV script writer, script editor and producer before turning his hand to penning twisted stand alone thrillers.

HIDE AND SEEK is his fifth book and is published August 2017.

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