I seldom read thrillers. In fact, I agree with the way the British handle mysteries and thrillers and  suspense novels, lumping them together as crime fiction. Jason Pinter’s Hide Away fits the crime fiction category. It has elements of all of those types of books, plus a little of police procedural. The most important element, though, is a woman not easily forgotten.

It started as a simple family evening, waiting dinner before her husband came home and her son returns from a friend’s. Seven years later, Rachel Marin won’t forget the night her family and their lives were torn apart by violence. She’s a single mother, working a mid-level job as a legal secretary in Ashby, Illinois. She’s fiercely protective of her two children. Rachel is now knowledgeable enough to recognize other victims. When she sees the televised story of Constance Wright’s plunge from a bridge, she leaves an anonymous message for the police. Wright, the former mayor of Ashby, did not commit suicide. And, Marin tells them why she knows that.

Detective John Serrano and his partner Leslie Tally are working Wright’s case. When Serrano hears Marin’s call, he and Tally track her down to question her. They already know the story of Wright’s fall from favor in the town, the story of her family and her own scandal and divorce. It’s the story of a wealthy family with all the right connections, and all the wrong results. Serrano even has a grudge against Wright. But, it won’t stop his investigation. And, the police can’t seem to stop Marin as she shows up time and again during their investigation, and pushes too far.

I could easily ruin the reading of Hide Away by revealing too much. However, it’s a riveting book, and I don’t want to ruin anyone’s enjoyment of this compelling story. Instead of talking about the plot, I’m going to talk about character a little. In Rachel Marin, Pinter introduces a complex woman who could have been destroyed by her past. Instead, she builds on it, for her own safety, and her children’s security. She refuses to be a victim. While that determination becomes one of her greatest strengths, at times that obsession also becomes her greatest flaw. Sometimes, she goes too far when she’s attempting to make things right. Pinter doesn’t forget balance in this book, though. John Serrano is a cop with his own history, a backstory that, while not as violent as Marin’s, is also tragic.

Whether you’re looking for a thriller, a suspenseful story, a police procedural, or a novel with well-developed, intriguing characters, you can find what you’re looking for in Jason Pinter’s Hide Away. It’s my understanding it’s the first in a series. I can’t wait.


Jason Pinter’s webpage is www.JasonPinter.com

Hide Away by Jason Pinter. Thomas & Mercer, 2020. ISBN 9781542005906 (paperback), 360p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – The author sent a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.