Title: The Hidden Hours
Expected
publication: 1 April 2017
Synopsis (Goodreads):
Arabella Lane, senior executive at a children’s publisher,
is found dead in the Thames on a frosty winter’s morning after the office
Christmas party. No one is sure whether she jumped or was pushed. The one
person who may know the truth is the newest employee at Parker & Lane – the
office temp, Eleanor.
Eleanor has travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in outback Australia, but now tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes. To her horror, she has no memory of the crucial hours leading up to Arabella’s death – memory that will either incriminate or absolve her.
As Eleanor desperately tries to remember her missing hours and uncover the events of that fateful night, her own extended family is dragged further into the dark, terrifying terrain of blame, suspicion and guilt.
Caught in a crossfire of accusations, Eleanor fears she can’t even trust herself, let alone the people around her. And soon, she’ll find herself in a race against time to find out just what happened that night – and discover just how deadly some secrets can be.
Eleanor has travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in outback Australia, but now tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes. To her horror, she has no memory of the crucial hours leading up to Arabella’s death – memory that will either incriminate or absolve her.
As Eleanor desperately tries to remember her missing hours and uncover the events of that fateful night, her own extended family is dragged further into the dark, terrifying terrain of blame, suspicion and guilt.
Caught in a crossfire of accusations, Eleanor fears she can’t even trust herself, let alone the people around her. And soon, she’ll find herself in a race against time to find out just what happened that night – and discover just how deadly some secrets can be.
My thoughts:
After a traumatic event which has shaped her formative
years, 21-year old Eleanor Brennan is trying to put the past behind her and
move on with her life by leaving Australia for a year’s work experience at a
successful publishing firm in London. She is shocked and dismayed when she
wakes with a severe hangover after the office Christmas party to hear that one
of the executives of the firm, Arabella Lane, has died overnight under
suspicious circumstances. Eleanor was one of the last people seen talking to
Arabella before her death, but she has little to no recollection of the night’s
events. What happened in the hours between talking to Arabella at the party,
and arriving drunk and dishevelled back at her uncle’s house? Eleanor is sure
she only had very little alcohol – did someone spike her drinks? As the
investigation into Arabella’s death continues, Eleanor becomes more and more
convinced that she may have witnessed something terrible that night. Without
any memory of the “missing hours”, and with the killer still at large, is she
putting herself in danger? In a city full of strangers, whom can she confide in
and trust?
Amnesia has long been used in psychological thrillers as a
means to lead the reader on a slow journey of discovery, whilst building
suspense and maintaining a sense of menace and danger to the protagonist
throughout the story. I generally like the idea, as it opens the door to so
many possibilities, but find that there definitely is an art to making it work.
Whilst The Hidden Hours got off to a rather slow start for me, and I found it
difficult initially to bond with Eleanor, the introduction of snapshots into
Eleanor’s past quickly got my attention and worked well to foster understanding
of how her past has influenced her present state of mind. The little clues
linking the past and present worked well to keep me intrigued, even if I admit
that I was much more drawn to the mystery of Eleanor’s childhood tragedy than
the murder of Arabella Lane. It is obvious that Foster has an intimate
understanding of the hardships faced by people in rural Australia, and does a
great job in building and atmosphere of impending doom for the child Elly. Some
small hints sowed seeds of the tragedy to come, but I was still surprised when
it was revealed, and felt an intense sense of empathy and sadness for the young
girl.
I also liked the
sense of isolation Eleanor experiences as a visitor staying at her maternal
uncle’s house, and the growing sense of isolation and dread as suspicion about
Eleanor’s involvement into the events leading up to Arabella’s death mounts.
There was real potential to exploit this isolation to build more suspense and
tension as Eleanor’s back is against the wall with no one to support her, which
was not quite fully realised for me. Adult Eleanor appears a bit “bland” and
timid at times, slowing the story down. I would have liked to see her endowed
with a few more flaws, character quirks and spunk to make her more engaging and
memorable.
Whilst the novel got off to a slow start for me and I
struggled with the first few chapters, it soon gained momentum and managed to
keep my interest. The mystery concerning Eleanor’s past was intriguing, and the
end contained enough revelations and surprises to make the journey worthwhile. However,
I felt that there was not quite enough suspense to market the novel as a “psychological
thriller”, and lovers of that genre may find it a bit lacking in tension and “thrill”
elements.
Thank you to
Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic copy of
this novel in exchange for an honest review.
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