By: Emily Shiner
Narrator: Emily Durante
Dreamscape Media
Pub Date: Audio: 06/20/2023
ISBN: 9781837560851
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Publication Date: 02/19/2023
Format: e-book & audiobook
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Beth thought she’d escaped her past. But all this time, it’s been waiting for her…
Beth and Ian are desperate to have a child. So much so that they decide to sell his family cabin in upstate New York to pay for IVF.
When they arrive at the cabin, they meet Ryan, the caretaker. But Ryan is not who he says he is… He’s here because he knows Beth has a dark secret. And now he intends to use it against her.
He threatens to tell Ian everything about Beth's past unless she does exactly what he says.
Beth finds herself caught in a nightmarish trap. If Ian discovers what she’s been hiding from him, she’s sure he’ll leave her. She’ll lose everything she cares about, including the chance to have a child of her own.
On the other hand, what Ryan wants her to do is so dark and twisted it’s beyond horrifying.
Either way, Beth is sure her life is over, she can see no way out. Unless… Unless she digs deep and finds a part of herself that is willing to do something so awful it doesn’t even bear thinking about…
You Can’t Hide – the stunning psychological thriller perfect for fans of Teresa Driscoll, Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst.
My Review
The "Queen of revenge plots," Author Emily Shiner, returns after her sizzling (Dec, 2022) I'm Following You (5 Stars) and (Jan 2023) The Forgotten Boy (5 Stars) with YOU CAN'T HIDE —another addictive domestic psychological suspense of revenge/obsession mixed with dark, twisted humor.
Shiner is on FIRE! Her BEST yet.
It is difficult to write a short review because I have so much to discuss, and I love her books! I want everyone to read them.
Two storylines converge for a heart-pounding explosive showdown. You can RUN, but you cannot HIDE. The past and dark secrets rise to the surface.
A cautionary tale: Note: WATCH OUT FOR THE CAMERAS! Also, REVENGE has no expiration date.
LIZZY: As the book opens in rural Turkey Pen, Alabama, we meet Lizzy, a young woman down on her luck after being stranded on the roadside. A trap of a car, and she has no money to call a tow truck or AAA.
She needs to get to Pop's Diner for her shift and hopes someone will stop and help. After several cars pass, she starts walking. A good-looking guy in a suit stops. Wow, how did she get so lucky? At least he is not a killer. What she does not know yet.
His name is Zachary. He says he borrowed the truck since he is getting new tires on his Lexus. He is the new doctor in town— A doctor? And he looks like he could be on the cover of G.Q. For real?
He takes her to the Diner and then asks for her keys. He will see if he can repair her car and drop it off for her before her shift ends. Who is this guy? He indeed does what he says.
It turns out he is a REAL doctor. Dr. Zachary Pierce, Board-certified family practice, went to Duke University and completed a residency in Chicago. What is he doing here in this small town? Usually, men have an ulterior motive, but what is his?
Unfortunately, she will find out, but only when it is too late. Also, Lizzy has a dark past. One that she wants to stay buried.
BLACKMAIL. This guy is PURE EVIL! A monster. A master manipulator. He knows about her past. If she does not do what he says. He will tell the world. He knows what she did. He wants someone to fix. She is the victim.
He wants the perfect wife. The perfect marriage. The Perfect life. Perfect wins. Lizzy wants the perfect murder!
She soon learns (after the marriage) her husband is a control freak and a psychopath. A devil in disguise. He is abusive. Tortures. He keeps her prisoner in her own home with cameras everywhere so she cannot leave the house. He makes sure she has no friends. He planned this very carefully. He knows her every move. Then when she disobeys, she is moved to the basement as a prisoner. He wants to make her body perfect. A sicko.
How will she ever escape? She has killed before to save herself and she will do it again, given the chance.
BETH: In alternating chapters, we meet Beth.
Beth, a florist, and her husband, Ian Myers (very sweet guy), a high school teacher/photographer. She is very private due to her past, but her husband does not know about her past and he puts it all out there on social media.
They live in the N.C. mountains, but they are headed to upstate New York near Canada in the middle of a snowstorm. Of course, N.Y. snowstorms are nothing like N.C.
The reason for the urgency is that Ian inherited his family's mountain cabin and wants to clean the place to prepare for putting it on the market. They need to sell the cabin to help finance the costly IVF treatments. They want children, and it has been not easy.
He says she does not have to go, but she goes along. Once there, she sees the cabin is nestled way back in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. They have to walk through the woods to get to it from the main road. This is difficult since it is night and the snow is so deep. They can barely see in front of them.
Once they finally arrive, a dead deer is next to the cabin. Then inside, it appears someone has been living here. There is a cat, food in the refrigerator, a book (The Art of Never Letting Go), a hunter, and someone who has built a fire recently. Weird!
She is concerned, but Ian thinks the property manager/caretaker may be looking after it. They have no cell phone coverage or internet.
This makes no sense to Beth. What if who had been staying here comes back? Who is this person he is referring to named Ryan, the caretaker?
Then things become very weird and freaky at the cabin, and Beth thinks something sinister is happening. They must get out of here. They will clean and then leave. But with power problems and other things, they are delayed. They took a week off from work and Ian is not in a hurry to leave.
She is not wrong for worrying. They are trapped. She feels like she is in the middle of a horror movie. She feels like someone is watching them. Is there a squatter? There is also a shed outside the cabin. They must leave the cabin. Start their family and leave New York, and never look back.
However, the mysterious intruder returns, and he has a PLAN. Beth is about to come face to face with her past. One she thought was long buried. What happens next will blow your mind. What he is demanding. It is sick and horrifying.
Now she and her husband are both in danger. How will they escape? Who will live, and who will die?
At first, you are unsure where Emily is taking you with Lizzy (as this part is not in the book description summary). Be patient, and enjoy the journey.
All will come together at the cabin. Oh, and then wait. Just when you think all is tied up with a bow at the end. Watch out. There is another signature Shiner jaw-dropping wicked twist to leave you smiling.
I was dying, before this twist, saying GET THE CAMERA!! PLEASE.
OMG! Between the evil Zachary doctor, the basement, and the creepy Ryan property manager at the cabin in this claustrophobic snow setting in the woods, this book is spine-chilling! The vivid settings and the characters jump off the page.
Around 50% into the book, readers will learn about Lizzy's past. You will sympathize with her until the end. She reminds me of Freida McFadden's, Millie (The Housemaid & The Housemaid's Secret. She cannot catch a break and her past keeps surfacing and being used against her.
This book was so good and I read it in one sitting. The way the two stories came together was quite clever, and that ENDING!
YOU CAN'T HIDE pulses with suspenseful twists propelling the reader to the explosive end. Cameras are a big part of both storylines. I loved it! It would make a great movie!
All her books are unique and original. When I start reading an Emily Shiner book, I am in for an entertaining ride. I always clear my calendar before starting one of her books because they are addictive and unputdownable.
I discovered Emily not long ago and have loved everything she writes. I love N.C. authors (I am a native) and enjoy her crisp writing style. She never takes you on a side trip. It is propulsive all the way. One of my favorite authors, and making my way through her backlist in between all my new ARCs.
AUDIOBOOK: I enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Emily Durante for an engaging and spine-chilling performance.
This book is very unique and not like any others, but when reading parts of it, I am reminded of these (all favorites too).
~Kimberly Belle: Side of the road pick up Lizzy The Personal Assistant Except K.B.'s gal was a maid at a hotel and the guy who picked her up was a wealthy businessman instead of a doctor.
~Lisa Unger: Cabin, Beth Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six Trapped. The creepy property manager and cameras. Revenge plot in the mountains secluded no power.
~Clemence Michallon: Lizzy held hostage in the basement The Quiet Tenant Beth: Shed. It comes out June 2023 (so good). My favorite!
~B.A. Paris: Lizzy and Beth trapped The Prisoner.
~Freida McFadden: The Housemaid and The Housemaid's Secret Lizzy/Beth's past and using it against her.
A special thank you to #InkubatorBooks and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC and #DreamscapeMedia for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Get this one on your list now!
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Book: Feb 19, 2023
Pub Date: Audio: Jun 20, 2023
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About the Author
Emily Shiner grew up in Western North Carolina, and after going to college in Charlotte, returned to her beloved mountains to write novels that keep you up at night. She lives with her husband, daughter, two dogs, menagerie of chickens, and tens of thousands of bees. When not writing, she’s reading, hiking, or drinking copious amounts of tea while daydreaming about fall. WEBSITE
