The Hiding Place by Jenny Quintana
Some houses have their secrets. But so do some people . . .
Abandoned as a baby in the hallway of a shared house in London, Marina has never known her parents, and the circumstances of her birth still remain a mystery.
Now an adult, Marina has returned to the house where it all started, determined to find out who she really is. But the walls of this house hold more than memories, and Marina’s reappearance hasn’t gone unnoticed by the other tenants.
Someone is watching Marina. Someone who knows the truth . . .
About the author
Jenny Quintana grew up in Essex and Berkshire, before studying English Literature in London. She has taught in London, Seville and Athens and has also written books for teaching English as a foreign language. Her first novel, The Missing Girl, was published in 2017 and chosen as a Waterstones book of the month. She now lives with her family in Berkshire. The Hiding Place is her third novel.
Review
‘The Dark Place’ is a riveting psychological thriller that explores themes of maternal love, abandonment and with a great dollop of mystery and intrigue on top! This book kept me awake long into the night as I was desperate to find out what happened when Marina was born! It's a tale full of secrets set in the 1960s and 1990s and is ripe with historical details, complex characters and compelling stories. I am a huge fan of books that are set in buildings split up into different dwellings - like 44 Scotland Street and The Beresford by Will Carver - and when they come with mysteries to be solved, then I have hit the jackpot.
Marina was abandoned as a baby at 24 Harrington Gardens, London and is desperate to find out why? Why didn't her mother want her and why was she left there? It seems a very strange place to find a baby. When Marina sees that there is a flat available to rent in the building she moves in in the hope that she will find answers. As well as Marina’s narrative we also have Connie’s story set in the 1960s. Connie lives in the building with her father, works at the family business and is seeing Will, an aspiring artist, who also lives at number 24. How do their stories interlink and will there be a happy ending?
I enjoyed reading ‘The Dark Place’ as it was compelling from the start. It allowed time in the first half of the book to develop the characters - both Matina and Connie but also the other residents, especially Eva. The author also managed to convey the sense of unease that reverberate throughout the building. It's not a place I would have liked to live in and I lived in one of these converted buildings during my childhood. I think because we knew there must have been a catastrophe coming further into the timelines it leaves the reader on tenterhooks the whole way through. I like a novel that slowly builds up to a crescendo and I wasn't expecting that resolution!
This was a very entertaining read and I now want to read more of Jenny's work! They are getting added to my tbr pile! Let me know if you read this one!
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