Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

She’s a single mom just barely scraping to get by. There was a time in life when she felt like she had it all, and then everything changed in the blink of an eye forcing her to change everything and take on the role of a single parent. Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get any worse, her son goes missing. Her past has come back to bite her in the ass and she will stop at nothing to find her son.
Thank you Netgalley, Emilya Naymark and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. This one got me hard. The thought of one of my children going missing was more than I could even bare to stand. Reading through everything Laney was going through damn near tore my heart up. This was a really good book with some good twists in it. There were times I could literally feel the anxiety for Laney and it kept me on edge. I really enjoyed this book. I’m rating this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Lany is an officer whose cover is blown when she is investigating the Russian Mob.

She relocates for safety and she is, for three years.

She is thrust into her old work when her young son disappears and the local police do not believe her.

Great thriller which kept me turning the pages well into the night. Great characters and plot. Highly recommend to others!!

Great read Laney Bird is an obviously flawed individual but you can’t help but like her and root her on

After a high-profile case went terribly wrong and her life fell apart, undercover detective Laney Bird turned in her badge to lead a simple life in a small town. Three years later, her son Alfie goes missing, and Laney knows in her heart that it’s not a runaway case. When the local law enforcement seemingly brush her off, Laney is in a race against time to find out where her son is.

This novel was fast-paced and offered the right amount of tension. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and hope to see more from her in the future.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Hide in Place made me think about what I’d be willing to do in order to find my child.

For most parents, me included, the answer is, Whatever it takes. And Laney, our lead character pushes those boundaries to the extreme when her teenage son disappears.

This is a slow burn mix of police procedural and domestic drama. As the investigation unfolds, we learn about Laney’s past and how it might have reached out into the present.

I didn’t like Laney, which made it difficult for me to be fully invested. But I did love Alfie, her son, and I badly wanted for him to be safe.

This is the first book in the Laney Bird series. The plot wraps up neatly with no cliffhangers.

According to Goodreads, Hide in Place by Emilya Naymark is book 1 of the Laney Bird series and I really hope that's true since I would love to see more of Laney. Thanks to her being an ex-NYPD undercover cop, this book read a lot like a police procedural mixed with detective fiction and I loved that about it. I also really enjoyed how the author mixed present with Laney's past so we could fully understand why she ended up leaving her job with the NYPD and why she's in the situation she's in now. The mystery in the book really comes more from her past than the disappearance of her son, although there is still a mystery hidden in that as well. This ended up being way more emotional than I was expecting it to be, and I loved that we got Laney's viewpoint as well as Alfie's.

I was immediately hooked as soon as I started Hide in Place, although I would say it is a bit on the slower side overall. There are still moments with plenty of action though and I think the switches between past and present really helped the story to flow well and keep the reader interested. Naymark did a great job weaving this plot together and the end had an element I never saw coming. It was actually a pretty realistic story as well which was a nice surprise, and it really makes it that much more emotional knowing it's something that could actually happen. And ALFIE, your heart just goes out to him, and I thought Laney was a pretty kickass character. Overall this was a very engaging novel, and I will definitely be looking forward to book 2!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Even if it's well written I struggled because I didn't like the MC.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In Hide In Place, book one of the Laney Bird Series, author Emilya Naymark transports the reader to the Hudson Valley town of Sylvan in upstate New York, for an intriguing story that will keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.

Retired undercover NYPD Detective Laney Bird's thirteen year old son Alfie has gone missing, and she uses her detective experience to investigate his disappearance. What looks like a classic troubled teen running away from home is anything but that when Laney discovers that her past may have come back to haunt her. A former confidential informer has surfaced in Sylvan and befriended Alfie, ultimately kidnapping him. Laney's search for her son leads her to a killer determined to seek revenge.

Author Emilya Naymark weaves a slow-building and suspenseful tale that follows Laney's investigation to find Alfie before the killer exacts revenge for Laney's part in a narcotic case gone bad against the local Russian mob. I loved reading this action-packed story. Laney's determination and detail to police procedure used within her investigation to find her son kept me intrigued as she slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together.

The reader will be easily drawn into this richly descriptive plot that will keep them guessing as long hidden secrets, family dramas, motive, and clues are uncovered. And if that's not enough, the author provides the reader with an intense flashback to Laney's family issues and her last case as an undercover NYPD detective that went horribly wrong, and set the wheels in motion for her to retire and move to upstate NY to protect her son, only to find a devastating betrayal that would lead the killer right to Laney and Alfie.

I look forward to reading the next book in the Laney Bird Series.

Hide In Place has enough drama, tension, action, dark secrets, intrigue, and unexpected twists and turns that will take the reader on one heck of a thrilling roller coaster ride.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/03/hide-in-place-by-emilya-naymark-vbt.html

I had high expectations for this book. I jumped at the chance to read it after reading the synopsis. The story possessed enough to keep me entertained, but unfortunately it did not blow me away.

Hide in Place, book one in the Laney Bird series, introduced Laney Bird, a retired detective. She left the force after an undercover case she had been working went sideways and her husband abandoned her. She also wanted to spend more time with her son Alfie. Her son had serious behavioural issues, which had a negative impact on his ability to socialise with his peers. Then one day Alfie goes missing. The police, however, are not keen on looking for him. After all, this was not his first time missing. Laney, however, refused to accept this, and took it upon herself to investigate the situation on her own. In conducting her investigation, she discovered that one’s past has a funny way of returning to bite you on the butt.

The author narrated the story through Laney and Alfie’s’ POVs. This gave the reader the chance to experience Laney’s frantic attempts to locate her son. In addition, the reader got the chance to see Alfie’s actions throughout his experience with his kidnapper. The author portrayed the fears of both characters realistically.

Laney’s actions were typical of what would expect from a frantic mother. Alfie proved to be a brave soul. His ability to think on his feet proved to be his saving grace.

Laney loves her son, but it would appear she doesn’t understand him, placing a strain on how they relate to each other.

The majority of the story focused on Laney’s time as an undercover cop as it relates to the case, which played a role in hero resignation from the police force. She learned there was more to the case than she first realized, all of which were not good.

The author filled the kidnapping aspect of the story with tension, which had me on the edge of my seat. However, it did not possess the twists or surprises one would expect to find in a mystery.

Although not my favourite, Hide in Place proved entertaining enough for me to keep reading. Fans of police procedurals may want to add this this their shelves.

While Naymark has had many short stories published, this is her first novel. It is a good debut effort. I had a little difficulty liking Laney, the heroine, at the beginning. Her internal battle between being the mother of the missing child and being an ex-cop came out with her alienating those she needed to help her. I wanted her to be more savvy when it came to handling others, regardless of her intense motherly emotions. Alfie, her son, develops into a great character and I certainly appreciate his efforts to rise above the detrimental influences on his life.

The novel has a good balance of character revelation, backstory, and investigation. I like how Naymark revealed Laney's history as it became necessary to understand the current situation. The narrative frequently switches from Laney in current time to her history as a cop and to Alfie's situation. The changes were well done and progressed the plot well.

I liked this novel dealing with present character issues compounded by revenge from past events. It's a good book for readers who like exploring the influence of character on the outcome of a crime. I like Naymark's writing style and will be looking for more from her.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Hide In Place by Emilya Naymark is a touted as a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books,  and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Laney Bird's 13-year old son Alfie is missing, and the police think he has run away.  Laney knows better.  Yes, her son is troubled, and a little different from other boys his age,  but he would never run away.  His routines are too important to him.

Laney's career with the NYPD ended when her cover was blown while she was working a racketeering case against the Russian mob.  Her marriage ended around the same time.  She thought fleeing with her son to the small town of Sylvan would keep them safe.  But now it looks like she was wrong.  Laney will have to use all her undercover skills to track down what happened to Alfie.


My Opinions:   

I must admit to struggling at times with this book.  I actually enjoyed the story about Laney and her son, but disliked her whole undercover backstory, which unfortunately took up a good percentage of the book.  I'm not a big fan of mob stories.

The only characters I actually liked were Agnes, who was Laney's friend and neighbour, and Ed, the police detective who was actually trying to find Alfie.    The banter between Agnes and Laney was well done.  I found Laney's mistrust of Ed's abilities over-done.  I found Laney to be totally out of line when it came to allowing the police to do their job, and her treatment of the other children was reprehensible.  I didn't like her in her back-story either.  Since so much of a story's "likeability" comes from the characters, this one didn't thrill me.

As well, there didn't seem to be much "thrill" or "mystery".    Everything was laid out for the reader...except the end.  I liked the end.

On the good side, the actual plot was interesting, and the writing was fine.

So, overall, for me, it was an okay read, just not great.

Hide In Place by Emilya Naymark

She left the NYPD in the midst of a high profile case gone horribly wrong. Three years later, the ghosts of her past come back to haunt her. Her son has been kidnapped.

The main character had a past as an undercover cop. She had moved and was in hiding. Her son was now missing. Did he run away or was he kidnapped? A great story. Kept up on the edge of your chair. Well-written plot. Characters were very interesting. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for review.

This was not the book for me. I tried to get to at least 100 pages and I struggled to do just that. I couldn't connect. I found it boring, and there wasn't anything in it that I wanted to know more about.

2/5 Stars

I liked this story overall... I had a little trouble keep characters straight at first, but I found myself getting pulled into each individual story line without much trouble. It was amazing...

2.5 The characterizations in this book were great, but there wasn't much thrill in this thriller. There was nothing wrong with it, in fact I quite liked it at the beginning, but at the end I just found it very predictable.

Laney Bird has adjusted to her new life after leaving her career in New York as an officer, detective and undercover cop. When her husband walked out on her, she needed to be home to take care of their son, Alfie. Driving a school bus wasn’t her choice of occupation, but it enabled her to be home for her son. When Alfie goes missing, the police want to categorize him as a runaway, but she knows he wouldn’t just leave and not return. She decides to resurrect her former career and conduct her own investigation. Learning that Alfie had not only befriended an older man but that the man may have ties to her past has her fearing for his life. Is he using Alfie as revenge against her, but if so, why? A look at how far a mother will go to rescue her son. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Laney was an undercover officer with the NYPD until her husband walked out and she realized that her 13 year old son Alfie's issues demand more support than she's been able to give. She moves to a small upstate town where life is simpler and slower until Alfie disappears in the middle of a school day. Local law enforcement more or less brushes her off and then she discovers that someone she worked against is in town. This moves back and forth in time a bit to spool out Laney's work with the NYPD. Her desperate hunt for Alfie is well paced- it's tense. It's a well done thriller with good characters and storytelling. No spoilers for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut and I'm going to look for more from Naymark.

Hide in Place by Emilya Naymark is an exciting mystery/thriller, and my first book by this author. Laney Bird was a undercover policeman for the NYPD, but when a case went terribly wrong, Laney and her son went into hiding. One day when her thirteen year old son vanishes, and she finds out her real identity is know to the Russian mob, she is in a race to find her son. I enjoyed this book with it's twists and turns, that kept me reading. If you enjoy a fast paced mystery/thriller, I strongly recommend this book. I will be watching out for more books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.