The Hidden Child is set in Manchester, England in 1965 and is a fictional story based upon the real life Moor murders by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. I had never heard of these before and am definitely going to read more about them now!

The hidden child in the story is Kathy. Her mother, Connie, goes to the bar with her boyfriend Fred, Ian, and Myra. Kathy is left to sit in the car while they are in the bar. Ian and Myra leave first and take Kathy and eventually leave her out in the country. She wanders to the house of Thomas and Ronald, the Cappleman brothers. They immediately take her in and make her comfortable. Kathy is such a sad child and the neglect from her mother is awful. She knows her mother doesn’t want her, so she begs to stay with the brothers. The brothers are also withholding a dark secret that they are worried will be revealed in the midst of the chaos.

In the meantime, Ronald has some run-ins with Ian and Myra. Connie actually does come to realize how awful of a mother she has been and she wants Kathy back to change her ways. Ronald wants Thomas to agree to give her back, but both Kathy and Thomas fight it.

The ending did surprise me, but when all said and done, it did make sense and I loved how everyone was able to come together. Overall, this was a great story and I love how it revolves around the real life Moor murders. Give this one a try if you are in the mood for a mystery/thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!

Wow, what a great book, which I really enjoyed. It is based on a true story (The Moors Murders), and it sent chills through me, as I read. It really kept me engrossed and captivated. The audiobook was great, and I enjoyed listening to it. The characters were very interesting; some menacing and evil, and some helpful and kind. I was rooting for little Kathy, who was so innocent. I feel sad for the children who are murdered in this life. I don't know how anyone can be so cruel to hurt children. Reading about these horrors helps us to understand why things like this happen, but they are hard to read about. Overall, I found the book very interesting, and the writing and narration were superb.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for sending ARC Audiobook copy in return for an honest review.

This is a fictional story recounted within the timeline of the true Moors Murders committed in England in the mid 1960s. As a reader of true-crime I was already quite familiar with the story of these murders and the individuals involved, and the author does an excellent job of intertwining both the fictional and factual in one very compelling storyline.

The characters portrayed are flawed and hard to like in many ways, but given the situation they find themselves in at times I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them, which I thought was an interesting contrast of emotions. The narrator of the audiobook was excellent, and really brought the story to life with her portrayal of the different characters.

I did find the story a little slow-moving at times. I listened to the audiobook over a number of days while running, and once or twice found that an hour had passed without anything significant having happened.

Overall a very enjoyable read/listen though.

In my opinion, the new title suits the story better than the previous one.

The fictional story is weaved around a true notorious crime duo: Ian Brady and Myra Hindley and the author has done a great job of doing that.

The story is told from 2 POVs: Ronald's and Connie’s.

Even though her daughter goes missing,  I found hard to sympathize with Connie because she made sure that Kathy knew that she was an unwanted child. In spite of that, I could understand her guilt and overwhelming feelings of sadness after Kathy was gone. Ron's side plot seemed a little dull but I loved his character. The portrayal of Ian and Myra gave me chills as I knew beforehand that they are not fictional.

Both the narrators were extremely capable to keep the listeners interested and made the experience worthwhile.


I thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for sending ARC Audiobook copy.

I have only just come across this author and wow what a talent ! This is the second book I’ve read by her and the way that she weaves true crime with fiction is genius! Based on the Brady & Hindley murders the storyline based around them was riveting!
Highly recommended

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a great job of bringing the characters to life and made the characters of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley extremely believable

As a true crime junkie (yes, I am a murderino, amongst other podcast obsessives) I knew about the "Moor Murders" before I started listening to this audio book. I find this type of 'true crime historical fiction' so thrilling! If you are familiar with 'history' (or not - remember, Wikipedia is your friend) it is always intriguing to see how to author fills in the blanks around the true life events. We know what the outcome was, but how did it get to that point?

The location is Manchester, UK in 1965. Children are going missing in the area, and the community is getting more tense and anxious by the day. Yet another little girl disappears and as the story progress we learn more family secrets, with the themes of betrayal, fear, messed up relationships, menace and anxiety. Although there are some role players that evoke a strong sense of dislike in me, it is testament to the depth of character and the world (fictionalised and real life) the author created. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley (the Moor Murderers) are not front and centre as the main characters, but they are on the peripheral constantly and due to that my stomach was in a permanent knot whilst listening to this book.

On that topic, this is a multiple POV story, narrated by Sarah Durham and Richard Burnip who did a fantastic job at bringing the story to life and transporting you right to Manchester. The narration is at a good pace, and thoroughly enjoyable and easy to listen to.

After listening to "The Hidden Child" I did some research on the author, Rebecca Griffiths, and it definitely keen to explore more of her storytelling.

My rating: 4/5

Thank you to #NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio book, in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date 24 Feb 2022
Bookouture Audio, Bookouture
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
#TheHiddenChild #NetGalley.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Another missing child story. Honestly was confused and couldn’t follow what what happening a lot of the time. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't heard about the Moor Murders prior to starting this book. I did do some research to find out more about them. I thought this book was an interesting perspective, the main character, Connie, was one of the murders best friends. The characters were brought to life, even though I didn't like them very much. I think Fred was my favorite.
If you like books based on true crime give this one a chance.
It doesn't meet the criteria for our high school library, but I'd recommend it to adults.

I really struggled to like any character in this book and made it hard to me to listen to the story as I could not care really about what was going on, which isn't great when you're listening a book about murders, especially one inspired by reality. The narrator did a very good job.
Ultimately, it might be the case of the tone not being for me, rather than the book not being good.

The Hidden Child
Rebecca Griffiths
The setting is 1965, Manchester England. Connie left her daughter Kathy in the car while she and her boyfriend, Fred, went in a tavern for a drink. She didn’t plan to be gone long and he assured her everything would be ok. But it wasn’t ok, Kathy was missing. Connie frantically searched for her daughter to no avail. As she searches for her daughter, she regrets how she complained about her, and how she treated her. Connie was only fifteen when she became pregnant by a married man. She attempts to push the news reports of other missing children out of her mind.
Sheep farmer, Ronald Cappleman and his brother, Thomas, owned Black Fell Farm. Ronald saw a couple on his land acting strange; he demands they leave. They hold a gun on him and humiliate him. He finds his sheep mutilated. He decided it would be best if he armed himself. He can’t call the law because he has his own secrets. When Ronald sees a little girl wandering around lost, he takes her home with him. He and Thomas dedicate themselves to keeping her safe. Ronald wants to locate her family, but Thomas becomes attached to her.
This is fiction based on fact. The author does an excellent job intertwining the two. In reality Ian Brady and Myra Hindley sexually assaulted and murdered five children.

This audiobook gripped me from the very beginning and I am so thankful I was able to jump on board super early in its release.

Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, Rebecca Griffiths and narrators Sarah Durham and Richard Burnip are the real MVP's for delivering this tense and thrilling mystery.

Set in the Manchester in 1965 the story fleshes out the real life story of the Moors murders. You all know I'm a sucker for true crime but this was like nothing I've ever experienced.

The author weaves fact and a liberal dose of fiction into a duel narrative that is absolutely enthralling. We follow Connie, a single mother who is desperately searching for her little girl and Ronald, a local farmer with a dark past who becomes entwined in a sinister web.

I wasn't familiar with the real life case of the Moors murders when I started this audiobook and in a way I'm glad. It meant I could take in the characters at face value and not attach any pre-conceived ideas. This felt real, gritty and messy and I loved the twists and turns. I really enjoy stories set in historic periods that recognise that not everyone was prim and proper despite having very different values to today.

Having now read up on the backstory I'm amazed at the depravity displayed by some of the key characters, and even more impressed with the suspenseful side story the author was able to create.

I have been left thinking about this one, it made me question my impressions of every single character. Each one was so flawed but at the same time so human.

For such a bleak story this ended on a beautiful high and I will treasure the time I spent with some excellent characters (I'm wary of spoilers here so I won't go into any more detail on that!)

The writing and the narration of this one was simply sublime, and I found myself admiring the stunning descriptions of life in such a haunting landscape.

I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a dark and foreboding story with some surprisingly heartwarming moments.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I felt the original title for this book fit better. I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction but really enjoyed this book. The narrator did a good job between the women and men sections. I wouldn't say the book wasn't overly suspenseful but it was enough that it held my interest and kept me guessing.

The fact that this was inspired by true crime sold it to me. I mean you cant go wrong with a book or movie that is based on a true story. And like always I never bothered to read the blurb, so when I started to listen to this story I loved the fact that based on a story that we all know really well. When I heard the characters name for the first time I was like NO WAY what an awesome idea for a story. We only know the facts of what happened but to write a story building up to it, so to speak I think is a unique idea.

The Hidden Child really gets the cogs turning making you think about the characters has real people. I bloody loved it and listened to it in two days. It is packed full of emotion and sensitivity. I loved the relationship with the two brother. So naive and almost innocent. When Roland finds Kathy, Connie’s missing daughter. With scenes alternating between them and Connie. You can feel the fierce and anxiety of her losing her daughter. This is every mother’s worse nightmare and is clearly portrayed in this story.

I loved the narrator she has done a brilliant job bringing this story to life making it even more real. It certainly kept me guessing until the very end and was surprised by the ending. I well and truly loved this story. Did I mention that this is the first book that I have read by the author. I cannot wait to read more by her. Rebecca you have got yourself a new fan!

I cannot recommend this story enough. It is brilliant!

Thank you to Kim Nash at Bookouture for a copy all thoughts are my own not biased in anyway

This is a review of the audio version of this book.

Connie’s daughter Cathy goes missing one night as Connie and her boyfriend leave her in the car while they go to the pub.
Cathy, having got into a trailer with some lambs ends up on a farm where Tom and Ronnie start caring for her.
As the search for Cathy continues, all the characters become entwined with each other.

This story was pleasant to listen to, but lacked a certain something, even the ending seemed to come from nowhere and was a bit of a letdown.

I liked the fact that it was based on a real true crime story, but although I’m aware this wasn’t a story about the Moors Murders I would have liked to have heard more about them.

The title of the book changed from The Body on the Moor to the Hidden Child, I thought the original title was more appropriate, although maybe it should have been ‘bodies’.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This has a true event woven through it: a heinous crime spree that certainly upset this listener.  But to me there was an overriding theme that persisted: how love was the overriding factors by the characters.
   There was brotherly love: two men who held personal secrets for ages so as not to offend the other because family and heritage mattered more and as result altered their futures.
   Maternal love was shown in the worst way possible. A child is ignored and abused by her mother so the mother could enjoy life without the burden of this tot. This was counterbalanced by the mom who accepted her child and all her flaws.
   Criminals were totally devoid of love. Their crimes held no sense of compassion or fear of consequence for their actions and took great joy in their devious abilities.
   Friendship: how teenage history allowed obvious bad adult behavior to be ignored because they grew up together and the character was so convinced the friend would “never do that”.
   Then there was serendipitous love: to discover what you had missed for so many years and then try and rectify it..
   And, yes, this was a true crime novel with all the situations that would make your hair curl or shout out in anger at those who were supposed to be solving it but I was captivated in the relationships of the characters. This is probably not what the author wanted to hear in a review.
   The reader did an admirable job on the various characters and accents.

I know this will be an unpopular opinion. This was a hard read for me. I didn’t connect with the writing style, but I read enough to need to know how it ended.

The storyline is good but could have been rearranged to help with flow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Reviewing
The Hidden Child
By Rebecca Griffiths

In The Hidden Child Rebecca Griffiths does a brilliant job of blending her fictional tale with the infamous moors murders that took place in the early 1960’s. Her Characters give life and perspective to those chilling events while drawing on readers emotions with a personal connection. The slower pace is balanced by a few twists and turns and the historical details that is sure to keep readers engaged.

I loved learning more about the Moors murders in this well written mystery for reader of all ages.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars for an another wonderful historical fiction mystery that was tied up a little to tidy for my liking 😉

I really enjoyed this book, such a brilliant story set around real life killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. The characters are well written, most have made mistakes past or present but still have likeable traits or you sympathise with them. Thanks to Netgalley

What a story! Combining fact with fiction enhanced the terrifying aspect to this book. 7 year old Kathy goes missing while her mum, Connie and boyfriend are in the pub. Connie is distraught as the days pass and no sign of Kathy. There have other children disappear in the area over the recent years and have not been found yet.
Unbeknown to Connie the reason, but her best friend Myra Hindley and new boyfriend, Ian Brady and started acting more unusual lately and Ian has a run in with the police,
Meanwhile, 2 farmers make an alarming discovery and soon the paths of all parties entwine.
A really gripping read, with fact and fiction flawlessly entwined, making the scenario that bit more dark.

This story includes a lot of different characters. Some of them are pure evil. Connie is the mother of the missing girl. She had her child at to young an age after been deceived by a married man who got her pregnant. Having grown up with a father that used to punish her for every little thing she ends up threatening her daughter the same way. So not only does she feel guilty about having left the kid alone in the car while going for a drink with her boyfriend but also start to have regrets about how little love she has shown the kid and a bit too fast in dishing out punishments. We have the two middle-aged brothers living on a remote farm trying to keep a more then 20 year old secret hidden. We have the grandmother of the missing girl who is trying to deal with a dying husband but is still been supportive of her daughter. Emotions run high with the neighbors and not all are sympathetic to Connie and her boyfriend. Police seems to have their mind made up on who is guilty from the beginning. The foundation of the story is based on actual murders of children in that time period (Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, the infamous Moors murderers who killed 5 children between July 1963 and October 1965).