Hiding Lies presents an intriguing premise, with Lydia Walker, a forensic photographer haunted by her past, caught up in a case that blurs the lines between personal vengeance and justice. The central plot—mixing dark urges, trauma, and moral dilemmas—could have been compelling, but unfortunately, the execution falls short.

The writing often feels surface-level, with large sections reading like a monotonous monologue. The emotional depth expected from such a thriller is missing, as much of the story is told in a detached, non-emotive style that makes it difficult to connect with Lydia, Adam or their struggles. There are also inconsistencies, such as changes in the antagonist's backstory from beginning to end which detract from the overall flow and credibility of the narrative. (e.g. SPOILER: our antagonist says his biological mum was presented to him as his aunt in the beginning of the story and then as his sister at the end.)

While Hiding Lies might appeal to readers looking for a quick, casual read, it lacks the complexity and emotional engagement required to fully deliver on its promising premise. The story I wouldn't categorise as a horror or a mystery, but maybe a goofy sociopath love story.

ARC review
Hiding Lies by Stephanie Rose
Release date: October 29, 2024
✨
Lydia Walker is a forensic photographer with an obsession with all things true crime and horror. She’s thrilled to be assigned the case of what seems to be a serial killer, gruesomely murdering people at remote campsites.

She hides her obsession well, but she craves a companion who will understand. When she meets Adam, she’s hopeful he might. But Adam has a dark side of his own.
✨
I devoured this gruesome, unique story. Both main characters have a darkness they are struggling to keep hidden, but when they find each other, they imagine a life where they don’t have to. Warning: The crime scenes in this story are truly chilling.

I love the concept of this book and the first 10% that I read was enjoyable. Unfortunately the ARC is on black pages with white, almost italic font. I’ve tried to push through a couple times but this one is hurting my eyes. I will try a physical copy once this one releases!

I think fans of horror, slashers, and true crime will really enjoy this one!

I was loving this book. I couldn’t put it down. The serial killer aspect is great. It has taken me several days to write this review. We follow Lydia a forensic photographer then we are introduced to Adam. *Hiding Lies* is an engaging psychological thriller that hooks you from the first page. The book weaves a web of secrets, suspense, and betrayal, making it a gripping read for fans of mystery and suspense. The character development falls a little short and the ending…actually what ending. I feel the author just stopped writing. The story isnt done.

This was a fun thriller that I did not expect. It was gory at times and very twisty and definitely kept me engaged and wondering what was next.

Lydia likes to read “The Silence of the Lambs”, is obsessed with books, hates liars and enjoys taking pictures. She was an abused foster child who turned into a forensic photographer, documenting crimes all over Portland. She admires the killers, decorating her apartment’s walls with gruesome crime scenes. She has a dark side, and doesn’t know what to do with it.

Adam likes to read “The Silence of the Lambs”, is obsessed with books, hates liars and enjoys taking pictures. He and his girlfriend have recently split up, and he has immersed himself with work, and other activities, like kayaking and camping. He has a dark side, and doesn’t know what to do with it.

When the two meet, sparks immediately fly. Lydia is in the middle of crazy things at work, as a potential serial killer seems to be getting started. They stab multiple people to death, then arrange their bodies in tender positions for the police to find. Lydia is getting stressed, especially when one of the cases hits home, but she can’t tell Adam about it, for multiple reasons. There are some things he can’t tell her, either. But maybe he’d like to try…

It’s rare to find good extreme horror on NetGalley, so I’m glad I was able to get this advanced reader copy! The writing was decent, and while the ending felt too abrupt, this story was a horrifying yet touching tale of two people finding each other…just with a lot of murder sprinkled in! 3.5 stars, rounded up for being a debut.

(Thank you to Mad Axe Media, Stephanie Rose
And NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on October 29, 2024.)

this was so much better than I expected, but I really enjoyed it

Lydia is a forensic photographer was abused as a child She is a foster kid and when she meets Adam they seem suited to each other.. and not in a good way

Lydia is working on a murder case which two bodies are found at a camp site. Adam is charming, and also a serial killer

I loved this read it is dark and twisty and quite mind blowing .

This novel is superb. I loved the plot development and how the characters joined together and made this an enjoyable psychological thriller I really enjoyed,

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book. I was instantly intrigued, and read it in a day which rarely ever happens for me. I strongly suggest reading the trigger warnings before starting. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending of the book, and that's why I'm landing on 3.5 stars. If you have no triggers, I would highly recommend reading this

If you want a spooky book then this is definitely one for you and definitely one to read in October, however the mystery just wasn’t there for me. I did enjoy this book despite this

The concept of this is PERFECT for a spooky season read. It literally was giving all of the spooky and fall vibes that I was hoping for. I was only hanging on in this book for the vibes. I think the mystery itself kinda fell apart for me. I wanted to love everything about this, but instead I just loved some parts of it.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my early arc copy of this!

This book was not like I expected it to be but that’s not a bad thing, I really enjoyed getting to know the two main characters Adam and Lydia and found the way the interacted to be beautifully dark. I feel with the ending it leaves this open for a sequel in the future but if not that’s fine too I do enjoy and open ending.

Lydia is a forensic photographer for the Portland police with sociopathic tendencies due to being abused as a child growing up in foster care. Adam has sociopathic tendencies himself, which finally erupt when he's fed up with people who, in his opinion, are living a lie. When their paths finally cross, they may have found their soulmate.
The concept for the novel was intriguing, something like "You" and "Dexter" but with both characters being sociopaths. However, when the book switched to Adam's perspective it just felt more and more contrived as the story went on. And I just couldn't reconcile with it going from seemingly serious serial killer novel to soapy romance-serial killer parody.

I wanted to like this book as well. However, I should have read the trigger warnings prior so that was my error. The writing is a bit different and it was just a very mentally difficult read. Thank you for the copy.

If you are looking for a tense and entertainingly dark story for your autumn tbr, this is one to watch out for.

At just over 200 pages, I did find myself constantly wondering how they were going to fit the whole story in. But the pacing is quick, and this just adds to the excitement!

Told in a dual POV format, we have forensic photographer Lydia Walker who is brought on to a potential serial case. Lydia is hiding a traumatic and slightly dark past and cannot help but resonate with the killer as more bodies are found.

And then we have Adam, who Lydia meets and connects with almost instantly. Who unfortunately also had a horrible upbringing.

As the cases escalate, Lydia finds herself torn between doing the right thing and giving in to her dark thoughts.

Now, the way this ended blew me away. I’ve never read a book end the way it did, and it made me feel 10 different emotions all at once 🤯

I can’t wait to see what comes next from Stephanie!✨

I felt really deflated by this book.
Parts felt like the beginning of a good thriller, others like a love story without the spice. It was predictable from early on in the book. Disappointed overall.

Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc!
I will say, the book was not what I expected it to be. I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. I enjoyed the read, it kept me interested. I just found it to be a little unrealistic **POSSIBLE SPOILER** and there was more romance involved than what I was expecting. I didn’t expect it to have any romance.
**END OF SPOILER**
All in all, it was okay and I don’t regret reading it!

I admire the author's ability to, so thoroughly describe violent events, it actually turned my stomach, which is impressive. A reader has to be in the correct mindset to enjoy it and I did enjoy it. I could see where the story was going but I did like the twists. All in all a successful thriller.

Lydia is a forensic photographer with a tragic past, she also has a secret, she's obsessed with crime and duplicates her photographs to study the crimes committed in her own time.
A gruesome find at a local but remote camping site has Lydia called upon for her services and expertise.
Adam works part time in a book store, he's also fascinated by crime.
I found this a really enticing read, although the book was gruesome in places( there are plenty of trigger warnings at the beginning)
I liked reading the point of view from the killer, and the procedural side of police work. Reading the case notes made it seem like a true crime novel
It's a very strong debut novel

This was a fairly fast-paced thriller, following Lydia, a forensic photographer, as she takes on her biggest case yet. A couple have been found brutally murdered at their campsite, photographed, and staged for the police to find. The killer has also left a message that Lydia seems to connect with.
I found the story, the characters, and their backstories interesting, and it certainly helped understand their thought processes and their actions. There were moments where I hoped I was wrong about what was going to happen, but it did. Because of that, I was incredibly angry at the way this book ended. More angry than I can put into words, which is why I marked it down.

Check the TWs for this one.

This was a quick read, and I was absolutely hooked throughout the whole book….until the last chapter. This wasn’t even a fade to black ending. It just felt like an unfinished book. Regardless, I will definitely read more from this author. I really enjoyed the writing style and the flow of everything.