I love a book that is structured like a police procedural but involves someone other than the police. In this one Ben is an investigative journalist and investigating a case that is close to home. The close to home paired with his job makes him very much a relentless seeker of information.

I was so drawn in and captivated by the first book in the series and found Ben and his back story so relatable. While this is book four, it is easily read as a stand alone, you’ll just miss out on the growth of the recurring characters. It is nice to see Ben and Dani happy and planning for the birth of their child. He also has some other growth in his personal life, but I’ll let you discover that as you read.

The case is complex and there are a lot of characters. Even having read the books in the series, I found the first time I started this, there was a lot going on in my life and I wasn’t committed to following the layered plot and started over and was much more invested in the book and following the cast of characters.

This is definitely for those that loves to unravel the story to get to the most important facts. It allows the reader to step into Ben’s shoes and investigate too.

I was excited to start Nine Hidden Lives by Robert Gold and y’all I was not disappointed!
This was a quick and fun read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written suspense filled with twists that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
An intriguing story with characters who draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
The characters were all realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself gripped, turning the pages, not knowing what was to come next.
It was suspenseful, mysterious and unpredictable.
A favorite series of mine.

Over 30 years ago, a journalist is murdered, and her daughter Uma is still haunted by her unknown killer. Her and a team of her mother's fellow journalists work together to solve the crime and uncover much more than they realized.

I didn't mind this book. It was very engaging from the beginning. The ending summed up most of the loose ends and tied together the characters nicely. I'm not sure what I need, but I'm left craving more.

The pros: I loved that all the characters are connected in some way. I enjoyed following each of their stories and waiting for them to intersect with the others, especially those that don't seem connected at all. I liked the format of short chapters and most of them ending on a "cliffhanger" of shorts. Kept the pace quick and leaving the reader to want more. I loved how many strong female characters the author included. Sometimes those are far and few between. I felt as though these women were well developed and more interesting than their male counterparts.

The cons: almost too many characters. I feel like you would have to almost read this in one sitting. I kept having to go back or wrack my brain to figure out who was who, who was related to who, and if it mattered. The character list could have been shortened by half and still have the same effect. The motive wasn't fully explained to me. I understand the killer, but it could have been drawn out a bit more. Kind of let me down. There were a ton of red herrings, which I don't mind, but some of them just ended without explanation to the story or how they relate back to the main plot/murderer. Cheryl Henry and Liam Kane for example. That whole subplot could have been removed, and the ending wouldn't have changed.

Overall, not bad. I would recommend it for my murder mystery friends.

I want to thank the author, NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Bookouture and Robert Gold for the ARC! 🙏✨

💥 I have absolutely loved the Ben Harper series, and this latest installment?? Hands down the BEST one yet! 🏆

🧠 What I loved most:
Ben is back—this time investigating a 30-year-old cold case that's been haunting a small town for decades. What really stood out was the journalist POV—a fresh take that pulled me deep into the mystery without the typical police procedural vibe. Loved every twisty second! 📰🕵️‍♂️

🔍 What to expect:
✅ Twisty cold case murder mystery
✅ Deep dive into complex family secrets
✅ A large cast of shady suspects 🫣
✅ Short, snappy chapters that keep the pages flying 📖💨
✅ Tension, suspense, and a slow unraveling of truth
✅ Zero gore—just high-stakes drama 🔥

📌 Do you need to read the whole series?
Nope! You can totally jump in here. There are a few nods to previous books (and some light spoilers), but it works great as a standalone crime thriller.👌

⚡ Pacing:
The short chapters kept the momentum up, and while there are a lot of characters to track early on, I was hooked by the 20% mark. 🎯

👍 Do I recommend it?
YES! If you're a fan of gripping mysteries, cold case thrillers, and suspenseful plots without graphic violence, this book is for you! 🖤📚

Perfect for fans of:
💥 Lisa Regan
💥 Robert Dugoni
💥 Kendra Elliot

Mood: Intense 🧩 | Suspenseful 🕵️ | Addictive 📖

Read if you like:
🔎 Cold case mysteries
🧠 Smart main characters
🎤 Journalist-led investigations
🧬 Family secrets and past trauma

Reading in Between the Wines book review #37/125 for 2025:
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: Nine Hidden Lives (Ben Harper Book 4)
Author: Robert Gold
AVAILABLE NOW!!!

Sipping thoughts: Ben’s journalistic ability has been helpful in the past and is now needed to help solve Dr. Jha’s mom’s unsolved murder. There are a lot of players in this book, so you will need to pay attention. The last part of the book had me not wanting to stop because I had the need to finish and find out what happened. I am curious to see what the 5th book will bring us.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @NineHiddenLives.

#NineHiddenLives #RobertGold #Bookouture #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bokreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I enjoyed this book. It’s a little different from other books I’ve read like this. With Ben being the main character, we get more of the journalist perspective instead of the police perspective.

Dr. Jha’s mother is murdered 30 years prior, and they never found her killer. She is determined to get justice for her mother and she teams up with Ben and the newspaper that her mother used to work for to find the truth. But someone doesn’t want her to.

It didn’t take much to suck me into this one. I definitely want to go back and read the first few books in this series.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

I absolutely LOVE this mystery thriller series!! Keep ‘em coming - it’s fresh and each one just keeps getting better and better.
The plot line flows well and kept me guessing; the danger and tension built rapidly.
It’s compelling, suspenseful, fast-paced and twisty.
I’m a big fan of police procedurals and Robert Gold goes the extra distance adding the mystery with the thrill!! There’s always a little something extra in every one!!
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to read to this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Complex and well written, you will not put this down until the very end. Characters you feel you know and relate to, you will root for them and feel for them - a great balance of mystery and character. A real tapestry of back stories intertwined through the years, you will not guess even half of what is going on! Great series!

📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

Nine Hidden Lives By Robert Gold
Publication Date: April 10, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up to 5⭐)

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

I was so happy to receive the request from Jess at Bookouture to be a part of the book tour for Nine Hidden Lives, the fourth installment of Robert Gold's Ben Harper series. I have absolutely loved each and every page of this crime thriller series, and I was honored to be a part of this tour!

Once again, Gold absolutely crushed it when it came to a fast-paced and twisty mystery! I was enthralled by the way the multiple perspectives and storylines in this read came together, like the perfect pieces of a puzzle, to intersect brilliantly in the mystery's conclusion.

Again, we get to spend time with our favorite residents of Haddley as they try to finally uncover the truth behind the unsolved murder of local investigative journalist, Alaka Jha. Of course Ben and Dani are back, along with all of the other characters we've come to love, and there are so many sweet moments in this book to complement the twists and the thrills of the mysteries within these pages.

Reading the author's note at the end of the book, I was so saddened to read of Gold's recent cancer diagnosis. I've become such a fan of his books through this series and I'm sending out good vibes and positive hopes for his healing as he focuses on his health and well-being. Robert, I am cheering for you and looking forward to reading your next book -- whatever that may be.

I know I've said it before, but it bears saying again: THIS SERIES IS A MUST-READ! If you're a fan of crime thrillers and characters you'll truly love, along with heart-pounding mysteries and books that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, you simply have to read these Ben Harper books!! This series deserves ALL the hype you might be hearing -- and as of April 10th, all four books are available and ready for you to devour!!

#NineHiddenLives #RobertGold #Bookouture #BenHarperSeries #booktour #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #thrillerreads #crimethrillers #thrillerseries

4⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of Nine Hidden Lives.

Journalist Ben Harper is writing a story about the thirtieth anniversary of the death of a journalist from his town named Alka. Her murder has gone unsolved all this years and her daughter a local doctor in the town asks Ben to write a story to try to help solve her case. Uma her daughter begins receiving threats just like her mother but she is determined to get justice for her mother no matter the cost.

This is the fourth book in this series and I enjoyed this one. The plot was good it was a little difficult keeping the characters straight but I still enjoyed it.

I loved the first 3 books in this series but this one was not my favourite. I found the first half of this book was all over the place, so many characters and you weren’t really sure what their role would be and the plot for the first half was not very strong, there was too much going on at once.
The second half redeemed itself a bit and it finished strong.
I will still look forward to the next one and hope the plot is a little less muddy and the story line more tight and focused.
Love the characters, just had a hard time settling into this one

Took me awhile to get into the story but once I did it was an enjoyable reading experience. I think manly the reason I had trouble was at the time I was reading this I wasn't feeling very well. .

Ben is on the case again looking for the truth surrounding a 30 year old murder. Madness. And mayhem ensues! Great read. Thank you for allowing me to preview this book.

Thirty years ago, my mother was found murdered. I remember holding my teddy bear close, listening as the police told my father they couldn’t find her killer. She was only two miles from home when she was brutally attacked and left for dead in her car by the forest-lined highway. They said they interviewed everyone in our small town, but no one saw a thing… Every year, on the anniversary of her death, I dive back into the case, hoping to uncover something new. But this year, I receive a note that turns my blood to ice: Stop asking questions while you still can. Don’t make the same mistake as your mother! Great book and series! This book had great suspense, mystery, murder, dark family secrets, intrigue, fantastic characters, and a few crazy twists! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book and series! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I love this series featuring investigative journalist Ben Harper. Nine Hidden Lives was another very twisty page turner that kept me reading late into the night. I feel that we have really gotten to know Ben well through the 4 books so far, he would be who I would ask for help if ai needed it.

This time Ben is working on a 39 year old cold case, of his friend and colleague Alaka Jha, who was murdered. Nobody has ever been caught,, and her daughter still wants answers. Uma ask Ben for help and the pair find themselves in plenty of danger trying to solve the mystery. While Ben is doing all of this, his girlfriend Dani is waiting to give birth to their child.

There is never a dull moment in these books, with something happening all the time. There are a lot of characters and side stories going on but I never feel confused. I loved Pamela being back and having a bigger part in this story. She does make me laugh. It was very clever how this story unfolded and came together, a brilliant crime book.

Thanks so much to Bookouture on NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on April 10th.

Heavily pregnant Dani is on leave so Ben needs to work deal with a new detective while working on a 30 year old story that turns into a threat in the present as someone wants to keep it in the past. We see some flashbacks and memories from the older characters, some a little confusing on the timeline and who is who as they are all quite similar. Over the book, the themes start to weave but you still get some twists on who is responsible and how they are involved.

Overall, a good read. Starts with catching up with a lot of characters from the previous books but soon gets into the actual crimes and following up on Alaka's murder.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy for review.

Journalist Ben Harper writes an article about a journalist Alaka Jha, who was killed decades ago and her daughter, Uma, who refuses to give up the case. Little do they know, but the article and Uma’s continued search for truth bring her closer to danger than either ever imagined.

The plot is engaging and quite intricate, with several characters and subplots that you think are separate but turn out to involve each other in surprising ways. His partner, Dani, is heavily pregnant and expecting to give birth any day. His mentor, Sam, is in touch daily because he used to work with Alaka and wants to help in any way he can with solving that case. Ben’s widowed friend, Pamela, is a patient of Uma’s and makes friends with another elderly women who met with Alaka all those years ago, also hoping to help with the case. And then there’s the woman Uma assisted with rehabilitation who keeps showing up in the worst ways. Whew!

It may seem a bit overwhelming, but most readers should be able to follow the different sets of people and activity, but you have to pay attention. Even the most insignificant mention might be more important than you think! I was saddened to learn in the acknowledgements that this will be the last in the series (I hope that’s not a spoiler). But I do think it ended in quite a satisfactory way. I was definitely tearing up at the conclusion – a perfect ending.

Another awesome Ben Harper book with lots of twists and turns and a cute little present at the end! Love it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!