Hiding Places

The family lodge in the small town of Evergreen, Colorado was built with the purpose of hiding people who needed a safe place of refuge, but over the years has become a place of secrets and discord among the family itself. 11-year-old Kate is good at keeping secrets, but some secrets aren't safe for a child.

The complexity of this story makes it tough to discuss succinctly. You can talk about the family relationships, or the consequences of a bad decision, or the importance of speaking up when you see something wrong. You could discuss gang violence and how violence begets violence. There's the thread of family legacies and what should be passed down through the generations. Or you could converse about the role of a Good Samaritan. This book has so many layers and characters that swirl around each other and contribute to a brutal, yet redemptive, tale, that a short review wouldn't do it justice. And a long review would only spoil the story.

While I can't wholeheartedly recommend this book without reservation, due to its brutality and violence, I can say that there's much to be taken from the narrative of lives gone wrong, and the simplicity of a child's trusting and helpful nature, if you can get past the hard parts. For without darkness, how would we recognize the light?

i give this book 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Filled with heart-pounding suspense and scenes that left me holding my breath, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author brought together characters from three different walks of life and did an excellent job of fleshing out their personalities, so they seem almost human. There is the well-off family who own a hotel and cabins in an affluent neighborhood. All the family members are busy--so involved in their own lives that the youngest one, Kate is usually alone. There are two other families--not related by blood but by circumstances and choice. The one consists of homeless people who live under a bridge, and the other is a family of gang members who call themselves brothers. The beginning of the book goes back and forth between the groups of characters. As the story continues, their lives began to merge.

The author does an excellent job of letting you peek into the inner workings of their thoughts and what motivates them. In the end, a lesson is learned about the true meaning of family and caring for those who are less fortunate.

I highly recommend this one.

This book had great suspense and kept me wanting more. It reminds me that it is so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives that we miss all that is out there. connections lost with family, community and our own spirit are the key to happiness and when that is missing life can become meaningless.

A special thank you to Thomas Nelson-Fiction and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Erin Healy delivers captivating and adventurous HIDING PLACES, a world of intrigue, suspense, and mystery surround the multi-layered story and a Nancy Drew type young girl, named Kate – as she tries to make sense of this world of crazy adults, her family history, danger, secrets, and treasures.

Set in a resort mountain town of Evergreen, Colorado-- Kat, eleven-years-old seems to be the protector of the family. She is caught in the middle of all her family members and grandparents. Her family operates The Harrison Lodge, a historic mountain resort, and has done so for many generations. Years ago, the lodge was a private mansion a summer getaway for rich businessmen. However, before Kate was born, someone had turned the mansion into a hotel.

The resort consists of a popular restaurant on the first floor and well -appointed guest rooms and a library on the second, and a third story event center, and spacious detached cottages, and grounds. As with most grand hotels, and resorts of this grand nature; there is always drama with the guests, and oh so many secrets, passageways, hidden treasures, and stories buried beneath. If the wall could speak.

We meet a variety of eccentric, strange, dangerous, and funny characters: Great- Grandma Pearl, Gran & Grandy, her mother, Janet, and two older sisters, Alyssa and Olivia. Great-Granma Pearl is quite the character! In addition to the secrets and a safe haven for the guests, Kate finds the family members are keeping secrets.

Told primarily from Kate’s view, she likes to play detective and suspects one of her family members is involved in a murder. She has seen and heard things.

In addition to all the drama surrounding the entire family, readers are introduced to other families, from different walks of life— from a homeless man who sees a robbery gone wrong . . . runaways living under a bridge, a gang member who seeks revenge for the death of his son . . . and Charlie, a boy who has lived on the streets, with no money, and an alcoholic father. Someone wants him to kill someone, someone is being framed and Kate plays the Good Samaritan by hiding him; not realizing the danger. However, she has no clue how he may be connected to her family’s history.

How can three different families’ lives connect? How can Kate protect them all --and keep them from harm’s way?

A mystery, heartwarming, redemptive, and coming-of-age story of an innocent and trusting young girl, and her altruistic need to take the burdens of the world upon herself. To protect and be protected. (Loved the front cover)!

There are so many elements to the story, and Erin does a fabulous job connecting all the storylines, building with mystery and intrigue, with nice character development. Kate loves to hide out, intuitive-- reminding you of a Nancy Drew; readers will fall for her charm and Pearl, the one everyone thinks is crazy. Loved the relationship between the two, with a nice takeaway.

“Don’t you play hide-and-seek? Hiding places are only good for as long as they stay hidden.“

As The Parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

HIDING PLACES was my first book by Healy— have heard so much about Motherless, I just purchased the audiobook. Look forward to reading/listening, as well as her previous books.

On a personal note: Was attracted to the book initially, due to the hotel, as a consultant for historic hotel properties— they (former owners and guests) all have history, mysteries and secrets of the past. I love writing the research for the web, and digging up its past, naming the rooms, connections, and capturing earlier times and eras. Fascinating!

This is a complex, well paced suspense read, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right till the end. Its characters are well drawn and believable, especially the clever witted Kate, who bravely takes on the role of protector of the unfortunate fugitive, Charlie, despite the implications for her own family's safety. The narrative is woven together by numerous threads that slowly reveal the differences and then the connections between the various families as their lives fatefully converge. A good read.

This is my first book by Erin Healy but it will not be my last. I really enjoyed this novel. It was definitely a little different than a normal mystery/suspense. But in a good way. It took me a little bit to get into it but once I did, I did not want to put it down. I would most certainly recommend this book to anyone but especially those who love books with some suspense to them.

Young Kate considers herself a spy in training. She has plenty of practice living at her family’s hotel. She spies on her sister and hides her drugs to keep her out of trouble. She spies on her other sister and keeps her stealing from the cash box a secret by replacing it with her own cash. She sneaks her grandfather’s candy bars and keeps the critical comments at the hotel from her mom and grandmother. When her grandfather’s best friend is murdered the day after Kate hears the two of them arguing she is in for her toughest case yet.

While Kate is trying to help and protect those she loves, there are serious problems going on across town. A homeless man sees a robbery gone wrong, a gang member seeks revenge for the death of his son and a young boy finds himself caught in the middle of one of the town’s murders. While Kate offers shelter to one of these, she is unaware of the danger she is bringing on the family. She tries to hide him and help all while trying to keep the many secrets come to light, some she doesn’t even know about.

Erin Healy has a way of crafting a story like no one else. She brings elements of suspense, mystery and in this case a bit of humor to the story. This story did not have the same elements of the supernatural that the previous novels did but I found it to be my favorite of her books so far. There is really little to no criticisms I have for Hiding Places. I read this quickly and enjoyed every page. Having an eleven year old at the center of a story and keeping her strong and engaging is no easy feat, but was pulled off brilliantly. Kate stays strong throughout and her relationship with each member of the family and those she come in contact with are believable and enjoyable to read. I particularly liked the character of Great Grandma Pearl. She made everyone think she was crazy but was probably the smartest in the whole story. She wasn’t able to do a lot at her age but used her skills to her advantage.

There are a lot of lessons we can come away with here. Things are not always what they appear and everyone has secrets hiding in places we want no one to find. It is a Christian story but with subtle hints, which can sometimes be the best way to get someone thinking that way. Healy can make you think with her writing. Think about life, think about God and think about what you are hiding that needs to be brought to life. I highly recommend this book.

A very enjoyable book full of wise words from everybody's Great Grandma Pearl. She was by far my favorite character.
It was hard to like anybody else in the family. Alyssa's turnaround after the ordeal was a little too neat and very unbelievable. I also disagree with the way Olivia's "drug problem" was portrayed. She smoked pot, she didn't shoot up heroin or anything. I think it was handled poorly by the author.