Hide Away

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Hide Away” by Jason Pinter, Thomas & Mercer, March 1, 2020 Jason Pinter, author of “Hide Away” has written an intense, captivating, intriguing, edgy, suspenseful mystery and chilling thriller. The Genres for this novel are Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery and Suspense, and Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the present and concentrates on the past 7 years, where it pertains to the characters and events. The author describes his dramatic characters as complex, and complicated. Some characters are determined and relentless. There are betrayals, dangers, threats, and murders. I was so engrossed in reading this face-paced, challenging novel, that I finished it in one sitting. The author is a great storyteller and writes using vivid descriptions of his characters, and events. I appreciate that he writes about a strong woman who is protecting her children at any cost. Rachel Martin is a mom of two young children, that was forced to move to a new location, after a major tragedy. Rachel works for a regular company and is dependent on child care so that she can get to her job. Surprisingly, Rachel has made it her mission to keep her family safe and has gone through major effort and training. When a woman, that Rachel knows is found dead, Rachel starts to investigate the circumstances. The law enforcement warns Rachel to stay away from this case. Rachel is a determined woman, and as more clues are uncovered, she can’t imagine the danger that she is putting herself and her children in. One thing that Rachel understands is secrets, and as she continues to analyze and investigate, she realizes that she can’t trust anyone but herself. How is Rachel going to be able to survive this situation? I would highly recommend this powerful chilling thriller for readers who enjoy this genre. Happy Reading!

HIDE AWAY [2020] By Jason PInter My Review 4.4 Stars SPOILER ALERT!!! AND WOULD LOVE FEEDBACK FROM OTHER READERS I just finished reading this book from a "new-to-me" author and my knee-jerk reaction was to immediately and energetically allot the novel Five Stars----I truly enjoyed it that much. But let's back up a bit. Pinter resides in New Jersey with his family and canine companion named Wilson. Pinter has over a million copies of his books in circulation worldwide and has been nominated for numerous honors including the Thriller Award, Strand Critics Award, Barry Award, and Shamus Award. Fact is, this particular novel from Pinter introduces his new protagonist Rachel Marin and was made available to me earlier this year as an Amazon First Reads Selection and I didn't pick it from the works available for early reads that month. It was only later when it popped up in my email as a Kindle Deal that I gave it a second look (and I liked what readers had to say about it). It was at that point that I purchased the book and read it. I have said a lot of things about novels that I have plucked from my dusty virtual Amazon First Read shelves. But I have to say that it is a first for me that I skipped over one, then turned around and bought it, and then found out I loved reading it! So why not Five Stars, then? Two reasons. 1-Prior to buying a Kindle in 2014 I had never rated a book in my life. Well, not "personally" anyway. I would venture that the number of rentals that a particular title had at the county library system was in and of itself a "kind" of review, I guess presumed to be positive because a member signed it out. It was more of a given that any hardback or paperback that I bought was ipso facto a favorable review. I have been an avid reader since I learned to read which was pretty early. That made for a whole lot of "indirect" reviews I dare say. More to the point at hand, when I first bought a KIndle and was invited to leave a personal review, initially if I liked the book (or I am now ashamed to say, the author) it was more likely than not I gave the book Five Stars. Gradually, over time, as my partner listened to me criticize this book or that book, and would ask me later how many "stars" I gave it (and I answered 4 or 5, she would LOL). I had no "guts" she would say. That made me re-think book reviews in general, and my own in particular. I began being comparatively more honest and the "stars" became more representative of my true feelings. Later on still, I had an epiphany about the nature of "Five Star Reviews". More specifically, if I read a novel that "blew me away", "knocked my socks off", or whatever the current phrase happens to be for really impressing you all the way to the core of your being, and I awarded the genuinely deserved Five Stars, then shouldn't that rating be the top of the food chain? Shouldn't I reserve Five Stars for the proverbial "cream of the crop" (as I viewed "the best of the best" at least)? More of a rhetorical question really. My criteria became whether or not I considered the novel unforgettable and would likely read it again in the future. For that reason, I awarded HIDE AWAY a respectable Four Stars for being an exceptionally entertaining and riveting reading experience. For the record, I will be buying and reading his second novel in the 2-book series, and also wouldn't hesitate to try another one of his works. 2-It isn't as though I didn't have a few nagging questions after reading HIDE AWAY, not to mention what I must realistically consider disappointments and/or minor criticisms. That said, the story was riveting, and the author was quite successful in creating a powerful and sympathetic lead character in the enigmatic suburban single mother "Rachel Marin". I would have read the book in one setting like I was prone to do when I was younger and had no pressing commitments. There were simply lots of things I loved about the book and the writer's technique in allowing the plot to unfold in an almost teasing manner drove me nuts for more and kept me turning pages. The unspeakable tragedy that shattered Rachel's life, or more specifically, exactly what DID happen to her husband, was divvied out like cracker crumbs throughout the book, and as a reader I felt myself desperate to learn the whole truth. A second (technique?) or thoughtful planning that I award kudos to the author for is his laying the groundwork or background for the existing or inherent talents of his heroine while she was still happy and daydreaming about the future she had imagined for herself before hitting the age of 30. He inserted the details of "Rachel's inherent high intelligence and her teetering between law and a medical degree which she was capable of mastering with equal brains and aptitude. The author even included her background in sports and her natural athleticism. In short, he revealed to the reader all of the ingredients or the solid foundation that pre-existed before the life-changing tragedy occurred. This allowed the reader to move forward and accept the "newly minted" Rachel and her myriad physical and mental talents without the need for any willful suspension of disbelief. Character development was accomplished with depth and imagination by the talented Pinter. I felt that that the characters who populated the book were real enough to step off the pages. If I loved all of these things, what am I nit-picking about? Well, let's get into that because I would really like to know what other readers think. This novel has been assigned to the designations of 1-Domestic Thriller and 2-Vigilante Justice (Thriller). It was promoted as a vigilante as everyone knows who read (or thought about reading it). Let's face it, many readers are drawn to "vigilante" themes, and just as many (maybe more) are completely turned off by "vigilantism" in any form. Let's just say that I am firmly seated in the crowd of readers who truly enjoy a good "vigilante" tale. My "point" is really a question. After reading the entire book, can anyone truly classify "Rachel Marin" as a "vigilante" as defined by books, the movies, and commonly held beliefs about "vigilantes"? My first point would be simply that a strong and intelligent woman like "Rachel" would gravitate toward a proactive approach following the life shattering experience that she and her innocent children faced and would have to live with for the remainder of their lives. In her case she had the raw materials---a young athletic body and it sounds like a near genius IQ---to mold herself into a formidable protector for herself and her kids. It doesn't stretch credibility that she would do so. The sadistic psychopath who changed her life forever was caught then escaped justice, and let's additionally add that law enforcement did not play a positive role in this entire horrific chapter that followed her tragedy. There was no realistic opportunity for her to "go after" or attempt to seek "vigilante justice" for herself and her family. There are some insights provided relative to her seeking out a mentor to reshape her physically and teach her lethal self-defense and offensive fighting techniques. It is along this time continuum that she faces her first challenge. Simply put, she and her mentor are confronted by a sexual psychopath who also beats and robs his victims as a bonus. "Rachel" watches first-hand how her mentor gains control using both guile and fighting skills. Her mentor disables the threat and prepares to either maim him or dispatch him entirely, probably the latter. Rachel watches in horror as she anticipates what is about to take place, and literally thwarts the attack. Subsequently "Rachel" is apprised that she has allowed the man his freedom to attack more innocent women and that is not counting the number of victims in his past before he accidentally chose the wrong couple to terrorize. Her mentor is disappointed and tells her there is nothing more she can be taught at that point. Would a true "vigilante" have allowed the man "to walk" (or in this case limp away)? I don't think so. In any case, "Rachel" later learns that this attacker is a serial robber, sadistic rapist, and has scores of victims notched on his virtual belt. Moreover, he escaped the judicial system due to the proverbial technicality and was back on the streets to wreak more violence and terror. Now that the man has been thoroughly "vetted", to Rachel's credit she tracks him down, manages to get injured for her troubles, but does put him down like a rabid dog. Kudos to Rachel. Finally, at the climax of the story line, she is confronted by true evil, a known murderer, and standing at the precipice of her own open grave, replete with a bag of lime to toss in after her dying or dead body hits the bottom. It is fitting that she prevails against this powerful opponent, and literally holds his life in her hands, well specifically a rear naked choke. I think she is going to do at this point what any woman (or man) would do, namely finish him off. But no, the reader learns at that point she has been "haunted" since she killed the sexual psychopath mentioned previously. She doesn't want to deal with the guilt of another death on her hands. Predictably enough, she let's him breath and he retrieves his gun and her own death is then imminent. The author had to pitch her a "life line" and how serendipitous that the "good guys" arrive in time to place a perfect kill shot in our villain's head before he pulls the trigger. THAT required some willful suspension of disbelief. The clear point to be gleaned is that "Rachel Marin" is simply NOT a vigilante in any of its guises. She is a formidable warrior in the search of truth and justice, but simply doesn't have the moral make up to be an exterminator of evil when it is either within a foot of her, as in the attacker, or for heaven's sake when a known multiple murderer is attempting to kill her. And she certainly doesn't go in search for vermin to remove from the equation to make the streets safer for mothers like her, or innocent folk in general. Finally, I was a bit disappointed by the author's ultimate portrait of a trained potential formidable vigilante, then paint her with a heart of compassion and assign her to a "consultant" for the police department. Saying all that, I still loved the book and will read the squeal.

Seven years ago, a horrific crime shattered Rachel Marin's life and deprived her young children of a father. A police procedural error let the criminal—a serial killer—go free and disappear, but her successful lawsuit against the department made her independently wealthy. Leaving her East Coast home and relocating with a new identity in Ashby, Illinois, she takes a low-paying office job, staying under the radar as she trains herself in law, forensics, criminal psychology, plyometrics, and self-defense, intent on delivering justice when the system fails. When the evening news has a story of an apparent suicide jumper from a bridge onto the frozen Ashby River, Rachel studies the scene on her laptop. She determines that the victim is the former mayor of Ashby and that her death could not have been suicide. She goes to a pay phone and, disguising her voice electronically, calls 911, reporting her discovery and requesting that the police notify Detective John Serrano. Detective Serrano and his partner Leslie Tally identify Rachel as the caller via surveillance video from the store next to the pay phone, and so begins their uneasy relationship. At first angry about her intrusion into police business, the detectives eventually admit that they would have dismissed the case as a suicide if Rachel hadn't contacted them. Rachel can't leave the case alone, however. She learns all she can about the victim and tries to discover who would have a motive to kill her. The detectives also keep an eye on Rachel, who treads a thin line between being helpful and blowing her cover. Delving further, she puts her own life in danger as she closes in on the truth. Pinter knows how to hold the reader's attention. Each chapter gives just enough information to leave the reader eager for more. The result is a complex story intricately woven and expertly paced—a page turner from start to finish.

It was an interesting thriller which could have been 5 stars, but the narration somehow missed the edge of the seat thriller ability that is needed in this type of thriller and being such a long book it was easily noticeable

I found this very readable. Very readable. I’d say it was somewhere between David Baldacci and PJ Tracy, with that same skill of making you want to turn the page. The writing style is very engaging so that you sink the not the story and read more pages than you intended. The characters are well fleshed out and likeable and the plot hung together really rather well. I guessed who did it .... of course.

Talk about being totally addicted to reading this book. I could barely put it down and now it's finished I wish I hadn't rushed through it. I was so absorbed. A wonderful thriller yet also you got to know the characters so that they weren't just names in a book. This is the first Jason Pinter book I've read so am looking forward to reading his others.

Excellent beginning of new series! I love strong female characters and Rachel Marin excels physically and intellectually. Detective Serrano is far from an one dimensional cop or as his partner Tally says: "John Serrano had an ocean of sadness he had to swim every single day." Starting with the fallen ex-mayor, the plot develops fast and the level of suspense is high. I can't wait to read the next instalment in the series.

What a refreshing change to read a thriller that’s well written and has an interesting main character. The author is to be commended on revealing snippets of this character’s background from the start to the very end of the book so that the reader is kept guessing. Rachel Marin has moved to the small town of Ashby with her two children following an awful, harrowing event. Rachel is very private, keeps herself fit, has numerous security devices round the house and is obsessed with safety. The local Mayer, Constance Wright, calls on Rachel and shows friendship. Sometime later Constance allegedly commits suicide but Rachel is convinced that it’s not suicide. She is determined to ‘get to the bottom’ of events. In doing so, she falls foul of the police investigating officers, John Serrano and Leslie Tally and puts herself in danger. The storyline gathers pace and is an intricate web of deceit, lies and murder. Rachel’s interference actually assists the police, much to their chagrin. The final twist is good. This was an enjoyable, clever read and has potential for a promising series.