A review by judithdcollins
Hidden by

4.0

My first book by Catherine McKenzie, an exceptional writer, and look forward to reading more of her books. Very intriguing . . .

While there are mixed reviews about HIDDEN, a compelling read, told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish, and Claire – the author does a fantastic job of leaving a lot to the reader’s imagination, with the building of tension throughout, flawed and messy lives, with real choices – raw emotions, making this an ideal book for discussions and book clubs with many takes, perspectives, and points of view. (Depending on which character you relate to the most).

Full of past and present experiences and ones which play into their future – highlighting charged topics about parenting, relationships, careers, work relationships, children, infidelity, and marriage and consequences. Is honesty the best policy? Should some secrets remain hidden?

A page- turner which will keep you seeking answers, full of intrigue, and suspense – to uncover the truth about Jeff’s life --a mystery between this love triangle – was it innocent, revenge, or just friendship?

Note: I would have given HIDDEN, a 5 star review, most likely-- if I had read the book. Instead, I listened to the audiobook (Audible.com) , and the voice of (Claire)-the wife (Angela Dawe), was the most annoying voice. She sounded as though she was reading from a script, with no emotion or feeling—making it very difficult to listen to her parts---the urge to fast forward over her voice was overwhelming; however, did not want to miss a part of the suspense – so suffered through. (I definitely will not buy another audiobook narrated by Angela Dawe, in the future). BUY THE BOOK OR E-BOOK instead!

On the other hand, the narrators (Jeff), the husband (Jeff Cummings), and (Tish), the co-worker/mistress (Amy McFadden)--Excellent.

Due to this, it really made me dislike Claire and her character, as felt she was annoying and boring. I did like Tish/Jeff together, as better suited for one another ---with a special bond and strong dynamics between the two. They have my vote—since this is fiction. BTW – Nice cover design.

I liked the quote: “Everyone says that, but we all lie about things. Little things, big things. We all keep stuff hidden. And the longer you're with someone, the more stuff there is like that, I think. That doesn't mean he didn't love me, or wasn't good to me in other ways. So it made me think. Maybe honesty is isn't always the best policy. Because him telling me about it was selfish. The only person it was going to make feel any better was him. So maybe if you make a mistake, you have to live with it by yourself, and that's how you fix it."

http://judithdcollins.booklikes.com/post/859849/hidden