7 friends join each other for a walk around a nature reserve on Boxing Day on a special arrangement. No one else is allowed in. So when 1 member of the group is killed, it means one of the group is the killer. But who? An enjoyable read with the story told by each member of the groups perspective which I felt helped build up the suspense of the book. Many of the groups had secrets they did not want to get out. Another superb book by Nell Pattison.

There's nothing I love more than a snowy setting in my psychological thrillers. There's something about the isolation, the unpredictability and the sheer force and speed at which events can turn, that just draws me in. So when I found out that Nell Pattison's new standalone novel, Hide, takes place in a deserted nature reserve, the day after Christmas, as the snow begins to fall, I leapt at the chance to read it. And I am so very glad I did. Lauren has persuaded her boss at the nature reserve to allow her nature group exclusive access to the grounds on Boxing Day for their monthly meet up. The seven of them, including her estranged sister, haven't seen each other since the incident at the Christmas party the week before and understandably, tensions are running high. For this group of wildlife enthusiasts, the chance to see the starling murmuration is an opportunity for the group to bond once again and hopefully, put the past behind them. But as a gunshot rings out across the reserve, the rest of the group suddenly realise what terrible danger they are in. They're the only people out on the reserve as far as they know, which can mean only one thing. The victim, and the killer, is one of them... Hide is a page-turning read where the weather, the unusual terrain and those around you pose an immediate, somewhat deadly threat. I enjoyed getting to know the nature group and watching as some relationships blossomed, whilst others were well past saving. They're an interesting bunch with several seeing themselves as 'experts' in the field, and not afraid to let everyone know it. Others were the opposite. Happy to watch, listen and learn - just enjoying the company. The one thing I would not describe the group as is 'friends'. A shared common interest bringing them together and keeping them together, rather than a sense of loyalty to one another. Which gives the author a wonderful amount of free rein and the ability to hide her killer in plain sight. Which Pattison does incredibly well. The story is paced well with lots of shocks and surprises along the way to keep the reader engaged. The more you learn about the group, the more you start to question their motives. Sisters Lauren and Emily lead the way with bolshie Lauren taking charge. She feels her knowledge of the reserve, as an employee there, is second to none. Volunteer Morna, just as knowledgeable as Lauren but pushed to one side due to Lauren's seniority, also takes a stand which ends up separating the group and possibly hindering their escape. All of the characters are well written but special mention must be made of Emily who I found fascinating. Following an infection in her childhood, Emily is deaf. For those of us who can hear imagine being lost in the woods, in total darkness, disorientated by a sudden snow storm and not being able to hear someone approach. I loved the character. I don't think, from memory, I've read a psychological thriller featuring a deaf character before but I want more please! A different perspective which really added to the story. Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Hide is a claustrophobic psychological thriller which had me glued to the pages. I was very keen to find out whodunit and more importantly why-they-dun-it, so was hesitant to put Hide down for any length of time. It's a slow burn of a read but full of atmosphere and tension, with a number of characters you'll take pleasure in disliking. All in all, a great book and I would happily read more by this author. Recommended.

First book I've read by this author and I did enjoy it. Emily,Lauren. Morna,Ben,Dan,Kai and Alex all meet on boxing day to birdwatch but 6 of them have a secret and one of them knows their secrets. A gun shot sounds out whose been shot and who do they need to be afraid of? We learn everyone's secrets as the story goes on and I expected a happy ending but it left me surprised. If your looking for a good but not to heavy read I would recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books for the ARC

This is what I would call a slow burn - it never really ignites fully and sometimes fizzles to the point it almost goes out but, generally, it just stays at a solid gas mark 3 for the most part. Seven members of a nature group come together for a Boxing Day gathering to watch a murmuration within a nature reserve. Seems like a fairly innocuous and harmless way to spend a day and evening usually spent eating leftovers and vegging in front of the television and it is, until a shot rings out and one of their party is dead. Each of the remaining six have secrets they don't want made common knowledge and therefore each have a motive for murder. None of the characters have many redeeming features if I'm honest and it wouldn't have made any difference to me who was the victim as I didn't particularly like any of them. What follows is infighting which results in the group splitting up (never a good idea - have they never watched a horror film!) and suspicions falling on one person, then another, then another ... well, you get the idea. More shots are heard, people are separated further, injuries happen, more separation and more infighting and, all the while, the secrets they want to stay hidden gradually come to light. What I enjoyed about this book was the sense of claustrophobia and isolation that was well captured and, as seems to be the norm with Nell's books, the inclusion of a character who is deaf added something a bit different. What I didn't like about it was there was too much time spent describing stuff that didn't really seem to add to the story and this resulted in it dragging - hence the slow burn. I have read a few of Nell's other books and this does seem to be a pattern with her stories but there have been plenty of people who have absolutely raved about this book so please, please don't judge it from my review alone. Remember, if we all liked the same things, it would be a very, very boring world indeed! Thanks go to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

The book's concept was intriguing yet slow paced until the end. I appreciated that each chapter presented different character points of view as secrets were unraveled. The book reminded me of a lifetime TV movie with several red herrings and twists. Thank you to Netgalley and TBC for the opportunity to read this book as part of an online book club discussion.