I’m so pleased to help kick off the Love Books Tours event for Claire Stibbe’s new book “Hidden Remains.” I love a good thriller, and if you do too, you won’t go wrong with a Stibbe! Check out my full thoughts below!
About the Book
Title: Hidden Remains
Author: Claire Stibbe
Genre: Psychological Thriller | @ClaireStibbe
Pages: 358
Publisher: Berkeley Square Books
Format: eBook
Blurb
The wife. The husband. The final act.
Twelve months ago, a woman was murdered and Zane Osborne, beloved actor and Britain’s darling, vanished without a trace. With the media frenzy at its peak and police baffled, Zane, the prime suspect, was presumed dead. Lilja, his wife, was left to pick up the pieces of her shattered life.
Now tucked away on the remote Devon coast, Lilja rebuilds her life and restaurant, far from the screaming headlines. But the past won’t stay buried. When fresh DNA evidence suggests Zane is still alive, the police investigation is reopened and Lilja is dragged back into a nightmare she thought she’d escaped.
Because Lilja knows the real Zane. She knows how dangerous he is. And she knows he’s coming for her.
It’s finally time to reveal the truth. But as the lines between reality and memory blur, one question lingers: What really happened the night Zane disappeared?
In this deadly game of truth and revenge, only one of them can win.
My Thoughts
Sequels that are as difficult to put down as the first book are hard to come by. And I’m lucky enough that this is the second one I’ve read recently. People who don’t read indies are missing out!
Claire Stibbe doesn’t pull any punches in her writing, and I love every minute. This is my third Claire Stibbe book, but it definitely won’t be my last. She writes a strong, fast-paced thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the end.
Sometimes, you figure things out midway, and I’m fine with that. I enjoy all the different journeys that are available. But each one hit different – and sometimes you want to be able to pick the one you want. If you’re looking for one that hits go, races forward, keeps speeding and twisting, and makes you feel just a little damaged along the way – pick up a Claire Stibbe. You won’t be disappointed.
I’m never a believer in reading a sequel first – maybe I will tell y’all the origin story of this one day – but to me this book really seems like it wouldn’t work without the context of the first book. It talks about the events enough that you would get it, but I feel like you would absolutely lose the emotional connection and context, making it a much harder read. Someone who isn’t so passionate about a completionist might have a different say.
This second installment adds new locations, new layers of danger, and whole new levels of intrigue. If you enjoy a thriller, read this book. You will not regret one moment of the #InZanity.
This particular read already started in the middle of the hot mess left behind by PLAY HIM PLAY HER. I won’t leave any spoilers for that, but that one is also brilliantly fast-paced, exciting, and a little bit terrifying. This second installment adds new locations, new layers of danger, and whole new levels of intrigue. If you enjoy a thriller, read this book. You will not regret one moment of the #InZanity.
I am so grateful to the author and LBT for including me on this tour, and I can’t wait to see what comes next – because that door was left wide open.
Content Warnings: This is a non-exhaustive list of topics included in this book that may distress some readers, including, but not limited to, Murder/Death; Violence, including Domestic Abuse; Brief Mentions of Pregnancy; Hunting; Injury; Parental/Spousal Abandonment; Infidelity; Mental Illness; Adult Language; and Adult Content.
Question of the Day
Have you ever met an actor or famous person?
Answer of the Day
My family lore is that when I was two years old, my mom and her best friend met Alan Jackson at the mall, and somehow, for some reason, he ended up holding me. I never really got the full story there, and now my mom has passed on. So, talk to your parents. Get your stories, y’all.
Also, more recently, when I was 19, I camped out all day at the fourth movie premiere of Harry Potter (aging myself, I know) and got a lot of autographs. At one point, I got pushed back – because I was FRONT ROW – but I still got a lot of people! Not Daniel Radcliffe, though, because he stayed too long in the first part and had to run past us on the like long part of the red carpet. It was a pretty magical experience. I lost my voice from being out in the cold, damp weather. But it was worth it.
About the Author
Winner of the Page Turner Award and New Mexico/Arizona Book Award, Claire is an author of crime fiction and psychological thrillers said to be thriller-lite – not too dark, disturbing, or graphic. Formerly in hotel and catering, and a law enforcement reporter, she loves nothing more than to craft stories about ordinary people in terrifying situations. Her novels owe much to her years as a member of the Albuquerque Police Citizen’s Academy where her main focus was the impact of violence towards women. When she’s not writing, blogging and reading, she loves watching true crime documentaries and classics – with a special love for anything Hitchcock. Originally from Bradfield, UK, Claire worked in London before moving to Utah, where she now lives with her husband and son, and her cat, Edward. Her latest book PLAY HIM PLAY HER has been called “refreshingly original” and is Book 1 of a two-part series. For more info or to sign up to her newsletter, check out claire-stibbe dot com or follow her on social media.
Links
Amazon US: https://a.co/d/0aNOHtS
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/gw18f1m
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243998374-hidden-remains
Author’s Website: https://www.claire-stibbe.com/
As a Bookshop.org (US) Affiliate, I may earn on qualifying purchases. Bookshop.org purchases support local, independent bookshops. My chosen affiliate bookshop is Tubby & Coo’s Traveling Bookshop, a local, queer-owned bookshop in New Orleans.
