What do you think?
Rate this book
Win a free print copy of this book!
9 days and 03:58:33
50 copies available
U.S. only
The Hiding Season
Win a free print copy of this book!
9 days and 03:58:33
50 copies available
U.S. only
In this page-turning, atmospheric thriller, a broken woman’s new beginning is upended when she becomes the only witness to a deadly crime . . . making her the next target.
After a painful divorce, Maya Landry is in desperate need of a fresh start, which she finds deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Maya’s relieved when she’s hired as a summer keeper of billionaire-owned ski lodges left empty after snow season ends, and her new life of peace and isolation is going exactly as hoped . . . until she stumbles across a dead body on the living room floor of one of the lodges. There's no cell service on the resort, and by the time she’s able to find signal and call the police, the body is gone. In fact, there is no evidence that there ever was a body there at all.
The police think Maya is unstable, and she’s not convinced they are wrong. But then a stranger walks up to her later that night and tells her that someone knows she was up on the mountain that day—someone willing to kill to keep their secrets. She's not sure whether to believe him, until the killers come for her in the dead of night. Maya narrowly escapes, only to find that same mysterious man waiting to rush her away. But can she trust him? Can she trust anyone?
Only one thing is the people who committed the murder are coming for her. Maya is the only person alive who might reveal what happened up on the mountain. And they want her gone.
After a painful divorce, Maya Landry is in desperate need of a fresh start, which she finds deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Maya’s relieved when she’s hired as a summer keeper of billionaire-owned ski lodges left empty after snow season ends, and her new life of peace and isolation is going exactly as hoped . . . until she stumbles across a dead body on the living room floor of one of the lodges. There's no cell service on the resort, and by the time she’s able to find signal and call the police, the body is gone. In fact, there is no evidence that there ever was a body there at all.
The police think Maya is unstable, and she’s not convinced they are wrong. But then a stranger walks up to her later that night and tells her that someone knows she was up on the mountain that day—someone willing to kill to keep their secrets. She's not sure whether to believe him, until the killers come for her in the dead of night. Maya narrowly escapes, only to find that same mysterious man waiting to rush her away. But can she trust him? Can she trust anyone?
Only one thing is the people who committed the murder are coming for her. Maya is the only person alive who might reveal what happened up on the mountain. And they want her gone.
368 pages, Paperback
Published March 17, 2026
67 people are currently reading
9006 people want to read
About the author
Ava Glass
4 books689 followersAVA GLASS is a former crime reporter and civil servant. Her time working for the government introduced her to the world of spies, and she's been fascinated by them ever since. She lives in the south of England.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
April 7, 2026
This twisty romantic suspense was EXCELLENT on audio narrated by Sophie Amoss and has one divorced forty year old woman living on the run in hiding after getting framed for murder. Full of intrigue, lies, secrets and plot twists I didn't see coming with an epic end that had me cheering for the female main character. Highly recommended if you like a good thriller!
April 13, 2026
Release date: 03-26-26
Narrated by Sophie Amoss
Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
THE HIDING SHADOWS follows Maya Landry, 38, a heartbroken woman in the midst of a divorce, who flees to the Rocky Mountains and takes a job as a summer caretaker on an exclusive private ski resort where the wealthiest people own mountain lodges they rarely visit. Alone on the mountain all day, she hopes she can heal and start over. But she's not alone. Someone else is up there hiding in the shadows. Someone with a motive to kill.
I did not have high hopes for this one because of low ratings. To my surprise this story kept me hooked from start to finish. It was so easy to root for Maya who's on the run for the things she witnessed. I enjoyed that author didn't jump around between different characters but focused on Maya. This way I could unravel the mystery together with her. I was on the edge of the seat all the time because I didn't really know what was going on, who to trust and how to stay safe.
I really enjoyed the combination of a strong but also vulnerable female protagonist, atmospheric setting, different locations and high-stakes suspense. Another strong point of this story was the way author reminded us how vulnerable women can be when their marriage ends and the only way is to let go of the failure, start over but it won't be easy, especially when there are killers after you!
If you want to read a thriller about what happens when we are overpowered. And how to know whether it’s time to run. Or to fight back. Then this story is for you! I listened to the audiobook and I think that the narrator did wonderful job in bringing the story to life. Well done!
Narrated by Sophie Amoss
Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
THE HIDING SHADOWS follows Maya Landry, 38, a heartbroken woman in the midst of a divorce, who flees to the Rocky Mountains and takes a job as a summer caretaker on an exclusive private ski resort where the wealthiest people own mountain lodges they rarely visit. Alone on the mountain all day, she hopes she can heal and start over. But she's not alone. Someone else is up there hiding in the shadows. Someone with a motive to kill.
I did not have high hopes for this one because of low ratings. To my surprise this story kept me hooked from start to finish. It was so easy to root for Maya who's on the run for the things she witnessed. I enjoyed that author didn't jump around between different characters but focused on Maya. This way I could unravel the mystery together with her. I was on the edge of the seat all the time because I didn't really know what was going on, who to trust and how to stay safe.
I really enjoyed the combination of a strong but also vulnerable female protagonist, atmospheric setting, different locations and high-stakes suspense. Another strong point of this story was the way author reminded us how vulnerable women can be when their marriage ends and the only way is to let go of the failure, start over but it won't be easy, especially when there are killers after you!
If you want to read a thriller about what happens when we are overpowered. And how to know whether it’s time to run. Or to fight back. Then this story is for you! I listened to the audiobook and I think that the narrator did wonderful job in bringing the story to life. Well done!
There are moments in your life that change everything. One step left, and the bus doesn’t hit you. One step right, and it’s game over. I stepped right the day I took the job in Montana.
August 27, 2025
Part thriller, part suspense, part romance, part explosive government reveal. That’s what sums it up as a book and unfortunately it is as fragmented as this.
Maya was a fairly interesting character to start, recovering from a divorce by working alone up in a ski resort. She witnesses a murder and from there this book drops all pretence of knowing where it was going. Car chases, witsec, unadvised romance and an ending that leaves you wondering what happened.
I think this is a quick read for those who don’t need a genre. Like a choose your own adventure.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Maya was a fairly interesting character to start, recovering from a divorce by working alone up in a ski resort. She witnesses a murder and from there this book drops all pretence of knowing where it was going. Car chases, witsec, unadvised romance and an ending that leaves you wondering what happened.
I think this is a quick read for those who don’t need a genre. Like a choose your own adventure.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read
January 31, 2026I received this Arc digital copy through Net galley to read and review. (Thank you for this).
I have read other books by the author and enjoyed those. This one was a little more of an action/suspense book, which I don’t typically read.
This book reads like an action movie and it had me invested. Normally I find these movies and books silly but I was sucked into this storyline.
A woman is starting over after her marriage falls apart. She takes a job in a luxury gated community taking care of vacation homes. One day she goes to do her routine cleaning and stumbles upon a dead body. When she goes to report it….the body is gone. This starts a tidal wave of action packed events.
This book is full of suspense and corruption at every turn. She also sprinkles in a little romance/ love interests as well which I enjoyed.
This is written with a really good pacing and you find yourself not sure who to trust up until the last page.
I liked it and will continue to read her books. Solid 4 star book in my opinion.
I have read other books by the author and enjoyed those. This one was a little more of an action/suspense book, which I don’t typically read.
This book reads like an action movie and it had me invested. Normally I find these movies and books silly but I was sucked into this storyline.
A woman is starting over after her marriage falls apart. She takes a job in a luxury gated community taking care of vacation homes. One day she goes to do her routine cleaning and stumbles upon a dead body. When she goes to report it….the body is gone. This starts a tidal wave of action packed events.
This book is full of suspense and corruption at every turn. She also sprinkles in a little romance/ love interests as well which I enjoyed.
This is written with a really good pacing and you find yourself not sure who to trust up until the last page.
I liked it and will continue to read her books. Solid 4 star book in my opinion.
November 25, 2025
Thank you Ballantine and Ava Glass for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
Only 33% through and this book was not what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a cozy mysterious thriller with a woman in Montana.
I feel like there’s so many different tropes and loose ends that I’m trying to keep straight and I’m hoping get resolved at the end of this book.
The character isn’t well developed. There’s no character that’s actually developed and there’s no real depth to the story.
Now it’s a love story??? I’m getting whiplash from all the different tropes.
Okay, finished the book and I have thoughts. It seemed the book lacked depth and a gripping story line. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be based off of the description. The characters were not well developed. Overall, I would not recommend this book.
Only 33% through and this book was not what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a cozy mysterious thriller with a woman in Montana.
I feel like there’s so many different tropes and loose ends that I’m trying to keep straight and I’m hoping get resolved at the end of this book.
The character isn’t well developed. There’s no character that’s actually developed and there’s no real depth to the story.
Now it’s a love story??? I’m getting whiplash from all the different tropes.
Okay, finished the book and I have thoughts. It seemed the book lacked depth and a gripping story line. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be based off of the description. The characters were not well developed. Overall, I would not recommend this book.
March 25, 2026
This will have you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, hoping everything will be ok!
March 17, 2026
In THE HIDING SEASON, Ava Glass, writing under the pen name A.C. Glass, weaves a gripping tale of survival set against the breathtaking backdrop of the remote Montana wilderness.
The novel immerses readers in a world filled with tension and danger, as its characters navigate the unpredictable forces of nature and the high-stakes challenges that threaten their very existence. With vivid descriptions and a heart-pounding plot, Glass skillfully draws readers into a harrowing game of survival that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Highlights...
Main Characters...
Maya Landry:
The protagonist is a 38-year-old freelance writer. Reeling from a sudden, painful divorce, she flees her life in Michigan to take a seasonal job as a caretaker for luxury ski lodges in the Rocky Mountains. Her life is upended when she becomes the sole witness to a murder.
Riley Maguire:
The mysterious stranger who approaches Maya at a local bar. He warns her that the killers are aware of what she saw and becomes her unlikely ally, aiding her escape and helping her stay alive as they go on the run.
Gina:
The woman who hires Maya to look after the billionaire-owned properties in Montana.
Supporting Figures
The killers, law enforcementm government agents, the elite, and powerful figures, including lawyers and politicians, who are connected to the crime Maya witnessed.
My thoughts...
Maya begins the story as a woman "hiding" from her failed marriage. The plot forces her to shed her grief and rediscover her strength and agency to survive.
The tone and atmosphere are tense, gripping, atmospheric, and chilling. The remote, silent Montana mountains create a constant sense of dread and eerie isolation with a gritty survival vibe. An ordinary person pushed to their limits.
An intense game of cat and mouse, the pacing is fast, a page turner with a twisty cat and mouse plot moving from the mountains of Montana to the heart of Texas.
Dark, unpredictable, and dangerous.
The author does a great job with the gaslighting and psychological elements as Maya questions her sanity. The story involves powerful, "well-protected" figures and corruption, raising the stakes beyond a simple murder mystery. Both physical (the mountain) and emotional (post-divorce), isolation is a central descriptor for the protagonist's journey.
Glass explores several layers of vulnerability and corruption and the psychological horror of knowing the truth while being told you are "unstable."
A major theme is the power gap between ordinary citizens and the ultra-wealthy. The killers are protected by lawyers, politicians, and high-level agents, making the pursuit of justice feel like an impossible David vs. Goliath battle.
The primary insight of THE HIDING SEASON is that true resilience often emerges in the very moments when we feel our most exposed and vulnerable. It is within these delicate and raw spaces that we discover our strengths, revealing an unexpected capacity to endure and adapt.
The novel is a twisty standalone psychological thriller, departing from Glass's usual Emma Makepeace spy series to focus on an ordinary person forced into an extraordinary survival situation.
Recs...
If you enjoyed the wilderness survival, isolation, and high-stakes pursuit in The Hiding Season, here are several similar thrillers that lean into those themes:
~Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta
~Descent by Tim Johnston
~No Exit by Taylor Adams
Special thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 17, 2026
My Rating: 4 Stars
March Newsletter
The novel immerses readers in a world filled with tension and danger, as its characters navigate the unpredictable forces of nature and the high-stakes challenges that threaten their very existence. With vivid descriptions and a heart-pounding plot, Glass skillfully draws readers into a harrowing game of survival that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Highlights...
A Fresh Start:
Following a difficult divorce, Maya Landry seeks a quiet new beginning. She takes a job as a summer caretaker for a cluster of billionaire-owned ski lodges in the Rocky Mountains.
The Discovery:
While checking the empty lodges, Maya discovers a dead body on the living room floor. Due to the lack of cell service on the mountain, she must leave the area to call for help.
The Disappearance:
When Maya returns with the police roughly 30 minutes later, the body is gone. With no physical evidence remaining, the police dismiss her account and question her mental stability.
The Warning:
Later that night, a mysterious stranger approaches Maya at a local bar. He warns her that the killers know she saw the body and are coming for her to protect their secrets.
The Escape:
Assassins attack Maya in the middle of the night. She narrowly escapes and is forced to go on the run, assisted by the same mysterious man who warned her.
A Web of Secrets:
As she flees, Maya is caught in a dangerous plot involving a spy, an FBI agent, and powerful figures protected by lawyers and politicians.
Main Characters...
Maya Landry:
The protagonist is a 38-year-old freelance writer. Reeling from a sudden, painful divorce, she flees her life in Michigan to take a seasonal job as a caretaker for luxury ski lodges in the Rocky Mountains. Her life is upended when she becomes the sole witness to a murder.
Riley Maguire:
The mysterious stranger who approaches Maya at a local bar. He warns her that the killers are aware of what she saw and becomes her unlikely ally, aiding her escape and helping her stay alive as they go on the run.
Gina:
The woman who hires Maya to look after the billionaire-owned properties in Montana.
Supporting Figures
The killers, law enforcementm government agents, the elite, and powerful figures, including lawyers and politicians, who are connected to the crime Maya witnessed.
My thoughts...
Maya begins the story as a woman "hiding" from her failed marriage. The plot forces her to shed her grief and rediscover her strength and agency to survive.
The tone and atmosphere are tense, gripping, atmospheric, and chilling. The remote, silent Montana mountains create a constant sense of dread and eerie isolation with a gritty survival vibe. An ordinary person pushed to their limits.
An intense game of cat and mouse, the pacing is fast, a page turner with a twisty cat and mouse plot moving from the mountains of Montana to the heart of Texas.
Dark, unpredictable, and dangerous.
The author does a great job with the gaslighting and psychological elements as Maya questions her sanity. The story involves powerful, "well-protected" figures and corruption, raising the stakes beyond a simple murder mystery. Both physical (the mountain) and emotional (post-divorce), isolation is a central descriptor for the protagonist's journey.
Glass explores several layers of vulnerability and corruption and the psychological horror of knowing the truth while being told you are "unstable."
A major theme is the power gap between ordinary citizens and the ultra-wealthy. The killers are protected by lawyers, politicians, and high-level agents, making the pursuit of justice feel like an impossible David vs. Goliath battle.
The primary insight of THE HIDING SEASON is that true resilience often emerges in the very moments when we feel our most exposed and vulnerable. It is within these delicate and raw spaces that we discover our strengths, revealing an unexpected capacity to endure and adapt.
The novel is a twisty standalone psychological thriller, departing from Glass's usual Emma Makepeace spy series to focus on an ordinary person forced into an extraordinary survival situation.
Recs...
If you enjoyed the wilderness survival, isolation, and high-stakes pursuit in The Hiding Season, here are several similar thrillers that lean into those themes:
~Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta
~Descent by Tim Johnston
~No Exit by Taylor Adams
Special thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for providing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 17, 2026
My Rating: 4 Stars
March Newsletter
Want to Read
March 11, 2026The Hiding Season got off to a really strong start for me. Heartbroken and dumped shortly before her fortieth birthday, Maya finds a fresh start as a caretaker for a gated community of lavish vacation homes in the Montana mountains. I loved this part of the book!
On one of her check-ins, Maya finds a dead body on the living room floor. Shaken, she heads down the mountain to find cell service and summon the police. But when she takes the officers to show them the body ... it's gone.
I really wish the book had stayed in this lane (and location). But sadly for me, the story veered into breathlessly narrated romantic suspense territory, as a mysterious (and attractive) man in a bar tells Maya she's in terrible danger and has to trust him, change her identity, and leave town.
What follows is a confusing and ever more improbable series of events that takes the story to Denver, then Houston, then Austin. Maya is chased and hunted down, nearly killed, and forced to trust people she doesn't know. How is she able to completely disappear? Does she have no friends or family at all? Why does she say driving license if she is American and her new identity is American (I discovered that the author is British).
The synopsis led me to believe this was a mountain/outdoor thriller and I wanted that book!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
On one of her check-ins, Maya finds a dead body on the living room floor. Shaken, she heads down the mountain to find cell service and summon the police. But when she takes the officers to show them the body ... it's gone.
I really wish the book had stayed in this lane (and location). But sadly for me, the story veered into breathlessly narrated romantic suspense territory, as a mysterious (and attractive) man in a bar tells Maya she's in terrible danger and has to trust him, change her identity, and leave town.
What follows is a confusing and ever more improbable series of events that takes the story to Denver, then Houston, then Austin. Maya is chased and hunted down, nearly killed, and forced to trust people she doesn't know. How is she able to completely disappear? Does she have no friends or family at all? Why does she say driving license if she is American and her new identity is American (I discovered that the author is British).
The synopsis led me to believe this was a mountain/outdoor thriller and I wanted that book!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
December 19, 2025
Desperate for a new start, Maya takes a job as a caretaker at a posh private resort community in the snowy hills of Montana. The job appears to be the perfect match until she discovers a dead body in one of the lodges. She flees down the mountain to call the police, but when they return, the body is gone. And soon Maya will have to flee for her life. The Hiding Season, while not perfect, is an entertaining romp, but you’ll have to put the implausibilities aside or this one will drive you crazy, which is what this reader did, and I wound up enjoying this wild story - unbelievable plot, shady characters and head-shaking moments be damned! If you’re looking for a realistic damsel-in-distress novel, skip it. If you want to escape for a few hours, dig in!
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2025
Rating: 3.75⭐️
Hmm I’m not sure how I feel about this one. It wasn’t bad it just didn’t really hook me in. The twists were predictable and it felt a little repetitive. But it’s a quick read thriller a little bit of romance.
Hmm I’m not sure how I feel about this one. It wasn’t bad it just didn’t really hook me in. The twists were predictable and it felt a little repetitive. But it’s a quick read thriller a little bit of romance.
March 9, 2026
Let me start this review by saying I’ve really enjoyed all the previous Ava Glass books immensely.
I had high hopes for this new book, The Hiding Season. While it still feels like an Ava Glass book, it tonally has shifted a bit. While still being a thriller, it also felt like a romance book. Glass is known for writing strong female characters and this felt like a departure from that style.
Maya Landry’s character felt like a damsel in distress. Some of the other characters like Riley felt kind of thrown in to make the plot more interesting.
I didn’t hate the book. It just felt like a different book than what I’m used to with Ava Glass.
By the end of this book, we got more of the female characters that I’m used to with Glass. Maybe this was a way to build this character up but it felt jarring and unexpected.
Again, might sound like I’m knocking this book but nope, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just felt different than what I’m used to.
I had high hopes for this new book, The Hiding Season. While it still feels like an Ava Glass book, it tonally has shifted a bit. While still being a thriller, it also felt like a romance book. Glass is known for writing strong female characters and this felt like a departure from that style.
Maya Landry’s character felt like a damsel in distress. Some of the other characters like Riley felt kind of thrown in to make the plot more interesting.
I didn’t hate the book. It just felt like a different book than what I’m used to with Ava Glass.
By the end of this book, we got more of the female characters that I’m used to with Glass. Maybe this was a way to build this character up but it felt jarring and unexpected.
Again, might sound like I’m knocking this book but nope, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just felt different than what I’m used to.
April 8, 2026
Wow took me 8 days to get thru that… it started out great.. dragged alittle then towards the end I wanted to really know and it was good then the last 20 pages were terriable!! Anyone else read this? Thoughts?! It could have been so much better!! Very repetitive
December 29, 2025
Title: The Hiding Season
Author: Ava Glass
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hired as a caretaker in the offseason for an exclusive living community in Montana, Maya is trying to start over her life after her husband cheated on her with his much younger assistant. One day she enters one of the homes and something felt off: the warm air, the scent of sweat, and then the discovery of a dead body. When she leaves to get a cell signal and contact the police, the body disappears. Then a stranger at a bar tells her that she’s next after what she witnessed that day, but she had to leave now because the big boss had his minions coming after her and she was no longer safe. What really happened that day in the house and who is behind it?
Takeaways:
1. This is not an Emma Makepeace book. Glass is very clear to let readers know that on her social media. I was excited to get this ARC as a fan of her EM series because her writing is electric and fast paced. Her writing style carries over to this book and keeps you hanging on.
2. Loved the tidbits of clues dropped throughout the book. Great supporting cast of characters. Everything comes together in the end.
3. Riley’s character is flawed but trying to make up for his shortcomings by playing the hero. How far does it take him?
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book will be published on March 17, 2026.
#arc #netgalley #bookstagram @avaglassbooks @ballantinebooks #thehidingseason
Author: Ava Glass
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hired as a caretaker in the offseason for an exclusive living community in Montana, Maya is trying to start over her life after her husband cheated on her with his much younger assistant. One day she enters one of the homes and something felt off: the warm air, the scent of sweat, and then the discovery of a dead body. When she leaves to get a cell signal and contact the police, the body disappears. Then a stranger at a bar tells her that she’s next after what she witnessed that day, but she had to leave now because the big boss had his minions coming after her and she was no longer safe. What really happened that day in the house and who is behind it?
Takeaways:
1. This is not an Emma Makepeace book. Glass is very clear to let readers know that on her social media. I was excited to get this ARC as a fan of her EM series because her writing is electric and fast paced. Her writing style carries over to this book and keeps you hanging on.
2. Loved the tidbits of clues dropped throughout the book. Great supporting cast of characters. Everything comes together in the end.
3. Riley’s character is flawed but trying to make up for his shortcomings by playing the hero. How far does it take him?
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book will be published on March 17, 2026.
#arc #netgalley #bookstagram @avaglassbooks @ballantinebooks #thehidingseason
April 24, 2026
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass is a standalone thriller that blends survival suspense with elements of conspiracy and romance. At its core, the novel hinges on a compelling premise: what happens when an ordinary person becomes the sole witness to a high-profile murder—and is forced to run for her life. It’s an idea that immediately grabs attention, and for me, it remained the most fascinating aspect of the book, even when other elements didn’t fully land.
The story follows Maya Landry, a woman recovering from a painful divorce who relocates to the remote mountains of Montana for a fresh start. She takes a job as a caretaker for isolated luxury lodges, hoping for peace and anonymity. That hope is shattered when she discovers a dead body in one of the homes—only for the body to disappear before authorities can verify her claim. From that moment, Maya is thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, as it becomes clear she has witnessed something powerful people are willing to kill to keep hidden.
The plot unfolds as a survival thriller, with Maya forced to go on the run while questioning who she can trust. A mysterious stranger, Riley Maguire, enters the picture as both a potential ally and a source of suspicion. Together, they navigate a widening conspiracy involving influential figures, shadowy motives, and escalating danger. The narrative leans heavily on tension and uncertainty, often limiting the reader’s knowledge to Maya’s perspective, which adds a psychological edge to the story.
Conceptually, the idea of witnessing a high-profile murder—and becoming the target because of it—is undeniably gripping. It sets up immediate stakes and taps into a primal fear of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The isolated mountain setting further enhances this, at least initially, creating a sense of vulnerability and claustrophobia. However, while the premise is strong, I found the execution uneven.
One of my main struggles was with the characters. Maya, as the protagonist, has an interesting starting point—a woman rebuilding her life—but she often feels underdeveloped or inconsistent. At times she comes across as resourceful and determined, while at others she slips into a more passive, “damsel in distress” role that undermines her agency. Supporting characters, including Riley, don’t always feel fully realized either, sometimes seeming more like plot devices than fully fleshed-out individuals. This made it harder to become emotionally invested in their journey.
Pacing is another area where the novel falters. While marketed as a fast-paced thriller, the story takes a while to fully engage, with a slower buildup that delays the central action. Even once the stakes are established, the momentum can feel inconsistent, with some sections dragging or repeating similar beats. Several readers have noted that the tension doesn’t always sustain itself, which was also my experience.
The romance subplot, meanwhile, didn’t quite work for me. The dynamic between Maya and Riley feels rushed and somewhat forced, especially given the life-or-death circumstances they’re in. Instead of adding emotional depth, it occasionally veers into territory that feels a bit cringeworthy and out of sync with the darker tone of the story.
That said, the novel isn’t without its strengths. The central idea remains engaging, and there are moments of genuine suspense, particularly when the danger feels immediate and unpredictable. The theme of trust—who to believe, and how far to rely on others—runs effectively throughout the narrative.
Overall, The Hiding Season is a mixed experience. The premise of witnessing a high-profile murder is undeniably compelling and sets the stage for a gripping thriller. However, uneven pacing, underdeveloped characters, and a somewhat awkward romance keep it from fully realizing its potential. It’s an entertaining read in parts, but one that ultimately left me wanting more depth and consistency.
The story follows Maya Landry, a woman recovering from a painful divorce who relocates to the remote mountains of Montana for a fresh start. She takes a job as a caretaker for isolated luxury lodges, hoping for peace and anonymity. That hope is shattered when she discovers a dead body in one of the homes—only for the body to disappear before authorities can verify her claim. From that moment, Maya is thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, as it becomes clear she has witnessed something powerful people are willing to kill to keep hidden.
The plot unfolds as a survival thriller, with Maya forced to go on the run while questioning who she can trust. A mysterious stranger, Riley Maguire, enters the picture as both a potential ally and a source of suspicion. Together, they navigate a widening conspiracy involving influential figures, shadowy motives, and escalating danger. The narrative leans heavily on tension and uncertainty, often limiting the reader’s knowledge to Maya’s perspective, which adds a psychological edge to the story.
Conceptually, the idea of witnessing a high-profile murder—and becoming the target because of it—is undeniably gripping. It sets up immediate stakes and taps into a primal fear of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The isolated mountain setting further enhances this, at least initially, creating a sense of vulnerability and claustrophobia. However, while the premise is strong, I found the execution uneven.
One of my main struggles was with the characters. Maya, as the protagonist, has an interesting starting point—a woman rebuilding her life—but she often feels underdeveloped or inconsistent. At times she comes across as resourceful and determined, while at others she slips into a more passive, “damsel in distress” role that undermines her agency. Supporting characters, including Riley, don’t always feel fully realized either, sometimes seeming more like plot devices than fully fleshed-out individuals. This made it harder to become emotionally invested in their journey.
Pacing is another area where the novel falters. While marketed as a fast-paced thriller, the story takes a while to fully engage, with a slower buildup that delays the central action. Even once the stakes are established, the momentum can feel inconsistent, with some sections dragging or repeating similar beats. Several readers have noted that the tension doesn’t always sustain itself, which was also my experience.
The romance subplot, meanwhile, didn’t quite work for me. The dynamic between Maya and Riley feels rushed and somewhat forced, especially given the life-or-death circumstances they’re in. Instead of adding emotional depth, it occasionally veers into territory that feels a bit cringeworthy and out of sync with the darker tone of the story.
That said, the novel isn’t without its strengths. The central idea remains engaging, and there are moments of genuine suspense, particularly when the danger feels immediate and unpredictable. The theme of trust—who to believe, and how far to rely on others—runs effectively throughout the narrative.
Overall, The Hiding Season is a mixed experience. The premise of witnessing a high-profile murder is undeniably compelling and sets the stage for a gripping thriller. However, uneven pacing, underdeveloped characters, and a somewhat awkward romance keep it from fully realizing its potential. It’s an entertaining read in parts, but one that ultimately left me wanting more depth and consistency.
January 11, 2026
I do not mind admitting that this book did not go where I was expecting at all. And totally not in a bad way. Having read the blurb I had a completely different story in my head but that was no matter. What I found in the pages of The Hiding Place is a fast paced, high tension thriller that was full of brilliant characters and more high stakes moments that I could ask for. This is the story of Maya. Ditched by her husband for his much younger assistant, and striking out on her own for the first time in over a decade, she seeks solace in Montana, a place she new from her college days. Desperate for work she takes a job as a kind of general caretaker for a very exclusive resort in the mountains, a decision she soon lives to regret.
Barely.
And so Maya becomes a woman on the run, aided by a man she doesn't know and has no reason to trust. Riley Maguire is a mystery to Ava but he seems intent on keeping her alive, and so begins the second new start of Maya's life, and the start of all the tension, action and intrigue for us readers. Whilst it is a relatively innocuous start to the story, even if personally I would have been very suspicious of the behaviour of Gina, the woman who hires Maya to look after the properties, that simple paces doesn't last for long. You can feel the isolation of the Montana setting, and that just adds to the edginess of the story as Maya sets about her daily duties in the lead up to that fateful day.
This is kind of a cat and mouse story. It is less about any overt violence directed against Maya, but the sense of threat is no less because of it. The implications of what she witnessed and how easy it is for the forces conspiring against her to find her when they need to allows the tension and sense of jeopardy to build, even if she manages to stay just a tiny step ahead of danger for most of the book. Just when you think things are settled, that Maya is on as even a keel as she could expect, something happens to remove the safety net and plunge her right back into the thick of it. The pacing in the book is pitched perfectly to drive the story, as well as allowing us to get to know Maya and to become invested in her story and those of the people around her.
I like the chemistry that the author has built up in the book between Riley and Maya. In spite of all the warnings signs, and there many, not just from other characters, but in actions taken, the development of their relationship, driven by the heat of two people out of their depth, really does just work. There is a kind of inevitability about that element of the story, but it makes the aloofness of Reily all the more acute, and brings the actions of certain characters into question in just the right way to add an element of apprehension to everything witnessed.
This is a tale or organised crime, corruption and misguided loyalties, with Maya, a truly innocent party, caught up in the middle. I was invested in her story, really wanting to see things work out alright in the end. I like the way in which AC Glass has framed the story, the narrative choices she made which become very clear by the end of the book. It works perfectly, and some of the choices made by certain characters make absolute sense the more we learn. Maya may come across as a weaker character, but it pays not to underestimate anyone in this book. It made me smile and, at a shade under 300 pages, I raced through this book in just a few hours.
A really enjoyable, addictive thriller with great characters I really grew to care about, and that more than delivered.
Barely.
And so Maya becomes a woman on the run, aided by a man she doesn't know and has no reason to trust. Riley Maguire is a mystery to Ava but he seems intent on keeping her alive, and so begins the second new start of Maya's life, and the start of all the tension, action and intrigue for us readers. Whilst it is a relatively innocuous start to the story, even if personally I would have been very suspicious of the behaviour of Gina, the woman who hires Maya to look after the properties, that simple paces doesn't last for long. You can feel the isolation of the Montana setting, and that just adds to the edginess of the story as Maya sets about her daily duties in the lead up to that fateful day.
This is kind of a cat and mouse story. It is less about any overt violence directed against Maya, but the sense of threat is no less because of it. The implications of what she witnessed and how easy it is for the forces conspiring against her to find her when they need to allows the tension and sense of jeopardy to build, even if she manages to stay just a tiny step ahead of danger for most of the book. Just when you think things are settled, that Maya is on as even a keel as she could expect, something happens to remove the safety net and plunge her right back into the thick of it. The pacing in the book is pitched perfectly to drive the story, as well as allowing us to get to know Maya and to become invested in her story and those of the people around her.
I like the chemistry that the author has built up in the book between Riley and Maya. In spite of all the warnings signs, and there many, not just from other characters, but in actions taken, the development of their relationship, driven by the heat of two people out of their depth, really does just work. There is a kind of inevitability about that element of the story, but it makes the aloofness of Reily all the more acute, and brings the actions of certain characters into question in just the right way to add an element of apprehension to everything witnessed.
This is a tale or organised crime, corruption and misguided loyalties, with Maya, a truly innocent party, caught up in the middle. I was invested in her story, really wanting to see things work out alright in the end. I like the way in which AC Glass has framed the story, the narrative choices she made which become very clear by the end of the book. It works perfectly, and some of the choices made by certain characters make absolute sense the more we learn. Maya may come across as a weaker character, but it pays not to underestimate anyone in this book. It made me smile and, at a shade under 300 pages, I raced through this book in just a few hours.
A really enjoyable, addictive thriller with great characters I really grew to care about, and that more than delivered.
April 21, 2026
-Very well plotted and written story of a woman who finds herself in a dangerous situation but is forced to go on the run. Filled with twists to the story, it keeps your attention throughout.
-We’re introduced to Maya Landry, who has just undergone a very painful divorce. She’s in her upper 30’s and had been married for a while. Her husband managed to find an efficient secretary, and Maya was happy for him and befriended the girl, but one day, her husband, Brandon, surprised her by saying he wanted a divorce. He was going to marry his young secretary. To add to the hurt, Brandon had never wanted children but he revealed that his secretary was pregnant and he was going to be with her.
-Maya never had a good relationship with her own family, and felt her only option was a complete break. She left her home in Lansing, MI, and decided to go far away, and ended up in Montana. She had brought a basic and small wardrobe, and was hunting for a place to stay and a job. She was an aspiring writer, but had only written small things for the local paper and nothing major was ever published so she was open to anything. Though she reached out to a number of establishments, no one was hiring her, but she saw a notice in the paper that gave her hope. “Well paid post overseeing exclusive development near Bozeman. Flexible working hour. Must…be able to handle isolation.” She interviewed, and was heavily questioned, and was almost rejected, but the interviewer, Gina, ended up hiring her.
-The job was for her to go into a gated area in a mountainous and isolated location, with very high end homes owned by very wealthy individuals. As this was off season, the homes were empty, and her job was to go into each home at least every two weeks, and make sure all was okay and the homes were clean for when the owners came back.
-Months passed, and she had a good routine. Because of the large number of homes, she had to go through 3-4 homes a day. Though she always followed a certain pattern, she decided to change and went to a home that she felt was her least liked in order to get it over with, but she was shocked to find a dead body of a man who had been strangled.
-She called the police, but when they came up to the house, the interior looked like nothing was disturbed. No body and no sign anyone was there. The police thought that she fabricated her report. She felt embarrassed to report this to Gina, but she soon found that she was a target because of what she saw.
-What followed is her near escape from being killed herself, while being assisted by several people who said they were government agents. She now had to set herself up in another city, but those looking to kill her wouldn’t rest until they completed the job and her situation went from bad to worse.
-She now had to question whether those who seem to be helping her were to be trusted, and her life becomes one where she must be on the move in order to survive.
-This is an extremely well done novel, as the author manages to lull you with Maya having a normal life, only to be presented with a life-threatening danger in the next moment. Events happen that make her question the actions of the people that are helping her while she knows that her only other option is to be faced with certain death.
-We’re introduced to Maya Landry, who has just undergone a very painful divorce. She’s in her upper 30’s and had been married for a while. Her husband managed to find an efficient secretary, and Maya was happy for him and befriended the girl, but one day, her husband, Brandon, surprised her by saying he wanted a divorce. He was going to marry his young secretary. To add to the hurt, Brandon had never wanted children but he revealed that his secretary was pregnant and he was going to be with her.
-Maya never had a good relationship with her own family, and felt her only option was a complete break. She left her home in Lansing, MI, and decided to go far away, and ended up in Montana. She had brought a basic and small wardrobe, and was hunting for a place to stay and a job. She was an aspiring writer, but had only written small things for the local paper and nothing major was ever published so she was open to anything. Though she reached out to a number of establishments, no one was hiring her, but she saw a notice in the paper that gave her hope. “Well paid post overseeing exclusive development near Bozeman. Flexible working hour. Must…be able to handle isolation.” She interviewed, and was heavily questioned, and was almost rejected, but the interviewer, Gina, ended up hiring her.
-The job was for her to go into a gated area in a mountainous and isolated location, with very high end homes owned by very wealthy individuals. As this was off season, the homes were empty, and her job was to go into each home at least every two weeks, and make sure all was okay and the homes were clean for when the owners came back.
-Months passed, and she had a good routine. Because of the large number of homes, she had to go through 3-4 homes a day. Though she always followed a certain pattern, she decided to change and went to a home that she felt was her least liked in order to get it over with, but she was shocked to find a dead body of a man who had been strangled.
-She called the police, but when they came up to the house, the interior looked like nothing was disturbed. No body and no sign anyone was there. The police thought that she fabricated her report. She felt embarrassed to report this to Gina, but she soon found that she was a target because of what she saw.
-What followed is her near escape from being killed herself, while being assisted by several people who said they were government agents. She now had to set herself up in another city, but those looking to kill her wouldn’t rest until they completed the job and her situation went from bad to worse.
-She now had to question whether those who seem to be helping her were to be trusted, and her life becomes one where she must be on the move in order to survive.
-This is an extremely well done novel, as the author manages to lull you with Maya having a normal life, only to be presented with a life-threatening danger in the next moment. Events happen that make her question the actions of the people that are helping her while she knows that her only other option is to be faced with certain death.
Want to Read
March 2, 2026📚The Hiding Season
✍🏻Ava Glass
Blurb:
In this page-turning, atmospheric thriller, a broken woman’s new beginning is upended when she becomes the only witness to a deadly crime . . . making her the next target.
After a painful divorce, Maya Landry is in desperate need of a fresh start, which she finds deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Maya’s relieved when she’s hired as a summer keeper of billionaire-owned ski lodges left empty after snow season ends, and her new life of peace and isolation is going exactly as hoped . . . until she stumbles across a dead body on the living room floor of one of the lodges. There's no cell service on the resort, and by the time she’s able to find signal and call the police, the body is gone. In fact, there is no evidence that there ever was a body there at all.
The police think Maya is unstable, and she’s not convinced they are wrong. But then a stranger walks up to her later that night and tells her that someone knows she was up on the mountain that day—someone willing to kill to keep their secrets. She's not sure whether to believe him, until the killers come for her in the dead of night. Maya narrowly escapes, only to find that same mysterious man waiting to rush her away. But can she trust him? Can she trust anyone?
Only one thing is the people who committed the murder are coming for her. Maya is the only person alive who might reveal what happened up on the mountain. And they want her gone.
My Thoughts:
This is a fast-paced thriller.
Maya was happy. She was 38 with no kids or pets and she loved her husband. That’s what she thought until there was an unexpected shock: he asked for a divorce. In a panic, she decided to leave the city without telling anyone.
She was living in Lansing, Michigan – a city with its main function centering on the state capitol. Yet, there was not a mention of its importance even though she was a freelance writer of articles. However, I could really sense the mountains in Montana. That’s where she went to next.
Maya was comfortable in Bozeman where she attended college. She found a job taking care of luxurious properties in a gated community for owners who were away. The imagery was clear with beautiful views as she traveled up a mountain road to higher altitudes. She enjoyed it until one day when she witnessed a dead body in one of the lodges.This starts a tidal wave of action packed events .A quick read thriller a little bit of romance.
Thanks NetGalley, Bantam and Author Ava Glass for the complimentary copy of "The Hiding Season" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#Netgalley
#BantamBooks
#AvaGlass
#TheHidingSeason
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏻Ava Glass
Blurb:
In this page-turning, atmospheric thriller, a broken woman’s new beginning is upended when she becomes the only witness to a deadly crime . . . making her the next target.
After a painful divorce, Maya Landry is in desperate need of a fresh start, which she finds deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Maya’s relieved when she’s hired as a summer keeper of billionaire-owned ski lodges left empty after snow season ends, and her new life of peace and isolation is going exactly as hoped . . . until she stumbles across a dead body on the living room floor of one of the lodges. There's no cell service on the resort, and by the time she’s able to find signal and call the police, the body is gone. In fact, there is no evidence that there ever was a body there at all.
The police think Maya is unstable, and she’s not convinced they are wrong. But then a stranger walks up to her later that night and tells her that someone knows she was up on the mountain that day—someone willing to kill to keep their secrets. She's not sure whether to believe him, until the killers come for her in the dead of night. Maya narrowly escapes, only to find that same mysterious man waiting to rush her away. But can she trust him? Can she trust anyone?
Only one thing is the people who committed the murder are coming for her. Maya is the only person alive who might reveal what happened up on the mountain. And they want her gone.
My Thoughts:
This is a fast-paced thriller.
Maya was happy. She was 38 with no kids or pets and she loved her husband. That’s what she thought until there was an unexpected shock: he asked for a divorce. In a panic, she decided to leave the city without telling anyone.
She was living in Lansing, Michigan – a city with its main function centering on the state capitol. Yet, there was not a mention of its importance even though she was a freelance writer of articles. However, I could really sense the mountains in Montana. That’s where she went to next.
Maya was comfortable in Bozeman where she attended college. She found a job taking care of luxurious properties in a gated community for owners who were away. The imagery was clear with beautiful views as she traveled up a mountain road to higher altitudes. She enjoyed it until one day when she witnessed a dead body in one of the lodges.This starts a tidal wave of action packed events .A quick read thriller a little bit of romance.
Thanks NetGalley, Bantam and Author Ava Glass for the complimentary copy of "The Hiding Season" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#Netgalley
#BantamBooks
#AvaGlass
#TheHidingSeason
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 15, 2026
All the books of Ava Glass’s British spy series “Alias Emma” (set in international locales) were absolute 5 star reads for me, so a book in the heart of the Rockies was a definite change. Emma Makepeace was always in control, but “The Hiding Season’s” Maya is a loose end.
Thirty-eight years old and recently betrayed by a cheating husband back in Michigan, Maya has fled to her college town of Bozeman. She’s a freelance journalist without much success, describing herself as a poet and
listicle writer (short, pithy lists of facts about random things). Needing a job, she interviews with Gina of Big Sky Land Management, which oversees a hidden, secretive, high end property with 45 multi-million dollar estates, out of cell range, mostly empty when the ski season is over, but very secure, and collectively called “The Gateway.” Maya’s job would be to visit each home every two weeks, dusting, airing out, and watering plants for absent owners. It’s the perfect isolated job for her, until she finds a man who has ugly-died in her least favorite house. The guard at the gate is absent, so she flees downhill to get cell service and call 911. However, the responding policemen find White Pine Lodge empty. Someone had quickly moved the dead-floor guy. Later, as the handsome-conscientious guy in the bar (who was supposed to assassinate her) warns her, the skillful perpetrators also realize that Maya is a loose end.
And just like that, Maya (much like Emma Makepeace) is on the run. “The Hiding Season” delivers as a high tension thriller with a likable main character, trying very hard to trust the guy next to her in a getaway vehicle to an unknown future. The twisty action takes Maya to Denver, Austin, and Chicago, with an array of characters who have suspicious relationships with the truth. Again, author Glass delivers a spectacular story that I read in one sitting. 5 stars!
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO But there is a vivid description of the dead man’s eyes that epitomized empty: icy blue and wide open.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO It’s still winter in May in the Rockies (true: I’ll never forget the three inches of snow on June 17).
Thank you to Ballantine/Bantam Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!
Thirty-eight years old and recently betrayed by a cheating husband back in Michigan, Maya has fled to her college town of Bozeman. She’s a freelance journalist without much success, describing herself as a poet and
listicle writer (short, pithy lists of facts about random things). Needing a job, she interviews with Gina of Big Sky Land Management, which oversees a hidden, secretive, high end property with 45 multi-million dollar estates, out of cell range, mostly empty when the ski season is over, but very secure, and collectively called “The Gateway.” Maya’s job would be to visit each home every two weeks, dusting, airing out, and watering plants for absent owners. It’s the perfect isolated job for her, until she finds a man who has ugly-died in her least favorite house. The guard at the gate is absent, so she flees downhill to get cell service and call 911. However, the responding policemen find White Pine Lodge empty. Someone had quickly moved the dead-floor guy. Later, as the handsome-conscientious guy in the bar (who was supposed to assassinate her) warns her, the skillful perpetrators also realize that Maya is a loose end.
And just like that, Maya (much like Emma Makepeace) is on the run. “The Hiding Season” delivers as a high tension thriller with a likable main character, trying very hard to trust the guy next to her in a getaway vehicle to an unknown future. The twisty action takes Maya to Denver, Austin, and Chicago, with an array of characters who have suspicious relationships with the truth. Again, author Glass delivers a spectacular story that I read in one sitting. 5 stars!
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO But there is a vivid description of the dead man’s eyes that epitomized empty: icy blue and wide open.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO It’s still winter in May in the Rockies (true: I’ll never forget the three inches of snow on June 17).
Thank you to Ballantine/Bantam Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was nothing like what I was expecting, and I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way. The Hiding Season by Ava Glass was exactly the kind of thriller that I had a really hard time putting down. I went into it expecting a fairly straightforward isolated thriller, but the story quickly shifts into something much bigger and broader.
Maya Landry is looking for a quiet reset after a painful divorce, and the remote luxury ski lodges of Montana seem like the perfect place to disappear for a while. The job is simple: watch over empty homes on a mountain where there’s barely any cell service and almost no people around. That peaceful isolation becomes deeply unsettling when Maya discovers what appears to be a dead body—only for it to vanish before the police arrive. From that moment on, the story launches into a cat-and-mouse chase where Maya finds herself hunted by people who will do anything to keep their secrets buried.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the pacing. Once things start moving, they rarely slow down. The plot constantly pushes Maya into new situations that keep the tension high, and the sense that she’s always just a step ahead of danger makes the story addictive. The Montana setting adds a great atmosphere in the beginning—remote, quiet, and a little eerie—but the story doesn’t stay confined there, which kept things feeling unpredictable.
Maya herself is an interesting protagonist because she’s not some trained hero—she’s just someone who ended up in the wrong place at the worst possible time. Watching her adapt and try to survive a situation far bigger than she ever expected made it easy to root for her. Her uneasy alliance with the mysterious Riley also added a layer of intrigue. The book leans more into suspense and momentum than deep character exploration, but that actually works well for the kind of thriller it is.
Overall, The Hiding Season is a high-tension thriller filled with twists, danger, and a heroine you want to see make it out alive. If you enjoy quick, action-driven thrillers with a touch of mystery and shifting loyalties, this one is definitely worth picking up!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine | Bantam for this eARC!
Maya Landry is looking for a quiet reset after a painful divorce, and the remote luxury ski lodges of Montana seem like the perfect place to disappear for a while. The job is simple: watch over empty homes on a mountain where there’s barely any cell service and almost no people around. That peaceful isolation becomes deeply unsettling when Maya discovers what appears to be a dead body—only for it to vanish before the police arrive. From that moment on, the story launches into a cat-and-mouse chase where Maya finds herself hunted by people who will do anything to keep their secrets buried.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the pacing. Once things start moving, they rarely slow down. The plot constantly pushes Maya into new situations that keep the tension high, and the sense that she’s always just a step ahead of danger makes the story addictive. The Montana setting adds a great atmosphere in the beginning—remote, quiet, and a little eerie—but the story doesn’t stay confined there, which kept things feeling unpredictable.
Maya herself is an interesting protagonist because she’s not some trained hero—she’s just someone who ended up in the wrong place at the worst possible time. Watching her adapt and try to survive a situation far bigger than she ever expected made it easy to root for her. Her uneasy alliance with the mysterious Riley also added a layer of intrigue. The book leans more into suspense and momentum than deep character exploration, but that actually works well for the kind of thriller it is.
Overall, The Hiding Season is a high-tension thriller filled with twists, danger, and a heroine you want to see make it out alive. If you enjoy quick, action-driven thrillers with a touch of mystery and shifting loyalties, this one is definitely worth picking up!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine | Bantam for this eARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a fast-paced thriller.
Maya was happy. She was 38 with no kids or pets and she loved her husband. That’s what she thought until there was an unexpected shock: he asked for a divorce. In a panic, she decided to leave the city without telling anyone.
She was living in Lansing, Michigan – a city with its main function centering on the state capitol. Yet, there was not a mention of its importance even though she was a freelance writer of articles. However, I could really sense the mountains in Montana. That’s where she went to next.
Maya was comfortable in Bozeman where she attended college. She found a job taking care of luxurious properties in a gated community for owners who were away. The imagery was clear with beautiful views as she traveled up a mountain road to higher altitudes. She enjoyed it until one day when she witnessed a dead body in one of the lodges.
The security guard was gone so she left the area to get cellphone coverage to call the police. A half-hour later, they couldn't find a body. She went to a local bar and someone told her to pack her bags. She was now on the run. This turned into a murder mystery with an FBI agent, a spy and a bunch of nice friends. What could go wrong?
It was quick with lots of action. Yet, it was predictable and had some holes in the plot. Nevertheless, this book does its job by entertaining the reader with a good story. It’s full of action and there’s even a smidge of romance.
It also made me think about how criminal cases can be nearly impossible to solve when someone is well protected with lawyers, politicians, FBI agents and police officers. Plus, it shows how dangerous it can become when someone gets in their way.
My thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 17, 2026. The views I share are my own.
Maya was happy. She was 38 with no kids or pets and she loved her husband. That’s what she thought until there was an unexpected shock: he asked for a divorce. In a panic, she decided to leave the city without telling anyone.
She was living in Lansing, Michigan – a city with its main function centering on the state capitol. Yet, there was not a mention of its importance even though she was a freelance writer of articles. However, I could really sense the mountains in Montana. That’s where she went to next.
Maya was comfortable in Bozeman where she attended college. She found a job taking care of luxurious properties in a gated community for owners who were away. The imagery was clear with beautiful views as she traveled up a mountain road to higher altitudes. She enjoyed it until one day when she witnessed a dead body in one of the lodges.
The security guard was gone so she left the area to get cellphone coverage to call the police. A half-hour later, they couldn't find a body. She went to a local bar and someone told her to pack her bags. She was now on the run. This turned into a murder mystery with an FBI agent, a spy and a bunch of nice friends. What could go wrong?
It was quick with lots of action. Yet, it was predictable and had some holes in the plot. Nevertheless, this book does its job by entertaining the reader with a good story. It’s full of action and there’s even a smidge of romance.
It also made me think about how criminal cases can be nearly impossible to solve when someone is well protected with lawyers, politicians, FBI agents and police officers. Plus, it shows how dangerous it can become when someone gets in their way.
My thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 17, 2026. The views I share are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Maya Landry needs a fresh start and a safe place to hide away from the world, so she chooses a city in Montana. At first, the stark natural beauty is refreshing, and she enjoys being surrounded by strangers. In need of a job, she gambles on a place that seems too good to be true: The Gateway, an isolated private ski resort owned by the mega-rich. All she has to do is clean the beautiful houses when the owners are not around, and often, she meets no one on the isolated mountain.
Then one day she sees something she shouldn’t. Not sure what to do next, Maya meets an FBI agent who may not be who he seems. A year later, she has created a new life for herself in Austin, Texas with friends who feel like family and will do almost anything to protect it. I can’t tell much else about the story without giving anything away!
At first, I thought this book was mostly going to take place in snowy, deserted location, but the story changed in surprising ways, yet I went along for the ride. I devoured the book in two days. The character development was not very detailed, even for the main character Maya, but I don’t think it was supposed to be. I think it just reminded you that you could be this anonymous women who needed to disappear at any moment, too.
Overall, the story was a fast-paced thriller with a lot of short sentences, yet without sacrificing sensory details. The settings in Montana and Texas were portrayed memorably without slowing down the pace of the story.
Near the end, I thought the book was being set up for a second book in a series, but then some loose ends resolved. However, I would read another book in the series if there was one! The Hiding Season is for readers who like popcorn thrillers, non-stop action, and spy TV shows or movies.
Thank you to Ballantine, Bantam, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Then one day she sees something she shouldn’t. Not sure what to do next, Maya meets an FBI agent who may not be who he seems. A year later, she has created a new life for herself in Austin, Texas with friends who feel like family and will do almost anything to protect it. I can’t tell much else about the story without giving anything away!
At first, I thought this book was mostly going to take place in snowy, deserted location, but the story changed in surprising ways, yet I went along for the ride. I devoured the book in two days. The character development was not very detailed, even for the main character Maya, but I don’t think it was supposed to be. I think it just reminded you that you could be this anonymous women who needed to disappear at any moment, too.
Overall, the story was a fast-paced thriller with a lot of short sentences, yet without sacrificing sensory details. The settings in Montana and Texas were portrayed memorably without slowing down the pace of the story.
Near the end, I thought the book was being set up for a second book in a series, but then some loose ends resolved. However, I would read another book in the series if there was one! The Hiding Season is for readers who like popcorn thrillers, non-stop action, and spy TV shows or movies.
Thank you to Ballantine, Bantam, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
🔎 ARC Book Review
The Hiding Season
@avaglassbooks
@bantambooks
@netgalley
Publication Date: Mar 17th, 2026
My Rating:
🌟 4/5
After a painful divorce, Maya Landry is in desperate need of a fresh start, which she finds deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Maya’s relieved when she’s hired as a summer keeper of billionaire-owned ski lodges left empty after snow season ends, and her new life of peace and isolation is going exactly as hoped . . . until she stumbles across a dead body on the living room floor of one of the lodges. There’s no cell service on the resort, and by the time she’s able to find a signal and call the police, the body is gone. In fact, there’s no evidence a body was ever there at all.
The police think Maya is unstable, and she’s not convinced they are wrong. But later that night, a stranger walks up to her and tells her that someone knows she was up on the mountain that day, someone willing to kill to keep their secrets. She’s not sure whether to believe him . . . until the killers come for her in the dead of night. Maya narrowly escapes, only to find that same mysterious man waiting to rush her away. But can she trust him? Can she trust anyone?
🔎 My review
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass reads like a full-throttle action movie 🎬🔥
Part thriller, part romance, part government corruption… and somehow it blends it all into one fast-paced, addictive ride. The stakes feel high from the start, and the momentum never really lets up. It’s one of those books where you keep saying “just one more chapter” — and suddenly you’re halfway through 😅📖
If you like spy vibes, action-packed plots, and a dash of romance mixed in, add this one to your list 🙌
Thank you @avaglassbooks, @bantambooks, @netgalley for the ARC!
#NetGalley
#TheHidingSeason
#AvaGlass 📚
#TheHidingSeason 🔎
#ThrillerReads 🔥
The Hiding Season
@avaglassbooks
@bantambooks
@netgalley
Publication Date: Mar 17th, 2026
My Rating:
🌟 4/5
After a painful divorce, Maya Landry is in desperate need of a fresh start, which she finds deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Maya’s relieved when she’s hired as a summer keeper of billionaire-owned ski lodges left empty after snow season ends, and her new life of peace and isolation is going exactly as hoped . . . until she stumbles across a dead body on the living room floor of one of the lodges. There’s no cell service on the resort, and by the time she’s able to find a signal and call the police, the body is gone. In fact, there’s no evidence a body was ever there at all.
The police think Maya is unstable, and she’s not convinced they are wrong. But later that night, a stranger walks up to her and tells her that someone knows she was up on the mountain that day, someone willing to kill to keep their secrets. She’s not sure whether to believe him . . . until the killers come for her in the dead of night. Maya narrowly escapes, only to find that same mysterious man waiting to rush her away. But can she trust him? Can she trust anyone?
🔎 My review
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass reads like a full-throttle action movie 🎬🔥
Part thriller, part romance, part government corruption… and somehow it blends it all into one fast-paced, addictive ride. The stakes feel high from the start, and the momentum never really lets up. It’s one of those books where you keep saying “just one more chapter” — and suddenly you’re halfway through 😅📖
If you like spy vibes, action-packed plots, and a dash of romance mixed in, add this one to your list 🙌
Thank you @avaglassbooks, @bantambooks, @netgalley for the ARC!
#NetGalley
#TheHidingSeason
#AvaGlass 📚
#TheHidingSeason 🔎
#ThrillerReads 🔥
March 28, 2026
Am a fan of earlier works from this author so I had high expectations going into The Hiding Season. Initially, I was thrilled with this new direction. The plot and atmosphere were promising and had me on the edge of my seat particularly in the first third. The concept of the "hiding season" seemed like a fresh take on the new identify trope and, even though relocation and finding a new job were used twice, they were interesting.
After Maya seemed settled in her newest location, the execution of the story took a turn. A number of plot points and characters weren’t developed to their full potential or just left on the table. Montana was an initial attention getter which turned into a bit of a bait and switch as the Montana location wasn’t really developed or important to the plot. An example on a smaller scale, it was stated several times that Maya was a teacher but there was no real connection to her character or the plot. Characters like Gina and Zoraida appeared then disappeared. The romance seemed expected, a somewhat forced plot point, which was really not that necessary.
Overall, this thriller was entertaining with a very promising start. It was actually refreshing to read a thriller without graphic violence, sex etc... yes, there is a dead body and there is an ill-advised romance but light on the graphic details. I also appreciated the relatively straightforward presentation without huge leaps and convoluted twists so common in present thrillers. Bottom line, this was a pretty good read. It just fell short in its present form and needed a bit more work to tighten up the characters and the suspense to live up to the promise. I look forward to future attempts.
FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
After Maya seemed settled in her newest location, the execution of the story took a turn. A number of plot points and characters weren’t developed to their full potential or just left on the table. Montana was an initial attention getter which turned into a bit of a bait and switch as the Montana location wasn’t really developed or important to the plot. An example on a smaller scale, it was stated several times that Maya was a teacher but there was no real connection to her character or the plot. Characters like Gina and Zoraida appeared then disappeared. The romance seemed expected, a somewhat forced plot point, which was really not that necessary.
Overall, this thriller was entertaining with a very promising start. It was actually refreshing to read a thriller without graphic violence, sex etc... yes, there is a dead body and there is an ill-advised romance but light on the graphic details. I also appreciated the relatively straightforward presentation without huge leaps and convoluted twists so common in present thrillers. Bottom line, this was a pretty good read. It just fell short in its present form and needed a bit more work to tighten up the characters and the suspense to live up to the promise. I look forward to future attempts.
FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass follows the sole witness to a high-profile murder trying to survive. Ms. Glass is a civil servant and former crime reporter.
Maya Landry took a job in Montana after a difficult divorce. The job involves being a caretaker for a cluster of isolated lodges owned by millionaires and rarely used.
Her peaceful life ends when she finds a corpse in one of the lodges which turns out to be a high-profile person. As the sole witness, she is forced to flee and disappear before
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass is a standalone psychological thriller, a departure from her spy novels which I enjoyed very much. Instead, this is a gritty survival story, toned down and lean.
Even though it doesn’t seem like it, this is a team book. The protagonist, Maya, would probably be dead within 40 pages if she didn’t have someone helping her almost every step of the way. I liked this aspect of the book, since all the one-man/woman stories, as much as I enjoy them, are unrealistic at best.
Much of the book’s narrative is unreliable. We only know as much as Maya does, which isn’t much, for a long time. The psychological aspect of the novel weighs on her just as much as her forced isolation.
I honestly don’t know what to think about this novel. I enjoyed it but I didn’t think it was a fast-paced thriller, or particularly suspenseful. The infrequent romance seemed far-fetched and unrealistic in a story which is grounded in reality.
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass follows the sole witness to a high-profile murder trying to survive. Ms. Glass is a civil servant and former crime reporter.
Maya Landry took a job in Montana after a difficult divorce. The job involves being a caretaker for a cluster of isolated lodges owned by millionaires and rarely used.
Her peaceful life ends when she finds a corpse in one of the lodges which turns out to be a high-profile person. As the sole witness, she is forced to flee and disappear before
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass is a standalone psychological thriller, a departure from her spy novels which I enjoyed very much. Instead, this is a gritty survival story, toned down and lean.
Even though it doesn’t seem like it, this is a team book. The protagonist, Maya, would probably be dead within 40 pages if she didn’t have someone helping her almost every step of the way. I liked this aspect of the book, since all the one-man/woman stories, as much as I enjoy them, are unrealistic at best.
Much of the book’s narrative is unreliable. We only know as much as Maya does, which isn’t much, for a long time. The psychological aspect of the novel weighs on her just as much as her forced isolation.
I honestly don’t know what to think about this novel. I enjoyed it but I didn’t think it was a fast-paced thriller, or particularly suspenseful. The infrequent romance seemed far-fetched and unrealistic in a story which is grounded in reality.
March 17, 2026
THE HIDING SEASON by Ava Glass
5 stars
This new novel from Ava Glass breaks from her fantastic Emma Makepeace series to an edge-of-your-seat thriller, that had me up until 1 am last night breathlessly finishing it!
Maya Landry, a 38-year-0ld freelance writer and former teacher in Michigan, has hit rock bottom as her husband of 20 years leaves her abruptly for his new, young, sexy assistant and also cuts her off financially. Alienated from her unsympathetic parents and ashamed to face her friends, she takes off randomly to Bozeman, Montana to regroup. Struggling to find a job, she finally lands one with a real estate management company that oversees a private, remote, gated community with a ski area with homes that start at $10 million. Lara’s job: drive an hour out of Bozeman each day to the remote mountain to do a rotating schedule of checking on the house and owner-asked basic upkeep.
One day, she changes up her usual rotating schedule to go to her least favorite mansion, to discover a dead man who’s been strangled to death. This starts off a cascading series of events where the crime syndicate behind the murder wants her dead, and she goes on the run with the help of an FBI agent, Riley Maguire, who’s been working years undercover as part of the syndicate.
The elusion and the chase create terrifying thrills, plus is there some romantic sparks between Maya and Riley?!
Just be prepared to stay up late to find out in this fantastic read!
Thanks to Ballantine | Bantam and Netgalley for an advance readers copy.
5 stars
This new novel from Ava Glass breaks from her fantastic Emma Makepeace series to an edge-of-your-seat thriller, that had me up until 1 am last night breathlessly finishing it!
Maya Landry, a 38-year-0ld freelance writer and former teacher in Michigan, has hit rock bottom as her husband of 20 years leaves her abruptly for his new, young, sexy assistant and also cuts her off financially. Alienated from her unsympathetic parents and ashamed to face her friends, she takes off randomly to Bozeman, Montana to regroup. Struggling to find a job, she finally lands one with a real estate management company that oversees a private, remote, gated community with a ski area with homes that start at $10 million. Lara’s job: drive an hour out of Bozeman each day to the remote mountain to do a rotating schedule of checking on the house and owner-asked basic upkeep.
One day, she changes up her usual rotating schedule to go to her least favorite mansion, to discover a dead man who’s been strangled to death. This starts off a cascading series of events where the crime syndicate behind the murder wants her dead, and she goes on the run with the help of an FBI agent, Riley Maguire, who’s been working years undercover as part of the syndicate.
The elusion and the chase create terrifying thrills, plus is there some romantic sparks between Maya and Riley?!
Just be prepared to stay up late to find out in this fantastic read!
Thanks to Ballantine | Bantam and Netgalley for an advance readers copy.
March 25, 2026
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass is a fast passed thriller. This is my fourth book by this author. I will say that this one is not like the others. This is not an Alias Emma novel.
I knew that this was going to be different but I didn’t realize how very different it would be from her other books.
When we meet protagonist, Maya Landry, her life is turned up side down. She needs to start over and wants to hide from the world. She needs a job first so she takes a chance on place that seems too good to be true. We all know what that means – it’s usually not. She takes a job at a private ski area in the off season.
One day she comes upon something she should have never seen. Not able to explain what she sees to the local police. An FBI agent who is sketchy at best offers to assist her and bring her to another ‘new’ life. I am not going to say anything else for fear of giving the story away. The story is like a shape shifter as it keeps changing in ways you don’t expect. The book was ‘unput down-able’ I devoured it in short order.
The setting in the various locations across the USA was very descriptive without weighing down or detracting from the story. I think Ava Glass has proven with this story that she will not be stereo-typed as a particular type of writer (i.e. Alias Emma novels). I really liked how Ms. Glass has written this story that kept me hanging on the edge until the very end. I would recommend this book. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Glass has in store for us next! Well done.
I knew that this was going to be different but I didn’t realize how very different it would be from her other books.
When we meet protagonist, Maya Landry, her life is turned up side down. She needs to start over and wants to hide from the world. She needs a job first so she takes a chance on place that seems too good to be true. We all know what that means – it’s usually not. She takes a job at a private ski area in the off season.
One day she comes upon something she should have never seen. Not able to explain what she sees to the local police. An FBI agent who is sketchy at best offers to assist her and bring her to another ‘new’ life. I am not going to say anything else for fear of giving the story away. The story is like a shape shifter as it keeps changing in ways you don’t expect. The book was ‘unput down-able’ I devoured it in short order.
The setting in the various locations across the USA was very descriptive without weighing down or detracting from the story. I think Ava Glass has proven with this story that she will not be stereo-typed as a particular type of writer (i.e. Alias Emma novels). I really liked how Ms. Glass has written this story that kept me hanging on the edge until the very end. I would recommend this book. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Glass has in store for us next! Well done.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
In The Hiding Season, we follow protagonist Maya after she has been cheated on by her husband. Looking for a fresh start, she moves to Montana and takes a job as a housekeeper for private ski lodges owned by the wealthy. What she finds in one ski lodge will change the course of her life.
This is marketed as a thriller but, in my opinion, it doesn’t read like one. The mystery and action of the plot do not occur until the 50% mark. The lead up to that is just character building and setting up the story but at an agonizingly slow pace. When choosing a thriller to read, I want fast paced and action from the beginning, and unfortunately this missed the mark. I thought we were going to have a fun thriller in the mountains of Montana, and it quickly transitioned into a spy story with a random romance. The romance in this story felt out of place, unnecessary, and very insta-lovey.
For as much time spent on the character building, I found the dialogue to be unrealistic and the decisions of the characters to be confusing. I felt the story to be repetitive, and Maya spends a lot of time explaining every thought she has. I prefer to be able to read between the lines but there is no doing that when every thought and action is overly explained.
If you like a slower paced thriller with a romantic subplot, then I think you will enjoy this book.
In The Hiding Season, we follow protagonist Maya after she has been cheated on by her husband. Looking for a fresh start, she moves to Montana and takes a job as a housekeeper for private ski lodges owned by the wealthy. What she finds in one ski lodge will change the course of her life.
This is marketed as a thriller but, in my opinion, it doesn’t read like one. The mystery and action of the plot do not occur until the 50% mark. The lead up to that is just character building and setting up the story but at an agonizingly slow pace. When choosing a thriller to read, I want fast paced and action from the beginning, and unfortunately this missed the mark. I thought we were going to have a fun thriller in the mountains of Montana, and it quickly transitioned into a spy story with a random romance. The romance in this story felt out of place, unnecessary, and very insta-lovey.
For as much time spent on the character building, I found the dialogue to be unrealistic and the decisions of the characters to be confusing. I felt the story to be repetitive, and Maya spends a lot of time explaining every thought she has. I prefer to be able to read between the lines but there is no doing that when every thought and action is overly explained.
If you like a slower paced thriller with a romantic subplot, then I think you will enjoy this book.
March 18, 2026
Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine | Bantam for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Ava Glass. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!
Maya Landry is looking for a fresh start after a painful divorce. She lands in Montana and is hired as a summer caretaker of billionaire ski lodges. She enjoys the peace and quiet - until she opens one of the doors and finds a dead body. There's no cell service, so she heads down the mountain until she can contact the police. By the time they get there, the body is gone and they don't believe her. Later that night, a stranger walks up to her and tells her that someone knows she was up on the mountain and they are willing to kill to keep their secret. Only one thing is certain: The people who committed the murder are coming for her. Maya is the only person alive who might reveal what happened up on the mountain. And they want her gone.
I love the Emma Makepeace series by Ava Glass and was excited to read this book, which is not a spy novel per se, although it does have lots of people in the alphabet agencies. You won't be able to stop rooting for Maya, who is just an average person caught up in an unbelievable situation. She's gaslit, she doesn't know who she can trust, she's on her own. There's a lot in this book - a little romance, action, corruption, and danger lurking at every corner. Did the author possibly leave it open as the start to a new series? Here's hoping!
Maya Landry is looking for a fresh start after a painful divorce. She lands in Montana and is hired as a summer caretaker of billionaire ski lodges. She enjoys the peace and quiet - until she opens one of the doors and finds a dead body. There's no cell service, so she heads down the mountain until she can contact the police. By the time they get there, the body is gone and they don't believe her. Later that night, a stranger walks up to her and tells her that someone knows she was up on the mountain and they are willing to kill to keep their secret. Only one thing is certain: The people who committed the murder are coming for her. Maya is the only person alive who might reveal what happened up on the mountain. And they want her gone.
I love the Emma Makepeace series by Ava Glass and was excited to read this book, which is not a spy novel per se, although it does have lots of people in the alphabet agencies. You won't be able to stop rooting for Maya, who is just an average person caught up in an unbelievable situation. She's gaslit, she doesn't know who she can trust, she's on her own. There's a lot in this book - a little romance, action, corruption, and danger lurking at every corner. Did the author possibly leave it open as the start to a new series? Here's hoping!
March 26, 2026
This book is incredible.
The story follows Maya, who, recently separated moves to Montana to try and move on with her life. Struggling to find work she takes a job as the caretaker of an exclusive ski resort. It's the off season so the resort is mostly deserted and Maya goes about her work in isolation. She decides to take a bit of a detour from her usual schedule, cleaning a chalet she wouldn't normally on that day and discovers a dead body lying on the rug. As the only witness, Maya soon learns from a mysterious man, Riley, that she is in danger. Initially sceptical Maya is soon on the run, fearing for her life, with only Riley to help her. At first she is just glad to be alive but soon things aren't adding up and she is unsure who, or what she can trust.
This was an absolute page turner. Normally I will only read if I have a good chunk of time to do it but I was picking this up even if I only had five minutes to spare. I often find pacing is a bit up and down in a lot of books but not with this one. The pace is incredible, and really keeps you on your toes. The writing is standard thriller style, not overly flowery, but good description that makes you feel like you are really with the characters. There are a few twists and turns as to be expected and the ending was satisfying.
I can't wait to read more from this author.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Maya, who, recently separated moves to Montana to try and move on with her life. Struggling to find work she takes a job as the caretaker of an exclusive ski resort. It's the off season so the resort is mostly deserted and Maya goes about her work in isolation. She decides to take a bit of a detour from her usual schedule, cleaning a chalet she wouldn't normally on that day and discovers a dead body lying on the rug. As the only witness, Maya soon learns from a mysterious man, Riley, that she is in danger. Initially sceptical Maya is soon on the run, fearing for her life, with only Riley to help her. At first she is just glad to be alive but soon things aren't adding up and she is unsure who, or what she can trust.
This was an absolute page turner. Normally I will only read if I have a good chunk of time to do it but I was picking this up even if I only had five minutes to spare. I often find pacing is a bit up and down in a lot of books but not with this one. The pace is incredible, and really keeps you on your toes. The writing is standard thriller style, not overly flowery, but good description that makes you feel like you are really with the characters. There are a few twists and turns as to be expected and the ending was satisfying.
I can't wait to read more from this author.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 28, 2026
I was able to read this book through NetGalley - thank you to the publishers, NetGalley, and the author for approving my request!
I gave this book 3.5 stars. We follow main character Maya Landry whose personal life is turned upside down when her husband announces that he has fallen in love with his secretary and is now planning to leave the marriage. Maya decides she'd like a fresh start and decides to move to Montana where she does not know anyone. She takes a job as a housekeeper/caregiver at a luxury ski resort that is currently off season. The ski resort is like one that Maya has never seen - each house is bigger and more opulent than the last. Maya does not know who owns each house but it is alluded that they are all owned by rich and powerful people. Since it is off season there is no one on the property other than Maya herself and a security guard. One day she decides to stray away from her typical routine and get one of her least favorite houses out of the way. When she walks in she can tell that something is askew and stumbles upon a dead body. Her life will never be the same after this.
It is tricky to tell more about the book without giving too much away. This is more of a slow burn but does a great job keeping your attention. I wanted to keep picking the book back up to learn what was going to happen next and who was behind everything. I felt like I was in the middle of an episode of Law & Order or Criminal Minds and that is never a bad thing in my book!
I gave this book 3.5 stars. We follow main character Maya Landry whose personal life is turned upside down when her husband announces that he has fallen in love with his secretary and is now planning to leave the marriage. Maya decides she'd like a fresh start and decides to move to Montana where she does not know anyone. She takes a job as a housekeeper/caregiver at a luxury ski resort that is currently off season. The ski resort is like one that Maya has never seen - each house is bigger and more opulent than the last. Maya does not know who owns each house but it is alluded that they are all owned by rich and powerful people. Since it is off season there is no one on the property other than Maya herself and a security guard. One day she decides to stray away from her typical routine and get one of her least favorite houses out of the way. When she walks in she can tell that something is askew and stumbles upon a dead body. Her life will never be the same after this.
It is tricky to tell more about the book without giving too much away. This is more of a slow burn but does a great job keeping your attention. I wanted to keep picking the book back up to learn what was going to happen next and who was behind everything. I felt like I was in the middle of an episode of Law & Order or Criminal Minds and that is never a bad thing in my book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews