What Evil Hides: Detective Kay Hunter, Book 15

by Rachel Amphlett, Alison Campbell (Narrator)

A man's body is found in a Kentish hop field, his brutal death marked by horrific injuries.

As Detective Kay Hunter begins to investigate, the case quickly reveals itself to be anything but routine. The local farming community is tight-lipped, the victim’s background is unclear, and the evidence uncovers a trail of conflicting stories and long-held secrets.

With the media and her superior officers demanding answers, Kay must navigate the lies and unravel the truth to solve one of the most complex murder investigations of her career.

In a landscape shaped by tradition and silence, some secrets are buried for a reason.

What Evil Hides is the fifteenth book in the best-selling Detective Kay Hunter series, and perfect for listeners who love twisty murder mysteries.

Audible Audio

Expected publication February 9, 2026

About the author

Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 crime novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins.

A keen traveller and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.

You can find out more about Rachel and her books at www.rachelamphlett.com.



Praise for Rachel Amphlett

“Fast paced with vivid characterisation and clever twists, [None the Wiser] is another winner” Adrian McKinty

“[None the Wiser] is a terrific start to a new series” Jo Spain, With Our Blessing and The Confession

“Quirky, creepy and twisted tales” James Oswald, Sunday Times bestselling author

“Thrilling start to a new series. Scared to Death is a stylish, smart and gripping crime thriller” Robert Bryndza

"Scared to Death… moves along at breakneck speed with twists and turns" Angela Marsons

Reviews

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Rachel Amphlett’s books so I jumped at the chance to listen to book 15 in the Detective Kay Hunter series, What Evil Hides.

I swear these books are getting darker and darker with each new one. This one has a brutal murder, the victim found strung up in a hop field in Kent. The victim is so badly disfigured that it takes the team a while to even make an identification. This is a tough case, full of misdirection and lies from potential witnesses and suspects. Kay and the team have their work cut out for them once again, with the media and upper brass wanting answers.

Police procedurals are my favourite kind of crime fiction and this series is a favourite. I always look forward to getting my hands on new ones, and I devoured this in a day. Alison Campbell is Kay Hunter to me, she is amazing narrating these books.

Thank you so much Dreamscape Select for my ALC. out on February 9th.

[Bookworm86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'What Evil Hides' by Rachel Amphlett.

PUBLICATION DAY 9TH FEBRUARY

Yet another absolutely incredible and griping book by the incredible Rachel Amphlett. I have read several books in both her 'Detective Kay Hunter' series and her 'Detective Mark Turpin' series and would highly recommend them both! It is also the fifteenth book in his 'Detective Kay Hunter' series but each book in both of these series can be read as a standalone.

Wow!!!! Just flipping wow!!!! What another absolutely epic page turner!!! Well done Rachel!!! Another addictive, explosive and gripping must read!

This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions creating the perfect atmosphere for the storyline. The book cover and synopsis works perfectly with the book plot and I am most definitely looking forward to reading the next book, and the previous one in this series.

I don't normally like reading or recommend reading books out of order but if you start with this one, and nobody could blame you with its stunning cover, then have no fear there is a silver lining to reading later books in a series first! That silver lining is that once you have read this, become hooked and found a new favourite author (which you will) you can then go back and get sucked into the previous fourteen books in this series (plus her books in her Mark Turpin series ) while you are impatiently waiting for the next book in this series to be released. I just hope that she is busy writing that while I am typing this as I needed it the second I finished this one!! I best get a move on with so many books to read that I have sadly missed but considering I can guarantee they are all amazing even if they are just half as good as this book they are guaranteed to be epic which means I will fly through them like I did with this book!! This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Alison Campbell who did an absolutely incredible job of bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Alison did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices as well as accents and portraying the characters emotions through her voice!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Rachel but also to listening to more books narrated by Alison! I have also listened to 'The Lodge' by Sue Watson and 'A Fatal Silence' by Rachel Amphlett (book 14 in this series) which Alison Campbell also narrated and I would highly recommend them both. I am not going to go into detail with the storyline as the publisher has told you all you need to know in the synopsis so to find out more you need to grab your copy of this absolutely gripping page turner to discover more for yourselves and I promise that you will not regret it!! In fact, if you are anything like me you may even discover a new favourite Detective and author! With an addictive storyline ram packed with mystery, murder, crime, twists, secrets, red herrings, drama, lies, action, tension, suspense, police procedural plus so much more what are you waiting for? One thing I absolutely loved about this series is that Rachel has the perfect balance of Detective Kay's work life and investigation as well as giving the reader an insight into her personal life ensuring she creates a character that her readers can really get to know. This book is an absolutely addictive, nail biting, page turning, heart racing and compelling storyline in an absolutely amazing series!! It has so many layers of mysteries and crimes for the reader to be kept guessing throughout. This fantastic thriller is absolutely packed with twists, turns, shocks, crime and red herrings throughout I had no idea who the killer was and I was gob smacked when their identity is finally revealed!! I would never have seen that one coming!! This is an achievement in itself as it is definitely getting harder to surprise me with the amount of crime novels I've read so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Rachel!! . There was so many explosive bombshells in this book that I actually lost count on how many times I was shocked which I didn't think would be possible!!! The plot was unique and realistic and Rachel's brilliant descriptions along with Alison Campbell's brilliant narration really brings absolutely everything to life in front of your eyes. It started straight in the action and kept you going on a roller-coaster ride of suspense and mystery throughout. There were several occasions when my heart was in my throat and I the hair was raising on my arms but I won't mention those as not to spoil it for future readers. It is so hard to not say too much without giving anything away to future readers but I'm sure once people have read it they will know exactly what I mean. Well done Rachel you did absolutely amazing and everything was tied up perfectly. The twists and turns in this book left me going from one chapter to another!!! I completely devoured it in one sitting as I just could not put it down. Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride!!! I just could not put this book down and I cannot wait to read more books in this series!!!

Before you start this make sure you clear your schedule because once you pick it up you are not going to want to put it down!!!!

The characters were very realistic, multi layered and well rounded and again their personalities reflected the storyline and how they would act, etc perfectly. The descriptions gave a really good in depth view of how the characters were feeling and what they were thinking. The characters were complex and each seemed to be hiding their own secrets which leaves you questioning who is telling the truth and who can be trusted. they had their own unique personalities with individual flaws, quirks, secrets, strengths and weaknesses!! I loved getting to know Detective Kay Hunter more along with the rest of the team and really cannot wait to see how they have all developed from the first book in this series which is called 'Scared To Death'. I don't want to say too much about the characters though and I will leave you to read this amazing book and work it out yourself. I will say that it was not just Kay that I enjoyed meeting and became completely invested in but also the rest of the investigative team, I could literally go on and on but I am going to wrap it up here so I do not bore you too much! Each of the characters were well developed, unique and thanks to Rachel's fantastic evocative writing skills and Alison's brilliant narration they all came to life before my eyes. Whether you love or hate these characters, they all have their own strong unique personalities and they all bring the story to life playing their roles perfectly. here's to the next explosive book in this absolutely epic series!!! This is exactly why you are in my favourite authors club Rachel and why this is one of my favourite crime series!!!

Overall an absolute must read, pulse racing, addictive page turning crime thriller that will keep you on edge and addicted.

#WhatEvilHides #DetectiveKayHunter #RachelAmphlett #AlisonCampbell #SaxonPublishing #ZooLoosBookTours

@RachelAmphlett @AlisonCampbell @SaxonPublishing @ZooLoosBT

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[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from @RachelAmphlett!

Detective Kay Hunter is called to the scene of a grizzly murder... among a hops garden. But it is not your normal murder scene... no, it is much worse. This man was tortured, extensively...

The body is found when the pickers are out in the field picking the hops. (Apparently they have to be picked at a very particular point in time, or they are useless. So the fact that a body has been found during this particular season is chilling in itself... as the whole establishment needs to close down while the investigation is ongoing!)

As Kay investigates, she seems to keep finding obstacles along the way.

The owners of the farm are relatively new. The farm was turned over recently from father to son, but not very willingly.
The workers are very tight-lipped about any and everything that goes on at work/on the field. So they feel like they are hitting a brick wall there too.
They come up with what seems to be a very viable suspect... but then things start falling apart again.

The whole thing is a harrowing experience. Especially since no one knew who the victim actually was in the beginning! And then, when they found out, Kay had to speak with the parents. Such a horrible scene altogether...

A lot of moving parts. A lot of variable suspects. A lot of research involved. And in the end, I never saw it coming!!!

4 1/2 stars for me, happily rounded up to 5! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#WhatEvilHides by @RachelAmphlett and narrated beautifully by @AlisonCampbell.

THIS ONE HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET, BUT LOOK 👀 FOR IT SOON! RELEASE DATE IS 2/9/26!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, @DreamscapeSelectAudio and @SaxonPublishing for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!!

You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an early copy for an honest review. I received this in audiobook, and I found the narrator to be clear and concise in articulation, great character distinction, and great pacing. The audio was clear and high quality with no technical difficulties.
This was a wonderful fast paced mystery novel. It is number 15 in a series which follows lead detective Kay Hunter and her team of investigators. I had not read any of the previous books and at no time did I feel lost, which I found to be a bonus. I will say I do plan to go back and read the series as I really enjoyed the MC Kay Hunter, and her team as well.
The Mystery itself starts with a body found in a hop field that is horribly mutilated. The team struggle to identify the man, as he has no ID and non of the employees on the farm seem to know who he is. I was emersed in the mystery from the start, finding it hard to put the (audio)book down. This story follows the investigators through twists and turns as the list of suspects just continues to grow. The ending was a twist I did not see coming, and all the pieces fit brilliantly. I loved that we had a brilliant, strong, female lead detective who was also very likeable. I would absolutely recommend this to all my friends and anyone who enjoys a great mystery alike. As I said, I do not think it will matter if you have read any of the previous books in the series, however you might want to try them out. I totally plan to.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only experience with Rachel Amphlett’s writing is “The Hollow Man”, the 7th book in her DI Mark Turpin series. I enjoyed it so much, I bought the rest of the series to catch up on all things DI Turpin. I noticed that she had another character, DI Kay Hunter, that I had not read.

It’s always a risk starting deep in a series. You don’t know the characters. You don’t know their back story. You don’t know the dynamics of the characters. But, since I know that Rachel Amphlett is a first-class writer, I knew it would be worth the risk and it was.

Amphlett’s Hunter series has the same dark edge as the Turpin series. Yet, at the same time, it has heart and the characters are easy to enjoy. And as always, the mystery is really good.

I will say that I enjoy the Mark Turpin series a slight bit more but really did enjoy “What Evil Hides” and plan on catching up on this series eventually. The moral of the story is that Rachel Amphlett is an incredible writer, and you can’t go wrong with any of her books.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of What Evil Hides by Rachel Amphlett

This was a tense and absorbing crime novel that I settled into quickly. The discovery of a murdered man in a rural Kent setting leads to a complex investigation, with secrets, half-truths and an uncooperative community creating an uneasy atmosphere from the start. I enjoyed the strong sense of place and the way the tension builds steadily as Kay Hunter and her team peel back layer after layer of deception.

Kay is a dependable and engaging lead, and the supporting cast are well drawn without ever overshadowing the central mystery. The procedural detail feels authentic and grounded, helping to anchor the plot even as the twists and turns keep you guessing.

The audiobook narration by Alison Campbell really brings the story to life. Her voice suits the material perfectly, adding nuance to the characters and enhancing the mood, which made it easy to stay fully immersed in the investigation.

A solid, well crafted police procedural with atmosphere, character depth and plenty of intrigue — a confident five star read for me.

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book opens with a beautiful scene of cornfields being harvested, and then a body is discovered in a gruesome condition. This sets off a detective mystery that uncovers more than just a murder in a small town.

The crisp British accent in the audiobook was undeniable, and I genuinely enjoyed it. The book does not hand you all the clues at once, so you cannot guess the killer from the very beginning. You have to follow the trail and piece things together as the detectives do.

The only slightly annoying part was the constant repetition of certain clues and case briefings, like the zinc alloy button, which is now firmly engraved in my brain. That said, I do understand the reasoning behind it, especially for readers who may need reminders as the investigation progresses.

The story has a strong focus on the police and their working environment, giving us several background glimpses into life inside police stations. Overall, the book carries a good edge and keeps you reading, driven by the need to find out how everything happened and who was responsible.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Evil Hides by Rachel Amphlett is an excellent procedural crime novel that kept me right from the beginning. The discovery of a body on a local hops farm sets the stage for a fast-paced and gripping investigation. The plot moved quickly and kept me fully engaged as I tried to uncover who committed the crime.

This is book 15 in the Detective Kay Hunter series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone. I had no trouble following the story or connecting with the characters, even without reading the earlier books.

The audiobook narration by Alison Campbell was excellent and truly brought the story to life. Overall, the production quality was outstanding and made for a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience.

Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Select | Saxon Publishing for letting me read this ARC.

[Salty Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great murder mystery. Detective Kay Hunter and her team dig through the ever growing list of suspects to find the killer of the mystery man found dead on the farm. If you like police procedure, detective thrillers this is a great choice. I have not read any of the other books in this series and fell like this makes a good standalone. I didnt feel lost or like I missed any pertinent information that may be gleamed by reading the series.
The narrator did a great job of delivering this story. Smooth performance with good flow.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to review this story.