What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hidden Hours
Keeping her secret may save her family.
But telling it may save her life.
Arabella Lane, senior executive at a children’s publisher, is found dead in the Thames on a frosty winter’s morning after the office Christmas party. No one is sure whether she jumped or was pushed. The one person who may know the truth is the newest employee at Parker & Lane – the office temp, Eleanor.
Eleanor has travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in outback Australia, but now tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes. To her horror, she has no memory of the crucial hours leading up to Arabella’s death – memory that will either incriminate or absolve her.
As Eleanor desperately tries to remember her missing hours and uncover the events of that fateful night, her own extended family is dragged further into the dark, terrifying terrain of blame, suspicion and guilt.
Caught in a crossfire of accusations, Eleanor fears she can’t even trust herself, let alone the people around her. And soon, she’ll find herself in a race against time to find out just what happened that night – and discover just how deadly some secrets can be.
But telling it may save her life.
Arabella Lane, senior executive at a children’s publisher, is found dead in the Thames on a frosty winter’s morning after the office Christmas party. No one is sure whether she jumped or was pushed. The one person who may know the truth is the newest employee at Parker & Lane – the office temp, Eleanor.
Eleanor has travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in outback Australia, but now tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes. To her horror, she has no memory of the crucial hours leading up to Arabella’s death – memory that will either incriminate or absolve her.
As Eleanor desperately tries to remember her missing hours and uncover the events of that fateful night, her own extended family is dragged further into the dark, terrifying terrain of blame, suspicion and guilt.
Caught in a crossfire of accusations, Eleanor fears she can’t even trust herself, let alone the people around her. And soon, she’ll find herself in a race against time to find out just what happened that night – and discover just how deadly some secrets can be.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2017
501 people are currently reading
3640 people want to read
About the author
Sara Foster
13 books731 followersSara Foster is a critically acclaimed, bestselling fiction author with a passion for psychological suspense and a keen interest in exploring zeitgeist issues and strong female characters in her nail-biting novels. Her latest, When She Was Gone (2025), begins when an au pair and two small children vanish from a remote Australian beach, and is a race-against-time thriller, exploring themes around misogyny, wealth, power and control.
Sara is also the author of dystopian thriller The Hush and seven more bestselling novels. Two of her books have been optioned for television, and You Don’t Know Me was adapted into a chart-topping podcast series by Listnr. Sara has a PhD in creative writing (studying maternal representations in fiction) and lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon.
Follow Sara on Substack at Story Matters (for readers) and The Resilient Author (for writers). Or visit her website: www.sarafoster.com.au
Sara is also the author of dystopian thriller The Hush and seven more bestselling novels. Two of her books have been optioned for television, and You Don’t Know Me was adapted into a chart-topping podcast series by Listnr. Sara has a PhD in creative writing (studying maternal representations in fiction) and lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon.
Follow Sara on Substack at Story Matters (for readers) and The Resilient Author (for writers). Or visit her website: www.sarafoster.com.au
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
March 15, 2024
EXCERPT: December 2016
The body bobs lightly against the grey stone wall, snared by something unseen, resisting the current. A police diver slowly untangles it, and gently pushes it towards the waiting boat. People watch from the footbridge, transfixed. Some cover their mouths with gloved hands, pointing, gasping, retching. Others clutch their phones in a chokehold. One woman takes furtive pictures. They are all relieved it hangs face down in the cold, murky river. No one wants to see the person to whom that long blonde hair once belonged.
The body floats towards waiting hands. A tiny crab scuttles down the slim line of one of those ghostly white legs and disappears into the gloom.
ABOUT 'THE HIDDEN HOURS': Keeping her secret may save her family.
But telling it may save her life.
Arabella Lane, senior executive at a children’s publisher, is found dead in the Thames on a frosty winter’s morning after the office Christmas party. No one is sure whether she jumped or was pushed. The one person who may know the truth is the newest employee at Parker & Lane – the office temp, Eleanor.
Eleanor has travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in outback Australia, but now tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes. To her horror, she has no memory of the crucial hours leading up to Arabella’s death – memory that will either incriminate or absolve her.
As Eleanor desperately tries to remember her missing hours and uncover the events of that fateful night, her own extended family is dragged further into the dark, terrifying terrain of blame, suspicion and guilt.
Caught in a crossfire of accusations, Eleanor fears she can’t even trust herself, let alone the people around her. And soon, she’ll find herself in a race against time to find out just what happened that night – and discover just how deadly some secrets can be.
MY THOUGHTS: The Hidden Hours moves between two time frames, 2016 and 2005 and is told exclusively from the viewpoint of the main character, Eleanor.
It is frustrating enough to not remember small things, like where you put something or someone's name. Imagine if you have a whole night missing from your memory, particularly if it resulted in someone's death and you were there . . . This is the situation Eleanor finds herself in. Unfortunately it's not the first tragic death with which she has been involved. She suffered from PTSD after the first one, and Arabella's death is bringing it all back to the surface.
Add in being in a foreign country, with extended family she doesn't really know - and can you hear the time bomb ticking? Do the police believe her that she can't remember a thing? Or do they think she's lying? . . . tick . . . tick . . . what's going on with her Uncle Ian and his wife Susan, who works for Arabella's husband? . . . tick . . . tick . . . why has Will, one of her co-workers, suddenly decided to befriend her? . . . tick . . . tick . . . and come to that, why did Arabella pick her? . . . tick . . . tick . . .
Sara Foster has a way with her characters. They are perfectly depicted, realistic and enticingly unreliable. I trusted no one; suspected everyone.
Intense, gripping and suspenseful.
I listened to the audiobook of The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster which was superbly narrated by Anthea Greco.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#TheHiddenHoursSaraFoster #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Sara is passionate about developing strong women characters and female-led stories, She has a PhD, looking at maternal representation in fiction with young adult heroines, and she lives in Western Australia with her husband and daughters.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Simon & Schuster via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
The body bobs lightly against the grey stone wall, snared by something unseen, resisting the current. A police diver slowly untangles it, and gently pushes it towards the waiting boat. People watch from the footbridge, transfixed. Some cover their mouths with gloved hands, pointing, gasping, retching. Others clutch their phones in a chokehold. One woman takes furtive pictures. They are all relieved it hangs face down in the cold, murky river. No one wants to see the person to whom that long blonde hair once belonged.
The body floats towards waiting hands. A tiny crab scuttles down the slim line of one of those ghostly white legs and disappears into the gloom.
ABOUT 'THE HIDDEN HOURS': Keeping her secret may save her family.
But telling it may save her life.
Arabella Lane, senior executive at a children’s publisher, is found dead in the Thames on a frosty winter’s morning after the office Christmas party. No one is sure whether she jumped or was pushed. The one person who may know the truth is the newest employee at Parker & Lane – the office temp, Eleanor.
Eleanor has travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in outback Australia, but now tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes. To her horror, she has no memory of the crucial hours leading up to Arabella’s death – memory that will either incriminate or absolve her.
As Eleanor desperately tries to remember her missing hours and uncover the events of that fateful night, her own extended family is dragged further into the dark, terrifying terrain of blame, suspicion and guilt.
Caught in a crossfire of accusations, Eleanor fears she can’t even trust herself, let alone the people around her. And soon, she’ll find herself in a race against time to find out just what happened that night – and discover just how deadly some secrets can be.
MY THOUGHTS: The Hidden Hours moves between two time frames, 2016 and 2005 and is told exclusively from the viewpoint of the main character, Eleanor.
It is frustrating enough to not remember small things, like where you put something or someone's name. Imagine if you have a whole night missing from your memory, particularly if it resulted in someone's death and you were there . . . This is the situation Eleanor finds herself in. Unfortunately it's not the first tragic death with which she has been involved. She suffered from PTSD after the first one, and Arabella's death is bringing it all back to the surface.
Add in being in a foreign country, with extended family she doesn't really know - and can you hear the time bomb ticking? Do the police believe her that she can't remember a thing? Or do they think she's lying? . . . tick . . . tick . . . what's going on with her Uncle Ian and his wife Susan, who works for Arabella's husband? . . . tick . . . tick . . . why has Will, one of her co-workers, suddenly decided to befriend her? . . . tick . . . tick . . . and come to that, why did Arabella pick her? . . . tick . . . tick . . .
Sara Foster has a way with her characters. They are perfectly depicted, realistic and enticingly unreliable. I trusted no one; suspected everyone.
Intense, gripping and suspenseful.
I listened to the audiobook of The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster which was superbly narrated by Anthea Greco.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#TheHiddenHoursSaraFoster #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Sara is passionate about developing strong women characters and female-led stories, She has a PhD, looking at maternal representation in fiction with young adult heroines, and she lives in Western Australia with her husband and daughters.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Simon & Schuster via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
October 19, 2020
Arabella Lane is murdered following a work Christmas party. Eleanor Brennan has been with her for part of the night but is unable to recall the dramatic events leading up to her death. This murder evokes so much from Eleanor’s past in Australia and unleashes unsettling and frightening memories which she has never properly come to terms with.
This is a really good psychological thriller, it’s well written and very engaging. I really like the sections at the start of each chapter which feels like scene setting for a play but also adds to the readers understanding. There is a lot of tension throughout the book especially in the relationships between the characters who are hiding guilty secrets. Many of the characters are interesting but unlikeable with some exceptions including Eleanor. She’s a loner and thus lonely, is carrying a multitude of demons, you feel her panicky mental fragility and fears and her claustrophobic desperation as the mystery surrounding Arabella’s death deepens. This drags Eleanor deeper into the mire of her past as well as in the present. So much in the household she lives in whilst in London mirrors the falling apart of her own family in Australia following a dramatic sequence of events. I really like the way the truth slowly unfurls and the ever present tension ramps up.
My only small criticism is that we suddenly move to a dual time narrative about a third of the way through with events in London in 2016 alongside Australia in ‘04 to ‘05. This took me by surprise, however, learning about Eleanor’s past is essential to understanding her in the present and so it does work despite the sudden jump.
Overall, this is a really good psychological thriller which touches on a multitude of themes - loneliness, despair, secrets and guilt for example. It has twists, turns and shocks along the way and makes for compelling reading.
With thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for the arc in return for an honest review.
This is a really good psychological thriller, it’s well written and very engaging. I really like the sections at the start of each chapter which feels like scene setting for a play but also adds to the readers understanding. There is a lot of tension throughout the book especially in the relationships between the characters who are hiding guilty secrets. Many of the characters are interesting but unlikeable with some exceptions including Eleanor. She’s a loner and thus lonely, is carrying a multitude of demons, you feel her panicky mental fragility and fears and her claustrophobic desperation as the mystery surrounding Arabella’s death deepens. This drags Eleanor deeper into the mire of her past as well as in the present. So much in the household she lives in whilst in London mirrors the falling apart of her own family in Australia following a dramatic sequence of events. I really like the way the truth slowly unfurls and the ever present tension ramps up.
My only small criticism is that we suddenly move to a dual time narrative about a third of the way through with events in London in 2016 alongside Australia in ‘04 to ‘05. This took me by surprise, however, learning about Eleanor’s past is essential to understanding her in the present and so it does work despite the sudden jump.
Overall, this is a really good psychological thriller which touches on a multitude of themes - loneliness, despair, secrets and guilt for example. It has twists, turns and shocks along the way and makes for compelling reading.
With thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for the arc in return for an honest review.
September 30, 2017
I loved Sara Foster’s All That is Lost Between Us, a mystery novel centred around relationships. The Hidden Hours has once again highlighted Foster’s incredible talent for mystery however this has a psychological thriller slant.
The reader is privy from the beginning that Eleanor was under psychiatric care as a teenager but why this was the case is slowly unfolded throughout the story as it is told in two time frames; then and now.
Now- 21 year old Eleanor is living with her Uncle, Aunt and 2 cousins in London. Her paranoia never seems to leave her but when a colleague is found dead the morning after the work Christmas party Eleanor cannot remember a single thing about the night and her paranoia spirals out of control.
This is a gripping story as the two mysteries, what happened to Eleanor in her younger years to make her so anxious and withdrawn and who killed Arabella, slowly unravel and the tension builds like a tightening spring to come to an unexpected explosive climax.
I am now a fully fledged Foster fan and would be happy to read any novel written by her.
With my thanks to Simon & Schuster via Netgalley for my ERC.
The reader is privy from the beginning that Eleanor was under psychiatric care as a teenager but why this was the case is slowly unfolded throughout the story as it is told in two time frames; then and now.
Now- 21 year old Eleanor is living with her Uncle, Aunt and 2 cousins in London. Her paranoia never seems to leave her but when a colleague is found dead the morning after the work Christmas party Eleanor cannot remember a single thing about the night and her paranoia spirals out of control.
This is a gripping story as the two mysteries, what happened to Eleanor in her younger years to make her so anxious and withdrawn and who killed Arabella, slowly unravel and the tension builds like a tightening spring to come to an unexpected explosive climax.
I am now a fully fledged Foster fan and would be happy to read any novel written by her.
With my thanks to Simon & Schuster via Netgalley for my ERC.
October 22, 2020
Arabella Lane is found dead in the Thames on a frosty winter’s morning after the office Christmas party.,
The only one who may know what happened is the office temp, Eleanor, one of the last to see her..
She is also the one with Arabella’s sapphire and diamond ring “snuggled innocently between her lipstick and mascara” in her small handbag...
But, Eleanor cannot remember what happened.
This was an atmospheric story of suspense, with an unique style.
Scattered throughout were snippets of information that were shared with investigators, by witnesses who did not immediately realize WHAT they were seeing, such as a woman who realizes that in the background of a photo she snapped was a woman who could be a witness to the unsolved crime.
The author doesn’t share much of the investigation with the reader, other than a couple of interviews and these revelations which lead to the crime being solved. I wish there had been MORE of this.
Another narrative featured Eleanor’s past, and why she blocks out traumatic events, which I was not as taken with. I wish there had been LESS of that.
Originally published in 2017, in Australia, it is now being introduced to The US by Blackstone Publishing, and will be available on Nov. 3, 2020.
Thank you for my gifted copy.
It was a pleasure to provide a candid review.
The only one who may know what happened is the office temp, Eleanor, one of the last to see her..
She is also the one with Arabella’s sapphire and diamond ring “snuggled innocently between her lipstick and mascara” in her small handbag...
But, Eleanor cannot remember what happened.
This was an atmospheric story of suspense, with an unique style.
Scattered throughout were snippets of information that were shared with investigators, by witnesses who did not immediately realize WHAT they were seeing, such as a woman who realizes that in the background of a photo she snapped was a woman who could be a witness to the unsolved crime.
The author doesn’t share much of the investigation with the reader, other than a couple of interviews and these revelations which lead to the crime being solved. I wish there had been MORE of this.
Another narrative featured Eleanor’s past, and why she blocks out traumatic events, which I was not as taken with. I wish there had been LESS of that.
Originally published in 2017, in Australia, it is now being introduced to The US by Blackstone Publishing, and will be available on Nov. 3, 2020.
Thank you for my gifted copy.
It was a pleasure to provide a candid review.
March 19, 2017
Eleanor’s memories of her nine year old self, and the traumas that had affected her family life in country Australia, would never leave her. Her mother Gillian urged Eleanor to head to London for a fresh start; to stay with her brother Ian, his wife Susan and their two girls. She hadn’t met her uncle before, but felt an affection for him, and loved the girls – but Susan was a high flying business woman, harsh and to Eleanor’s mind, a cold woman.
After only being at her temp position for three weeks – the one her aunt had set up for her, as she was an integral part of the children’s publishing house – the Christmas party cruising on the Thames was looming and Eleanor wasn’t sure she wanted to go. She hadn’t made any friends and knew she would feel uncomfortable. But she did go – and it was the beginning of another dark and terrible time in her life, and in the lives of those around her.
For Arabella Lane’s body was found in the Thames the following morning – and Eleanor had briefly been in her company at the party the night before. But the worst for Eleanor was – she had no memory of those hours; the police continued to question her. Did they believe her? Her past kept colliding with the present – why couldn’t it leave her alone? Why was this happening to her? Would she ever find the inner peace she craved?
The Hidden Hours is another gripping psychological thriller by Aussie author Sara Foster which is filled with intensity, emotion and grief. The tragedy which was the young Eleanor’s life was written well – past chapters interspersed with the present day and drawing in the incredible trauma of her adult life. Written in present tense, (which always feels strange to me!) it didn’t take me long to settle into the rhythm of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed The Hidden Hours and highly recommend it.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy to read and review.
After only being at her temp position for three weeks – the one her aunt had set up for her, as she was an integral part of the children’s publishing house – the Christmas party cruising on the Thames was looming and Eleanor wasn’t sure she wanted to go. She hadn’t made any friends and knew she would feel uncomfortable. But she did go – and it was the beginning of another dark and terrible time in her life, and in the lives of those around her.
For Arabella Lane’s body was found in the Thames the following morning – and Eleanor had briefly been in her company at the party the night before. But the worst for Eleanor was – she had no memory of those hours; the police continued to question her. Did they believe her? Her past kept colliding with the present – why couldn’t it leave her alone? Why was this happening to her? Would she ever find the inner peace she craved?
The Hidden Hours is another gripping psychological thriller by Aussie author Sara Foster which is filled with intensity, emotion and grief. The tragedy which was the young Eleanor’s life was written well – past chapters interspersed with the present day and drawing in the incredible trauma of her adult life. Written in present tense, (which always feels strange to me!) it didn’t take me long to settle into the rhythm of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed The Hidden Hours and highly recommend it.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy to read and review.
August 6, 2019
Eleanor Brennan has travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in outback Australia. She has a job as an office temp at Parker & Lane, a children’s publisher. Her mother has arranged for her to stay in a room at the home of her uncle Ian. Despite never having met him it seemed like a good idea at the time. But now she's not so sure. From day one, Eleanor has been wary of Ian's wife, her aunt, Susan. CEO of Parker & Lane, Susan is a stern, no-nonsense, formidable opponent who makes it obvious that this arrangement wasn't her decision.
Eleanor meets the senior executive of Parker & Lane, Arabella Lane, at the office Christmas party. When she arrives at work the next morning there is an inescapable feeling of apprehension in the air. Caroline Cressman from HR gathers everyone together. It's obvious that she is very distressed and whatever she's about to say is going to be big. The room is absolutely silent.
"I am so very sorry to tell you all...
that Arabella Lane has passed away."
Eleanor is instantly stunned, unable to pull air into her lungs. Her mind is reeling, pitching, and spinning over one thought.
"This cannot be true, she thinks. It cannot be true"
Then something else pushes it's way into her thoughts. She has no memory after seeing Arabella at the party. Terrified, she searches her memory for the missing events in the hours prior to Arabella's death, but to no avail. No one knows how Arabella went over the railing, falling to her death into the frozen water of the Thames river. Did she jump? Or was she pushed?
During the investigation that follows Eleanor is horrified to learn that she may be the sole witness to the incident. Eleanor's blood runs cold when she becomes a suspect and the without the missing pieces of that hour, she can't defend herself. While suspicions, accusations, and blame run rampant, Eleanor finds herself caught in a nightmare. She's determined to uncover what happened that fateful night but she'll soon find out that some secrets are worth killing for.
The Hidden Hours by Aussi author Sara Foster is a sensational thriller! She has crafted an ingenious storyline with rich characters and a corkscrews worth of twists that will have you glued to the pages. It's a fast paced and compelling novel from the very beginning to the startling conclusion! You will be hard pressed to put it down!
I will be reading more from this talented author.
Highly recommended!
Eleanor meets the senior executive of Parker & Lane, Arabella Lane, at the office Christmas party. When she arrives at work the next morning there is an inescapable feeling of apprehension in the air. Caroline Cressman from HR gathers everyone together. It's obvious that she is very distressed and whatever she's about to say is going to be big. The room is absolutely silent.
"I am so very sorry to tell you all...
that Arabella Lane has passed away."
Eleanor is instantly stunned, unable to pull air into her lungs. Her mind is reeling, pitching, and spinning over one thought.
"This cannot be true, she thinks. It cannot be true"
Then something else pushes it's way into her thoughts. She has no memory after seeing Arabella at the party. Terrified, she searches her memory for the missing events in the hours prior to Arabella's death, but to no avail. No one knows how Arabella went over the railing, falling to her death into the frozen water of the Thames river. Did she jump? Or was she pushed?
During the investigation that follows Eleanor is horrified to learn that she may be the sole witness to the incident. Eleanor's blood runs cold when she becomes a suspect and the without the missing pieces of that hour, she can't defend herself. While suspicions, accusations, and blame run rampant, Eleanor finds herself caught in a nightmare. She's determined to uncover what happened that fateful night but she'll soon find out that some secrets are worth killing for.
The Hidden Hours by Aussi author Sara Foster is a sensational thriller! She has crafted an ingenious storyline with rich characters and a corkscrews worth of twists that will have you glued to the pages. It's a fast paced and compelling novel from the very beginning to the startling conclusion! You will be hard pressed to put it down!
I will be reading more from this talented author.
Highly recommended!
March 27, 2017
Eleanor has travelled to London wanting to leave her traumatic childhood in outback Australia behind her and have a fresh start. Staying with her mother's brother, she enjoys the company of her two young cousins and lands a job temping at Parker and Lane a publishing house where her aunt works. Hoping to meet some people she goes along to the work Christmas party and finds herself having a few drinks with Arabella Lane, a charismatic senior executive at the company. However, next morning when she wakes she has no memory of the rest of the night and learns that Arabella is dead, having drowned in the Thames. Fighting the memories and demons of her past, Eleanor must try to work out what happened in those lost hours.
Sara Foster relates the events in the present tense, mixed with flashbacks to Eleanor's childhood and the traumatic event that still affects her. This unusual style works well and results in a multi-layered story where everyone has their own version of events that night and no one can be trusted. The suspense builds slowly to culminate in a satisfying ending.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Simon & Schuster for a copy of the book to read and review
Sara Foster relates the events in the present tense, mixed with flashbacks to Eleanor's childhood and the traumatic event that still affects her. This unusual style works well and results in a multi-layered story where everyone has their own version of events that night and no one can be trusted. The suspense builds slowly to culminate in a satisfying ending.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Simon & Schuster for a copy of the book to read and review
April 2, 2017
Thrillers are not a genre I read often, but given how much I enjoyed Sara Foster's previous novel, All The Is Not Lost Between Us, I was keen to read this new offering.
I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. This is a psychological thriller, a classic "who's-done it", that kept me reading compulsively.
Our unreliable narrator is twenty-one-year-old, Australian Eleanor, who's moved into her uncle's townhouse in London, to start a new life. She's temping as an administrative assistant in a publishing house, where her aunt, Susan, is a powerful executive.
But something awful has happened. One of the marketing executives, Arabella Lane, was found drowned in the Thames. Her death is suspicious. Eleanor is one of the last people to see her at the previous night's work party. Eleanor though has huge gaps in her memory, as she had drunk with Arabella, who had also slipped drugs into both their glasses.
Eleanor is full of anguish and doubts, as she can't remember much from the night of the party, while memories of something that happened in the past also resurface. Things unravel quickly. She soon realises that all is not well with the marriage of her uncle Ian and Susan. Their kids, thirteen-year-old, sulky, Neave, and the seven-year-old, Savannah, are disconcerted and upset about Arabella's death, who was a family friend.
Eleanor is determined to find out what happened. I will leave at that, as I don't want to give away spoilers.
This is another beautifully written, psychological thriller. Sara Foster does descriptions very well, I could feel the cold sipping into my bones, as I was reading about wintery London.
I also enjoyed the Australian settings, as Eleanor reminisces about what happened in the past.
Besides the great characterisations, I appreciated the story's plausibility. I often struggle to suspend my disbelief with some aspects encountered in thrillers. It was never the case with The Hidden Hours>/I>, which gets extra brownie points for this.
The new Sara Foster thriller is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller, which I highly recommend.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publishers, Simon & Schuster AU, for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Cover: 5 stars
This novel also counts towards the Aussie Author Challenge 2017 on www.bookloverbookreviews.com
I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. This is a psychological thriller, a classic "who's-done it", that kept me reading compulsively.
Our unreliable narrator is twenty-one-year-old, Australian Eleanor, who's moved into her uncle's townhouse in London, to start a new life. She's temping as an administrative assistant in a publishing house, where her aunt, Susan, is a powerful executive.
But something awful has happened. One of the marketing executives, Arabella Lane, was found drowned in the Thames. Her death is suspicious. Eleanor is one of the last people to see her at the previous night's work party. Eleanor though has huge gaps in her memory, as she had drunk with Arabella, who had also slipped drugs into both their glasses.
Eleanor is full of anguish and doubts, as she can't remember much from the night of the party, while memories of something that happened in the past also resurface. Things unravel quickly. She soon realises that all is not well with the marriage of her uncle Ian and Susan. Their kids, thirteen-year-old, sulky, Neave, and the seven-year-old, Savannah, are disconcerted and upset about Arabella's death, who was a family friend.
Eleanor is determined to find out what happened. I will leave at that, as I don't want to give away spoilers.
This is another beautifully written, psychological thriller. Sara Foster does descriptions very well, I could feel the cold sipping into my bones, as I was reading about wintery London.
I also enjoyed the Australian settings, as Eleanor reminisces about what happened in the past.
Besides the great characterisations, I appreciated the story's plausibility. I often struggle to suspend my disbelief with some aspects encountered in thrillers. It was never the case with The Hidden Hours>/I>, which gets extra brownie points for this.
The new Sara Foster thriller is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller, which I highly recommend.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publishers, Simon & Schuster AU, for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Cover: 5 stars
This novel also counts towards the Aussie Author Challenge 2017 on www.bookloverbookreviews.com
November 3, 2020
Sara Foster’s The Hidden Hours is a slow moving suspense. A muddled memory from the events of the previous night, Eleanor returns to work and discovers a woman has died suspiciously. Rattled not only by the shocking news, but also at the discovery that she was the last person to have seen the victim alive. As evidence unfolds, Eleanor is left questioning herself, and those around her.
Though the story was built upon a very intriguing concept, we found the development at times left us somewhat confused. We also found that there was a predictability to the storyline, and sought more suspense.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Though the story was built upon a very intriguing concept, we found the development at times left us somewhat confused. We also found that there was a predictability to the storyline, and sought more suspense.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 12, 2024
What happened to Arabella Lane?
An office Christmas party goes terribly wrong, when one of the staff's wife's is found dead in the Thames river. Did Arabella Lane jump or was she pushed? One of the last people to see Arabella alive was office temp, Eleanor. The only problem is that she doesn't remember anything because someone drugged her drink that night.
Elenor senses that she is being followed. The police think that she may be involved or is hiding something about Arabella's death.
One thing is for certain, Elenor must remember what happened that night. She has to absolve herself and find out who the killer is before they get to her also.
__________________________________________________________
First off, I'd like to say that I listened to the audiobook version of this book. Anthea Greco's narration is wonderful.
The story itself drags on a bit. I don't think that the background of Elenor's childhood was necessary for the main story, but it did provide readers with some red herrings. Overall, a solid book, but nothing spectacular.
An office Christmas party goes terribly wrong, when one of the staff's wife's is found dead in the Thames river. Did Arabella Lane jump or was she pushed? One of the last people to see Arabella alive was office temp, Eleanor. The only problem is that she doesn't remember anything because someone drugged her drink that night.
Elenor senses that she is being followed. The police think that she may be involved or is hiding something about Arabella's death.
One thing is for certain, Elenor must remember what happened that night. She has to absolve herself and find out who the killer is before they get to her also.
__________________________________________________________
First off, I'd like to say that I listened to the audiobook version of this book. Anthea Greco's narration is wonderful.
The story itself drags on a bit. I don't think that the background of Elenor's childhood was necessary for the main story, but it did provide readers with some red herrings. Overall, a solid book, but nothing spectacular.
August 9, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
‘It is at this point that the memories hazy. As Eleanor comes back to the present, a sudden rush of air blows her long hair away from her face as the tube train approaches. That mojito last night had been one drink too far, tipping Eleanor into the new few swirling, disorientated hours.’
Two women, Arabella, in her prime, stunning but dead, and Eleanor, young and suffering from memory loss of the night Arabella died, are at the centre of The Hidden Hours. Sarah Foster’s fifth novel is every bit as good as her previous four novels. The Hidden Hours is defined by enrapturing suspense and a weighty mystery. I was catapulted into the body of this novel, from the very start, to the final sentence.
Arabella is senior executive based at a children’s publishing firm in London. She has recently met an untimely death. Arabella’s final resting place was the River Thames. Arabella’s body surfaces one bitterly cold morning, following her office work party. It is unclear as to what was the cause of Arabella’s death. It could go either way, some say she was pushed to her death, others believe she may have voluntarily ended her life by throwing herself into the Thames. With the truth so unclear, a new employee at Arabella’s firm may hold the key to what happened that cold winter’s night. Eleanor is the newest employee of Park & Lane, she has recently made the big move from Australia to Britain, hoping to put her troubled childhood behind her. Sadly trouble comes to find Eleanor again when the office party she attends takes a tragic turn. Eleanor suffers from a memory blank of the night Arabella died. She is uncertain as to whether or not she is able to offer up any information on Arabella’s death. The possibility of being involved frightens Eleanor. During the course of the book Eleanor works to recall her fractured memories. It ignites feelings of her difficult past in Australia and Eleanor is not prepared to confront these confronting times. With everyone desperate to get to the truth, the pressure is on for Eleanor to remember what happened.
The praise West Australian author Sara Foster has collected for The Hidden Hours is substantiated. Endorsed by none other than Australian crime fiction queen Jane Harper as ‘an enthralling mystery’, it took only the very first paragraph to get me completely hooked.
I loved the structure of The Hidden Hours, it worked so well. Moving effortlessly between two time frames, the present day and 2005, Sara Foster drip feeds the reader a story of events that happened in the past, that directly correlates to events in the present. This serves to draw out the suspense and mystery, but the timing is spot on, so I never felt like my attention dipped in any way. This is a sign of a writer who truly knows her craft, and is comfortable within the psychological suspense genre.
Foster also crosses the boundaries in terms of place and setting. The Hidden Hours divides its time between the hustle and bustle of dreary London, and the vast expanse of the Australian outback in the 2005 narrative thread. Foster has the art of comparison down pat. I felt the bones of each of these locales with such clarity. I think this comes from Foster’s direct experience in both these locales, she knows both like the back of her hand. It is this first hand experience that transfers well to her setting descriptions. I could read passage after passage of Foster’s location prose, it was a true language feast for this reader!
‘The last of the morning’s frost still glitters on the ledges of doors and windows. Bulging grey clouds obscure the sky, and the cobblestones are slippery from overnight rain. Eleanor hugs herself, wrapping her cardigan tightly round he, in part to keep her warm but also to hide he unironed cheap white blouse, as she shifts apprehensively from foot to foot. She is still getting to used to the eviscerating coldness of London in December.’
Characterisation comes easy to Foster. Arabella, the young publishing star, who is found dead with no clear explanation, is etched out perfectly by Foster. Likewise, readers will find Eleanor, the principal protagonist of the story, equally well presented. There is a murkiness that still swirls around these characters and the outer character set. A number of the male characters that feature in this story I had my suspicions about their behaviour. My lack of trust in some of the supporting character set also extended to the female cast members. This included Eleanor, who has such fractured and traumatic memories, definitely fell into the unreliable narrator role.
There were a number of resounding themes that I was able to pull from my experience of reading The Hidden Hours. From childhood trauma, post traumatic stress, memories, suppression of guilt, personal crisis, family drama and secrets, Foster covers plenty of ground in her latest book of psychological suspense and mystery.
The Hidden Hours is a nail biter, heavy on the tension side of things, and offering up plenty of opportunities to second guess your own theories concerning the central mystery. The Hidden Hours is another mind blowing read from West Australian superstar Sara Foster.
The Hidden Hours is book #104 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
‘It is at this point that the memories hazy. As Eleanor comes back to the present, a sudden rush of air blows her long hair away from her face as the tube train approaches. That mojito last night had been one drink too far, tipping Eleanor into the new few swirling, disorientated hours.’
Two women, Arabella, in her prime, stunning but dead, and Eleanor, young and suffering from memory loss of the night Arabella died, are at the centre of The Hidden Hours. Sarah Foster’s fifth novel is every bit as good as her previous four novels. The Hidden Hours is defined by enrapturing suspense and a weighty mystery. I was catapulted into the body of this novel, from the very start, to the final sentence.
Arabella is senior executive based at a children’s publishing firm in London. She has recently met an untimely death. Arabella’s final resting place was the River Thames. Arabella’s body surfaces one bitterly cold morning, following her office work party. It is unclear as to what was the cause of Arabella’s death. It could go either way, some say she was pushed to her death, others believe she may have voluntarily ended her life by throwing herself into the Thames. With the truth so unclear, a new employee at Arabella’s firm may hold the key to what happened that cold winter’s night. Eleanor is the newest employee of Park & Lane, she has recently made the big move from Australia to Britain, hoping to put her troubled childhood behind her. Sadly trouble comes to find Eleanor again when the office party she attends takes a tragic turn. Eleanor suffers from a memory blank of the night Arabella died. She is uncertain as to whether or not she is able to offer up any information on Arabella’s death. The possibility of being involved frightens Eleanor. During the course of the book Eleanor works to recall her fractured memories. It ignites feelings of her difficult past in Australia and Eleanor is not prepared to confront these confronting times. With everyone desperate to get to the truth, the pressure is on for Eleanor to remember what happened.
The praise West Australian author Sara Foster has collected for The Hidden Hours is substantiated. Endorsed by none other than Australian crime fiction queen Jane Harper as ‘an enthralling mystery’, it took only the very first paragraph to get me completely hooked.
I loved the structure of The Hidden Hours, it worked so well. Moving effortlessly between two time frames, the present day and 2005, Sara Foster drip feeds the reader a story of events that happened in the past, that directly correlates to events in the present. This serves to draw out the suspense and mystery, but the timing is spot on, so I never felt like my attention dipped in any way. This is a sign of a writer who truly knows her craft, and is comfortable within the psychological suspense genre.
Foster also crosses the boundaries in terms of place and setting. The Hidden Hours divides its time between the hustle and bustle of dreary London, and the vast expanse of the Australian outback in the 2005 narrative thread. Foster has the art of comparison down pat. I felt the bones of each of these locales with such clarity. I think this comes from Foster’s direct experience in both these locales, she knows both like the back of her hand. It is this first hand experience that transfers well to her setting descriptions. I could read passage after passage of Foster’s location prose, it was a true language feast for this reader!
‘The last of the morning’s frost still glitters on the ledges of doors and windows. Bulging grey clouds obscure the sky, and the cobblestones are slippery from overnight rain. Eleanor hugs herself, wrapping her cardigan tightly round he, in part to keep her warm but also to hide he unironed cheap white blouse, as she shifts apprehensively from foot to foot. She is still getting to used to the eviscerating coldness of London in December.’
Characterisation comes easy to Foster. Arabella, the young publishing star, who is found dead with no clear explanation, is etched out perfectly by Foster. Likewise, readers will find Eleanor, the principal protagonist of the story, equally well presented. There is a murkiness that still swirls around these characters and the outer character set. A number of the male characters that feature in this story I had my suspicions about their behaviour. My lack of trust in some of the supporting character set also extended to the female cast members. This included Eleanor, who has such fractured and traumatic memories, definitely fell into the unreliable narrator role.
There were a number of resounding themes that I was able to pull from my experience of reading The Hidden Hours. From childhood trauma, post traumatic stress, memories, suppression of guilt, personal crisis, family drama and secrets, Foster covers plenty of ground in her latest book of psychological suspense and mystery.
The Hidden Hours is a nail biter, heavy on the tension side of things, and offering up plenty of opportunities to second guess your own theories concerning the central mystery. The Hidden Hours is another mind blowing read from West Australian superstar Sara Foster.
The Hidden Hours is book #104 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
November 24, 2020
This was a structurally engrossing narrative. I felt like it took me longer to read than usual and I think it was because I spent so much time outside of reading this book, puzzling over the answers to this festive mystery.
Events begin at Eleanor’s Christmas party. This is a scene we can all relate to: some of us feeling awkward; some of us staying in our known work circles and talking ‘shop’; and then some of us maybe drinking slightly too much during the celebrations. Eleanor sees all of this and more after someone on senior management is found dead, the morning after the night before. What ensues is Eleanor trying to remember what happened during the night, after the work party has ended. But this leads to memories resurfacing from Eleanor’s childhood.
What I liked most about this novel is how the opening couple of paragraphs of each chapter, written in italics, is relevant to the police investigation and surrounding suspects. We are provided only short snippets into how this is progressing and I think this intensified the mystery even further. The rest of the story remains centred on Eleanor: present day and following Arabella’s death, and also back in Eleanor’s childhood. It becomes clear that events in her childhood has significantly shaped our protagonist and this is only gradually revealed to readers.
The theme of isolation radiates from the pages of this novel. Many of the main characters experience isolation but from different causes: family, work, relationships… it is actually quite heart-breaking that even someone who appears content can hide such isolation from those around them. I think this is more profound than it ever was, as a result lock-down and isolating from society for health reasons. As such, I think that Foster is gently reminding her readers about the importance of sharing and talking to others. Eleanor’s circumstances are tragic but also evidence that, even though she may appear to have “moved on”, there’s a lot more that she could talk about.
As the story developed, I really could not figure out the mystery. Foster keeps it expertly hidden with enough clues to keep readers intrigued throughout. I loved the fact that it was set at Christmas, especially with the references to London Christmas lights and ice-skating. However, the mystery of Arabella’s death and Eleanor’s past makes this far more gritty than what you would expect from Christmas fiction.
Therefore, if you like murder mysteries but fancy something reflective of the Christmas season, this should completely appeal. Otherwise, this is great to read at any time of the year because Foster’s craft has made this an engaging narrative that just so happens to start with the “dreaded” office Christmas party.
I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. With thanks to everyone at Legend Press and Sara Foster for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.
Events begin at Eleanor’s Christmas party. This is a scene we can all relate to: some of us feeling awkward; some of us staying in our known work circles and talking ‘shop’; and then some of us maybe drinking slightly too much during the celebrations. Eleanor sees all of this and more after someone on senior management is found dead, the morning after the night before. What ensues is Eleanor trying to remember what happened during the night, after the work party has ended. But this leads to memories resurfacing from Eleanor’s childhood.
What I liked most about this novel is how the opening couple of paragraphs of each chapter, written in italics, is relevant to the police investigation and surrounding suspects. We are provided only short snippets into how this is progressing and I think this intensified the mystery even further. The rest of the story remains centred on Eleanor: present day and following Arabella’s death, and also back in Eleanor’s childhood. It becomes clear that events in her childhood has significantly shaped our protagonist and this is only gradually revealed to readers.
The theme of isolation radiates from the pages of this novel. Many of the main characters experience isolation but from different causes: family, work, relationships… it is actually quite heart-breaking that even someone who appears content can hide such isolation from those around them. I think this is more profound than it ever was, as a result lock-down and isolating from society for health reasons. As such, I think that Foster is gently reminding her readers about the importance of sharing and talking to others. Eleanor’s circumstances are tragic but also evidence that, even though she may appear to have “moved on”, there’s a lot more that she could talk about.
As the story developed, I really could not figure out the mystery. Foster keeps it expertly hidden with enough clues to keep readers intrigued throughout. I loved the fact that it was set at Christmas, especially with the references to London Christmas lights and ice-skating. However, the mystery of Arabella’s death and Eleanor’s past makes this far more gritty than what you would expect from Christmas fiction.
Therefore, if you like murder mysteries but fancy something reflective of the Christmas season, this should completely appeal. Otherwise, this is great to read at any time of the year because Foster’s craft has made this an engaging narrative that just so happens to start with the “dreaded” office Christmas party.
I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. With thanks to everyone at Legend Press and Sara Foster for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.
April 12, 2018
I had never heard of Sara Foster before this book but after finishing it, I have now officially added her to my "read more of" list.
Eleanor is a 21 year old woman who has just moved to London from Australia, where she had an extremely traumatic childhood in the outback that she tries not to think about. Hoping for a fresh start in London, she is staying with her uncle Ian and his wife Susan, and working as a temporary assistant at the publishing house where Susan works. She wakes up the morning after the staff Xmas do with an extreme hangover, barely any memories of the night before... and her boss's wife, Arabella Lane's, engagement ring in purse. She heads to work hoping that she didn't embarrass herself and intending to give it back. But when she arrives, she discovers that Arabella Lane is dead, possibly murdered. She has no memory of why she has her ring. And she may be the last person to have seen her alive...
This was a good, twisty and engrossing read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Eleanor is a 21 year old woman who has just moved to London from Australia, where she had an extremely traumatic childhood in the outback that she tries not to think about. Hoping for a fresh start in London, she is staying with her uncle Ian and his wife Susan, and working as a temporary assistant at the publishing house where Susan works. She wakes up the morning after the staff Xmas do with an extreme hangover, barely any memories of the night before... and her boss's wife, Arabella Lane's, engagement ring in purse. She heads to work hoping that she didn't embarrass herself and intending to give it back. But when she arrives, she discovers that Arabella Lane is dead, possibly murdered. She has no memory of why she has her ring. And she may be the last person to have seen her alive...
This was a good, twisty and engrossing read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
April 29, 2017
I am a little biased in that I'm lucky enough to be in a writing group with Sara, but this was a fantastic read. Sara does a great job of maintaining a sense of tension and dread throughout the book, making you want to keep reading. I was drawn in to great empathy for the main character and her amnesia, feeling that both she and I were moving through the story together. The settings of London and rural Australia were beautifully drawn and added an extra dimension to the characters' stories. A real page turner with mystery and drama throughout!
November 5, 2020
“The Hidden Hours” is the latest psychological suspense novel by bestselling author Sara Foster. British born but now living in Australia, Sara has written a very intriguing mystery set in London but with a timeline dating back to 2004 in Australia.
When Arabella Lane is found dead floating in the Thames after the office Christmas party, it’s not known if she jumped or was pushed. The one person who may know the truth is twenty one year old, Eleanor Brennan, the recently joined office temp. Eleanor has only just arrived in England to stay with her aunt and uncle after escaping her demons and traumatic childhood in Australia. However, she has no memory of the tragic night and faces incrimination and accusation. Unsure of who she can trust and with secrets aplenty, can she discover those missing hours and help solve the mystery of Arabella’s death?
I loved the layout of the story with paragraphs at the start of each chapter giving an insight into what is still happening outside of that particular chapter and was an ingenious idea to incorporate into the narrative.
Eleanor is an enigma and an obvious unreliable narrator but although I didn’t take to her character at first, the more I became invested in the story, the more my feelings for her grew, especially as her childhood story is slowly revealed. Most of the cast of characters are unlikeable, which presumably is the author’s intent but I did endear to Naeve, Eleanor’s cousin, an astute but deep young girl who observes from afar and is fully aware of the animosity within the family.
I really enjoyed how the reader was drip fed Eleanor’s life back in Australia and the events leading up to why she needed to escape. I instantly felt the atmospheric Australian outback and the abject loneliness and despair. Solomon was an interesting character and made for an intriguing thread in the storyline.
Overall this was certainly a compelling and very engaging thriller, though I suspect hardened psychological genre readers may find it a little slow paced. However, this gave it atmosphere and allowed for the multitude of emotional themes to really express themselves. With a Hitchcock feel - keeping the revelation right to the end pages - I enjoyed “The Hidden Hours” and will now look out for this author’s previous novels and any she may publish in the future.
4 stars.
When Arabella Lane is found dead floating in the Thames after the office Christmas party, it’s not known if she jumped or was pushed. The one person who may know the truth is twenty one year old, Eleanor Brennan, the recently joined office temp. Eleanor has only just arrived in England to stay with her aunt and uncle after escaping her demons and traumatic childhood in Australia. However, she has no memory of the tragic night and faces incrimination and accusation. Unsure of who she can trust and with secrets aplenty, can she discover those missing hours and help solve the mystery of Arabella’s death?
I loved the layout of the story with paragraphs at the start of each chapter giving an insight into what is still happening outside of that particular chapter and was an ingenious idea to incorporate into the narrative.
Eleanor is an enigma and an obvious unreliable narrator but although I didn’t take to her character at first, the more I became invested in the story, the more my feelings for her grew, especially as her childhood story is slowly revealed. Most of the cast of characters are unlikeable, which presumably is the author’s intent but I did endear to Naeve, Eleanor’s cousin, an astute but deep young girl who observes from afar and is fully aware of the animosity within the family.
I really enjoyed how the reader was drip fed Eleanor’s life back in Australia and the events leading up to why she needed to escape. I instantly felt the atmospheric Australian outback and the abject loneliness and despair. Solomon was an interesting character and made for an intriguing thread in the storyline.
Overall this was certainly a compelling and very engaging thriller, though I suspect hardened psychological genre readers may find it a little slow paced. However, this gave it atmosphere and allowed for the multitude of emotional themes to really express themselves. With a Hitchcock feel - keeping the revelation right to the end pages - I enjoyed “The Hidden Hours” and will now look out for this author’s previous novels and any she may publish in the future.
4 stars.
February 20, 2018
Eleanor is living with her aunt and uncle in London and working at a children’s publishing house. She hopes to put the traumatic events from her childhood in outback Australia from her. But when Arabella Lane, a senior executive from her work is found dead in the Thames after the Christmas party, it appears that Eleanor was one of the last to see her. But why can she remember so little of that evening’s events? What she does remember doesn’t fill her with confidence. She remembers talking to and sharing a drink with Arabella, but after that is a blank. Who is responsible for Arabella’s death?
This story is told in two time frames. One focused on the current events and the other taking the reader back to events from Eleanor’s childhood. Everywhere she turns, Eleanor seems to come up against doubts, more lies, suspicions and things that do not add up. How can she uncover the truth? Do the police suspect her? Or will the police solve the mystery before Eleanor understands all the evening’s happenings? Why too is her Aunt Susan so cold towards her?
I found this really good read, and the main character complex enough to maintain interest. Of course there are also some thoroughly unlikeable characters. The settings of London and outback Australia are both visual and atmospheric. There is an underlying tension that pervades the novel.
Despite a few red herrings I did feel Arabella’s killer was obvious. Still it is an engrossing read that had me happily returning the pages. There is some use of the f word in this one but not taken to excess. I have read a couple of other books by this author and would recommend this one and her others if you like a gripping read.
This story is told in two time frames. One focused on the current events and the other taking the reader back to events from Eleanor’s childhood. Everywhere she turns, Eleanor seems to come up against doubts, more lies, suspicions and things that do not add up. How can she uncover the truth? Do the police suspect her? Or will the police solve the mystery before Eleanor understands all the evening’s happenings? Why too is her Aunt Susan so cold towards her?
I found this really good read, and the main character complex enough to maintain interest. Of course there are also some thoroughly unlikeable characters. The settings of London and outback Australia are both visual and atmospheric. There is an underlying tension that pervades the novel.
Despite a few red herrings I did feel Arabella’s killer was obvious. Still it is an engrossing read that had me happily returning the pages. There is some use of the f word in this one but not taken to excess. I have read a couple of other books by this author and would recommend this one and her others if you like a gripping read.
November 12, 2020
The Hidden Hours is a psychological suspense novel with a narrative that combines the present day events surrounding a suspicious death in which protagonist, Eleanor Brennan, is implicated, with flashbacks to her traumatic childhood. Alongside a police investigation into this death the story explores themes of loneliness, distress and the high price of keeping potentially devastating secrets in a character-driven mystery.
The novel opens with a prologue from 2010 showing troubled fifteen-year-old Eleanor Brennan in therapy in Australia before fast-forwarding to the present day with a twenty-one-year-old Eleanor staying with her uncle’s family in London in a bid to escape her distressing past. Three weeks into a job as an office temp at the publishing house that her aunt by marriage, Susan Mortimer, is the CEO of and a fateful office Christmas party brings trouble for Eleanor. The present day narrative is told from the perspective of Eleanor who is effectively a complete stranger in the home of an uncle, aunt and nieces whom she has never previously met with some obvious element of marital friction. Working for arrogant Managing Director, Nathan Lane, and feeling out of place at the office party a lonely Eleanor is taken under the wing of gregarious Arabella, wife of Nathan, and as cocktails flow the pair spend the later part of the night together. Yet when Eleanor wakes next morning there are significant gaps in her memory and the news of Arabella’s death in the Thames is a complete surprise. Suddenly the police, Arabella’s husband and Susan and Ian are asking Eleanor awkward questions, leaving her struggling to know how can she protect herself from Nathan’s accusations if she can’t remember events on the night and something which might potentially incriminate or absolve her? Unsure if she can trust anyone, even her own extended family and with no one to confide in, Eleanor is out of her depth and the realisation that Arabella spiked her drink convinces her that to dig deeper in order to recall those critical missing hours.
Eleanor’s past leaves her predisposed to be regarded as an unreliable narrator and I was constantly in two minds about her credibility and the reason for Susan’s overt hostility towards her. The structure works well, keeping the reader on tenterhooks with a constant drip feed detailing the childhood events that damaged Eleanor from December 2004 until their eventual climax in October 2005 which coincides with the revelation of the night of Arabella Lane’s death. Whilst I was hanging on every word of the flashbacks to Eleanor’s formative years in the Australian outback I found the present day narrative frustrating purely because it lacked pace and consisted of a great deal of repetition. On numerous occasions I ended chapters feeling no further forward with discovering the events on the night of the Christmas party. Each present day chapter opens with a unrelated paragraph giving some wider context to the investigation, such as a forensic revelation or a clandestine conversation, and this does serve to build tension. Whilst I didn’t always find the The Hidden Hours was edge of the seat suspense I was impressed with Foster’s characterisation of Eleanor and how the scars of her past were so central to understanding both her and her handling of events. I would however have appreciated pacier progress in the present day narrative and did feel the conclusion was a little abrupt and deserved some exploration of the aftermath.
The novel opens with a prologue from 2010 showing troubled fifteen-year-old Eleanor Brennan in therapy in Australia before fast-forwarding to the present day with a twenty-one-year-old Eleanor staying with her uncle’s family in London in a bid to escape her distressing past. Three weeks into a job as an office temp at the publishing house that her aunt by marriage, Susan Mortimer, is the CEO of and a fateful office Christmas party brings trouble for Eleanor. The present day narrative is told from the perspective of Eleanor who is effectively a complete stranger in the home of an uncle, aunt and nieces whom she has never previously met with some obvious element of marital friction. Working for arrogant Managing Director, Nathan Lane, and feeling out of place at the office party a lonely Eleanor is taken under the wing of gregarious Arabella, wife of Nathan, and as cocktails flow the pair spend the later part of the night together. Yet when Eleanor wakes next morning there are significant gaps in her memory and the news of Arabella’s death in the Thames is a complete surprise. Suddenly the police, Arabella’s husband and Susan and Ian are asking Eleanor awkward questions, leaving her struggling to know how can she protect herself from Nathan’s accusations if she can’t remember events on the night and something which might potentially incriminate or absolve her? Unsure if she can trust anyone, even her own extended family and with no one to confide in, Eleanor is out of her depth and the realisation that Arabella spiked her drink convinces her that to dig deeper in order to recall those critical missing hours.
Eleanor’s past leaves her predisposed to be regarded as an unreliable narrator and I was constantly in two minds about her credibility and the reason for Susan’s overt hostility towards her. The structure works well, keeping the reader on tenterhooks with a constant drip feed detailing the childhood events that damaged Eleanor from December 2004 until their eventual climax in October 2005 which coincides with the revelation of the night of Arabella Lane’s death. Whilst I was hanging on every word of the flashbacks to Eleanor’s formative years in the Australian outback I found the present day narrative frustrating purely because it lacked pace and consisted of a great deal of repetition. On numerous occasions I ended chapters feeling no further forward with discovering the events on the night of the Christmas party. Each present day chapter opens with a unrelated paragraph giving some wider context to the investigation, such as a forensic revelation or a clandestine conversation, and this does serve to build tension. Whilst I didn’t always find the The Hidden Hours was edge of the seat suspense I was impressed with Foster’s characterisation of Eleanor and how the scars of her past were so central to understanding both her and her handling of events. I would however have appreciated pacier progress in the present day narrative and did feel the conclusion was a little abrupt and deserved some exploration of the aftermath.
April 1, 2017
Alone and struggling to settle into a new country and a new workplace 21 year old Eleanor attends a work Christmas party but soon wishes she hadn't as she feels isolated and even more alone than before. After taking some much needed time out she finds herself chatting and drinking with Arabella Lane one of the bosses of the company. The following day she has a massive hangover and doesn't remember much of the night before. At work all the staff are gathered and in the most solemn tones an announcement is made - one which will change everything for Eleanor and which will have her wracking her brain for those hidden hours.
I was hungry for every single word of this book, devouring chapter after chapter eagerly. I guess this is what you'd classify as a psychological thriller but since I've never been especially big into that genre I may be wrong. What I know is, I often felt anxious as I was reading. I was second guessing every decision made and I had a healthy dose of paranoia going on, raising suspicions about almost all of the main characters. Until the very end I remained uncertain about who would be revealed as the villain.
The characterisation in the story was terrific. The backstory and slowly revealed history was equally as interesting to me as the whodunnit in the present tense investigation. I felt for the young Eleanor and the way her family had imploded, and for the long lasting impacts of the trauma she experienced.
I haven't read any of Sara Foster's previous works but definitely feel inclined to do so now. Sincere thanks to the author, Simon & Schuster (Australia) Pty Ltd and NetGalley for this digital copy of The Hidden Hours in exchange for an honest review.
I was hungry for every single word of this book, devouring chapter after chapter eagerly. I guess this is what you'd classify as a psychological thriller but since I've never been especially big into that genre I may be wrong. What I know is, I often felt anxious as I was reading. I was second guessing every decision made and I had a healthy dose of paranoia going on, raising suspicions about almost all of the main characters. Until the very end I remained uncertain about who would be revealed as the villain.
The characterisation in the story was terrific. The backstory and slowly revealed history was equally as interesting to me as the whodunnit in the present tense investigation. I felt for the young Eleanor and the way her family had imploded, and for the long lasting impacts of the trauma she experienced.
I haven't read any of Sara Foster's previous works but definitely feel inclined to do so now. Sincere thanks to the author, Simon & Schuster (Australia) Pty Ltd and NetGalley for this digital copy of The Hidden Hours in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2020
This is a well-written and suspenseful whodunit - a nice combination between a traditional British slow-burn mystery and a more American style fast-paced psychological thriller. I always love a good amnesia story and this one had a different twist than usual that I wasn’t expecting. The characters are especially well-written and the ending was a surprise (and I am hard to surprise with mysteries!). It’s a bit of a sad novel, and it will stay with you after you are finished. I felt a lot of empathy and connection to the characters, especially Eleanor. I had never read anything by Sara Foster before but she has a very keen emotional way of writing that makes this novel deeper than some of its contemporaries. I would definitely like to see what else she has in store.
Thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Sara Foster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Sara Foster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 20, 2018
Great book! Georgia McGuire does a fantastic Aussie accent too. Really enjoyed the story in this one and will be looking for more od Sara's books
October 8, 2020
A chilling thriller of memory loss and secret lies by best-selling author Sara Foster who, with five novels under her belt, is proving to be a modern-day master of psychological suspense. Shrouded in the moody, drippy weather of London in winter, this gripper sucks you into the story faster than green grass through a goose!
*Firstly, though, let’s pause for a big thank you to Sara Foster, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for providing a free Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.* Now, back to our main event…
Young, 21-year-old Eleanor is looking for a fresh start. She packs up her belongings, scantly more than a suitcase a few articles of clothing, and heads off to London for a new life. She’ll be living with her mother’s only sibling – an uncle Eleanor barely knows – in Uncle Ian’s tony home on Notting Hill, along with his wife and two young daughters. What’s more, Aunt Susan’s publishing firm has an opening for an admin assistant that should be perfect for Eleanor.
But things start to go terribly wrong on a rainy evening at the company Christmas party. Eleanor has only been in the UK and at the firm a few weeks and so hasn’t yet made any friends. Determined to be merry and hopefully find some companionable souls, Eleanor is flattered when the beautiful, social butterfly Arabella, the belle of the publishing house, singles Arabella out for drinks and conversation. But then the next day, Arabella is dead. And Eleanor has no recollection of what happened after the party or even how she got home that night.
Frightened of The Hidden Hours in her consciousness, and how she may have been involved in Arabella’s death, Eleanor frantically attempts to recreate the tragic events of that night and salvage her future… while simultaneously outrunning the past that lives inside her mind as it were only yesterday.
Not to be out done by the main murder-mystery plot is the fable-like, cautionary tale embedded in the immensely layered and deftly woven flashbacks to Eleanor’s childhood in Australia. These are all the more powerful, as well, due to the contrast between the hot, dry landscape of the southern continent and the damp and dark bustle of the U.K. metroplis.
Originally released in paperback and for Kindle in 2017, in an unusual move, this is the debut release of the hardcover edition for 2020. If you’re a fan of chills and thrills, and things that go bump in the night, then you won’t be able to put this one down! This reader really enjoyed the read and gives it a praise-worthy, four stars.
Support your indie books stores and pick up your copy of The Hidden Hours, releasing Nov 3rd, at www.bookshop.org – the online bookstore that gives away 75% of its profit to support local indie bookstores. (Note: Desiree does receive a small commission should you purchase through this link, however, she shares this out of love and care for her local, corner bookstores everywhere.)
#TheHiddenHours
#SaraFoster
#Blackstone Publishing
#NetGalley
#MysteryAndThrillers
#PsychologicalSuspense
*Firstly, though, let’s pause for a big thank you to Sara Foster, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for providing a free Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.* Now, back to our main event…
Young, 21-year-old Eleanor is looking for a fresh start. She packs up her belongings, scantly more than a suitcase a few articles of clothing, and heads off to London for a new life. She’ll be living with her mother’s only sibling – an uncle Eleanor barely knows – in Uncle Ian’s tony home on Notting Hill, along with his wife and two young daughters. What’s more, Aunt Susan’s publishing firm has an opening for an admin assistant that should be perfect for Eleanor.
But things start to go terribly wrong on a rainy evening at the company Christmas party. Eleanor has only been in the UK and at the firm a few weeks and so hasn’t yet made any friends. Determined to be merry and hopefully find some companionable souls, Eleanor is flattered when the beautiful, social butterfly Arabella, the belle of the publishing house, singles Arabella out for drinks and conversation. But then the next day, Arabella is dead. And Eleanor has no recollection of what happened after the party or even how she got home that night.
Frightened of The Hidden Hours in her consciousness, and how she may have been involved in Arabella’s death, Eleanor frantically attempts to recreate the tragic events of that night and salvage her future… while simultaneously outrunning the past that lives inside her mind as it were only yesterday.
Not to be out done by the main murder-mystery plot is the fable-like, cautionary tale embedded in the immensely layered and deftly woven flashbacks to Eleanor’s childhood in Australia. These are all the more powerful, as well, due to the contrast between the hot, dry landscape of the southern continent and the damp and dark bustle of the U.K. metroplis.
Originally released in paperback and for Kindle in 2017, in an unusual move, this is the debut release of the hardcover edition for 2020. If you’re a fan of chills and thrills, and things that go bump in the night, then you won’t be able to put this one down! This reader really enjoyed the read and gives it a praise-worthy, four stars.
Support your indie books stores and pick up your copy of The Hidden Hours, releasing Nov 3rd, at www.bookshop.org – the online bookstore that gives away 75% of its profit to support local indie bookstores. (Note: Desiree does receive a small commission should you purchase through this link, however, she shares this out of love and care for her local, corner bookstores everywhere.)
#TheHiddenHours
#SaraFoster
#Blackstone Publishing
#NetGalley
#MysteryAndThrillers
#PsychologicalSuspense
October 18, 2020
There are two things I don't like in thrillers. I don't like an insecure female lead who spends a lot of her time worrying internally and making up stories in her head. I also don't like when the story revolves around a character who consumes too much alcohol especially when it's the key element of the story.
The first 50% of this book was going fully in the direction of my two most hated tropes. Confession time: I was considering putting the novel down, which I hardly ever do especially when I have received a copy from the publisher.
I'm happy I didn't put it down though, because the last 50% of the book is actually pretty good. The suspense continually rises and by the end of it I was really wondering what had happened to Arabella.
This novel is about Arabella Lane who is found dead in the Thames. No one is sure whether she has been pushed or whether she has jumped. It happened on the night of the big Christmas party of her company. Eleanor, our protagonist, was there but doesn't remember a thing because she was drugged/drunk.
Eleanor is our tortured female lead. She escapes her past in Australia, and little by little we find out what has happened to her and her family there by means of alternating chapters. That's how the story is told, through Eleanor's eyes both then in Australia and now in London. There is also a paragraph reserved every chapter for people who have sighted Arabella or who knew her, but I don't really see the significance in terms of storytelling for those ones.
The first 50% of the story Eleanor was in her head a lot. Feeling sorry for herself. For the situation. The usual. However, once the chapters in Australia started picking up speed, I became more and more invested in the story in London as well. I'm happy to report that I think this book ended up being an interested read. It helps that the author presents us with more than a murder mystery, because it also tackles the subject what secrets can do to a family.
Many thanks to the publisher Legend Press and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
The first 50% of this book was going fully in the direction of my two most hated tropes. Confession time: I was considering putting the novel down, which I hardly ever do especially when I have received a copy from the publisher.
I'm happy I didn't put it down though, because the last 50% of the book is actually pretty good. The suspense continually rises and by the end of it I was really wondering what had happened to Arabella.
This novel is about Arabella Lane who is found dead in the Thames. No one is sure whether she has been pushed or whether she has jumped. It happened on the night of the big Christmas party of her company. Eleanor, our protagonist, was there but doesn't remember a thing because she was drugged/drunk.
Eleanor is our tortured female lead. She escapes her past in Australia, and little by little we find out what has happened to her and her family there by means of alternating chapters. That's how the story is told, through Eleanor's eyes both then in Australia and now in London. There is also a paragraph reserved every chapter for people who have sighted Arabella or who knew her, but I don't really see the significance in terms of storytelling for those ones.
The first 50% of the story Eleanor was in her head a lot. Feeling sorry for herself. For the situation. The usual. However, once the chapters in Australia started picking up speed, I became more and more invested in the story in London as well. I'm happy to report that I think this book ended up being an interested read. It helps that the author presents us with more than a murder mystery, because it also tackles the subject what secrets can do to a family.
Many thanks to the publisher Legend Press and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
March 28, 2021
2.5 STARS
Arabella's body in found the morning after the office Christmas party. It is not known if she was pushed or fell from a great height.
The only person who may have the answers is Eleanor, who has a murky background. As the office temp, she was most likely the last person who talked to Arabella.
Unfortunately, for some reason, Eleanor has no memory of those hours leading to Arabella's death.
Not only do the police look at her as a possible suspect, but people around Eleanor are looking at her with suspicion.
But can she trust her memory while seeking the truth?
This is a character driven novel, with the police investigation taking a back burner to the story. Eleanor is explored and explained from start to finish, with a lot of repetitiousness. Without the investigation, it became rather boring rather quickly. I had expected an exciting thriller, but I was, sadly, disappointed.
Many thanks to the author / Blackstone Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE HIDDEN HOURS. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Arabella's body in found the morning after the office Christmas party. It is not known if she was pushed or fell from a great height.
The only person who may have the answers is Eleanor, who has a murky background. As the office temp, she was most likely the last person who talked to Arabella.
Unfortunately, for some reason, Eleanor has no memory of those hours leading to Arabella's death.
Not only do the police look at her as a possible suspect, but people around Eleanor are looking at her with suspicion.
But can she trust her memory while seeking the truth?
This is a character driven novel, with the police investigation taking a back burner to the story. Eleanor is explored and explained from start to finish, with a lot of repetitiousness. Without the investigation, it became rather boring rather quickly. I had expected an exciting thriller, but I was, sadly, disappointed.
Many thanks to the author / Blackstone Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE HIDDEN HOURS. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
October 17, 2017
This story on the surface is about a mysterious death of a PR manager from a prestigious publishing house in London. But it is really about dysfunctional families. Poor little Eleanor is only on her third week of work at the publishing house her aunt Susan runs when one of the top execs dies unnaturally the night of the Christmas party. This is devastating for Eleanor because not only can't she remember what happened at the party but this traumatic event has loosed all the specters in her mind to take her back to a trauma or 20 from her childhood.
As the plot unfolds Eleanor learns more about her uncle and aunt than she ever wanted to know as well as faces her own demons.
As the plot unfolds Eleanor learns more about her uncle and aunt than she ever wanted to know as well as faces her own demons.
February 24, 2022
Wow. Great psychological mystery. Involving a Eleanor, new to London, staying with her mothers' brother family. Her families' troubled past still constantly reverberating in her inner consciousness. Then there is Arabella. A beautiful extrovert who attracts intrigue. A firm christmas party. Next day Arabella is dead.
Sara Foster's clipped prose and plot twists made unputdownable reading for me.
Sara Foster's clipped prose and plot twists made unputdownable reading for me.
February 7, 2017
I’m always excited to read a book by a local author and when the opportunity came up to read an ARC of The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster I jumped at the chance.
The Hidden Hours is a well-paced thriller. Young Australian woman, Eleanor Brennan, is on a working holiday in London. She is lucky enough to stay with her uncle and aunt in Harborne Grove. Her aunt Susan is the CEO of publisher Parker & Lane and lands Eleanor a job temping at the office. On the surface, this should be the start of an exciting adventure for Eleanor but it all goes awfully wrong when publishing executive, Arabella Lane, is found dead and Eleanor was one of the last people to see her.
The story crosses between time and continent. The reader, like Eleanor, is kept in the dark about the extent of Eleanor’s involvement in Arabella’s last moments. Foster keeps us guessing about motives and characters until the very end.
Flashbacks to Eleanor’s difficult past are peppered throughout the story. Although I was intrigued by the murder of Arabella Lane, I found myself more drawn to the story of Eleanor’s childhood tragedy.
Eleanor’s growing relationship with Art Director, Will Clayton, provides a delightful and surprising element to the story.
I enjoyed The Hidden Hours immensely. It was the first book I have read by Sara Foster and I will definitely be on the lookout for her other books.
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review the ARC.
The Hidden Hours will available at all good bookstores from April 2017.
The Hidden Hours is a well-paced thriller. Young Australian woman, Eleanor Brennan, is on a working holiday in London. She is lucky enough to stay with her uncle and aunt in Harborne Grove. Her aunt Susan is the CEO of publisher Parker & Lane and lands Eleanor a job temping at the office. On the surface, this should be the start of an exciting adventure for Eleanor but it all goes awfully wrong when publishing executive, Arabella Lane, is found dead and Eleanor was one of the last people to see her.
The story crosses between time and continent. The reader, like Eleanor, is kept in the dark about the extent of Eleanor’s involvement in Arabella’s last moments. Foster keeps us guessing about motives and characters until the very end.
Flashbacks to Eleanor’s difficult past are peppered throughout the story. Although I was intrigued by the murder of Arabella Lane, I found myself more drawn to the story of Eleanor’s childhood tragedy.
Eleanor’s growing relationship with Art Director, Will Clayton, provides a delightful and surprising element to the story.
I enjoyed The Hidden Hours immensely. It was the first book I have read by Sara Foster and I will definitely be on the lookout for her other books.
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review the ARC.
The Hidden Hours will available at all good bookstores from April 2017.
March 7, 2017
I was lucky enough to read The Hidden Hours in manuscript form and I was hooked from the first page. Sara's strengths as a writer have always been for laying the foundations of a great mystery and then slowly dialling up the tension until you really want to peek at the ending to see if your guess is right, or if there's a twist about to be thrown at you. Eleanor is a character with many facets, at times vulnerable, at times we suspect she might be guilty of something and then at other times we feel frustrated on her behalf as everyone appears to be dragging her into a dangerous game for their own ends. My favourite parts were the flashbacks to Eleanor's childhood in the Australian bush and these scenes were a lovely counterpart to the fingernail biting suspense of the rest of the book. Definitely Sara Foster's best book.
May 6, 2017
The blurb sounded good, but the story was a little of a letdown. Could never really understand Eleanor. Story is told in 3 parts, current time, when she was young (flashbacks) and snippets from the crime investigation. I just found the flashbacks unnecessary at times. Too much information which wasnt relevant to the main story arc. She also complained and whined a little too much for my liking. I also predicted the ending pretty early on, dont know if I was just lucky with that though.
August 13, 2021
I was immersed in Eleanor's story. Her childhood experiences and resultant trauma in the Australian Outback was very memorable and made a real impression.
As a young girl, Eleanor was extremely lonely and this loneliness seems to have remained with her into adulthood. After Arabella's murder, the reader empathizes with Eleanor's frustration at her memory loss. Riddled with self doubt, she doesn't know who to trust, or if in fact she can even trust herself...
With themes of suppressed emotions, guilt, and loneliness merged with a murder mystery, this novel held by rapt attention throughout.
The story was compelling and well executed. The narrative flowed well and the characters and descriptions were well drawn. The ending was satisfying and tied up all the loose ends.
Although this was my first read by Sara Foster, I am now eager to read more of her backlist. Highly recommended!
As a young girl, Eleanor was extremely lonely and this loneliness seems to have remained with her into adulthood. After Arabella's murder, the reader empathizes with Eleanor's frustration at her memory loss. Riddled with self doubt, she doesn't know who to trust, or if in fact she can even trust herself...
With themes of suppressed emotions, guilt, and loneliness merged with a murder mystery, this novel held by rapt attention throughout.
The story was compelling and well executed. The narrative flowed well and the characters and descriptions were well drawn. The ending was satisfying and tied up all the loose ends.
Although this was my first read by Sara Foster, I am now eager to read more of her backlist. Highly recommended!
November 24, 2020
In The Hidden Hours, Sara Foster introduces lead character, Eleanor Brennan in the short but compelling prologue. It's April 2010, and fifteen-year-old Eleanor is attending an appointment with her therapist. This short, but compelling prologue gives the reader some insight into Eleanor's issues, but not a great deal, just enough to ignite the imagination.
Fast forward to December 2016 and Eleanor is now living in London and temping at a publishing company. It's the morning after the Christmas party, and employees of the company are shocked to hear that Arabella Lane, a senior executive was found dead, in the Thames in the early hours of the morning.
Eleanor's reaction to this news is one of total breakdown. Whilst she's only been at the company for a few weeks, something is triggered in her memory. It soon becomes clear that the police are treating Arabella's death with some suspicion. There are people who think she fell, some wonder if she took her own life, but many people believe that she was murdered. Eleanor was one of the last people to see Arabella at the party, but her memory is blank. Was she drugged? What happened? Why does she have something that belonged to Arabella in her purse?
Sara Foster is a skilled author. She has created such an unreliable character in Eleanor. She's certainly not an easy person to relate to, or even to like. It's clear that she has many issues, and that her move to London was an escape from her past, yet the reader is never quite certain if Eleanor's memory issues are a cover up, or a result of her past experiences.
The author takes the reader back and forth throughout the novel. We learn more about Eleanor's early years back home in Australia, and how the slow deterioration of her family have impacted upon her.
There's a dark and brooding menace running throughout this story. The sense of place is extremely well done, with the complete contrast between dark, damp and crowded London and the wild, empty Australian setting done especially well.
Foster's characterisation is excellent. Her characters are flawed, and at times I was suspicious of them all. The ending, for me, was unexpected and satisfying. Recommended for those who like their thrillers with depth.
Fast forward to December 2016 and Eleanor is now living in London and temping at a publishing company. It's the morning after the Christmas party, and employees of the company are shocked to hear that Arabella Lane, a senior executive was found dead, in the Thames in the early hours of the morning.
Eleanor's reaction to this news is one of total breakdown. Whilst she's only been at the company for a few weeks, something is triggered in her memory. It soon becomes clear that the police are treating Arabella's death with some suspicion. There are people who think she fell, some wonder if she took her own life, but many people believe that she was murdered. Eleanor was one of the last people to see Arabella at the party, but her memory is blank. Was she drugged? What happened? Why does she have something that belonged to Arabella in her purse?
Sara Foster is a skilled author. She has created such an unreliable character in Eleanor. She's certainly not an easy person to relate to, or even to like. It's clear that she has many issues, and that her move to London was an escape from her past, yet the reader is never quite certain if Eleanor's memory issues are a cover up, or a result of her past experiences.
The author takes the reader back and forth throughout the novel. We learn more about Eleanor's early years back home in Australia, and how the slow deterioration of her family have impacted upon her.
There's a dark and brooding menace running throughout this story. The sense of place is extremely well done, with the complete contrast between dark, damp and crowded London and the wild, empty Australian setting done especially well.
Foster's characterisation is excellent. Her characters are flawed, and at times I was suspicious of them all. The ending, for me, was unexpected and satisfying. Recommended for those who like their thrillers with depth.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews