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When armed men infiltrate the tiny Peak District hamlet of Barkelow, Emil Torrance thinks they're here to kill him because of his past. After killing one of the gunmen he flees, but when he learns that the men have taken control of the entire hamlet, he realises his son is in grave danger. Believing that calling the police will cost lives, he decides to deal with the problem alone. But when he learns that he’s not the target at all, Emil realises he is facing an even greater threat. How far are the armed men prepared to go? What is their motive? If Emil and his son are going to survive, he will have to become the man he has been trying to hide from…
264 pages, Paperback
Published March 16, 2020
13 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 28, 2020
Hide is a full-on action thriller that could best be described as “Die Hard in an English Village” which is cool, because that’s one of my favourite plotlines when I’m looking for a uncerebral romp. I had read one previous book by this author so had an idea what to expect. It is pretty violent with a gratuitously high body count and would make a great movie if you could persuade Liam Neeson to play the baddie and Sean Bean to play the hero.
I received a free ARC from Bloodhound in order to provide an honest review and put it on Amazon for publication, but for reasons unexplained it has only just appeared on here - which has been annoying me as obviously you’ve only really read a book when you add it to GoodReads!
Emil Torrance has lived in the sleepy Peak District village of Barkelow for twenty five years with his son, Peter, hiding from his past and his nemesis, Cavil, whom he fears is still hunting him. When four thugs in tuxedos turn up to the manor where he works to gatecrash a theatre show, Emil is sure that he’s been found at last, but as he attempts to foil their plan, by taking out one baddie at a time, he discovers that it’s not him they’re after, but, with Peter held with the hostages, Emil must use long-forgotten skills to save the village and his son.
Right from the start, this produces one of the most varied array of psychopaths that I’ve come across in ages - from the cool gentleman-terrorist focussed on his mission at all costs, to his associates who are thrilled to be able to kill as many people as possible purely to amuse themselves, and from a batshit crazy teenager to a former mentor burning for revenge.
Emil, on the other hand, makes an endearingly laconic hero, who just wants a quiet life but will do whatever it takes to save his son and friends.
This follows a fairly predictable story arc but with tons of action sequences as Emil picks off the villains who haven’t already turned on each other. There are guns and knives and grenades and creeping around in secret tunnels, and a welcome lack of any romantic subplot. The suspense comes not from knowing who will survive, but more as to what on earth is going on and how far will the terrorists go to achieve their ends. I sometimes found the scene descriptions hard to follow but it didn’t really matter. Recommended if you enjoy movies like the Taken series.
I received a free ARC from Bloodhound in order to provide an honest review and put it on Amazon for publication, but for reasons unexplained it has only just appeared on here - which has been annoying me as obviously you’ve only really read a book when you add it to GoodReads!
Emil Torrance has lived in the sleepy Peak District village of Barkelow for twenty five years with his son, Peter, hiding from his past and his nemesis, Cavil, whom he fears is still hunting him. When four thugs in tuxedos turn up to the manor where he works to gatecrash a theatre show, Emil is sure that he’s been found at last, but as he attempts to foil their plan, by taking out one baddie at a time, he discovers that it’s not him they’re after, but, with Peter held with the hostages, Emil must use long-forgotten skills to save the village and his son.
Right from the start, this produces one of the most varied array of psychopaths that I’ve come across in ages - from the cool gentleman-terrorist focussed on his mission at all costs, to his associates who are thrilled to be able to kill as many people as possible purely to amuse themselves, and from a batshit crazy teenager to a former mentor burning for revenge.
Emil, on the other hand, makes an endearingly laconic hero, who just wants a quiet life but will do whatever it takes to save his son and friends.
This follows a fairly predictable story arc but with tons of action sequences as Emil picks off the villains who haven’t already turned on each other. There are guns and knives and grenades and creeping around in secret tunnels, and a welcome lack of any romantic subplot. The suspense comes not from knowing who will survive, but more as to what on earth is going on and how far will the terrorists go to achieve their ends. I sometimes found the scene descriptions hard to follow but it didn’t really matter. Recommended if you enjoy movies like the Taken series.
September 23, 2023
It was a fast-paced engrossing story.
March 19, 2023
Fun story about a village taken hostage. And how one man uses his talents and skills to help liberate the town. There are a few twists, and turns that I won’t mention in this review, but not a bad book.
May 28, 2020
Gritty and at times brutal but nonetheless a good story. Definitely a lot of action which comes from multiple directions at a decent pace.
April 18, 2024
At the time, the robbers staged their criminal plot, they thought they were merely dealing with a handyman until they discovered the hard way that he was much more and he's coming to bring their entire plot down. I enjoyed how the author Jake Cross approached this mysterious character known only as Emil Torrance who actually has a past that is far different to how he is perceived in the town as a handyman. Had this criminal plot not occurred in that sleepy town, Torrance could've easily lived many years with a quiet life with his young son and no one would've had no idea about his past.
Hide is a story about this person who was hiding from his past for reasons of his own until unexpected circumstances brought him and his past out into the open. It has some similarities to Die Hard where the character is at the "wrong place at the right time" because his skills are needed. As I see him taking on these bad guys, he also has to save his son who found himself among the hostages and the robbers are unaware of his relation to Torrance...for now! What happens when they find out about Torrance's true identity and his son as Torrance takes down some of the bad guys one by one?
These are fun stories to read as it takes you on a familiar journey at first but is then filled with plot twists that takes it in directions the reader does not expect. That's how suspense thrillers are done. While there are some slow parts that probably could've been edited out of the story, when the focus was on Torrance, it was an action packed nail biter that kept the reader on the edge of their seat to see what would happen next. This was a one shot featuring this character but well worth the ride. Recommended.
Hide is a story about this person who was hiding from his past for reasons of his own until unexpected circumstances brought him and his past out into the open. It has some similarities to Die Hard where the character is at the "wrong place at the right time" because his skills are needed. As I see him taking on these bad guys, he also has to save his son who found himself among the hostages and the robbers are unaware of his relation to Torrance...for now! What happens when they find out about Torrance's true identity and his son as Torrance takes down some of the bad guys one by one?
These are fun stories to read as it takes you on a familiar journey at first but is then filled with plot twists that takes it in directions the reader does not expect. That's how suspense thrillers are done. While there are some slow parts that probably could've been edited out of the story, when the focus was on Torrance, it was an action packed nail biter that kept the reader on the edge of their seat to see what would happen next. This was a one shot featuring this character but well worth the ride. Recommended.
June 3, 2020
This is certainly not my usual type of read at all. In fact to begin with I really wasn't sure if I would make it to the end. Why? The violence. There is a lot of death and it is brutal. The novel will appeal more to those who love action thrillers and without wishing to sound sexist or gender stereotypical, I think it is more of a male read than perhaps a typically female read.
The story is set in a Peak District village and immediately you know there is going to be trouble. That trouble turns out to be a very detailed plan to release a criminal on his way to trial in prison transport as part of an elaborate exchange. To do this a group of gun toting men and women surround the village and the inhabitants are taken hostage.
Emil Torrance (which turns out later on not to be his real name) is the man operating the lift up to the house where everyone ends up being held against their will. He worked for MI6 and is therefore well equipped in survival skills and isn't afraid to kill. I don't like James Bond films and in the same way I could not 'enjoy' the graphic developments which revolve entirely around one man pitting his wits against the armed gang. He needs to save his son. He has been on the run and hidden away for years and is questioning why this is happening now. We find out there is a link to an injured man running a pub who turns out to have been Torrance's boss in MI6 and he gets wind of the situation, flying in in a helicopter to exact revenge.
Although I finished the book and I can objectively see that this type of read will appeal to some, I would not read another book written by Jake Cross based on this offering. I am too mild mannered and peace loving!
The story is set in a Peak District village and immediately you know there is going to be trouble. That trouble turns out to be a very detailed plan to release a criminal on his way to trial in prison transport as part of an elaborate exchange. To do this a group of gun toting men and women surround the village and the inhabitants are taken hostage.
Emil Torrance (which turns out later on not to be his real name) is the man operating the lift up to the house where everyone ends up being held against their will. He worked for MI6 and is therefore well equipped in survival skills and isn't afraid to kill. I don't like James Bond films and in the same way I could not 'enjoy' the graphic developments which revolve entirely around one man pitting his wits against the armed gang. He needs to save his son. He has been on the run and hidden away for years and is questioning why this is happening now. We find out there is a link to an injured man running a pub who turns out to have been Torrance's boss in MI6 and he gets wind of the situation, flying in in a helicopter to exact revenge.
Although I finished the book and I can objectively see that this type of read will appeal to some, I would not read another book written by Jake Cross based on this offering. I am too mild mannered and peace loving!
October 9, 2023
"Hide" is a suspenseful and compelling read.
The author brings ypu on a wild ride full of mystery, intrigue, and plot twists that make the book hard to out down.
The narration was well spoken and added a great air of mystery to the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The author brings ypu on a wild ride full of mystery, intrigue, and plot twists that make the book hard to out down.
The narration was well spoken and added a great air of mystery to the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 16, 2024
Re read this book with friendsThis is an edge of your seat suspenseful book that keeps your mind active. You won't want to stop reading
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews