5++ stars for Hide and Seek by @JoHiestand #audiobookreview #britishmystery #audiobook #audible
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  • N. N. Light
    • Oct 21, 2022
    • 3 min read

5++ stars for Hide and Seek by @JoHiestand #audiobookreview #britishmystery #audiobook #audible



Title: Hide and Seek

Author: Jo Hiestand

Narrator: Callum Hale

Genre: British Mystery, Mystery


Book Blurb:


Playing a mystery game seems the perfect way to celebrate Jamie Kydd’s promotion to Detective Sergeant rank. But the game turns real when a body turns up in the pretend crime scene. Perhaps worse than spoiling the party, the corpse is someone Jamie knows.


Even though the police take on the case, Jamie asks his friend, former police detective Michael McLaren, to also investigate—concerned that the victim’s criminal past may dampen the Constabulary’s usual fervor to nab his killer. It seems to have been a smart decision, for the police aren’t expending a lot of energy on the inquiry.


Suspects float around McLaren…half truthful, hard to find. More like wraiths than flesh and blood. If the victim’s burglary partner, ex-wife, or childhood friend didn’t kill Dan, who did?


It’s a desperate game between McLaren and a killer who’s playing Hide and Seek.


My Review:


Summary –

Murder is no game to McLaren yet the killer mocks him at every turn. Celebrating Jamie’s promotion with a murder mystery game turns deadly when a body crashes the party. Worse yet, it’s someone Jamie knows. He calls on McLaren to investigate due to the police’s tainted view of the victim. McLaren agrees and it’s a slow process as the suspects aren’t talking. As the suspect list grows, McLaren senses he’s in the middle of a dangerous game of hide and seek. Every stone he uncovers, poof, the killer disappears. Can McLaren catch the killer before he becomes the next victim?


Narrator’s overall voice – Callum Hale is a magnificent narrator, one of the best I’ve heard. His voice creates the imagery needed to follow the story. His soothing British accent works flawlessly for this story. Does the narrator fit the characters? Callum uses different dialects for each character which is beneficial while listening. There were many times I would close my eyes and could imagine what was going on. Callum also invokes emotion while hearing the mystery. I found myself getting carried away into the story. Narrator’s reading style – Callum’s reading style is the perfect rhythm, allowing the listener to be fully invested in the story. Narrator’s impact on reading experience – Callum makes this one of the best books I’ve listened to. Everything from his pacing to the inflection in his voice to the recreation of the characters to the emotional impact on the listener all combine to make this an outstanding performance. Narrator’s pacing – Callum’s pacing is lingering in parts, fast in others, on pace with the natural ebbs and flows of the story. It’s a delightful performance. Audiobook flow – The flow of the audiobook is right in line with the pace of the story. I submerged myself in the mystery and thoroughly adored it. What makes this audiobook unique – What a brilliant performance by Callum. He becomes McLaren, at least for my imagination. Would I recommend this audiobook – YES! It’s such a charming listen, especially for fans of British mysteries and mysteries.

My Rating: 5++ stars


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Author Biography:


Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. She writes a British mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries)—of which three books have garnered the prestigious N.N. Light’s Book Heaven ‘Best Mystery Novel’ three years straight. She also writes a Missouri-based cozy mystery series (The Cookies & Kilts Mysteries, of which "A Trifling Murder" is the second book) that is grounded in places associated with her camping haunts. The camping is a thing of the past, for the most part, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord, and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly and sings loudly. She loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots out of scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.


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Reviewed by: Mrs. N

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