Siri Mitchell is an incredibly versatile writer. She’s written contemporary rom-com (e.g. Kissing Adrien). She’s written historical fiction (e.g. She Walks in Beauty, and her general market novels written as Iris Anthony) and historical romance (e.g. Love Comes Calling). And now she’s writing suspense.
Mitchell’s first suspense novel was State of Lies, which I thought was excellent. Everywhere to Hide is even better.
The main character (and first-person narrator) is Whitney Garrison, who works two jobs while studying for the bar exam in Arlington, Virginia. She’s recently moved to escape an abusive boyfriend, and worries he might find her. But that becomes the least of her worries when she discovers a dead body behind the coffee shop where she works, and sees the likely murderer fleeing the scene.
Whitney suffers from face blindness. She literally can’t remember faces … which is bad for Whitney, but good for the murderer. As such, Whitney’s condition is a major plot point, and brings an extra layer of meaning to the title. Because the murderer literally does have everywhere to hide: Whitney will never be able to pick him out of a lineup.
Things get worse when someone breaks into her new apartment …
Yes, this is a story that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. It’s full of twists and turns, and is anything but predictable. That’s what I like in a suspense novel. It also has touches of humour (as you can see from the quote above), and some romance. What it doesn’t have (which is perhaps a surprise, given the publisher) is overt Christian content. However, it doesn’t have any graphic language, violence, or sex either.
Mitchell says in her author’s note that it was difficult to write a character who couldn’t pick up emotions from facial expressions they way most people—and characters—can. It’s a testament to the strength of her writing that I didn’t even notice this as I was reading. Yes, I noticed that Whitney was odd even before she revealed her face blindness. But I never felt the story was lacking in any way. Instead, it serves to give Whitney a strong and unique character voice.
Overall, Everywhere to Hide is an excellent suspense novel, and Whitney’s condition provides a unique source of conflict. Recommended.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Siri Mitchell
Siri Mitchell is the author of 14 novels. She has also written 2 novels under the pseudonym of Iris Anthony. She graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and has worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she lived all over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri is a big fan of the semi-colon but thinks the Oxford comma is irritatingly redundant.
Find Siri Mitchell online at:
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About Everywhere to Hide
How can she protect herself from an enemy she can’t see?
But witnessing a murder might be the crisis she can’t overcome.
The killer has every advantage. Though Whitney saw him, she has no idea what he looks like. He knows where she lives and works. He anticipates her every move. Worst of all, he’s hiding in plain sight and believes she has information he needs. Information worth killing for. Again.
As the hunter drives his prey into a net of terror and international intrigue, Whitney’s only ally, Detective Leo Baroni, is taken off the case. Stripped of all semblance of safety, Whitney must suspect everyone and trust no one—and hope to come out alive.
Find Everything to Hide online at:
Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong
