Hidden

A Bone Secrets Novel, Book 1

By: Kendra Elliot

Narrated by: Kate Rudd

Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Hidden is the first book in Bone Secrets, the multimillion-copy bestselling series.

Eleven years ago, the Co-ed Slayer murdered nine female students on the Oregon State University campus. Lacey Campbell barely escaped his attack, but lost her best friend whose remains were never found. As the sole surviving victim, Lacey helped send the sadistic serial killer to prison for life.

Now a forensic odontologist examining teeth and bones for the state Medical Examiner, Lacey is devastated when she arrives at a crime scene and identifies the skeletal remains as her college friend’s.

The remains are discovered on the land of ex-cop Jack Harper. Sparks fly between him and Lacey, even as they realize that the prosecution’s witnesses from a decade ago are now being murdered one by one. All the evidence points to the Co-ed Slayer as the culprit—only, he’s long since dead. So who’s the new killer? And is Lacey next in line to die?

Golden Heart finalist Kendra Elliot combines chilling suspense and steamy romance in a gripping tale, uniting in-depth forensic knowledge with a passion for thrillers. Set in the snowy winter of Oregon, Hidden creates spine-tingling chills.

©2011 Kendra Elliot (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Okay

Would you listen to Hidden again? Why?

I would listen to it again if I was really, really, really bored.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hidden?

Nothing really.

Would you be willing to try another one of Kate Rudd’s performances?

I guess I will if she reads the next two books that I already purchased, but I would rather not. When I first began listening I thought it was a computer reading program. It was that bad.

I may have enjoyed the book more if someone else had performed it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

3.5 stars OK For Under $10

There were parts of "Hidden" that kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.
The story line had promise and the way the mystery was handled kept things moving, for the most part. Interesting mix of characters - the female lead Lacey, the ex-cop with baggage and the ex-boyfriend turned best friend had some almost comical, testosterone fuelled moments, but you were left in no doubt how that was going to end up.
i would have like more development of Lacey's position as a forensic odontologist (which was new to me) and the actual criminal investigation would have given the story added substance. On the other hand, less of the gruesome thoughts from the killer's point of view please - sometimes that is just creepy (and not in a good way) I found the story a quick, easy read with just enough twists and sub-plots to keep it going. All in all, quite good for a debut novel.

I have to agree with other listeners, this was not Kate Rudd's best delivery of a story. I have listened to Ms Rudd before and she was much better with the delivery of those books.

Well, maybe it was worth $1.99

I've listened to later novels in the Bone Secrets series; while none of them earn 5 stars, all were better than Hidden. It's not a complete waste of time, but it is close.

More romance novel than thriller..

Would you try another book from Kendra Elliot and/or Kate Rudd?

The performance was fine and I have no issues with the way that Kate rudd narrates. I would probably not chose another book by Kendra Elliot again.

Which character – as performed by Kate Rudd – was your favorite?

None. I found the descriptions of the characters to stretched and their actions too far from reality for me to be convinced.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

If you're really into romance novels you will like this one.

Good story, bad narration

If you could sum up Hidden in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, Crime, Romance

What other book might you compare Hidden to and why?

Some of Sharon Sala's mysteries

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She has a flat, brash voice, no differentiation for character, and she mispronounced "Willamette" every time she said it. It rhymes with 'dammit,' not 'brunette.'

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not especially... it was like watching a crime drama on TV: fun, interesting, complex, but not exactly life-altering.

Liked the story ALOT ~ not crazy about the narrato

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes ~ anyone who loves good suspense will enjoy this book.

What other book might you compare Hidden to and why?

A Tess Gerrittsen or Karen Rose is who I think the supense most closely resembles, but heavier on the romance than in the Tess Gerrittsen. But pretty gritty deets, and lots of flashes into the killers mind like in a Karen Rose book. I love that! Give you chills! The tone of this book is pretty serious & intense, and again I'd have to compare that to a Karen Rose.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I felt she was very...stilted? Is that the right word? Like her words weren't flowing naturally, and her pauses and inflections weren't in the right places. Her voice was pleasant, and thought she did a great job diferentiating between male and female, but the flow of the story just wasn't as seamless as I thought it could have been. It goes to tell how truly good the story itself was that I stuck with even I wasn't crazy about the narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but it truly tugged my heart in several places, and I felt like with a better narrator I would proabably have reacted stronger. There heroine had truly been through hell in her life, and there were moments noone could have not ached inside for her.

Any additional comments?

Just that I'm listening to the next book in the series, Chilled, and it's a new narrator, and I'm already enjoying it so much more.

Great Beginning to a Promising New Series!!!

Where does Hidden rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to several audiobooks and I have to say Hidden is one of my favorites so far. The author draws you into the story with well defined characters and an interesting plot. I read a lot and there's always a few things in a book that are a little annoying but not to much in this book.

What about Kate Rudd’s performance did you like?

I thoroughly enjoyed Kate Rudd's performance! She is one of the few narrators that I have really enjoyed listening to. She made the story come to life and didn't have annoying male and female voices that tend to detract from the story. Hers were all well done.

Narration hurts more than helps

The writing is simple and predictable and verges on Romance Novel territory. And the narrator reads in an overly sweet, gentle voice suitable more for reading children's books and with a halting pattern that was distracting. I had a hard time finishing this one.

Story isn't bad...the narrator however is awful

OK, so the story isn't a real page turner, but when you listen to as many books as I do you realize not all of them can be grea. This story line isn't so bad, kinda predictable, but not bad. The narrator is so bad, I can't finish the story! How old is she - 12? She overacts at inappropriate times, cannot do a male voice, and seems to have no real talent. I'll stop listening to this one and maybe pick up the story in paperback.

Awful

What disappointed you about Hidden?

If you're looking for a mystery, don't look here. Poor characterization, poor writing, and a plot that reads more like a bodice-ripper than a mystery.

Excellent

Wonderful book with a good story line. Twists and turns to keep you guessing. Plot twists that smack you upside the head.

such poor narration!

It is rare that I cannot finish listening to a book but with this one I could not get past the poor narration.

Not great

The story wasn't bad but the narrator's voice really irritated me and in fact gave me a headache. The voices for different characters weren't as good as most I've listened to.

Unable to finish

Could not finish this book as the narrator's voice was a terrible monotonous droning sound.

Loved this book!

Really enjoyed this book from beginning to end! Great characters, great plot and good narration…. Onto the next…..

Narrator spoiled story, couldn't finish

Struggled with this from the beginning. Narrator tone and elucidation of sounds of words really set my teeth on edge. A real shame as I couldn't finish it.

Reasonable story

A steady murder mystery. The book does seem very formulated and the characters are childish at times. But the actual mystery is quite good and worth a look if you have nothing else.

great book

I really enjoyed this story. it was an easy listen with really likeable characters :-) I didnt find there to be a big plot twist - it wasnt a gasp type moment when the storyline climaxed, but I didnt mind that.

I've seen a few reviews commenting on the narrator which nearly put me off this book. admittedly, I got it because it was my book club book choice for this month - but!! i quite enjoyed her narration. it took a little for me to warm to her, and i think she starts quite wooden, but clearly starts to enjoy the story herself and gets into her narration. I will def proactively look at more books by the same author and narrator!

ok...!

I tried. I really did, but the awful 'mechanical' sounding voice made this impossible to listen to. The voice reminded me of the voice on a sat nav.
The story in itself was fair, but I don't think I will rush to read the rest of the series.

Some chronically clanger lines...

It is good that this author has developed as a writer and story teller over the years as this book is just a myriad of stereotypes and terrible lines, my favourite being, "even a lesbian would have reacted to his masculinity". Give me a break!!!! I skipped a great deal of the main characters descriptions of each other and their attraction. Genuinely only so much one person can take. If you want depth and substance go for Elliots later books.