Welcome to my review of The Hidden Child by Rebecca Griffiths. I have never read a book like this before, a fictional story based on fact (is that Faction?) but I loved this one and will be looking out for more in the future.
A totally gripping mystery thriller inspired by a true story: an innocent young girl holds the key to unlocking a long-buried crime. Perfect for fans of Gregg Olsen, Catherine Ryan Howard and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. Pulse-pounding, heart-wrenching and unforgettable.
Manchester, England 1965: Little Kathy Openshaw is waiting in the car with only her toy doll for company. Whilst her mother Connie visits close friends Myra and Ian, Kathy gazes out at the surrounding moorland and dreams of a happier life.
But when Connie returns to the car, Kathy has vanished. Instantly she thinks of the news reports of the children who have gone missing from the area. Parents everywhere are worried sick. Connie is struck with terror: what kind of mother leaves their child alone when a kidnapper is on the loose?
Black Fell Farm, Saddleworth Moor: no one has visited Ronald’s farm in decades. But when a young couple start acting suspiciously on his land and a mysterious visitor arrives on his doorstep, Ronald feels instantly threatened. He doesn’t want any unwanted attention directed towards his farm.
For on the wild and desolate moorland, Ronald has buried his own dark crime for years and if his secret is ever exposed, it will be more than just his life at stake…
Completely addictive and inspired by the true crime story of the Moors murders, this stunning mystery will keep you reading long into the night.
Rebecca Griffiths grew up in west-Wales and went on to gain a first class honours degree in English literature. After a successful business career in London, Dublin and Scotland, she returned to rural west-Wales where she now lives with her husband, a prolific artist, their four black cats and two pet sheep the size of sofas and writes full-time.
The idea of this book was a new one for me, fiction based on a true crime. I love true crime so was keen to read this to see how it worked and I was surprisingly impressed at how much I enjoyed it.
Based in the 1960s around the true crimes of Myra Hindley and Ian Moore, this fictional story concerns little Kathy, the seven-year-old daughter of Connie, who goes missing after having been left in the car outside a pub where Connie was meeting with her best friend Myra and her new boyfriend Ian. Not the best idea anyway but even worse when children are going missing around the area over the past couple of years.
We also meet Ronald and Thomas, two brothers who live together on the moors. Hiding a big secret of his own Ronald isn’t keen to have anyone visit them, which isn’t an issue as nobody ever does. That is until he meets a young couple snooping around their land in the dark and they threaten him. He doesn’t want to report it and encourage more people who may discover his secret.
The characters were well developed. Surprisingly Ronald and his brother Thomas are really caring, loving people and I think they touched me more overall. Connie, who had Kathy at fifteen seems more than a little deluded, although she misses her daughter, she doesn’t seem overly bothered that she has gone. There is a romantic twist between Ronald and Pauline (Connie’s mother) thrown in for good measure and of course the main couple, Myra and Ian.
Interestingly, Connie, Ronald, Thomas, Connie’s boyfriend Fred and others are shown in a sympathetic light despite their mistakes and misdeeds. I didn’t feel very sympathetic for Connie but did for Ronald and Thomas.
Myra and Ian are, predictably, a very strange and chilling couple. Ian is particularly dark “Still moping around after your little bastard?” he says, showing no empathy for Connie at all. Myra is also a chilling character, best friends with Connie and besotted with Ian she is heinous.
Of course, no story concerning Hindley and Brady would be complete without mention of their victims.
This is a beautifully twisted story wrapped around real life, it takes you back to life at the time and leaves you feeling chilled by how normal Connie feels Myra is and how all of these relationships and people carry on. There is none so queer as folk comes to mind.
The brilliant dual narrators, Sarah Durham and Richard Burnip bring this story to life excellently through audiobook.
| Title | The Hidden Child |
| Author | Rebecca Griffiths |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | AudioBook |
| Page Count | 361 Pages |
| Genre | Psychological Fiction |
| Publisher | Bookouture |
| Release Date | 24th February 2022 |
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