Title: The Hidden
Author: Melanie Golding
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Release Date: November 9, 2021
Pages: 334
Book Source: ARC

“One dark December night, in a small seaside town, a little girl is found abandoned. When her mother finally arrives, authorities release the pair, believing it to be an innocent case of a toddler running off.

Gregor, a seemingly single man, is found bludgeoned and left for dead in his apartment, but the discovery of children’s toys raises more questions than answers.

Every night, Ruby gazes into Gregor’s apartment, leading to the discovery of his secret family: his unusually silent daughter and his mentally unstable wife, Constance, who insists that she is descended from the mythological Selkies. She begs Ruby to aid in finding the sealskin that Gregor has hidden from her, making it impossible to return to her people.

DS Joanna Harper’s investigation into Gregor’s assault leads her to CCTV footage of the mother-daughter pair from town. Harper realizes she knows the woman almost as well as she knows herself: it’s her estranged daughter, Ruby. No matter the depth of Ruby’s involvement, she knows she will choose her daughter over her career.” – Amazon

Kim’s Review

I do enjoy reading about all things supernatural, and while there are a lot of stories about werewolves, vampires, and witches, there are not as many about mermaids or selkies, so I get very happy when I find them. And I must say that Melanie Golding did a fantastic job of introducing people to selkies in The Hidden.

Golding doesn’t go much into the folklore of selkies, leaving that to the reader to further research if they desire, but what she does give us is a fantastic folk story made for the modern era mixed with a police procedural, a serial killer, intense family dynamics, and a beautiful style of writing that draws the reader in and makes them realize that magic really is everywhere, it just depends on how much you decide to notice.

I highly recommend The Hidden by Melanie Golding if you enjoy folktales or suspense, and I’m looking forward to reading her first book, Little Darlings, which seems to be about Changelings, human babies that have been swapped with fae babies.

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