The Hidden Hours
Keeping her secret may save her family. But telling it may save her life.
Keeping her secret may save her family.
But telling it may save her life.
Arabella Lane, senior executive at a children’s publisher, is found dead in the Thames on a frosty winter’s morning after the office Christmas party. No one is sure whether she jumped or was pushed. The one person who may know the truth is the newest employee at Parker & Lane – the office temp, Eleanor.
Eleanor has travelled to London to escape the repercussions of her traumatic childhood in outback Australia. To her horror, she has no memory of the crucial hours leading up to Arabella’s death – memory that will either incriminate or absolve her.
As Eleanor desperately tries to remember the events of that fateful night, her own extended family is dragged further into the dark, terrifying terrain of blame, suspicion and guilt.
Caught in a crossfire of accusations and lies, Eleanor isn’t sure she can trust anyone – not even herself. As she races to uncover the truth, she realises that someone is intent on stopping her. Someone who, like Eleanor, knows just how deadly the darkest secrets can be.
‘… an enthralling mystery full of secrets determined to resurface … will keep readers guessing to the end’
JANE HARPER
New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Man and The Dry
The Hidden Hours: the idea for the story
For The Hidden Hours I moved between two very different experiences that I’d had in life: working in a publishing house, and watching some friends build a house in the bush in Western Australia. I loved constructing the contrasting landscapes, and it was eye-opening looking at the tragic consequences that can originate from the kind of benign neglect that many kids experience when parents get busy and distracted.
The Hidden Hours: the publishing story
The Hidden Hours was the first of my books to be optioned for TV, when it was picked up by CJZ. It was also published in the US by Blackstone.
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