About the book: Hidden Truth
Private Investigator Joe Wilde is investigating the murder of Philippa Redmond a former Labour MP. She had been found dead in her sauna over the Christmas holidays six weeks ago. The majority of her family had been staying with her at the time, but the police didn’t regard any of them as suspects. Evidence suggested an intruder had got into her home.
Joe also takes on a cold case of a missing woman named Julie Turnbull. She had disappeared six years ago without a trace. Meanwhile Joe’s good friend DI Whatmore is investigating the horrific murder of a woman who was burnt to death in her own home. His investigation crosses over with Joe’s missing person investigation. As they conduct their own investigations there are more killings.
DI Whatmore and Joe must join forces to track down a serial killer and solve a puzzling mystery, but doing so puts them and others in grave danger.
Buy, read, and discuss this book:
Amazon UK: Paperback | eBook | Amazon USA: Paperback | eBook | Goodreads
About the author, C.D. Steele
C.D Steele works as an Executive Officer in the Civil Service. He has a degree in Recreation Management and lives in County Down, Northern Ireland. This is his third novel and is the next book in the Joe Wilde Series after False Truth and Dark Truth.
Connect with C.D.:
Giveaway (UK Only)
Giveaway to Win 3 x copies of False Truth (book 1 in the Joe Wilde series) and 1 x copy of Dark Truth (book 2). (Open to UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
My Thoughts 
I had a difficult time getting into Hidden Truth, and I suspect part of that is because I was jumping into an established series without having read the two preceding books.
A number of characters appear fairly quickly, and for a while I felt as though I was being introduced to people whose histories I was expected to already know. It took some time to settle into who everyone was and how they related to one another.
The novel also carries several different narrative threads at once. I normally enjoy a layered mystery, but at times it felt like there were a lot of moving pieces competing for attention. In addition, the editing could have used a more careful pass. There were a few moments where characters were misnamed, which briefly pulled me out of the story, and I noticed several grammatical errors that stood out.
That being said, my overall reading experience was still a favorable one. Steele clearly knows how to weave together complex story lines, and the dialogue throughout the book felt rich and convincing. He also demonstrates a willingness to tackle difficult subject matter without shying away from it, which I respect.
Joe Wilde himself is a likeable lead character, and I particularly appreciated his strong sense of justice. He anchors the story well and gives the reader someone solid to follow through the darker corners of the narrative.
Despite my initial difficulty settling in, Hidden Truth ultimately proved to be a solid investigative thriller. If you enjoy crime fiction with multiple threads and morally driven protagonists, this series is definitely one worth exploring, whether you begin here or go back to the first book.
Goes well with: strong coffee and a Reuben sandwich.
Visit the Other Participants on this Tour
