The Hidden

Early in British author Golding’s intriguing paranormal mystery set in an unnamed English seaside town, Det. Sgt. Joanna Harper, last seen in Little Darlings, and a police constable break into the flat of Gregor Franks, where they find Gregor floating in his bathtub, barely alive and with a traumatic head injury. Flashback: after discovering a disturbing family secret, emotionally vulnerable Ruby winds up in a government sponsored flat, from which she watches her handsome neighbor, Gregor, who lives with mentally unstable Constance and their two-year-old daughter, Leonie. After befriending the charming Gregor, Ruby begins to look after Leonie while Constance spends her days barely conscious, mumbling stories of her homeland across the sea and its mythical community of seals. Constance longs to return to her clan, but she can’t without her magical coat, which Gregor has kept hidden. When Ruby realizes Gregor has a dark side and Constance may not be as crazy as she seems, she helps Constance plot her and Leonie’s escape from Gregor. Golding smoothly mixes folklore with an insightful exploration of motherhood. This offbeat tale should win her new fans. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary (U.K). (Nov.)