The Hidden Hours

To escape the mysterious traumas of her past, Eleanor leaves her home in Australia to take a temp job in London. The transition proves more difficult than expected, but Eleanor pushes herself to get out and decides to attend her office holiday party. But the next morning, Eleanor realizes she has no memory of most of the night. All she can remember is interacting with one of the company’s marketing executives, Arabella Lane — who was just found dead in the Thames. As Eleanor struggles to recall what happened that night, more of her past traumas start to resurface, unraveling everything she thought she knew about herself.

Sara Foster treats the classic unreliable narrator trope with originality, painting Eleanor as enigmatic yet intriguing. The flashbacks between Eleanor’s past and present are never discombobulating and instead are weaved perfectly to create layers of storyline that all add up to one suspenseful yet satisfying ending. Adding to these swirling tensions is the stark contrast between the two settings of the rural Australian outback and bustling London, both described so eloquently that readers can vividly imagine being in each place. The Hidden Hours is evasive yet approachable, making it the perfect thriller to breeze through and then ponder about long after putting it down.