To Jerry Johnson and his splendid golden retriever, Baron, who inspired me to write a golden retriever into this story, I thank you. And thanks to Louise Minnette, who lent me her very name for this story. (And isn’t it a great name?) Finally, I thank you, Dear Reader, for spending this time with Mercy and Elvis. I thank you, and Mercy and Elvis thank you. We are forever in your debt.
ALSO BY PAULA MUNIER
BLIND SEARCH
A BORROWING OF BONES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PAULA MUNIER is the USA Today bestselling author of the Mercy and Elvis Mysteries. A Borrowing of Bones, the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and named the Dogwise Book of the Year. Blind Search was inspired by the real-life rescue of a little boy with autism who got lost in the woods. Paula credits the hero dogs of Mission K9 Rescue, her own rescue dogs Bear, Bliss, and Blondie—a Malinois mix as loyal and smart as Elvis—and a lifelong passion for crime fiction as her series’ major influences. She’s also written three popular books on writing: Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, and Writing with Quiet Hands, as well as Fixing Freddie and Happier Every Day. She lives in New Hampshire with her family, the dogs, and a torbie tabby named Ursula. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
Summer 2000
Chapter One
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Four
Summer 2000
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Summer 2000
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Ten Days Later
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Also by Paula Munier
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
THE HIDING PLACE. Copyright © 2021 by Paula Munier. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover photographs: frozen lake © Studio Benjamin/Arcangel; dog © Eudyptula/Shutterstock.com; footsteps © Mekt/Shutterstock.com; running man © by Silas Manhood
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-15307-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-15308-1 (ebook)
eISBN 9781250153081
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First Edition: 2021