Hide and Seek

'Clear your diary before you start to read because once you pick this book up, you won't want to put down' Andrew Child

The first standalone thriller from the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of the Robert Hunter series.


**ALL first edition hardback copies feature a beautiful board design – available while stock lasts**


Chris Carter as you’ve never read him before: no murder, no gore – just pure, relentless suspense.

Sam Stewart has escaped her abusive husband. She has taken him to court. She has watched him sent to prison.

But Nelson Stewart leaves her with one chilling promise:

He will come for her. No matter how long it takes.

Given a new name and a new identity, Sam becomes Mary Smith and starts again. But Mary knows Nelson. She knows what he is capable of. And she knows that prison might not be enough to keep him away.

Now she is trapped in a deadly game of hide and seek – one where nothing is what it seems, and revenge is the prize.

A propulsive, twist-filled standalone thriller from one of the world's most compulsive storytellers.


‘A fiendishly clever masterclass in crime fiction' Robert Rutherford

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and Criminal behaviour in the USA. As a member of the District Attorney's Criminal Psychology team, and working together with the Police Department in numerous cases, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London, UK.

Chris Carter’s thriller “Hide and Seek” represents a significant departure from his globally acclaimed Robert Hunter series. Known for his gruesome, blood-soaked serial killer procedurals, Carter trades visceral horror for simmering psychological tension in this standalone domestic noir. The novel proves that unrelenting suspense does not strictly require murder or graphic violence. Instead, it relies on the creeping paranoia of a woman trying to outrun a past that refuses to stay buried, delivering a masterclass in cat-and-mouse dynamics where the stakes are deeply personal and entirely psychological.

The narrative centers on Samantha Stewart, a woman who has finally managed to summon the extraordinary courage required to escape her severely abusive marriage. Her husband, Nelson Stewart, is not an ordinary man; he is wealthy, highly influential, and fiercely possessive, using his power to mask the shocking cruelty that takes place behind closed doors. Sam takes the monumental step of dragging him into a Massachusetts courtroom, standing her ground, and testifying against him. Her bravery is rewarded when Nelson is found guilty on multiple counts of assault and false imprisonment, resulting in a thirteen-year prison sentence. However, the victory is immediately soured by a terrifying caveat. As Nelson is being taken away, he screams a chilling, ironclad promise at his wife: he will come for her, no matter how long it takes. Knowing intimately the kind of power her husband wields and the depth of his vindictiveness, Sam understands that iron bars will not be enough to keep her safe.

Realizing that she is dealing with a man for whom revenge is an art form, Sam resolves to disappear entirely. With the assistance of a sympathetic lawyer, she sheds her old life and assumes a completely new identity as Mary Smith. In a move that highlights her absolute desperation to sever all ties to Nelson, she refuses to touch the millions of dollars awarded to her in their divorce settlement, knowing that money leaves a dangerous trail. Instead, she chooses a life of constant motion, renting unassuming places and moving from town to town, constantly looking over her shoulder. Every decision she makes is dictated by the need to remain invisible, living out of a suitcase and carefully guarding against any slip-up that might signal her location to Nelson’s extensive network of enablers outside the prison walls.

Despite her meticulous precautions, the past inevitably begins to bleed into her present. While temporarily staying in Nashville, Mary’s hard-earned sense of security is shattered when she spots a familiar face. She recognizes a man watching her—a man who had been present in the courtroom during her agonizing testimony against Nelson. The realization that her ex-husband’s reach stretches far beyond his cell sends her into a panic. Relying on sheer survival instinct, she immediately abandons her setup, employing clever smoke-and-mirror tactics to evade her pursuer. This harrowing close call forces her back on the road, reinforcing the terrifying reality that she is trapped in a deadly game of hide and seek where the seeker has unlimited resources and endless patience.

Eventually, the exhaustion of perpetual flight brings Mary to Dogpatch, a vibrant, artist-filled neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is here that she attempts to build a genuine life rather than merely surviving in the shadows. She meets a man named Quaddra, and despite her deeply ingrained trauma and reluctance to trust, she falls deeply in love. Quaddra represents a fresh start, and their romance blossoms, leading to promises of marriage and exotic holidays. For a brief period, Mary allows herself to believe that she has finally outrun her demons, dropping her guard to embrace the joy she has been denied for so long.

However, Carter is a master of sinuous plotting, and the idyllic Californian life is soon revealed to be a fragile house of cards. The narrative slowly tightens the noose around Mary, reminding both the protagonist and the reader that nothing in this story is exactly as it seems. The game of hide and seek enters its most dangerous phase as Mary realizes that the threat was never truly neutralized. The juxtaposition of her blossoming romance with the looming, invisible threat of Nelson creates an unbearable psychological pressure. She is forced to question every coincidence, every stranger on the street, and even the seemingly safe haven she has built with Quaddra. The suspense builds not through graphic violence, but through the terrifying anticipation of when and how Nelson will fulfill his promise.

As the novel hurtles toward its climax, Mary must transition from terrified prey constantly on the run to a woman who must outsmart a relentless predator. The twists that unfold challenge everything she thought she knew about her escape and the people around her. Carter weaves a complex web of deception where revenge is carefully orchestrated, and Mary realizes that running might no longer be an option. She is pushed to the absolute brink, requiring her to tap into a well of inner strength she never knew she possessed to face the nightmare head-on.

“Hide and Seek” ultimately stands as a propulsive, twist-filled exploration of trauma, resilience, and the inescapable shadows of domestic abuse. By stripping away his trademark gore, Chris Carter allows his storytelling prowess and character development to shine in an entirely new light. He delivers a gripping narrative that preys on the universal fear of being hunted by someone who knows you intimately, proving that the most terrifying monsters are not always the ones wielding a knife, but the ones who promise to wait in the dark until you finally close your eyes.