Hide and Seek

For those who enjoyed Bully, another first-class offering from the same pen. Emma and her friends are pursuing a holiday game - surveillance of a suspicious bookshop - when she realises that one of its rare customers is her Uncle Jim. He callously draws her into a web of deceit and crime, manipulating her affection for him and attempting to alienate her from friends, whose characters are persuasively drawn by Coppard. When Emma finds her life in danger, things take a dark and compelling turn - her confinement in the cellar of a derelict house is stunningly handled. This book reveals the minutiae of family life, the bonds of childhood friendship and warns that adults aren't always the protectors they ought to be. A vital and convincing read.