The chapters of The Hidden Things alternate points of view among the main characters. While this technique may seem a bit jarring at first, it ultimately succeeds in making these characters unforgettable. Mason’s skill in crafting plot is matched by her expertise in fashioning dialogue ... The twists and turns of the plot make this a reliably thrilling heist/betrayal/chase saga, but it is the twists and turns of the relationships that elevate The Hidden Things ... The sections in which the focus is on the characters’ thoughts rather than their actions are involving at times and, at other times, frustrating. Characters disappear from the narrative and then come back. This can occasionally render the flow of the story hard to follow. But deeply moving scenes...make these quibbles all but irrelevant ... And the epilogue of The Hidden Things alone makes turning every page along the way well worth the journey.
Mason...is wonderfully adept at creating multifaceted characters in emotionally complex relationships. Little black and white for these characters—just multiple shades of gray, causing readers to temper their allegiances as the plot thunders to its conclusion. Masterfully nuanced crime fiction.
