What We Were Hiding by Jonas Saul

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What We Were Hiding Review (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Stars) – Secrets, Betrayals, and One Wild Ride

If you're looking for a thriller that barely gives you time to breathe, What We Were Hiding absolutely delivers. 😱 Every time I thought I had things figured out, Jonas Saul threw another twist into the mix. This is one of those books where I found myself muttering, "Oh no..." 😳, "NO WAY!" 🤯, and occasionally just shouting, "WHAT?!" at absolutely nobody.

This would make an incredible movie. Seriously. 🎬

📚 Book Information

Title: What We Were Hiding
Author: Jonas Saul
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Crime Thriller / Suspense
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

⚠️ Trigger Warnings

  • Murder

  • Gun violence

  • Organized crime

  • Domestic infidelity

  • Violence against parents

  • Child death (past event)

  • Homophobia

  • Emotional abuse

  • Police investigation

  • Graphic injuries

  • Death of major characters

🚨 Spoiler Warning 🚨

This review contains FULL SPOILERS, including the ending and every major twist.

You've been warned. 😅

📖 What Is What We Were Hiding About?

Ben Redfield owns a successful hotel in Savannah, but his business is slowly being destroyed by his ruthless rival, Marcus Vale. Desperate, Ben turns to the one person he never wanted to rely on again—his estranged brother Jason, a gang lieutenant with plenty of criminal connections.

Unfortunately for Ben...Jason isn't exactly on his side.

From there the novel explodes into a maze of betrayals, secret relationships, fake deaths, hidden agendas, corrupt business dealings, murder investigations, and enough lies to fill an entire hotel.

And somehow...it all works.

💙 My Thoughts

This book is just ridiculously entertaining.

Some thrillers spend 300 pages building toward one big reveal.

This one seems to reveal something shocking every other chapter. 😂

Every time I relaxed for even a minute...

"Nope."

Another twist.

Another betrayal.

Another character hiding something.

Another secret relationship.

Another murder.

I absolutely flew through this book because there was simply no good stopping point. Every chapter ended with something that made me think, "Well...I guess I'm reading one more."

(Which of course became another ten chapters.)

👥 First-Person POV Done Right

One thing that really stood out was Jonas Saul's decision to write the novel entirely in first person, shifting between several different characters.

Normally, multiple first-person narrators can get confusing.

Not here.

Each voice felt distinct enough that I never had trouble remembering whose head I was inside, and it created an intimacy that made every betrayal hit even harder. Instead of watching events unfold from a distance, we're experiencing everyone's panic, fear, greed, desperation, and terrible decisions firsthand.

It's especially impressive knowing the author mentions this was his first novel written in first person after writing sixty books in third person. Honestly? You'd never guess it. It feels incredibly natural and keeps the pacing moving at lightning speed.

💥 The Twists Never Stop

Without giving everything away immediately...

Actually...

Nope.

We're in spoiler territory already. 😆

This book is basically one giant domino effect of secrets.

Jason is secretly working for Marcus.

Jason is secretly sleeping with Eliza.

Ben is secretly gay.

Ben and Eliza have a lavender marriage.

Marcus knows.

The police don't.

The employees don't.

Readers barely have time to process one revelation before another one crashes through the door.

I loved that.

Nothing ever felt repetitive because every twist completely changed how I viewed what had come before.

🎬 This Needs to Be a Movie

I could see this playing out on the big screen so easily.

There are dramatic confrontations.

Hotel sabotage.

Police investigations.

Hidden microphones.

Shootouts.

Fake murders.

Double-crosses.

Family drama.

Business warfare.

It's incredibly visual. I was practically watching scenes unfold in my head while reading.

🕵️ Complete Plot Summary (FULL SPOILERS)

Ben Redfield owns a successful Savannah hotel but believes rival hotel owner Marcus Vale has been orchestrating attacks against him, including a brutal assault that permanently damaged one of Ben's eyes and a suspicious hotel fire.

Determined to strike back, Ben hires his estranged brother Jason—now a gang lieutenant—to arrange an "accident" for Marcus.

Unfortunately, Jason has been secretly working for Marcus all along.

Even worse?

Jason has also been having an affair with Ben's wife, Eliza.

Jason tells Marcus about Ben's plan, but instead of turning his brother over, he secretly warns Eliza that Marcus intends to eliminate them all.

Meanwhile, Ben withdraws $75,000 to pay Jason.

The brothers meet at an abandoned warehouse on Hutchinson Island.

Gunshots ring out.

Jason appears to be killed and falls into the Savannah River.

Ben flees in shock.

Within minutes, Ben learns his parents have both been struck by a speeding black Subaru.

His mother dies instantly.

His father dies shortly afterward in the hospital.

Ben realizes the violent "accident" he intended for Marcus has instead destroyed his own family.

Marcus then begins systematically dismantling Ben's life.

He manipulates inspectors into shutting down parts of Ben's hotel.

Reservations mysteriously disappear.

Business collapses.

Ben eventually discovers a trusted waiter, Walter Holloway, has been feeding information to Marcus. After Ben confronts Walter, Marcus has Walter murdered to erase the loose end.

As Ben grows more desperate, he confronts Marcus while carrying a gun, only to be quickly disarmed.

During this encounter Marcus taunts Ben about his secret relationship with County Commission Chair Thomas Whitaker and reveals he knows Ben's marriage to Eliza is simply a business arrangement.

While Ben is distracted, Marcus's men secretly plant Jason's blood-covered hoodie inside Ben's SUV.

Police later discover it during a search.

Ben is arrested for Jason's murder.

After making bail, Ben receives unexpected help from Grant Mercer, one of Marcus's former employees. Grant reveals Marcus's security chief Trent Spencer was driving the Subaru that killed Ben's parents.

Grant also helps Ben secretly place a listening device inside Marcus's office.

The recording captures Marcus admitting to framing Ben and discussing plans to eliminate Eliza.

Then comes one of the book's biggest twists.

Jason isn't dead.

His "murder" was staged.

Jason and Eliza had planned the fake shooting together using blood packets while Eliza fired bullets into the air to sell the illusion.

They lure Marcus back to the warehouse where they hold him captive.

Ben, meanwhile, kidnaps Marcus's mother and stages her execution during a live video call using a watermelon to imitate the sound of a gunshot.

Believing his mother has been murdered, Marcus completely loses control and orders his men to kill everyone involved.

A massive gun battle erupts.

Jason kills Marcus.

Marcus's men kill Jason.

Eliza is shot twice but escapes by diving into the river.

Two months later, Ben is cleared after Grant's recording exposes Marcus's crimes.

Authorities seize Marcus's criminal empire and raid his hotel.

Then the final surprises begin.

Marcus's will leaves his entire $10 million estate and hotel to Eliza, referring to her as his "lost love."

During the closing dinner, Eliza finally tells Ben every secret she has still been hiding.

She truly loved Jason.

She's pregnant with Jason's child.

Years earlier she and Marcus had a daughter named Sophia, who died as an infant. Eliza believes Marcus accidentally killed the baby during one of his drunken rages.

Despite everything that's happened, Ben agrees to continue the lavender marriage.

Together they'll raise Jason's child, preserve their businesses, inherit Marcus's fortune, and continue living behind carefully constructed lies.

The title couldn't be more fitting.

Their future is built entirely upon what they were hiding.

🎯 Final Thoughts

This is exactly the kind of thriller I love.

Fast.

Explosive.

Constantly moving.

Packed with twists.

Every chapter feels like something enormous happens, yet it never feels chaotic because the writing keeps everything easy to follow.

I also think the multiple first-person perspectives deserve a lot of credit. They keep you emotionally invested in every side of the conflict instead of making this feel like a simple good-versus-evil story.

Most importantly...

This book is just plain fun. 😄

It's the kind of novel that has you talking back to the pages because you genuinely can't believe what just happened.

Those are some of my favorite reading experiences.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars.

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