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Timothy Blake #3
Hideout
A tense, unputdownable thriller from the author of Hangman .
Timothy Blake has nothing to lose. He's headed to an isolated house in rural Texas with a hammer in his pocket and murder on his mind. His target is Fred, the ringleader of a criminal empire on the dark web. Once Fred is gone, Blake can disappear for good.
But it turns out that Fred isn't alone. Five other psychopaths live in the house. They work together and call themselves the Guards. Torture, extortion and death are their business. Blake manages to convince them that he's one of their online associates. Soon they think he's a monster, like them. They're not wrong.
Blake decides to pick them off one by one. But when a Guard is found with a bullet in his skull, Blake realises that someone else in the house may have the same idea - and he might be their next target.
Meanwhile, who are the desperate people chained up in the building behind the house? One of them will change everything . . .
A bloody, twisted roller-coaster of dark action and suspense from the acclaimed bestselling author of Hangman .
'Gloriously messed up . . . A crime series like no other.' - Gabriel Bergmoser, author of The Hunted
'Heath will make your spine tingle and your fingers flip pages.' - Candice Fox, author of Crimson Lake
'Thrilling, grisly and Jack Heath has single-handedly increased my carbon footprint through lights left on.' - Benjamin Stevenson, author of Either Side of Midnight
Timothy Blake has nothing to lose. He's headed to an isolated house in rural Texas with a hammer in his pocket and murder on his mind. His target is Fred, the ringleader of a criminal empire on the dark web. Once Fred is gone, Blake can disappear for good.
But it turns out that Fred isn't alone. Five other psychopaths live in the house. They work together and call themselves the Guards. Torture, extortion and death are their business. Blake manages to convince them that he's one of their online associates. Soon they think he's a monster, like them. They're not wrong.
Blake decides to pick them off one by one. But when a Guard is found with a bullet in his skull, Blake realises that someone else in the house may have the same idea - and he might be their next target.
Meanwhile, who are the desperate people chained up in the building behind the house? One of them will change everything . . .
A bloody, twisted roller-coaster of dark action and suspense from the acclaimed bestselling author of Hangman .
'Gloriously messed up . . . A crime series like no other.' - Gabriel Bergmoser, author of The Hunted
'Heath will make your spine tingle and your fingers flip pages.' - Candice Fox, author of Crimson Lake
'Thrilling, grisly and Jack Heath has single-handedly increased my carbon footprint through lights left on.' - Benjamin Stevenson, author of Either Side of Midnight
404 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2020
22 people are currently reading
718 people want to read
About the author
Jack Heath
67 books802 followersJack Heath wrote his debut novel, The Lab, in secondary school and sent it to a publisher at age seventeen. He's now the award-winning author of forty novels for adults and children, including the international bestsellers Hangman, The Wife Swap and 300 Minutes of Danger. His books have been translated into ten languages, optioned for TV and adapted for film. He lives on Ngunnawal/Ngambri country in Canberra, Australia, with his wife, their children, several chickens, a few fish and a possum named Oreo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
May 28, 2024
The third book in the Timothy Blake series and I have read and enjoyed them all so far.
In Hideout Blake accidentally ends up trapped in a house with six psychopaths. His plan is to pick them off one by one (and possibly eat them). Thinks do not work to plan and when Thistle becomes part of the equation, he feels obliged to find another way out of the mess he is in.
Blake certainly suffers in this book. There is a scene with a meat grinder that is totally gruesome, but like the rest of the book, is also amusing in a black humour kind of way. The ending came straight out of left field for me. I was not expecting that at all! Looking forward to the next book now.
In Hideout Blake accidentally ends up trapped in a house with six psychopaths. His plan is to pick them off one by one (and possibly eat them). Thinks do not work to plan and when Thistle becomes part of the equation, he feels obliged to find another way out of the mess he is in.
Blake certainly suffers in this book. There is a scene with a meat grinder that is totally gruesome, but like the rest of the book, is also amusing in a black humour kind of way. The ending came straight out of left field for me. I was not expecting that at all! Looking forward to the next book now.
December 3, 2020
Have you met Timothy Blake? Hideout is book 3 to feature this FBI consultant with a very dark secret. He is a character that you should not like, but the way that Jack Heath writes him , you cannot help but root for him. He is a very messed up individual who finds justice by killing the bad guys and making a meal out of them - literally. Hideout can be read as a stand alone but I highly recommend the first 2 books to fully understand what makes Timothy the way he is and his relationships with others.
Hideout begins with Timothy planning to kill Fred and make him his dinner before killing himself - lovely right. But when he arrives at Fred's home he discovers that Fred does not live alone. There is a house full of like minded people who call themselves The Guards. They kidnap the people that the courts set free, bad people who need to be punished. They torture and kill their victims on camera for their online subscribers on the Dark Web. Now Timothy can't really judge them, being what he is. But he is trying to be good, and not eat human flesh. Instead of going to the police, he decides to infiltrate them and gain more information. They welcome him with open arms, believing that he is Lux, one of their subscribers.
All of these books are dark and very twisted and are not for those with a weak stomach. It is quite graphic (I am talking about you meat grinder scene!!), terrifying and hard to read at time. But at the same time it is clever, it is funny and addictive. What does that say about me?? I just love these books and already can't wait to see if there will be more.
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for my advanced copy of this book to read.
Hideout begins with Timothy planning to kill Fred and make him his dinner before killing himself - lovely right. But when he arrives at Fred's home he discovers that Fred does not live alone. There is a house full of like minded people who call themselves The Guards. They kidnap the people that the courts set free, bad people who need to be punished. They torture and kill their victims on camera for their online subscribers on the Dark Web. Now Timothy can't really judge them, being what he is. But he is trying to be good, and not eat human flesh. Instead of going to the police, he decides to infiltrate them and gain more information. They welcome him with open arms, believing that he is Lux, one of their subscribers.
All of these books are dark and very twisted and are not for those with a weak stomach. It is quite graphic (I am talking about you meat grinder scene!!), terrifying and hard to read at time. But at the same time it is clever, it is funny and addictive. What does that say about me?? I just love these books and already can't wait to see if there will be more.
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for my advanced copy of this book to read.
June 15, 2025
4.5 stars!!
This series is so criminally underrated. Timothy Blake is such an interesting character. Yes he is a cannibal but he's not a bad guy😭😭
I love how each chapter starts off with a riddle too they are so so fun to figure out!
This book hit the ground running and just never stopped! Not only was it entertaining, FUNNY and the whodunnit aspect kept you guessing till the very end, but the moral dilemma was so interesting as well. If you had the power to punish criminals (pedophiles, racists, murderers, rapists...) who were not properly punished by the justice system, would you? Should we take justice into our own hands? Is murder ok when you are killing criminals??
I love Timothy sm I need him and Thistle to be together please Jack make it happen I beg😭😭
jumping straight into book 4!
This series is so criminally underrated. Timothy Blake is such an interesting character. Yes he is a cannibal but he's not a bad guy😭😭
I love how each chapter starts off with a riddle too they are so so fun to figure out!
This book hit the ground running and just never stopped! Not only was it entertaining, FUNNY and the whodunnit aspect kept you guessing till the very end, but the moral dilemma was so interesting as well. If you had the power to punish criminals (pedophiles, racists, murderers, rapists...) who were not properly punished by the justice system, would you? Should we take justice into our own hands? Is murder ok when you are killing criminals??
I love Timothy sm I need him and Thistle to be together please Jack make it happen I beg😭😭
jumping straight into book 4!
February 27, 2021
⭐️4.5 Stars⭐️
An entertaining and twisted crime thriller, totally perverse with dark humour thrown in!
Hideout is the addictive sequel to Hunter from best selling Australian author Jack Heath. Hideout is easily read as a standalone.
Timothy Blake is not the type of person you would expect to be working as a FBI consultant although he does have heroic qualities, he’s extremely observant, brave and cunning but he does have a disturbing flaw which will have you reeling! I was repulsed once I found out his secret but regardless you can’t help cheering for him, he is a likeable character! He makes a meal out of the bad guys at times but don’t look in his freezer!
In this sequel Blake is aiming to kill Fred the ringleader of a torture empire on the dark web. Blake is claiming to be someone else who is now dead, unknown to Fred. He infiltrates their hideout and finds himself living amongst Fred and five other criminal psychopaths but he cleverly makes them believe he is their ally until he can kill them all off. One of the criminals is killed suspiciously and he realises somebody else in the house maybe planning the same thing.
Blake makes another shocking discovery at the house, the psychopaths have been hiding something that he will eventually risk his life for.
The scenes in the book are quite violent, particularly the meat grinder scene which is horrific and nail biting.
Each chapter is prefaced with a challenging riddle that is fun to decipher. I believe the answers are on the author’s website.
I have to admit I’ve become a big fan of Timothy Blake and his evil escapades. A recommended well paced read for those that can handle something a little shocking but cleverly entertaining!
I wish to thank Allen & Unwin for the generous opportunity to win an advanced copy of the book
An entertaining and twisted crime thriller, totally perverse with dark humour thrown in!
Hideout is the addictive sequel to Hunter from best selling Australian author Jack Heath. Hideout is easily read as a standalone.
Timothy Blake is not the type of person you would expect to be working as a FBI consultant although he does have heroic qualities, he’s extremely observant, brave and cunning but he does have a disturbing flaw which will have you reeling! I was repulsed once I found out his secret but regardless you can’t help cheering for him, he is a likeable character! He makes a meal out of the bad guys at times but don’t look in his freezer!
In this sequel Blake is aiming to kill Fred the ringleader of a torture empire on the dark web. Blake is claiming to be someone else who is now dead, unknown to Fred. He infiltrates their hideout and finds himself living amongst Fred and five other criminal psychopaths but he cleverly makes them believe he is their ally until he can kill them all off. One of the criminals is killed suspiciously and he realises somebody else in the house maybe planning the same thing.
Blake makes another shocking discovery at the house, the psychopaths have been hiding something that he will eventually risk his life for.
The scenes in the book are quite violent, particularly the meat grinder scene which is horrific and nail biting.
Each chapter is prefaced with a challenging riddle that is fun to decipher. I believe the answers are on the author’s website.
I have to admit I’ve become a big fan of Timothy Blake and his evil escapades. A recommended well paced read for those that can handle something a little shocking but cleverly entertaining!
I wish to thank Allen & Unwin for the generous opportunity to win an advanced copy of the book
February 26, 2021
Timothy Blake is back in Jack Heath's third book of the series and this time he's determined to kill a criminal ringleader, disposing of his body in the his favourite way. Hideout picks up from where Hunter left us with Blake standing outside an isolated farmhouse confronting Fred, the man he has come to kill with only a hammer hidden in his waistband. However, he wasn’t expecting that Fred would have a team of other psychopaths living with him out here in the woods. A team that calls themselves ‘The Guards’, abducting criminals (such as terrorists, rapists, pedophiles) who’ve escaped justice through the court system and torturing them to make violence porn to sell to subscribers on the dark web. Blake realises the only solution is for him to infiltrate the group and hope his undercover alias as one of their collaborators will hold up.
Hideout is a darkly clever thriller with touches of black humour. Blake is a flawed hero, who thinks he deserves to die, meaning he has nothing to lose in taking on Fred and his group. He has his own sense of morality which means he will risk much to protect the innocent and bring justice to those who deserve it. Although violent in places (and not for the faint hearted), the suspense and twists in the plot ensures a hugely entertaining and engaging read.
Hideout is a darkly clever thriller with touches of black humour. Blake is a flawed hero, who thinks he deserves to die, meaning he has nothing to lose in taking on Fred and his group. He has his own sense of morality which means he will risk much to protect the innocent and bring justice to those who deserve it. Although violent in places (and not for the faint hearted), the suspense and twists in the plot ensures a hugely entertaining and engaging read.
April 1, 2021
This was so BLOODY good. I think I am quite funny right there.
Ok let me tell you a few things, and see if this piques interest, disdain, disgust, confusion or horror.
• Blood
• Gore
• Guts
• Dismemberment
• Bones splintering
• Bones swallowing
• Limbs amputated
• Meat grinder
• Torture
• Being trapped
• Civil liberties? None
• Chains
• Flesh consumerism
• Treachery
• Riot
• Dark web
• Criminality
• Immorality
• Rank and odorous
Need I go on?
Jack Heath has had an illustrious career, I only just recently received one of his emails telling his readers how far he has come in the last 20 years (don’t quite quote me, I deleted the email!). He reflected on his matured writing and almost churned out one book for every year of his life. How good is that, and how lucky are we!
Timothy Blake returns to our pages (or in my experience the audio format) for the third installment, with the first sentence picking up directly from number two, hammer at the ready, and Blake ready to hunt down the villain responsible for a deadly business which quite frankly, involves all of the above. This is quelled straight away as we realise there is a house full of monsters to be dealt with by the lone Blake.
Blake, a ‘civilian’ FBI operative is not normal, he has a fetish that unfortunately he cannot quench. He is not a weak or timid man and is ready to attack this man responsible for all things deplorable. But this man is not alone, and what ensues is messy, dark, and gruesome all the way.
Blake is a man we want to gun for, and that I do. There is a lot of cat and mouse, he thinks so fast on his feet and never is there a dull moment.
Awful characters and such clever and witty dialogue, this author is very skilled.
Something that fascinates me is Jack Heath’s seemingly perfect capturing of American culture, I believe it really is spot on and would be curious to know what his American readers would think.
Agent Reese Thistle again is joining him, although with truths come to light, we don’t quite get the ending Blake (or us readers) may desire.
I will always look forward to reading more of JH, and frustratingly so I have misplaced two younger reader books I had the pleasure of being gifted by the author himself when he and a book group met for lunch a while back. I must find these books!
This series obviously isn’t for everyone, but it is quality writing which I wholeheartedly recommend to those willing and game.
Ok let me tell you a few things, and see if this piques interest, disdain, disgust, confusion or horror.
• Blood
• Gore
• Guts
• Dismemberment
• Bones splintering
• Bones swallowing
• Limbs amputated
• Meat grinder
• Torture
• Being trapped
• Civil liberties? None
• Chains
• Flesh consumerism
• Treachery
• Riot
• Dark web
• Criminality
• Immorality
• Rank and odorous
Need I go on?
Jack Heath has had an illustrious career, I only just recently received one of his emails telling his readers how far he has come in the last 20 years (don’t quite quote me, I deleted the email!). He reflected on his matured writing and almost churned out one book for every year of his life. How good is that, and how lucky are we!
Timothy Blake returns to our pages (or in my experience the audio format) for the third installment, with the first sentence picking up directly from number two, hammer at the ready, and Blake ready to hunt down the villain responsible for a deadly business which quite frankly, involves all of the above. This is quelled straight away as we realise there is a house full of monsters to be dealt with by the lone Blake.
Blake, a ‘civilian’ FBI operative is not normal, he has a fetish that unfortunately he cannot quench. He is not a weak or timid man and is ready to attack this man responsible for all things deplorable. But this man is not alone, and what ensues is messy, dark, and gruesome all the way.
Blake is a man we want to gun for, and that I do. There is a lot of cat and mouse, he thinks so fast on his feet and never is there a dull moment.
Awful characters and such clever and witty dialogue, this author is very skilled.
Something that fascinates me is Jack Heath’s seemingly perfect capturing of American culture, I believe it really is spot on and would be curious to know what his American readers would think.
Agent Reese Thistle again is joining him, although with truths come to light, we don’t quite get the ending Blake (or us readers) may desire.
I will always look forward to reading more of JH, and frustratingly so I have misplaced two younger reader books I had the pleasure of being gifted by the author himself when he and a book group met for lunch a while back. I must find these books!
This series obviously isn’t for everyone, but it is quality writing which I wholeheartedly recommend to those willing and game.
March 6, 2021
Much better than the last book! We're back to four stars yay :)
The plot of book 3 sees our favourite cannibal posing as a bad guy in a house full of bad guys. It's tense and terrifying and kept me guessing the whole time.
I enjoyed the characters, although I did feel they weren't as well developed as they could have been. Donnie, Cedric and Samson were mostly interchangeable in my mind, and I wanted to get to know Fred and Zara a lot better than we did.
There was a bit of mystery to this one, too, so coupled with Blake's hiding in plain sight it became quite a tense thriller. I liked the twists and turns the book took, and spent most of it wondering how it was all going to play out.
By now, the cannibal angle is getting a little old, and I still can't quite get a good grip on Blake as a character, so the romance between him and Thistle still doesn't work for me. Sometimes he seems like he's supposed to be a bit of an action anti-hero, but then other times he's a nerd? Also wasn't sold on the Kyle business. That seemed really ill-fitted and I'm not entirely sure what the point of it was.
It all happened rather fast, though, and only my busy schedule kept me from devouring it all in one or two sittings. It's easy to read, and to follow, and while it's lacking a bit of depth and logic it's definitely a fun, crazy story.
Overall, I did enjoy this much more than the second book but I think the first is still my favourite. I'd still recommend the series, though, as it's taking some interesting turns!
Oh! The riddles have kind of lost me now though. I'm too lazy to puzzle them out at the start of every chapter!
The plot of book 3 sees our favourite cannibal posing as a bad guy in a house full of bad guys. It's tense and terrifying and kept me guessing the whole time.
I enjoyed the characters, although I did feel they weren't as well developed as they could have been. Donnie, Cedric and Samson were mostly interchangeable in my mind, and I wanted to get to know Fred and Zara a lot better than we did.
There was a bit of mystery to this one, too, so coupled with Blake's hiding in plain sight it became quite a tense thriller. I liked the twists and turns the book took, and spent most of it wondering how it was all going to play out.
By now, the cannibal angle is getting a little old, and I still can't quite get a good grip on Blake as a character, so the romance between him and Thistle still doesn't work for me. Sometimes he seems like he's supposed to be a bit of an action anti-hero, but then other times he's a nerd? Also wasn't sold on the Kyle business. That seemed really ill-fitted and I'm not entirely sure what the point of it was.
It all happened rather fast, though, and only my busy schedule kept me from devouring it all in one or two sittings. It's easy to read, and to follow, and while it's lacking a bit of depth and logic it's definitely a fun, crazy story.
Overall, I did enjoy this much more than the second book but I think the first is still my favourite. I'd still recommend the series, though, as it's taking some interesting turns!
Oh! The riddles have kind of lost me now though. I'm too lazy to puzzle them out at the start of every chapter!
January 28, 2022
Like a pair of comfy slippers; filthy, torn, malodorous, but comfortable nonetheless. That's how I felt about this most recent outing with literature's ultimate anti-hero. Now that the shock and curiosity about Timothy Blake's secret has worn off a little, author Jack Heath has done something very clever here. Blake's nature hasn't changed - we know that because we are inside his head and know what he is thinking/obsessing about - but the focus has shifted away from that one defining characteristic. So in Hideout, we get the best of both worlds. Our favourite anthropophagite, in a kick-ass, chilling, but more mainstream (less niche) thriller.
The story ends with an interesting new path opening up for Blake - I hope this means the series will continue.
The story ends with an interesting new path opening up for Blake - I hope this means the series will continue.
April 17, 2023
Just a reminder (or a heads up if you haven’t read any books in the series), Timothy Blake is a cannibal. He is motivated by the promise of getting his next feed, and the food he craves is human flesh. This is just a so’s you know in case that kind of thing turns your stomach and you’re thinking about reading Hideout.
The story opens with Blake arriving at the hideout of a group of seven people holding others captive, filming them for viewers on a dark web site and, based on a public poll, murdering them on camera. He’s there posing as Lux, a hopeful new recruit. But his goal is not to take down the criminals or, necessarily, to save the captives. His motivation for being there is because these reprehensible people represent a food source that he hopes to cash in on. After all, he’s SO hungry!
Infiltrating a murderer’s hideout under an assumed name ensures you’re always on your guard, taking care over every word you utter while also trying to extract every piece of valuable information possible. This is the tightrope that Blake is constantly walking and it ensures the tension is ramped right up during every moment.
Gradually, we learn a little bit about each of the Guards who are charged with holding their captives, maintaining the website upon which the condemned appear and, ultimately committing murder. They’re all there for altruistic reasons with weird double standards over things like practising vegetarianism because eating meat is destroying the earth, yet they have no compunction over their treatment of their hostages.
Blake quickly comes to the conclusion that he’s thrown his lot in with a bunch of lunatics, but this makes them no less delicious in his eyes.
This is a twisted thriller that becomes far more complicated than it first appears. Neither the guards nor the captives are who they first appear to be, Blake’s cover story is not as rock solid as he first assumes it is and he discovers he’s sitting on a tinderbox that could blow sky high at any time.
Once again, Blake demonstrates some quality investigative skills as he reasons his way through a murder, the underlying motivations of the leader of the team and the way he might be able to get himself out of a situation that is becoming increasingly dangerous to his health.
Although this is a thriller that deals with some of the most confronting and dark themes possible, it is also scattered with moments of wicked humour.
Blake is carrying some crippling flaws (cannibalism being but one of them) and appears to have reached the point where he would welcome death should it come. He’s the ultimate anti-hero and I feel I shouldn’t be on his side. I should be disgusted by him, turned off by the deeply deranged mentality that drives him. But, I’ve got to admit, I’m fully on board 3 books in and can’t wait to find out what he’s going to get himself into next.
The story opens with Blake arriving at the hideout of a group of seven people holding others captive, filming them for viewers on a dark web site and, based on a public poll, murdering them on camera. He’s there posing as Lux, a hopeful new recruit. But his goal is not to take down the criminals or, necessarily, to save the captives. His motivation for being there is because these reprehensible people represent a food source that he hopes to cash in on. After all, he’s SO hungry!
Infiltrating a murderer’s hideout under an assumed name ensures you’re always on your guard, taking care over every word you utter while also trying to extract every piece of valuable information possible. This is the tightrope that Blake is constantly walking and it ensures the tension is ramped right up during every moment.
Gradually, we learn a little bit about each of the Guards who are charged with holding their captives, maintaining the website upon which the condemned appear and, ultimately committing murder. They’re all there for altruistic reasons with weird double standards over things like practising vegetarianism because eating meat is destroying the earth, yet they have no compunction over their treatment of their hostages.
Blake quickly comes to the conclusion that he’s thrown his lot in with a bunch of lunatics, but this makes them no less delicious in his eyes.
This is a twisted thriller that becomes far more complicated than it first appears. Neither the guards nor the captives are who they first appear to be, Blake’s cover story is not as rock solid as he first assumes it is and he discovers he’s sitting on a tinderbox that could blow sky high at any time.
Once again, Blake demonstrates some quality investigative skills as he reasons his way through a murder, the underlying motivations of the leader of the team and the way he might be able to get himself out of a situation that is becoming increasingly dangerous to his health.
Although this is a thriller that deals with some of the most confronting and dark themes possible, it is also scattered with moments of wicked humour.
Blake is carrying some crippling flaws (cannibalism being but one of them) and appears to have reached the point where he would welcome death should it come. He’s the ultimate anti-hero and I feel I shouldn’t be on his side. I should be disgusted by him, turned off by the deeply deranged mentality that drives him. But, I’ve got to admit, I’m fully on board 3 books in and can’t wait to find out what he’s going to get himself into next.
November 17, 2020
Hideout is the third book in the Timothy Blake series by award-winning Australian author, Jack Heath. The plan had been for Timothy Blake to kill Fred with the hammer stuffed down his waistband, enjoy a last meal (Fred), then suicide, removing his own monstrous presence from the world. But that all goes awry when Fred mentions that his five close friends (of the same murderous inclinations) are here, eager to meet him.
Blake is introduced to the others, a group calling themselves The Guards, and shown around the remote forest mansion. The Guard engage in something that Blake unwittingly, but to their delight, dubs “Justice Porn”: they kidnap offenders (paedophiles, rapists, domestic abusers, scammers, white supremacists) who have been released by the justice system and film their torture and murder for viewing by internet subscribers on the dark web. A group of such people is currently held captive there for the Guards’, and his pleasure.
One tiny complication is that the Guards believe him to be Shannon Luxford aka Lux, one of their prolific torture video contributors, but Lux was Blake’s latest victim, now buried in Huntsville State Park. Thus our favourite cannibalistic monster is trying to fool a house full of monsters into believing that he is a different sort of monster (one he only ever met twice). If any of them twigs to his true identity, things might get rather unpleasant. The best solution would be to kill them all…
Blake knows he could call the police, “But then I wouldn’t get to eat the Guards. A thousand pounds of meat, wasted.” He does face a dilemma, though: “I only eat bad people. It’s not much of a moral code but it’s what I have. The Guards have a similar policy. Which puts me into a difficult position, ethically… Is it bad to kill people who only kill bad people?”
But before Blake gets a chance to indulge, an intruder triggers the motion sensor cameras in the surrounding trees, then one of the Guards is shot dead. As Blake maintains his act with each of the remaining Guards, he makes an unsettling personal discovery, and then a new torture candidate arrives to change the whole game.
Once again, Heath gives the reader an engrossing (although some might say gross) read with an excellent plot, some clever twists and a dramatic climax. The story neatly illustrates power of the internet and social media. As with past books in the series, Heath prefaces each chapter with a riddle, a clue to which appears in that chapter. Again, there are spoilers for the previous book(s) so it is important to read this series in order.
Blake’s inner monologue and his unsaid asides are often laugh-out-loud (if darkly) comical: “I pick up a bread knife. It’s been years since I used one of these on actual bread. The serrated edge is perfect for sawing through tendons.”
In this instalment, Blake has a close encounter with a human-sized meat grinder, performs an autopsy, has a mishap with pepper spray, and finds himself running customer support for a dark web torture site. Lacking the opportunity to dine on any of them, and because the Guards are environmentally conscious vegetarians, our favourite cannibal remains ravenously hungry for most of the novel.
There’s plenty of dark irony, especially regarding what the prisoners are fed and their ultimate fate, and this is probably not a book to read while eating or on public transport. If Heath keeps chopping bits off his protagonist, he’ll need to get quite creative with further books in the series, but given his previous work, that’s unlikely to be too much of a challenge for this talented author. Blackly funny and enormously entertaining: fans will not be disappointed in this latest taste of Timothy Blake.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.
Blake is introduced to the others, a group calling themselves The Guards, and shown around the remote forest mansion. The Guard engage in something that Blake unwittingly, but to their delight, dubs “Justice Porn”: they kidnap offenders (paedophiles, rapists, domestic abusers, scammers, white supremacists) who have been released by the justice system and film their torture and murder for viewing by internet subscribers on the dark web. A group of such people is currently held captive there for the Guards’, and his pleasure.
One tiny complication is that the Guards believe him to be Shannon Luxford aka Lux, one of their prolific torture video contributors, but Lux was Blake’s latest victim, now buried in Huntsville State Park. Thus our favourite cannibalistic monster is trying to fool a house full of monsters into believing that he is a different sort of monster (one he only ever met twice). If any of them twigs to his true identity, things might get rather unpleasant. The best solution would be to kill them all…
Blake knows he could call the police, “But then I wouldn’t get to eat the Guards. A thousand pounds of meat, wasted.” He does face a dilemma, though: “I only eat bad people. It’s not much of a moral code but it’s what I have. The Guards have a similar policy. Which puts me into a difficult position, ethically… Is it bad to kill people who only kill bad people?”
But before Blake gets a chance to indulge, an intruder triggers the motion sensor cameras in the surrounding trees, then one of the Guards is shot dead. As Blake maintains his act with each of the remaining Guards, he makes an unsettling personal discovery, and then a new torture candidate arrives to change the whole game.
Once again, Heath gives the reader an engrossing (although some might say gross) read with an excellent plot, some clever twists and a dramatic climax. The story neatly illustrates power of the internet and social media. As with past books in the series, Heath prefaces each chapter with a riddle, a clue to which appears in that chapter. Again, there are spoilers for the previous book(s) so it is important to read this series in order.
Blake’s inner monologue and his unsaid asides are often laugh-out-loud (if darkly) comical: “I pick up a bread knife. It’s been years since I used one of these on actual bread. The serrated edge is perfect for sawing through tendons.”
In this instalment, Blake has a close encounter with a human-sized meat grinder, performs an autopsy, has a mishap with pepper spray, and finds himself running customer support for a dark web torture site. Lacking the opportunity to dine on any of them, and because the Guards are environmentally conscious vegetarians, our favourite cannibal remains ravenously hungry for most of the novel.
There’s plenty of dark irony, especially regarding what the prisoners are fed and their ultimate fate, and this is probably not a book to read while eating or on public transport. If Heath keeps chopping bits off his protagonist, he’ll need to get quite creative with further books in the series, but given his previous work, that’s unlikely to be too much of a challenge for this talented author. Blackly funny and enormously entertaining: fans will not be disappointed in this latest taste of Timothy Blake.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.
November 22, 2020
This book is strangely entertaining. The “hero” is Timothy Blake, an FBI civilian consultant gone rogue . He wants to kill Fred, the leader of a dark web torture site but when he gets to the isolated Texas house, he discovers there’s five other psychopaths there so he passes himself off as one of them (which is pretty easy for him when you know his own psychopathy!). It’s not a nice book, there’s lots of violence,cruelty etc and none of the characters are particularly likeable but it’s also funny and clever.
I haven’t read the first two books (I won this in a giveaway) but I can see why they’d be popular.
Each chapter begins with a riddle, I was pleased when I could solve them, but I don’t think I got them all !(eg “The roof of this war machine goes great with your jeans, what am I?).
My favourite part of the book was the name of the invented “anti mascot”, a hate figure for all their online customers , Emmanuel Goldstein. Neither Blake or the guy telling him, (nor their customers it seems) know where this name comes from so it made me laugh.
A solid thriller/murder/crime novel that moves along quickly with an end that suggests there’ll be more in this series.
I haven’t read the first two books (I won this in a giveaway) but I can see why they’d be popular.
Each chapter begins with a riddle, I was pleased when I could solve them, but I don’t think I got them all !(eg “The roof of this war machine goes great with your jeans, what am I?).
My favourite part of the book was the name of the invented “anti mascot”, a hate figure for all their online customers , Emmanuel Goldstein. Neither Blake or the guy telling him, (nor their customers it seems) know where this name comes from so it made me laugh.
A solid thriller/murder/crime novel that moves along quickly with an end that suggests there’ll be more in this series.
March 1, 2024
It's easy to convince yourself something is okay. You can come up with all sorts of rationalisations, reshaping the world so you're a hero, or at least not an asshole. But it's much harder to convince yourself that other people will think it's okay.
You can take a bite out of a corpse and tell yourself he felt no pain, and that he was a bad guy anyway. But you're not going to tell anyone else you did it, ever. You know they won't see your point of view. Because, deep down, you know your point of view is bullshit.
Possibly, Tim, that is a bit more of a niche situation to find yourself stuck in than you're imagining at that point in the book.
But Hideout, book 3 in the series (or book 2B, kind of, picking up on the next sentence from the end of book 2), is actually where Tim does find at least a little measure of some redemption, proving there are people out there happily doing things that make long-time cannibal criminals just horrified. And surprise, they're on the internet.
A lot of what I enjoyed about this book was the absence - Tim's undercover, in a new sense than the usual, and being cut off from some of his usual surroundings and coping mechanisms showed the character in a new and better light. There's still no sugarcoating who he is, he's just a little easier to find myself on the side of.
Again, the core story is a solid one, and I'm intrigued to find out where book 4 goes. But a caution, again, that if you're on the fence about these books and find body horror too far, I don't think this is for you. There's a lot of positive reviews, but I just don't think people who aren't into it, or able to read around it, would make it through any of these books.
You can take a bite out of a corpse and tell yourself he felt no pain, and that he was a bad guy anyway. But you're not going to tell anyone else you did it, ever. You know they won't see your point of view. Because, deep down, you know your point of view is bullshit.
Possibly, Tim, that is a bit more of a niche situation to find yourself stuck in than you're imagining at that point in the book.
But Hideout, book 3 in the series (or book 2B, kind of, picking up on the next sentence from the end of book 2), is actually where Tim does find at least a little measure of some redemption, proving there are people out there happily doing things that make long-time cannibal criminals just horrified. And surprise, they're on the internet.
A lot of what I enjoyed about this book was the absence - Tim's undercover, in a new sense than the usual, and being cut off from some of his usual surroundings and coping mechanisms showed the character in a new and better light. There's still no sugarcoating who he is, he's just a little easier to find myself on the side of.
Again, the core story is a solid one, and I'm intrigued to find out where book 4 goes. But a caution, again, that if you're on the fence about these books and find body horror too far, I don't think this is for you. There's a lot of positive reviews, but I just don't think people who aren't into it, or able to read around it, would make it through any of these books.
March 23, 2023
4.5 stars
Not as gory as his other two books in the Timothy Blake series but just as good and just as unsettling.
Timothy Blake…Oh, Timmy, you blow my mind.
Action-packed.
Violence.
Torture.
A hammer.
Meat Grinder. Eek!
Horror. Naturally!
Humour… course there is.
Slaughterhouse in the woods, middle of nowhere, Texas.
Leaves you feeling a little claustrophobic and icky.
Still, ’Tis a page turner, that’s for sure.
Love this series and look forward to reading Headcase, book #4
BorrowBox
Published by Bolinda audio
Narrator Christopher Ragland - Amazing!
Duration: 11 hrs, 55 min.
Not as gory as his other two books in the Timothy Blake series but just as good and just as unsettling.
Timothy Blake…Oh, Timmy, you blow my mind.
Action-packed.
Violence.
Torture.
A hammer.
Meat Grinder. Eek!
Horror. Naturally!
Humour… course there is.
Slaughterhouse in the woods, middle of nowhere, Texas.
Leaves you feeling a little claustrophobic and icky.
Still, ’Tis a page turner, that’s for sure.
Love this series and look forward to reading Headcase, book #4
BorrowBox
Published by Bolinda audio
Narrator Christopher Ragland - Amazing!
Duration: 11 hrs, 55 min.
May 4, 2022
Hideout (Timothy Blake #3) by Jack Heath
Synopsis /
Timothy Blake has nothing to lose. He's headed to an isolated house in rural Texas with a hammer in his pocket and murder on his mind. His target is Fred, the ringleader of a criminal empire on the dark web. Once Fred is gone, Blake can disappear for good.
But it turns out that Fred isn't alone. Five other psychopaths live in the house. They work together and call themselves the Guards. Torture, extortion and death are their business. Blake manages to convince them that he's one of their online associates. Soon they think he's a monster, like them. They're not wrong.
Blake decides to pick them off one by one. But when a Guard is found with a bullet in his skull, Blake realises that someone else in the house may have the same idea - and he might be their next target.
Meanwhile, who are the desperate people chained up in the building behind the house? One of them will change everything.
My Thoughts /
Hideout, is the third crime thriller book in the Timothy Blake series and is written by Australian author, Jack Heath.
— Hangman;
— Hunter; and
— Hideout.
I see a pattern forming here. However, we do need a fourth book Mr Heath - so here's a few suggestions I've come up with on the fly —
— Hacked;
— Habitat;
— Hated;
— Hammer;
— Highway;
— Honour.
If you have not read my previous reviews on this series; here's a quick summary of our unconventional protagonist, Timothy Blake — part time FBI consultant \ full time cannibal. If you are easily shocked by anything slightly immodest or are easily nauseated by the thought of cannibalism - fear not!! Because, in this instalment, the only thing Mr Blake was able to lay his hands on is a roast chook!!
We're clustered on the front porch. Fred has switched off the security lamps. He points at each of us in turn, and then jabs his finger towards a different part of the forest. Apparently we're splitting up. Works for me. If the hiker is a cop, and I have to explain that I'm not a psychopath - just an FBI consultant who eats psychopaths - I'd rather the others weren't within earshot.
To the story — Hideout begins right where Hunter left off — quite literally. The last line of book two reads 'The other guys?’ I say. and the first line of book three? 'The other guys?’ I say. I love this subtle attention to detail. And again, Heath has Blake facing more moral dilemmas than any self-respecting cannibal should. The plan was simple: kill Fred, then myself.
In an isolated house, deep in the Texas wilderness live a group of psychopaths known to each other as 'The Guards'. Blake was running an off-the-books assignment where he was tasked with locating this house and rescuing the civilians which were being held prisoner. Each of these civilians is believed (by The Guards) to have committed crimes for which they should be held accountable. The Guards run a website hidden on the dark web, and post videos of the prisoners being sadistically punished - which are then viewed by their on-line subscribers. Blake, stumbles across the house almost by chance, and quickly adopts the persona of one of the group's on-line subscribers, Shannon Luxford [known as Lux]. Fortuitously for Blake, the group only knows Lux by name - no-one has ever actually met him. While posing as Lux, Blake uncovers the truth about The Guard's 'operation' - selling videos to people who are willing to pay to watch others being tortured or killed.
I don't want to be mistaken for one of the bad guys and arrested or shot. I am a bad guy, of course. But I'm a different kind of bad guy. It feels like the distinction should matter.
In an effort to free the prisoners, Blake has to decide what he's going to do with The Guards. He could, he surmises, always kill them, bury them and eat them later.
Samson is about my age - maybe slightly younger, thirty-one or thirty-two. His clear blue eyes and perfectly straight teeth give him a movie star smile. Despite the cold, he's wearing a tank top and shorts. I can smell his sweat from a recent workout. He's pre-salted.
But before he can take anyone out, one of 'The Guards' is discovered dead in his bedroom. The crime scene suggests suicide but Blake is immediately suspicious. Things kick into high gear when Blake is exposed as an imposter and he himself becomes a prisoner.
I really like how Heath portrays Timothy Blake, he isn’t your typical action hero. He does have a few redeemable qualities: Blake is intelligent, scarily smart; he's resourceful; he can think on the fly; he does have 'some' moral fiber - he will readily admit that he only 'eats' bad guys. Despite the violence, Hideout is a hugely entertaining continuation of the Timothy Blake series - which has been interspersed with (dark) humour, and the quirky riddles which lead into each chapter.
I can’t wait for the next in the series. I hope there is a next in the series. Please tell me there will be a next in the series!!!!
Synopsis /
Timothy Blake has nothing to lose. He's headed to an isolated house in rural Texas with a hammer in his pocket and murder on his mind. His target is Fred, the ringleader of a criminal empire on the dark web. Once Fred is gone, Blake can disappear for good.
But it turns out that Fred isn't alone. Five other psychopaths live in the house. They work together and call themselves the Guards. Torture, extortion and death are their business. Blake manages to convince them that he's one of their online associates. Soon they think he's a monster, like them. They're not wrong.
Blake decides to pick them off one by one. But when a Guard is found with a bullet in his skull, Blake realises that someone else in the house may have the same idea - and he might be their next target.
Meanwhile, who are the desperate people chained up in the building behind the house? One of them will change everything.
My Thoughts /
Hideout, is the third crime thriller book in the Timothy Blake series and is written by Australian author, Jack Heath.
— Hangman;
— Hunter; and
— Hideout.
I see a pattern forming here. However, we do need a fourth book Mr Heath - so here's a few suggestions I've come up with on the fly —
— Hacked;
— Habitat;
— Hated;
— Hammer;
— Highway;
— Honour.
If you have not read my previous reviews on this series; here's a quick summary of our unconventional protagonist, Timothy Blake — part time FBI consultant \ full time cannibal. If you are easily shocked by anything slightly immodest or are easily nauseated by the thought of cannibalism - fear not!! Because, in this instalment, the only thing Mr Blake was able to lay his hands on is a roast chook!!
We're clustered on the front porch. Fred has switched off the security lamps. He points at each of us in turn, and then jabs his finger towards a different part of the forest. Apparently we're splitting up. Works for me. If the hiker is a cop, and I have to explain that I'm not a psychopath - just an FBI consultant who eats psychopaths - I'd rather the others weren't within earshot.
To the story — Hideout begins right where Hunter left off — quite literally. The last line of book two reads 'The other guys?’ I say. and the first line of book three? 'The other guys?’ I say. I love this subtle attention to detail. And again, Heath has Blake facing more moral dilemmas than any self-respecting cannibal should. The plan was simple: kill Fred, then myself.
In an isolated house, deep in the Texas wilderness live a group of psychopaths known to each other as 'The Guards'. Blake was running an off-the-books assignment where he was tasked with locating this house and rescuing the civilians which were being held prisoner. Each of these civilians is believed (by The Guards) to have committed crimes for which they should be held accountable. The Guards run a website hidden on the dark web, and post videos of the prisoners being sadistically punished - which are then viewed by their on-line subscribers. Blake, stumbles across the house almost by chance, and quickly adopts the persona of one of the group's on-line subscribers, Shannon Luxford [known as Lux]. Fortuitously for Blake, the group only knows Lux by name - no-one has ever actually met him. While posing as Lux, Blake uncovers the truth about The Guard's 'operation' - selling videos to people who are willing to pay to watch others being tortured or killed.
I don't want to be mistaken for one of the bad guys and arrested or shot. I am a bad guy, of course. But I'm a different kind of bad guy. It feels like the distinction should matter.
In an effort to free the prisoners, Blake has to decide what he's going to do with The Guards. He could, he surmises, always kill them, bury them and eat them later.
Samson is about my age - maybe slightly younger, thirty-one or thirty-two. His clear blue eyes and perfectly straight teeth give him a movie star smile. Despite the cold, he's wearing a tank top and shorts. I can smell his sweat from a recent workout. He's pre-salted.
But before he can take anyone out, one of 'The Guards' is discovered dead in his bedroom. The crime scene suggests suicide but Blake is immediately suspicious. Things kick into high gear when Blake is exposed as an imposter and he himself becomes a prisoner.
I really like how Heath portrays Timothy Blake, he isn’t your typical action hero. He does have a few redeemable qualities: Blake is intelligent, scarily smart; he's resourceful; he can think on the fly; he does have 'some' moral fiber - he will readily admit that he only 'eats' bad guys. Despite the violence, Hideout is a hugely entertaining continuation of the Timothy Blake series - which has been interspersed with (dark) humour, and the quirky riddles which lead into each chapter.
I can’t wait for the next in the series. I hope there is a next in the series. Please tell me there will be a next in the series!!!!
December 9, 2020
Guess who's back? Timothy Blake is back in Hideout, the third novel in this fantastically gritty and bloody crime series written by Australian author Jack Heath. We first met Blake in
Hangman
when we learned he was a cannibal working as a consultant with the FBI. In
Hunter
, we found him providing body disposal services for a crime lord and Hideout kicks off immediately after the closing events in Hunter.
Blake starts out with nothing to lose. Torn up by the loss of his love interest FBI Agent Reese Thistle, he's determined to stick it to a bad guy and disappear. Instead, Blake quickly finds himself in a perilous undercover situation which challenges his morals and his will to survive.
"I'm being paranoid. A common problem. Once you've done enough bad things, it's impossible not to imagine them being done to you." Page 52
The tension and action is palpable and Heath has taken Blake's character farther than I ever imagined. It's this unexpected plot development that makes this dark and grisly series so uniquely refreshing.
Blake is an intelligent, clever and oddly funny anti-hero, and the reader can't help but hope he succeeds in his endeavours, despite knowing about his gruesome proclivities. Blake thinks quick on his feet and is only too aware of his flaws. However he continues to struggle with his inner demons in the series; wanting to be a better person yet readily identifying with the bad guys.
This is my favourite Australian crime series of all time and author Jack Heath has certainly outdone himself again. Wow, what a talent! But the best part of Hideout was knowing the direction Blake might take in the future and I'm so ready for it.
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *
Blake starts out with nothing to lose. Torn up by the loss of his love interest FBI Agent Reese Thistle, he's determined to stick it to a bad guy and disappear. Instead, Blake quickly finds himself in a perilous undercover situation which challenges his morals and his will to survive.
"I'm being paranoid. A common problem. Once you've done enough bad things, it's impossible not to imagine them being done to you." Page 52
The tension and action is palpable and Heath has taken Blake's character farther than I ever imagined. It's this unexpected plot development that makes this dark and grisly series so uniquely refreshing.
Blake is an intelligent, clever and oddly funny anti-hero, and the reader can't help but hope he succeeds in his endeavours, despite knowing about his gruesome proclivities. Blake thinks quick on his feet and is only too aware of his flaws. However he continues to struggle with his inner demons in the series; wanting to be a better person yet readily identifying with the bad guys.
This is my favourite Australian crime series of all time and author Jack Heath has certainly outdone himself again. Wow, what a talent! But the best part of Hideout was knowing the direction Blake might take in the future and I'm so ready for it.
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *
November 18, 2020
A slightly gruesome and macabre story, and a gripping read at that. It’s quite a twisted tale where the hero is just as bad as the villains, so you are actually not sure if you want to empathise with his pursuit. Was I just horrified by it all? Was I indeed more frightened by Blake than Fred and his clan of vigilantes saving the world from other evil people? He was an uncomfortable character no matter what his intentions were. I still don’t know if Blake is a tormented soul or whether he is a callous psychopath just like the ones he wants to hunt down. The Guards are no less likeable even though they are painted lightly with a veneer of normality to entice the reader to make a connection with them a well. But ultimately how do you make a connection with evil? How does one pretty up evil? I think Jack Heath is very skilled in building these arguments - who is the lesser of two evils, and how do you align to evil knowing that it is still the safer option to have?
Thank you Allen & Unwin for the ARC.
Thank you Allen & Unwin for the ARC.
November 12, 2020
This book is bonkers and it shouldn't work, but Heath pulls it off with style. Absolutely bananas fun and mayhem.
November 18, 2020
The best book in the series so far.
The book is very grounded in its setting and characters, which Heath builds upon to weave a great story. Heath really digs down into characters, and really fleshes them out as the novel continues.
Hopefully there’s more to come.
Not as gruesome as the other novels though, which makes me wonder whether Blake is addicted to cannibalism rather than a lifestyle he chooses - as Blake has some of the signs of addiction withdrawal throughout the novel. It makes more sense to me as I continue thinking about it.
However, what I really disliked about this novel is that it continues the trend of LGBT people being killed, mutilated or just generally being thrown in the mud in literature and films.
The book is very grounded in its setting and characters, which Heath builds upon to weave a great story. Heath really digs down into characters, and really fleshes them out as the novel continues.
Hopefully there’s more to come.
Not as gruesome as the other novels though, which makes me wonder whether Blake is addicted to cannibalism rather than a lifestyle he chooses - as Blake has some of the signs of addiction withdrawal throughout the novel. It makes more sense to me as I continue thinking about it.
However, what I really disliked about this novel is that it continues the trend of LGBT people being killed, mutilated or just generally being thrown in the mud in literature and films.
December 22, 2020
Hideout is the third book in the Timothy Blake series by award-winning Australian author, Jack Heath. The audio version is narrated by Christopher Ragland. The plan had been for Timothy Blake to kill Fred with the hammer stuffed down his waistband, enjoy a last meal (Fred), then suicide, removing his own monstrous presence from the world. But that all goes awry when Fred mentions that his five close friends (of the same murderous inclinations) are here, eager to meet him.
Blake is introduced to the others, a group calling themselves The Guards, and shown around the remote forest mansion. The Guard engage in something that Blake unwittingly, but to their delight, dubs “Justice Porn”: they kidnap offenders (paedophiles, rapists, domestic abusers, scammers, white supremacists) who have been released by the justice system and film their torture and murder for viewing by internet subscribers on the dark web. A group of such people is currently held captive there for the Guards’, and his pleasure.
One tiny complication is that the Guards believe him to be Shannon Luxford aka Lux, one of their prolific torture video contributors, but Lux was Blake’s latest victim, now buried in Huntsville State Park. Thus our favourite cannibalistic monster is trying to fool a house full of monsters into believing that he is a different sort of monster (one he only ever met twice). If any of them twigs to his true identity, things might get rather unpleasant. The best solution would be to kill them all…
Blake knows he could call the police, “But then I wouldn’t get to eat the Guards. A thousand pounds of meat, wasted.” He does face a dilemma, though: “I only eat bad people. It’s not much of a moral code but it’s what I have. The Guards have a similar policy. Which puts me into a difficult position, ethically… Is it bad to kill people who only kill bad people?”
But before Blake gets a chance to indulge, an intruder triggers the motion sensor cameras in the surrounding trees, then one of the Guards is shot dead. As Blake maintains his act with each of the remaining Guards, he makes an unsettling personal discovery, and then a new torture candidate arrives to change the whole game.
Once again, Heath gives the reader an engrossing (although some might say gross) read with an excellent plot, some clever twists and a dramatic climax. The story neatly illustrates power of the internet and social media. As with past books in the series, Heath prefaces each chapter with a riddle, a clue to which appears in that chapter. Again, there are spoilers for the previous book(s) so it is important to read this series in order.
Blake’s inner monologue and his unsaid asides are often laugh-out-loud (if darkly) comical: “I pick up a bread knife. It’s been years since I used one of these on actual bread. The serrated edge is perfect for sawing through tendons.”
In this instalment, Blake has a close encounter with a human-sized meat grinder, performs an autopsy, has a mishap with pepper spray, and finds himself running customer support for a dark web torture site. Lacking the opportunity to dine on any of them, and because the Guards are environmentally conscious vegetarians, our favourite cannibal remains ravenously hungry for most of the novel.
There’s plenty of dark irony, especially regarding what the prisoners are fed and their ultimate fate, and this is probably not a book to read while eating or on public transport. If Heath keeps chopping bits off his protagonist, he’ll need to get quite creative with further books in the series, but given his previous work, that’s unlikely to be too much of a challenge for this talented author. Blackly funny and enormously entertaining: fans will not be disappointed in this latest taste of Timothy Blake.
Blake is introduced to the others, a group calling themselves The Guards, and shown around the remote forest mansion. The Guard engage in something that Blake unwittingly, but to their delight, dubs “Justice Porn”: they kidnap offenders (paedophiles, rapists, domestic abusers, scammers, white supremacists) who have been released by the justice system and film their torture and murder for viewing by internet subscribers on the dark web. A group of such people is currently held captive there for the Guards’, and his pleasure.
One tiny complication is that the Guards believe him to be Shannon Luxford aka Lux, one of their prolific torture video contributors, but Lux was Blake’s latest victim, now buried in Huntsville State Park. Thus our favourite cannibalistic monster is trying to fool a house full of monsters into believing that he is a different sort of monster (one he only ever met twice). If any of them twigs to his true identity, things might get rather unpleasant. The best solution would be to kill them all…
Blake knows he could call the police, “But then I wouldn’t get to eat the Guards. A thousand pounds of meat, wasted.” He does face a dilemma, though: “I only eat bad people. It’s not much of a moral code but it’s what I have. The Guards have a similar policy. Which puts me into a difficult position, ethically… Is it bad to kill people who only kill bad people?”
But before Blake gets a chance to indulge, an intruder triggers the motion sensor cameras in the surrounding trees, then one of the Guards is shot dead. As Blake maintains his act with each of the remaining Guards, he makes an unsettling personal discovery, and then a new torture candidate arrives to change the whole game.
Once again, Heath gives the reader an engrossing (although some might say gross) read with an excellent plot, some clever twists and a dramatic climax. The story neatly illustrates power of the internet and social media. As with past books in the series, Heath prefaces each chapter with a riddle, a clue to which appears in that chapter. Again, there are spoilers for the previous book(s) so it is important to read this series in order.
Blake’s inner monologue and his unsaid asides are often laugh-out-loud (if darkly) comical: “I pick up a bread knife. It’s been years since I used one of these on actual bread. The serrated edge is perfect for sawing through tendons.”
In this instalment, Blake has a close encounter with a human-sized meat grinder, performs an autopsy, has a mishap with pepper spray, and finds himself running customer support for a dark web torture site. Lacking the opportunity to dine on any of them, and because the Guards are environmentally conscious vegetarians, our favourite cannibal remains ravenously hungry for most of the novel.
There’s plenty of dark irony, especially regarding what the prisoners are fed and their ultimate fate, and this is probably not a book to read while eating or on public transport. If Heath keeps chopping bits off his protagonist, he’ll need to get quite creative with further books in the series, but given his previous work, that’s unlikely to be too much of a challenge for this talented author. Blackly funny and enormously entertaining: fans will not be disappointed in this latest taste of Timothy Blake.
December 20, 2020
“Is it bad to kill people who kill people who only kill bad people?”
Regrettably, I didn’t have the opportunity to read Hangman or Hunter so Hideout is my first introduction to Jack Heath’s series featuring FBI consultant and cannibal, Timothy Blake.
Being unfamiliar with the protagonist’s back story didn’t seem to matter as such, Heath establishes Timothy’s state of mind as he stands with a hammer hidden in his back pocket ready to kill, and eat, the man who answers the door. Unfortunately, his target, Fred, is not alone and Timothy is forced to think fast when he finds himself in a nest full of psychopaths. The house, in rural Texas, hosts the members of the ‘Guard’, a group that abducts ‘deserving’ people (abusers, paedophiles, racists, terrorists, thieves etc) and then tortures them to death to entertain a dark web audience. Taking on the identity of a valuable contributor, Timothy needs to pretend he is one of them until he can figure out how kill them all.
Blake is one of the more unusual protagonists I’ve encountered, his desire for eating human flesh is undoubtedly repugnant, and yet he has a conscience and even a moral code that is respectable. Though he is intelligent, resourceful, and even brave, Blake is convinced he is a monster. Heath raises some interesting ethical questions when he compares Blake’s brand of monster with the monstrous behaviour of Fred and his cohorts.
There are some clever and intriguing twists that raises the stakes for Blake as the novel progresses. While struggling to maintain his cover, he has the captives in the barn to protect, the identity of an intruder to uncover, the puzzle of a murdered Guard to solve, and his lover to save. Be aware there are some unpleasantly explicit moments in the book, not unexpected, but which serve to enhance the tension and underscore the action.
Despite the violence and suspense, Hideout is also entertaining, studded with sly, dark humour, and quirky riddles which head each chapter. I really enjoyed this well paced, unique crime thriller, and hope to read more.
Regrettably, I didn’t have the opportunity to read Hangman or Hunter so Hideout is my first introduction to Jack Heath’s series featuring FBI consultant and cannibal, Timothy Blake.
Being unfamiliar with the protagonist’s back story didn’t seem to matter as such, Heath establishes Timothy’s state of mind as he stands with a hammer hidden in his back pocket ready to kill, and eat, the man who answers the door. Unfortunately, his target, Fred, is not alone and Timothy is forced to think fast when he finds himself in a nest full of psychopaths. The house, in rural Texas, hosts the members of the ‘Guard’, a group that abducts ‘deserving’ people (abusers, paedophiles, racists, terrorists, thieves etc) and then tortures them to death to entertain a dark web audience. Taking on the identity of a valuable contributor, Timothy needs to pretend he is one of them until he can figure out how kill them all.
Blake is one of the more unusual protagonists I’ve encountered, his desire for eating human flesh is undoubtedly repugnant, and yet he has a conscience and even a moral code that is respectable. Though he is intelligent, resourceful, and even brave, Blake is convinced he is a monster. Heath raises some interesting ethical questions when he compares Blake’s brand of monster with the monstrous behaviour of Fred and his cohorts.
There are some clever and intriguing twists that raises the stakes for Blake as the novel progresses. While struggling to maintain his cover, he has the captives in the barn to protect, the identity of an intruder to uncover, the puzzle of a murdered Guard to solve, and his lover to save. Be aware there are some unpleasantly explicit moments in the book, not unexpected, but which serve to enhance the tension and underscore the action.
Despite the violence and suspense, Hideout is also entertaining, studded with sly, dark humour, and quirky riddles which head each chapter. I really enjoyed this well paced, unique crime thriller, and hope to read more.
November 6, 2020
I was so lucky to win an advanced copy of Jack's new book and have just completed it. If you were on the fence... why would you be , but if you were, don't hesitate. This 3rd book in the Blake series is incredible, moving his story forward and I to new grounds. Thanks Jack for keeping us on our toes.
February 13, 2021
I never get tired of Timothy Blake.
Hideout is the third novel in the Blake series, and is clever, fast-paced, and fun! 'No-holds-barred' gets thrown around a lot but for the last 100 pages of this book? Accurate!
Hideout picks up directly where book 2 (Hunter) left off, and follows Blake over a tense week stuck in an isolated house with some bad people. I'm reminded of the Wreck It Ralph quote: "You are a bad guy, but you are not bad guy". Blake may be a morally grey cannibal but he's definitely the guy I'd want in my corner in the book.
The only subplot I didn't care for was Blake's 'connection' with one of the other characters, Kyle. It gave Blake different motivations than he otherwise would have had during this novel and informed some of his choices but it didn't really track for me. I love Blake but didn't buy his immediate paternal instincts for the younger character.
All in all, another terrific Timothy Blake read! I need at least 10 more in this series to be satisfied.
Hideout is the third novel in the Blake series, and is clever, fast-paced, and fun! 'No-holds-barred' gets thrown around a lot but for the last 100 pages of this book? Accurate!
Hideout picks up directly where book 2 (Hunter) left off, and follows Blake over a tense week stuck in an isolated house with some bad people. I'm reminded of the Wreck It Ralph quote: "You are a bad guy, but you are not bad guy". Blake may be a morally grey cannibal but he's definitely the guy I'd want in my corner in the book.
The only subplot I didn't care for was Blake's 'connection' with one of the other characters, Kyle. It gave Blake different motivations than he otherwise would have had during this novel and informed some of his choices but it didn't really track for me. I love Blake but didn't buy his immediate paternal instincts for the younger character.
All in all, another terrific Timothy Blake read! I need at least 10 more in this series to be satisfied.
Want to read
October 16, 2020Omg i can’t wait. My most anticipated book of the year🤩🤩🤩
November 28, 2020
I loved this book and it's my favourite in the series. Perhaps it's because we very much focus on the one crime (well, several in reality).
As the blurb notes, Blake intended to be 'in and out' here but finds himself inadvertently undercover and soon discovers that the evil deeds being perpetrated aren't quite what they seem. Well... they are still evil but the Guards aren't randomly picking the victims for their snuff films. It's probably a little too close to home for Blake who only 'eats' those who've done wrong. Although it has to be said, some of those he finds himself in league with here do like inflicting pain and death a little too much.
4.5 stars
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
As the blurb notes, Blake intended to be 'in and out' here but finds himself inadvertently undercover and soon discovers that the evil deeds being perpetrated aren't quite what they seem. Well... they are still evil but the Guards aren't randomly picking the victims for their snuff films. It's probably a little too close to home for Blake who only 'eats' those who've done wrong. Although it has to be said, some of those he finds himself in league with here do like inflicting pain and death a little too much.
4.5 stars
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
November 29, 2020
Went to the launch in Canberra today so was able to get my hands on this a couple of days early. It’s fantastic, I would say this series is improving as it develops. This twist on a detective novel with a loveable but twisted protagonist is still engaging and the character development of the new characters just goes to show how good a writer Heath is. Although a few new characters are brought in, at no point did I find myself going “wait, who is that again?”. A great stand alone read as it moves away from the Blake/Thistle dynamic as well.
December 11, 2020
I really would love to give this book a 6!
May 28, 2021
Hi everyone, Its Christopher the reader here and the book we are here to talk about tonight is Hideout. This Book is the 3rd in the series. When I was doing a bit of research I saw on GoodReads that the writer replied to a review that its likely that there will be a 4th book. I first read this book in May which took me a day to read. With me tonight I have the paperback, If I do find this book in hardback I will definitely go and buy it so that I will have the whole series in hardback. I am now going to talk about some of the book's details. The first book in the series was rated for readers 18 and up so I'm guessing it's the same rating for the 2nd book and also this one too. This book was first published on the first of December in 2020. It was told using first person with it being in Blake's point of view. The book had 45 chapters. with each chapter being around 7 pages and longer. All together the book had 404 pages.
- I liked the storyline, I found it really interesting.
- I liked that this book started straight where the 2nd one left off, I found it really easy to I get back into. I really liked the pacing and writing style, like with the 2nd book it was written in a way which I can say could be read as a stand-alone but I suggest that you read the books in order if you can, In my opinion I think that would be best. In book one we were introduced into the world and to the characters and we get a feel of the dark themes of the series. If you read this book as a stand-alone I think you would feel pretty overwhelmed. With this book I personally think that I would have liked it a bit more if the scene that explained a crime scene within the book was shortened down, as I felt like it made it drag slightly.
-I really enjoyed the mystery side of things within the book. I liked that mentions a bit about Blakes childhood within the book as it gives you a better insight into how he sees the world in the present. Something that I found cool was that at the beginning of every chapter, like with the two other books in the series is that it starts off with a new riddle. I thought it fitted in well in the book due to Blake's love of puzzles which was shown mostly in the first book. There was quite a lot of gore involved in the series but I think with what we read of Blake's dark sense of humour it helps to keep it from getting too heavy which I liked.
-I liked that in this book that we are introduced to new character's, I found it pretty easy to know who was who when reading the book I also liked that we got to see Thistle again in this book as I liked her character.
- I really liked the ending, the best part has to be that knowing the direction Blake might take in the future. If there is a 4th book I would love to see more of Vasquez as in this book I don't think he was mentioned at all and I really liked his character and the small scenes he shared with Blake and Thistle in the other two books, The only way we maybe see that in a 4th book will probably be if the two sides work together on a case or something which I think would be cool as we would maybe also see more of Thistle if she re-joined the FBI or something again, I would also love to read more about the new person that we meet a bit in this book. I would love if this series is turned into a TV Show, I think it would be really good. If it ever does I would definitely go and watch it.
For each book that I read, I rate it out of 10, so for this I'm going to give it 9 or 5/5. For me the first book in the series has to be my fav and then this one and after that the 2nd book. Remember this was what I thought about the Book personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.
- I liked the storyline, I found it really interesting.
- I liked that this book started straight where the 2nd one left off, I found it really easy to I get back into. I really liked the pacing and writing style, like with the 2nd book it was written in a way which I can say could be read as a stand-alone but I suggest that you read the books in order if you can, In my opinion I think that would be best. In book one we were introduced into the world and to the characters and we get a feel of the dark themes of the series. If you read this book as a stand-alone I think you would feel pretty overwhelmed. With this book I personally think that I would have liked it a bit more if the scene that explained a crime scene within the book was shortened down, as I felt like it made it drag slightly.
-I really enjoyed the mystery side of things within the book. I liked that mentions a bit about Blakes childhood within the book as it gives you a better insight into how he sees the world in the present. Something that I found cool was that at the beginning of every chapter, like with the two other books in the series is that it starts off with a new riddle. I thought it fitted in well in the book due to Blake's love of puzzles which was shown mostly in the first book. There was quite a lot of gore involved in the series but I think with what we read of Blake's dark sense of humour it helps to keep it from getting too heavy which I liked.
-I liked that in this book that we are introduced to new character's, I found it pretty easy to know who was who when reading the book I also liked that we got to see Thistle again in this book as I liked her character.
- I really liked the ending, the best part has to be that knowing the direction Blake might take in the future. If there is a 4th book I would love to see more of Vasquez as in this book I don't think he was mentioned at all and I really liked his character and the small scenes he shared with Blake and Thistle in the other two books, The only way we maybe see that in a 4th book will probably be if the two sides work together on a case or something which I think would be cool as we would maybe also see more of Thistle if she re-joined the FBI or something again, I would also love to read more about the new person that we meet a bit in this book. I would love if this series is turned into a TV Show, I think it would be really good. If it ever does I would definitely go and watch it.
For each book that I read, I rate it out of 10, so for this I'm going to give it 9 or 5/5. For me the first book in the series has to be my fav and then this one and after that the 2nd book. Remember this was what I thought about the Book personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.
April 20, 2021
Well I found this one more disturbing but less gory in some ways. Looking forward to the next stage of Timothy Blake's career 😊
May 15, 2021
I love this series.
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