Craig Brown’s book “A Little Something to Hide” is delivered in a series of eleven vignettes – one self-contained story for each character.  Each of the characters featured in the book is traveling on a low budget bus service from San Francisco to Albuquerque, all of them escaping a life they want to leave behind for a better future at their destination.

Craig Brown has succeeded in creating interesting and engaging characters in his book. The concept and delivery of the individual story lines is effective and compelling.  The characters in the book have strong individual personalities; some have been terribly mistreated by family members and associates. Others are escaping from wretched and dangerous situations. Craig has shown remarkable insight into the lives of these characters, aptly portraying the impact on those characters and their various reactions to the abuses they have suffered. Other characters are perpetrators that are looking to conceal their history by seeking a new life.

The subject matter is sometimes sleazy and immoral, however Craig has rendered the narrative in a non-judgemental manner, leaving the reader to form their own opinion of the morality of each character.

Although each chapter is a stand-alone story, there is some interaction between the various characters as the stories unfold, offering further insight into each character’s personality and relationships.

The ending is strong and effective, providing a fitting outcome to the series of narratives.

I have scored the book 4 stars out of 5.  I was fully engaged with the story and the individual characters. Unfortunately there are several editing and spelling errors that detract from the overall  enjoyment of the book, but generally it is a compelling story that kept my interest to the last page.

The book will appeal to a broad range of readers who enjoy crime stories and contemporary fiction.