Title: Hidden Bodies
Author: Caroline Kepnes
ISBN: 9781476785622
No. of Pages: 448
Genre: Suspense
Origins: Atria Books
Release Date: 23 February 2016
“ Hidden Bodies marks the return of a voice that Stephen King described as original and hypnotic, and through the divisive and charmingly sociopathic character of Joe Goldberg, Kepnes satirizes and dissects our culture, blending suspense with scathing wit.
Joe Goldberg is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him.
In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: truelove. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice…”
My Thoughts: Ah, Joe Goldberg, the truly messed-up anti-hero of Caroline Kepnes’ debut novel, You. Some may liken him to Patrick Bateman, one of my favorite literary sociopaths of all time; to be fair, it is easy to see the comparison. Both are handsome, intelligent, charming, and completely capable of cold-blooded murder to suit their purposes. However, that is where the similarities end. Whereas Patrick kills because he enjoys it, Joe does so to further his agenda. His murders are not random. Similarly, Patrick is incapable of human emotion, while Joe lets his emotions rule his actions. It is this emotion-fueled action that allows Joe to become strangely sympathetic and utterly fascinating.
In Hidden Bodies, Joe is up to his old tricks, fantasizing about how he is going to exact punishment on a former girlfriend after she betrays him. This time, his thirst for vengeance takes him to Los Angeles. Hollywood is not New York, and Joe must learn to adapt to this new culture. How he does so provides some of the most biting commentary about Hollywood and modern life that one can read. Joe’s reactions to his experiences with the down-and-out, the Hollywood hopefuls, and with the city’s elite make for some great reading and prove to be so ludicrous that they only further heighten the sympathy you feel for Joe.
Hidden Bodies is not a rehash of You. While it is still easy to feel disgust at Joe for his past actions and intent on murderous revenge, what will strike readers most about Hidden Bodies is his growth. He may detest Hollywood and the constant ambition that drives every single person’s behavior, and he may start out as his angry, vengeful self. However, that changes as he finds a purpose to his life other than selling books. Moreover, he finds acceptance within a family that has its own issues. This is the contentment and sense of belonging for which Joe has constantly sought in New York, and his happiness at obtaining it is completely infectious. Joe may finally get his happy ending after all, and you can’t help but rejoice right alongside him.
As with You, Hidden Bodies uses the second-person narrative to put a reader directly into Joe’s mind. You get to know his every thought, rational or otherwise. You know his vulnerabilities, his deepest desires, and most fervent wishes. As before, this intimacy heightens the sympathy one feels for him, so much so that when the shit hits the fan his rationale for his actions makes sense. The connection one has with Joe makes it acceptable to encourage his murderous thoughts, and you find yourself cheering him on as he attempts to beat the system to save his happy ending.
This should be more disturbing than it is, but in many ways, that intimacy also diminishes Joe’s intimidation factor. He may have a body count to his name, but he never seems terribly dangerous. He is just Joe, a man looking for happiness and success, who recognizes the stupidity of the society he inhabits and scorns it while embracing it. In hindsight, the acceptance of his past actions and the inability to recognize Joe as a serial killer is more disturbing than anything he actually does.
As before, Ms. Kepnes does a fantastic job of making Joe likable in spite of his sex-fueled, coldly-calculated behavior. The ending too is masterful and will stun readers with its coldness. As with her first novel, Hidden Bodies may not be for every reader because however much he changes, Joe still remains the same sex-obsessed, foul mouthed, cold-blooded murderer he was. For those who are not offended by such things, Joe is a fascinating subject and Hidden Bodies provides oodles of psychological discussion topics and satirical observations about modern society.

I thought You was pretty fantastic, of course disturbing, but incredibly well-written. I’ll definitely be picking up this one at some point.
Since you enjoyed You, you absolutely should read Hidden Bodies. I think it is even better than the first.
I saw something online about Stephen King and how he found this book to be so disturbing so of course I had to request it. I then found it it was a follow-up to You so I requested that one first. I will give it a read and see if I need to read on. I am always curious about the books King reads. I am assuming he really reads them.
Yes, I believe King was blurbed on the first book. I am guessing he read it. I don’t see authors like that putting their names to books or saying something like that without having read at least some of it. Then again, I tend to be fairly naive in this area.
I recently read reviews of You and the summary, I am completely sold and cannot wait to read this series. Joe sounds like a fantastic serial killer to read about and be in his head, love that style. I haven’t read Patrick Bateman, what is the book called again, it is on the tip of my tongue.
Great review I may have to start this series for my March reading.
Patrick Bateman is the lead character in American Psycho. I know I should probably not admit it, but that is one of my favorite books. That man is SO messed up. Or is he? That’s the brilliance of it!
Yesssss that is it, American Psycho.
Don’t feel bad, I said I am in love with John, the character from I Am Not A Serial Killer, lol
The love of books Michelle, hahahhahaha
Serial killers have their own appeal, I guess!
I couldn’t get through You. It was WAY too disturbing for me! She writes his character too well, haha. With the comparison to American Psycho (which I can’t read either, and wish I could burn the movie from my memory), I definitely think I’ll have to avoid trying to read from this series again in the future! I just have no stomach for it, I suppose.
I can understand and respect that because I agree that she writes his character so well. You know me though. I find the darkness of the human mind so fascinating!