Hidden - Coming late April 2025!
Ada Sinclair’s life is unravelling. She’s hooking up with strangers in hotel rooms, lapsing into elaborate daydreams of phantom lovers and finding herself at the iron gates of graveyards late at night. Ada has blocked the memory of a recent assault, but other memories from her troubled past are surfacing with a vengeance. To make matters worse, the police are investigating the disappearance of her boss and are asking tough questions.
Told through Ada’s fractured perspective, this gripping psychological novel explores the devastating impact of trauma and the fragile journey to reclaim power in the face of darkness.
“. . . Ellestad’s slow-burning story about an ordinary office worker effectively switches from the mundane to the chilling as her protagonist confronts buried memories and disturbing realities. The author never gives away too much and is meticulous in her wholly believable characterization of Ada’s psyche. The most fascinating aspect of the novel is the question of Ada’s trajectory—is she on a dark, vivid descent into madness or ascending to empowerment?
A disturbing, layered story about autonomy, buried trauma, and sexual assault.” — Kirkus Reviews
"What deep, dark secrets lie hidden within the shadowy recesses of the human psyche, heart or soul? That’s the question Lynda Ellestad poses in Hidden. Equal parts psychological thriller, murder mystery, police procedural, ghost story and gothic romance, her debut novel is as taut and chilling as it is compelling and gripping. Written with compassion, understanding and fierce sardonic wit, Hidden is both memorable and unforgettable." — Rob Reid, award-winning Canadian Arts Journalist and author of Casting into Mystery
Walking Home is an intimate ramble through the lush Ontario countryside as Lynda and husband Doug set out to become the first to walk the 127-km Guelph to Goderich Rail Trail. Laugh-out-loud funny and poignant in turn, Walking Home is a love story amidst deer flies, detours and the sweltering heat of an Ontario summer. Untangling the rich history of the trail and towns along the way, the two aging hikers discover the meaning of home and just how difficult it can be to let go.
Praise for Walking Home:
"Funny, touching, heart-wrenching and true-blue. I enjoyed the read every single step of the way. It is a tremendous story — well penned — engaging and well worth the read.
Peter Smith — Writer/Producer/Playwright/Actor; Project Director, Blyth Arts & Cultural Initiative 14/19
"This is Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods Canadian style.”
Valerie Hill, Waterloo Region Record