HIDING PLACE delivers deeper welcome development of characters introduced in DAMBALLAH.

Homewood errand boy Clement has an expanded role and may have affected the final outcome.
Or did The Magic Blue Angel guide Bess down the hill for a rescue?

As well, the creation of the Frog Water Tower is vivid.

"Everything is in the taste of the soup" carries the day,
plus the surprise of humor with watermelon and coffee in the midst of all the fear and misery.

Mother visiting the prison: "...a world beyond stone walls, higher than God's mercy."

Not sure about the role of the heavily tainted water and why Spring and Summer smell bad.

"They want to kill him but he made it through the night."
He needs to stay alive to protect a favorite, Mr. Strayhorn! ( )