Thank you to the author/Netgalley for the advanced copy of Into the Fall in exchange for my honest opinion.
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: February 1, 2025
Summary:
From debut author Tamara L. Miller comes a suspenseful psychological thriller tracking the mysteries of a seemingly mundane life as they come to light in the vast, unforgiving Canadian wilderness.
For better or for worse, Sarah Anderson has it a thriving career, a nice home in Ottawa, two young kids…and a marriage coming apart at the seams.
Then her husband, Matthew, vanishes without a trace during a family vacation up north. Sarah and her children are nearly lost among the slumbering lakes, treacherous cliffs, and brooding forests of the Canadian Shield. A glacier-scraped realm of ancient beauty and terror, it’s a world away from the safety of the suburbs. And a big storm is brewing.
A kind rural lawman comes to their aid and takes an interest in the case. The trail goes cold, however, launching Sarah into a yearlong odyssey to find her husband. On the way, she must reconnect with her estranged sister and duck the suspicions of a slick city police officer. But that’s nothing compared to unearthing the dark secrets buried deep in the granite of her marriage—and in herself.
My thoughts:
This is the year of the debuts and I am not mad about that at all! I met Tamara at Thrillerfest last year and was so excited when she reached out to me, wondering if I would consider reading her book. Of course, I took her up on it and I’m just sorry I didn’t get to it sooner – life just got in the way.
I love this type of story – the one where you quickly realize you don’t know the person you are with as well as you think you do when the worst happens. Set in the Canadian wilderness, what unravels is a complex mystery that captivated me from the start, with characters that I could not get enough of. What led to Matthew vanishing while the family is on a camping trip in the middle of the woods, leaving his wife and two young children behind?
I am always a fan of dual timelines, and I loved how this structure added to the overall suspense of the story. With the present focused on the search for Matthew, the past provided the backstory into the relationship between Matthew and Sarah, leading to some questions that may or may not pertain to what was happening in the present.
This is a fast-paced, original story that is as unpredictable as it is compelling. I loved that while the mystery is what initially captured my attention, it’s the secrets that kept me going. And the twists…just when I thought I had it all worked out, the author manages to throw in a curve-ball that shifts everything I thought I knew.
I am so glad I finally got to this one and am going to be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this talented author for sure!
Purchasing from the link below supports independent bookstores and my blog!
