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Tracy Petrikoff would rather be out in the thick woods surrounding her Alaskan home than anywhere else.  Especially school.  The 17-year-old can't stand being trapped inside when there is a forest to explore, food to be hunted and gathered, and training to be done for the Iditarod.  As soon as she turns 18, Tracy plans not only to enter the race but also to become a dog sled racing champion like her father.  

When strange things start happening in the forest, Tracy feels decidedly unsettled.  Then a teenage boy comes wondering out of the trees, looking for work.  Although Tracy's father hires him on the spot, Tracy can't get a handle on the odd stranger.  She becomes especially nervous as the boy worms his way into the Petrikoffs' insulated lives.  Tracy knows Jesse is hiding something, but what?  With her senses sharply honed from a lifetime of stalking animals, Tracy knows danger is near.  Is the trouble coming from without?  Or, much more likely, from within?  

It's tough to describe The Wild Inside, a debut novel by Jamey Bradbury.  On one hand, it's an atmospheric thriller which is both unique and compelling.  On the other hand, it's an odd, unsettling, often nauseating story that is sometimes so blood-soaked it made me want to vomit.  I enjoyed learning about what it takes to compete in the Iditarod and I would have found this book much more appealing had it just been a story of a plucky teenage girl determined to win the big race.  Instead, The Wild Inside takes some weird turns that left me scratching my head.  Overall, the novel is depressing, and, in the end, just felt pointless.  The plot engaged me enough that I finished the book, but man, what a strange read!  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Wild Inside from the generous folks at HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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Colleen Mitchell knows she needs to let her 20-year-old son live his own life, but she can't help but question Paul's sudden decision to drop out of college and waltz off to the middle of nowhere to work on an oil rig.  Now, her worst fears have been realized.  She hasn't heard from Paul in over a month.  Not even a one-word text.  Maybe she's overreacting—probably she is—but something feels off.  No longer able to stand the anxiety of not knowing what's happened to Paul, she flies to rural North Dakota to find her son.  What she discovers is that she's right.  Her son is missing from the "man camp" where he and the other workers live.  No one knows where he's gone.  Or so they say.  

There's only one person in bleak little Lawton willing to believe that anything shady is going on and that's because her son is missing, too.  Shay Capparelli is Colleen's opposite—she's penniless but scrappy and tenacious, willing to do whatever it takes to find her own son, who's also nowhere to be found.  Just like Colleen, Shay knows there's something more to the story behind their sons' disappearances.  She's convinced the oil company is hiding something.  

The two women become unlikely allies in their plight to locate the boys they love.  As they dig deeper and deeper into the oil company's practices, Lawton's ugly underbelly and the secrets their sons kept under wraps, the duo uncovers some unsavory truths.  What really happened to Paul and Taylor?  Can their mothers solve the mystery before it's too late?

The Missing Place by Sophie Littlefield is an evocative, compelling read that I could not put down.  With an atmospheric setting, well-drawn characters, and a twisty mystery, it kept my attention riveted to the page.  I know some reviewers felt misled by some of the story's plot turns.  Not me.  The set up kept me guessing, which is what I dig in a psychological mystery/thriller.  Despite the book's grimness, I ended up enjoying this one quite a lot.  I'll definitely be picking up more books from this intriguing author. 

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  

for language, violence, depictions of illegal drug use, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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In picturesque Littleport, Maine, there are two kinds of people—wealthy summer visitors and the locals who inhabit the resort town year-round.  With the livelihood of the latter dependent on the former, there's a natural divide between the two groups.  Their members simply don't mix.  That's why Littleport resident Avery Greer was so surprised when rich, sophisticated Sadie Loman befriended her ten years ago.  Having grown closer to Sadie with every passing summer, Avery is horrified when she learns that her friend's body has washed up on the shore.  With an apparent suicide note in their possession, the cops declare that Sadie stepped off a steep cliff of her own volition.  Case closed.  Avery's not the only one who doesn't believe bold, unapologetic Sadie would take her own life; she's also not the only one some people in town consider a suspect in the woman's death.  

Sure that someone (or multiple someones) knows more than they're admitting, Avery launches her own search for the truth about Sadie's death.  The deeper she digs, the more dirt she uncovers.  It soon becomes obvious that Avery's revealing secrets someone would kill to keep buried.  Can she find out the truth before it's her dead body that washes ashore?

I'm sure you've noticed by now that I love me a tense psychological thriller, especially one that's set in a cozy little town that's hiding big, juicy secrets.  The Last House Guest (available June 18, 2019), the newest suspense novel from Megan Miranda, delivers on all fronts.  The setting is atmospheric, the plot compelling, and the mystery twisty.  Just the way I like it.  Yes, the book is depressing as all get-out, but it's also an engrossing read that kept me totally riveted.  I've enjoyed all of Miranda's books and this one is no exception.  If you're looking for an absorbing summer thriller, look no further.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I should be able to think of lots of titles, but nothing's coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Last House Guest from the generous folks at Simon & Schuster via those at Edelweiss.  Thank you!

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(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Women of the Blue & Grey by Marianne Monson) 

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and blood/gore

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Invisible Heroes of World War II from the generous folks at Shadow Mountain in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!