North of Nowhere

I have just finished North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan and here are my thoughts.

Boyd McIntyre is on a rampage. He has finally found his kids Kristen and Ryan after 5 years of being taken by his best friend Tony. Tony took the kids after their mother begged him to get them away from Boyd, a crime boss, a murderer. Boyd shoots down the plane with Tony and the kids in. Now he is searching for his kids as a storm is coming.

Ruby McIntyre is the only person Tony trusts to save her niece and nephew and after receiving a call, Ruby is hot on their trail. Boyd isn't the only one looking for the kids and depending on who finds them first will be the difference between life and death.

I was super excited to read this one. It sounded fast paced and thrillerific so I was in for that. It was both things! I was blown away by how quick the story moved and how cleverly put together all the elements were included. The book takes place mostly in the present day but the characters in the book have flashbacks which help build the backstory in a pretty exciting way.

The book kind of hits you like bam bam bam bam then it kind of fizzles a bit. That was a bit deflating for me but all the other elements were there so it wasn't the worst thing. The characters were well put together and I enjoyed the back and forth between some of the characters. Loved Kristen and Ruby for their tenacity in the face of danger. I couldn't imagine being 16 and trying to save my 10 year old brother.

I am not a fan of wilderness thrillers but this one was worth the read for sure. It was a good cat and mouse thriller with the right amount of burn. I never thought I would read a slow burn, fast paced book in my life but this one managed to pull it off!

4 stars.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

Bone-Chilling Survival With Lots Of Moving Parts. This is one of those excellent lost in the wilderness/ lost in the blizzard survival tales that also happens to be a chase tale that is actually a story about family and breaking generational problems. So clearly, there is a LOT going on here, and a LOT of moving parts. And the non-moving parts - the wilderness and to a lesser extent the blizzard - are given their own fair respect here as well, both in the area natives' respect for them and in the out-of-towners' disrespect. One of Brennan's most complex stories I've yet come across after working a couple of her other series over the last few years, this is truly an excellent tale of a different type from her, with her usual excellent execution in all aspects of the story. You're going to *feel* the impacts here, from the coldness of the wilderness - and the coldness of some of the characters. Which is great, for a summer release during several consecutive days of "Excessive Heat Warning" events. :D Very much recommended.