NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Sunday, November 24, 2024

The Wilds (Detective Elin Warner #3) by Sarah Pearse

 Absorbing atmospheric mystery thriller.


The wilds isn't a place but a feeling. 


Detective Elin Warner and her brother, Issac, head off to Portugal to search for a missing woman. They find some clues in a camp located in a Portuguese national park from where Kier Templer disappeared. As they try to figure out what happened to Kier as well as rebuild their own family relationship, Elin and Issac discover the secrets hidden in a map that was painted by Kier while she was hiding from herself, fleeing her own past. 


This was so good. The writing was very evocative as it described all of what the characters were experiencing. Told in shifting points of view between Elin and Kier, and also jumping in timeline, the narrative relates the raw emotions and uncertainty in each woman. Both are coming from a sort of identity crisis point and both are desperate to figure it all out. As Elin investigates, she is conflicted about what she finds with plenty of confusing details and twists in the discoveries. 


I'll say no more about the plot or give any spoilers, but the conclusion was quite satisfying although I'm very sad to hear that this is the end of the series. I will miss Elin Warner and I hope she will be OK now. I do feel that this should not be read as a standalone as the other two installments provide important background to the main characters. 


I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. I thought that Elizabeth Knowelden did a great job but honestly feel that the whole production would have been so enhanced if there had been a male narrator as well. That would have really given depth to the story and added a degree of dramatic flair. I do believe, however, that listening while reading really amplifies my enjoyment of a book.

This is the third and last book in a series that should be read in order.

Genre and tags - domestic violence, mystery thriller, secrets

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