Amy Pease comes out of the gates swinging with her first novel. Northwoods is a stimulating crime story that is equal parts thrilling and thought-provoking, admirably folding in challenging and potentially triggering topics such as mental health, PTSD, addiction, divorce, guilt, and greed.
Eli North is a sheriff’s deputy in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. He’s also a former military who was deployed to Afghanistan and is struggling with the toll the war took on his mental health. While trying to get a handle on his drinking and come to terms with his failed marriage, he’s thrust into the middle of a murder/kidnapping case that highlights the dark underbelly of the beautiful little town he calls home. Partnered with a young FBI agent and the minimal resources of a perpetually understaffed Sheriff’s department, Eli is presented with an opportunity to pull himself out of the darkness, use his exceptional investigative skills to solve the case and perhaps find himself on a road towards redemption.
On the surface, Northwoods is a crime novel filled with suspense, twists and turns and compelling characters. If that was it, it would still be an excellent debut. But at its heart, this is a book about humanity. It explores the tenuous hold people have on their mental health, how addiction can control your every action, how it can be hard to ask for help or even forgive yourself, how trauma shapes who we are whether we like it or not, and how all these things can affect the ones we love. It also is a book about love and kindness – both towards yourself and the impact you have on others when you reach out and show you care. Heavy topics to be sure, but adroitly included in this fast-paced, anxiety-inducing tale. Raising this story to another level and going well beyond a common crime novel.
If you’re looking for a thriller that’s mindless fun, this is not the book for you. But if you enjoy contemplation about the ups and downs of life and the consequences of your actions, then Northwoods is a must-read book that should immediately be added to your TBR pile.
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Barrington Books
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