I could not get into this book, sorry. Trying to clean up my netgalley. Didn’t realize that I was forgetting to leave reviews on netgalley itself, My apologies.

I'm so disappointed in myself for leaving this one on my shelf for so long! This is a well crafted, high tension mystery. I was so completely wrapped up in the story as we learned more about each suspect. I loved the well plotted story-line. It was such a fast read, I'm a bit sad it's over. I can't wait to read more from this author!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery set in a small town that focuses on character, not just plot. This is a first novel,, and is so well done I will definitely be watching for more from this author. The crux of the story involves two young men who grew up as brothers, one the son of the wealthy owner of a car dealership (Transom), the other being raised by his grandparents after both parents were killed in a car accident (Chase). They have been apart for several years, with Transom having left town for new adventures. But when Chase's grandfathers dies, he shows up back in town, then ends up declared missing several months later. The story focuses on the sheriff of the small town, who is trying his best to retire, but gets pulled back to put this last case to bed. The story focuses on past regrets and moving forward in the future. The story captures a small town going through painful changes that are also reflected in the characters. Very engaging. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Fallen Mountains by Kimi Cunningham Grant.

Fallen Mountains is a small town in PA, where crime is rare, people know their neighbors, and the residents are hard workers.

When Transom returns to his hometown it causes quite a stir. Transom is charismatic and well known, but he also has his fair share of skeletons in his closet, and not everyone is happy to see him. So when he goes missing, several people, including the sheriff, may have reasons to want to see him gone. Did Transom leave on his own, as he's done before? Or did the town decide that he had to go?

This was a quick moving stand alone with a chilly, small, eastern cowtown and a handful of likely suspects. Just that description alone is enough to have me running to grab it. It has everything I could have asked for. Greed, sex, jealousy, love, and a need for revenge. It also made me want to visit PA, where I once lived.

This is written very well, with a lot of rich back story and at a comfortable pace. Perfect for a spooky October read.

Fallen Mountains is a strong character-driven novel about a local man that goes missing in a very small town. I really enjoyed the author's character development and attention to detail as the characters and the community of the rural town is showcased and brought to life. It was a unique way to go back and forth between each chapter of the past and the present to tell the story. It was a well-written mystery where people you think you might know are a little bit stranger than you first thought.

*Many thanks to Kimi Cunningham Grant, Amberjack Publishing and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Recently I have started enjoying books set in provincial towns, where everybody knows each other and where the present dynamic is driven by the past events.
The Before and After chapters give insight into the lives of people who had dealings with a man that disappears. As the story progesses, Transom Schultz turns out to be a character that cannot be called likeable, and no wonder there is a suspicion of murder lingering over Fallen Mountains.
Fallen Mountains, a rural town in Pennsylvania, with a vast national park and farms, is taken over by companies that exploit the soil and destroy everything farmers have achieved working hard for around two hundred years, just like Chase Hardy's family. The change in the landscape is a heart-breaking moment.
The characters are superbly-developed, their stories are poignant, and make you feel for them. A most engaging plot allows me to describe this book as a definite page-turner. A grand debut! A rural noir at its best!

If you're looking for a quick small town mystery you may like this! I lost small town mysteries and this one was pretty fun! I loved the old farm I felt like I was actually on the farm! And what's a small town mystery without betrayal?! Nothing groundbreaking but definitely a solid read!

I really thought I was going to like this one but I found it to be just okay. It was a bit of disappointment really. I felt like some things were underplayed which shouldn't have been.

I thought this one was just ok. I was disappointed in the characters and the suspects were very limited. I feel like the past played a bigger role in what happened in the present but it was definitely underplayed. I feel like having more of a story about that would have made the past feel more relatable.

Yes yes yes! So intense and entertaining!

I was immediately drawn into the mystery of FALLEN MOUNTAINS and found the setting to be immensely appealing. I love dark and gritty tales set in a small rural town because that kind of town is where I am from. They are by far one of my favorite types of reads and add in great writing, a suspenseful mystery full of secrets and a missing person - I will completely fall in love!

This is what I posted last night on my blog: Fallen Mountains is a hard one to track down. I had it on my e-reader as an advance copy (thanks, Netgalley!) and once I read it and loved it I went back and was dismayed to see that it’s from a small publisher and basically has very little chance of making it out into the world. Neither the KCMO library or the JOCO library stock it, it’s not likely on any shelves in the area. BUT it’s a great mystery! Set in a small town, so small it has only one sheriff/policeman, and he’s fixing to retire. When Transom Shultz sweeps back into town and subsequently disappears, our sheriff Red is certain it all goes back to something he helped cover up when the missing man was in high school. It goes back and forth between the time just before Transom goes missing and the investigation, totally reminded me of William Kent Kruger’s Ordinary Grace and I hope it finds some readers! It was so well done.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Lumberjack Publishing and the author, Kimi Cunningham Grant, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Fallen Mountains in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I am sorry, but I can't write a review for this book. How can I possibly write how good this book was without giving away the ending, or not giving it the justice it truly deserves.
The storyline is extremely well written and seemless.
Do I think you should read this book? Yes.
Do I think you will enjoy it? Hell yes!!!

Secrets on top of secrets with a side of secrets sprinkled with secrets and a big heaping scoop of secrets for dessert!!

"The past is never dead. It's not even past."

That quote from the book is so true. It could even be the subtitle to this book. (Read the book and you'll understand why.) This riveting mystery just sucks you in and I loved every minute of it!!! The characters come to life right off the page and are so well developed they add such depth to the plotline. While reading this book I literally felt like I was watching the movie play out on a tiny screen in front of me. (Which this book would make a good movie adaptation....).

The author structures this book to before and after chapters from Transom's disappearance. And while this may seem confusing upon first look, it flows beautifully and just builds layers to the mystery. With each layer/chapter I thought I had everything figured out and then a new secret was revealed and another layer added that had me questioning my detective skills. There is so much raw emotion with each character as they have to face the consequences of their past. Hence, the past is never dead.

Excellent book and a great read. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed! I am so excited to have discovered this author, I can't wait to see what she comes out with next. I'll be first in line to read!!

My thanks to Kimi Cunningham Grant, Amberjack Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A solid mystery that did a good job in capturing the essence of small town politics and conflict. Red, sheriff of Fallen Mountains, is on the cusp of retirement when a missing persons case falls on his lap. Transom, the local high school superstar 18 years ago, has recently moved back to town. In his sudden departure years ago, he left all of his friends and the town without so much as a goodbye. After being back now for several months, Transom is picking up where he left off and making more enemies than friends. When his fiancée reports him missing, Red must dig up old wounds that are probably best kept buried. There are secrets that still linger from two decades ago. Secrets that could be responsible for Transom’s disappearance.

This was an easy read in that it didn’t require too much brain power. The plot moved along at a decent pace although there were parts that focused a little too much on grief. These parts were a bit repetitive and not essential for plot development. The plot itself was straightforward. More on the linear side yet the story kept you guessing and had an unexpected twist at the end.

Thank you to Amberjack Publishing for an ARC on NG in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bittersweet novel told in past/present perspectives about a small town in Pennsylvania that reminded me a little of Sometimes a Great Notion. It centers around several families, a missing person, loyalties, jealousies, bullying, and secrets from the past. To say much more would give away the plot, but Grant is clearly a lovely writer with a story that draws you in from the beginning!

A gritty and moving tale of small-town America. It’s almost a trope now that such a tale will involve secrets and lies, mysteries and troubled relationships, and indeed this wonderfully accomplished novel supplies all these, but in such a perfectly paced and nuanced manner, with such verve and skill, that I was completely hooked from the first page and became totally absorbed by the lives of this group of authentic and empathetic characters – even by the less than sympathetic ones. As the novel opens we learn that Transom Shultz has gone missing shortly after returning to his hometown of Fallen Mountains. Gradually the backstory is revealed, and the result is a powerful and unpredictable novel, in which those dark secrets are uncovered as the story moves towards its climax. An absorbing and unforgettable read.

Yes, this is labeled as a mystery/thriller but I feel like it was so much more than that. It was gritty, tragic, powerful, well-written, and had well developed characters. Fallen Mountains will be one of my top reads of the year. I look forward to see what else Kimi Cunningham Grant will write because I will be definitely be reading it!

Transom Shultz goes missing after returning to his hometown of Fallen Mountains, PA. The sheriff, Red, is nervous that Transom’s disappearance is related to a crime that was committed 17 years ago. If so, it will unbury secrets that Red has kept hidden. Could Possum, the victim of that hidden crime, want revenge? Then there is Laney, who will do anything to keep Transom quiet about their intertwined past. Or did Chase, who is outraged at Transom’s betrayal, have something to do with his disappearance? So many questions, so many lies and as the story unfolds, everyone must decide what to do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love gritty, poetic small town crime fiction, and Kimi Cunningham Grant delivers with FALLEN MOUNTAINS. Transom Shultz's disappearance sets off a chain of events that inevitably collide the past and present. The search for Transom unearths a multitude of dark secrets, all within less than 300 pages. This book is a little gem.

In this atmospheric mystery, the author explores Faulkner's quote, "The past isn't dead. It isn't even past." Especially in a small town where everyone knows (and remembers) everyone's secrets! I really appreciated the way the author showed us the background and motivations behind the actions of the various characters. It made them more relatable and more likable. She also did a great job establishing the sense of place and I especially loved Chase's connection to the land. While the book was set in a small town in the Pennsylvania hills, it felt universal enough to have been set in any small town. I found myself wanting everything in this mystery to work out for all the characters, even the less likable ones.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free e-ARC of this book.

Fallen Mountains was a sleepy backwater town with just over nine hundred populations. After being the town’s sheriff for years, John (Red) Redifer was ready to hang his badge. But when town royalty Transom Shultz was reported missing, skeletons from the past threatened to emerge. Burdened by his conscience, Red must now solve the case before he’s buried by guilt.

I’ve always love books with small town setting due to the different ambiance and characters’ mentality. This book made me feel the fresh air and smell the damp soil under my feet as I followed the characters through their journey.

I loved the overall storyline with the before and after timeline, slowly chipping away the characters’ pasts. However, I felt the first half of the book was a little slow and there were times I had to recheck which timeline I was on because there were flashbacks on both making it confusing to keep track of.

I enjoyed the environmental aspect of the book and the exploration of the characters’ psyche. Initially the ending might seemed anti climactic but I love the way the story concluded.

Fallen Mountains is a story of uncovering the truth. It would appeal to readers looking for a small town murder mystery.