Dear author, publisher, and Netgalley,

I’m going to write here what I’ve written everywhere-what did she go by herself when she knew her body’s limits and why did she not yell out when she heard people looking for her? I just did not understand this woman’s choices. Unfortunately I cannot use my opinions about her actions to influence my rating. But honestly I just did not understand one thing she did once her friend and husband were no longer available. Your trail or your life? I just shook my head through the entire book.

What an amazing memoir. The author an experienced hiker and served in several search and rescue organization tell the story of Geraldine "Gerry" Largay. She disappeared in 2013 while hiking the mountains of Maine.

No trace was found of her until two years later when her bones and possession were found about 2,100 feet from the Appalachian Trails by two surveyors.

This memoir is the story of events leading to her disappearance in July of that year. It is very well written with a lot of detail. It really is a heart wrenching story and one I highly recommend.

A sad book about death on the AT trail. A book that brings Gerry to life and adds to the sadness of her death.An eye opening. Look at hiking the experience you need to survive if something goes wrong.A compelling read.#netgalley #rowan&littlefield

I began reading this book believing that it was a Thriller and True Crime novel. It isn't. So reader beware, you will be disappointed if you go into this thinking it is one of these things. Overall the book was a quick read, but I was disappointed with the structure and writing style. It was hard to be fully engaged with the book. Overall 3 stars.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A tale of love and tragedy that is enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

5 out of 5 stars.

I'm not sure why this is being marketed as true crime. Unless I am terribly confused, no crime was committed here. It is a true story and a sad one, but it isn't a crime story. It is an interesting tale of a woman who loved nature and hiking and exactly how dangerous that can be. Very well written and enjoyable even for the amateur walker.

No matter where I’ve lived, it’s always been near the Appalachian trail. When I saw a true crime novel about a real-life disappearance on the trail, I was intrigued! This reads just like a dateline episode which makes it all the better! I cannot imagine hiking the trail alone and coming to this fate. This book was incredibly well researched and well written. If you are a fan of true crime or Dateline episodes, you’ll love this.

Emotionally, When You Find My Body by D. Dauphinee was a tough read. I vaguely remember hearing something about Gerry Largay when her remains were discovered a few years ago and when I saw the book I jumped at the chance to learn more about what happened to her. The idea that she died in her tent so closes to the trail, so close to the hundreds of searchers, is absolutely haunting. The fact that she was a quilter makes it hit even closer to home. I did a Google search to see if I could turn up any pictures of her work and found her disappearance mentioned on several quilting blogs.



As interesting and haunting as Gerry's story is, the short book meanders in all sorts of different directions, from medieval books on good death (which do sound fascinating, but don't seem connected to this particular story) to a lost Arctic expedition. There's also a lot about the history and culture of the Appalachian Trail, which makes sense.



I do wish that there had been more about Gerry herself and less about the author's personal opinions.

Well written with enough background on the main people at the center of this story. While the entire situation is sad, the events are outlined well and told with a flowing history.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley & author.


I remember seeing this story in the news... it was and still is heartbreaking. this book was well-written... it told about her life beautifully.. and it also helped to understand how she may have gotten lost.

When You Find My Body is a nonfiction account of the last months of Gerry Largay’s life. Gerry went missing on the Appalachian Trail in 2013, her remains found approximately two years later. The book spans from the time Gerry spent preparing to hike the trail through the aftermath of her final campsite being found. Dauphinee interviews some of Gerry’s trail friends as well as wardens who were involved in her search. He examines every aspect of her hike in the interest of providing as many answers as possible to readers.

While it’s obvious that Dauphinee is a good writer, he is not without his faults. Most notably, I found myself distracted by his unnecessarily gendered writing. He talked about “farm boys” who were “able to experience the exotic and beautiful unshaved, makeupless women”; how he has “seen men in kilts, which is always okay, but [has] also seen men in skirts”; and in one sentence is able to discuss how some people lose skin and toenails, but describes women as dealing with “feminine issues” instead of using the dreaded word “menstruation.” While clearly not intended to be harmful, I still found myself rolling my eyes and frustrated by it all nonetheless.

While the novel is relatively short, I’d argue it could have been cut down more. There is a lot of repetition, mostly when it comes to discussing Gerry’s life and her impact on those she knew. While I understand the point Dauphinee was trying to make, that she was a beloved woman who would be deeply missed by many, he hammered it in incessantly. There is also a dearth of information about how the AT originated and while some of it made sense to include, I also just didn’t find myself very interested in most of it.

Finally, I just had to wonder whether Gerry’s family gave her blessing for this book to be written. I felt uncomfortable reading this and not knowing whether anyone, her husband George in particular, had given the okay for what were potentially the hardest days of their lives to be laid out on display like this. Portions of Gerry’s diary (already made public) were shared, as well as email newsletters she had written for friends and family. It made me squirm to think there was a possibility that I was privy to something I shouldn’t be reading. I wish Dauphinee had been upfront about this.

Criticisms aside, it’s a good book. I enjoyed reading it, as much as someone can enjoy reading about a tragedy like this. It was clear Dauphinee did his research and reached out to as many different people as possible, and his writing really pulls you in. I’ll probably be recommending this to nonfiction lovers and hiker buffs.

Such a good, but sad read.

This true story of Geraldine Largay, a hiker who went missing on the AT, is an interesting look at the culture of hiking the Appalachian Trail. It also gives insight to the search and rescue teams who search for missing hikers and what they go through.

I really enjoyed this book, even though the outcome was so sad.

I really enjoyed this book. Those interested in biographies/Memoirs will be interested in reading this book. I rate this book 5 out of 5. Generously provided by NetGalley.

The narrative of a lone hiker, Geraldine Largay, who somehow lost her way on the Appalachian Trail was throughly researched and gave voice to the right people. It is a harrowing experience to lose someone in the woods or to be lost oneself. The author gave tips to help people who may wish to experience nature in this way to stay safe. This well-written narrative includes the history of hiking the AT as well as experiences of others who have hiked it. It seems impossible that a series of events that, on their own, would not seem to be at all alarming had complicated the hike of an obviously intelligent and caring person. It is a cautionary tale, certainly. It is also the story of volunteers and rescuers who did not want to give up the search for Gerry, and how the ultimate failure to find her affected so many people in her life as well as those who were involved in trying to locate her.

True story of Gerry, who died on the Appalachian Trail after becoming lost, attempting to complete her "adventure of a lifetime." An interesting story of the culture of the trail and those who hike it, many interviews of those who met Gerry and those who searched for her. The author does a great job describing Gerry's passion for the outdoors and her impact on those around her. Sadly, Gerry did not have the survival skills/tools that could have saved her life. Biggest takeaway, always carry a map of the area and a compass (that you know how to use) when out in the wilderness.

Geraldine Largay hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2013. That's where she disappeared. She was presumed dead after a year of searches produced no body, no clues to what happened. This case became the largest lost-person search in Maine history.

Two years after her disappearance , her bones and scattered possessions were found by chance. She was on the U.S. Navy’s SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) School land, about 2,100 feet from the Appalachian Trail.

This author was one of the hundreds of volunteers who searched for her.

This book tells the story of events preceding Geraldine's vanishing, and what went wrong, and describes the massage search and rescue operation that followed her disappearance.

This is a well-written account of not only the victim, but of the sorrow of an entire community, the saddened hearts of those who searched and searched and never gave up looking.

Many thanks to the author / Rowman & Littlefield - Down East Books / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this Biography/Memoir. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this book. This case wasn't familiar to me so it was great to learn all about it. The book was very detailed and brought Gerry to life for the readers.

Honestly it was a little hard to read. The story was well told but the subject matter was hard. I did enjoy the story of the AT and the way the author let you get to know “Inchworm “ as a person and not just a horrible story.

When You Find My Body is a sad, heartbreaking tale. It's about a hiker, Gerry, on the Appalachian Trail who wandered off and died from starvation, it's actually a horrific story, reliving how this poor woman died from starvation as rescuers were so close, yet so far away. Dauphinee details a thoughtful recreation of her journey, although sometimes I felt he extrapolated too much about certain things he could not have known. He does proffer practical advice for hikers that anyone who embarks on an arduous hike.

When You Find My Body was both heartbreaking and inspiring to read. I really, really enjoyed the author's style and how they weaved together the journey of an incredible woman. The "characters" in this story are all so interesting and Inchworm was an incredible woman with a true zest for life. Of course this story is somewhat tragic and you know that going in, but at the same time, you are completely mesmerized by the zest for life that this woman had. I wished their were pictures or journal entries included with this but that may have not been possible due to family requests--I just would have loved to see these people come to life (maybe in the physical book?). If you enjoy any of Jon Krakauer's novels, this is of a similar vain.