I just love Peter Heller's writing and even though I'm not big on suspense/thriller/mystery, I do enjoy the way he writes suspense. The River was one of my favorite books of his and I enjoyed getting to return to Jack's story, although I don't think you need to have read The River to read this one. This was the first book I've read that mentions the pandemic, and it is set a couple years in the future, so that was interesting as well. Overall, the story wasn't as intriguing to me as The River, but I did love the friendship/relationship between Jack and Allison. And I always love Heller's beautiful writing and descriptive nature scenes.

Great story, well told...which is common for Peter Heller. He has such terse dialogue and prose passages that it takes a minute to get into the rhythm of his writing, but once you do, it's always fantastic. I will definitely continue to read his stories.

I did not read The River before reading this book and perhaps I would’ve liked it better if I had. The backstory was not the most important aspect but it was referenced a few times and not really elaborated on after that. Lots of fishing terminology that I didn’t get. I also didn’t really understand some of the logistics of the land surrounding the lodge… wish there would’ve been a map included! I’ll read more books from this author, but I think I need to be more picky and choosy about which one to read next.

If you are a fishing enthusiast or even know more about fishing than I do, then this is the book for you! Beautifully written about the joy of fishing and getting back to nature. The mystery seemed to almost fall flat compared to the way the fishing was written. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Guide
Author: Peter Heller
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5

Kingfisher Lodge, nestled in a canyon on a mile and a half of the most pristine river water on the planet, is known by locals as Billionaire's Mile and is locked behind a heavy gate. Sandwiched between barbed wire and a meadow with a sign that reads Don't Get Shot! the resort boasts boutique fishing at its finest. Safe from viruses that have plagued America for years, Kingfisher offers a respite for wealthy clients. Now it also promises a second chance for Jack, a return to normalcy after a young life filled with loss. When he is assigned to guide a well-known singer, his only job is to rig her line, carry her gear, and steer her to the best trout he can find.

But then a human scream pierces the night, and Jack soon realizes that this idyllic fishing lodge may be merely a cover for a far more sinister operation. A novel as gripping as it is lyrical, as frightening as it is moving, The Guide is another masterpiece from Peter Heller.

I don’t think I’ve ever read one of Heller’s novels before and reading The River before this wasn’t a necessity (to me, anyway). The writing here is stellar! I’m usually not much for in-depth and lyrical description, but it absolutely worked here, bringing the scene to such evocative life I could almost taste it. I don’t know a thing about fly fishing, but I still felt right at home in this novel and with these characters. This was an excellent read!

Peter Heller is an award-winning adventure writer. The Guide is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Knopf in exchange for an honest review.)

The Guide by Peter Heller
The guide, Jack, is hired on mid-season to be a fishing guide to high net worth individuals. He is happy to escape his grief at losing his best friend and his mother and spending time out away from it all amidst a beautiful landscape. He is paired with a famous singer Allison. Allison is quite comfortable fishing and they have a great time and develop a friendship. But all is not as idyllic as it seems. Secrets, co-workers and guests lying about where they are going and doing, one neighbor that threatens to shoot trespassers on sight and the other with fierce dogs that will maul you.
Jack and Allison have stumbled on to more than they've imagined. Their curiosity will lead them into something way bigger than they imagined.
Unfortunately for the reader the slightly dystopian bent this novel takes is easily imagined in our ongoing COVID struggling world. This is a good book that had me reading in one sitting. For outdoor enthusiasts Heller's detailed descriptions of the landscape and being out on the river will easily transport you there.
A thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for sharing a copy of The Guide with me in exchange for an unbiased review. Recommended read. I am off to dive into Jack's world again with The River which appears to be another outdoor adventure thriller that took place a few years before this book.

This this the first book I've read by Peter Heller. I enjoyed the way he tells the story of Jack, a fly fishing guide who has just taken a new job at an elite fishing lodge in Colorado. It's clear that Heller knows something about fishing and the outdoors. His scenes about the river and how it's fished are descriptive without being flowery, and this part of the book shines.

When Jack realizes that there's something other than fishing going on at the remote lodge, the book moves into thriller mode. Without giving away any spoilers, Jack and his fishing client start investigating and are shocked at what appears to be happening. This part of the book isn't as successful because it feels rushed, but Heller pulls off a good tale about a character I'd like to know more about. I'll be on the lookout for future books of his.

As a fan of Peter Heller I cast out my line and reeled in this book. It did not disappoint. Heller has a way of painting a beautiful landscape poetically, even with a backdrop mystery of greed and sinister doings. As always, Heller delivers a story filled with his love of nature, the wilderness, and all that this entails. Quite descriptive as to the sport of fishing, a plus for fishermen, a learning experience for this novice.

Thanks, NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. To start- I haven't read The River- although after reading other reviews of the Guide, I definitely will be. I found the writing of this book to be incredibly beautiful and really transported me to the environment. The moments that most brought me out of the immersion was pretty much the whole last 20% of the book. I don't mind unrealistic storylines, but juxtaposed to the intense realism of the nature, it was really jarring. I could maybe suspend my disbelief enough to think the particular crimes were happening, but the idea these 2 people could take on this whole syndicate is nuts. I guess I also wish the romance plot wasn't there- can't men and women just be friends? Despite all this, I read the book in one sitting, so I can't say I didn't like the book entirely 🤷‍♂️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second novel I’ve read by Peter Heller and, as usual, he delivered with beautiful nature writing mixed with an engrossing mystery. I discovered my love of nature based thrillers through The River and The Guide continued my love of the genre. Heller has a way with writing about nature that makes it feel like a third character. The pacing of this novel was perfect and left you wrapped up in the mystery until the last chapter. Lastly, you don’t have to read The River in order to read this novel, it’ll still make sense, but I highly suggest you do!

Peter Heller's The River was one of my best reads in 2020. His art of describing nature and making you feel like you are right there, casting a reel or dipping a paddle into the current, is superb. I did not know that The Guide would have Jack, the main character from The River, as the lead again so I was pleasantly surprised to see him featured in this book, three years after the first story. If you have not read The River, you will still be able to dive right into The Guide without feeling at all lost.

Jack has taken a job at an elite fishing lodge near Crested Butte, Colorado. The clients are mostly millionaires and he looks forward to living in beautiful surroundings and doing a job he loves, while he tries to come to terms with some past life tragedies. His first client is Allison, a country singer of some renown who is herself a talented fisherman. But their first day out, the two are shot at when they get too close to the property of a "crazy" Colorado loner. After this the troubling curiosities start coming fast and thick. Jack begins to have strong suspicions that something very wrong is going on at the fishing lodge, and the nearby off-limits lodge.

This is a fast paced novel and the author makes both his main characters real and appealing. The book will keep you turning the pages long into the night. I perhaps unfairly compared this to the previous book, which as stated, I loved. While I also really enjoyed The Guide, the underlying mystery wasn't quite as strong and realistic as the one plotted in The River. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I'm so glad I read it. This is especially recommended to anyone who loves the outdoors. It will make you want to pack your bags and get back country! This author knows how to write and it is so wonderful to read the work of someone who crafts his words so carefully.

I am rating this 5 stars, but would round to 4.5, just because of minor issues with the plot line.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read. Thanks also to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and author Peter Heller.

The Guide picks up roughly 3 years after The River ends. Jack is now a guide at an exclusive lodge in Colorado and is still struggling with the loss of his best friend. Tasked with guiding a famous singer, Jack can’t help but feel uneasy about this opportunity -like it’s almost too good to be true. Should Jack trust his gut or will his guilt get him or someone else hurt?

I enjoyed this book so much more than The River. There’s enough background information that it can be read as a stand-alone. The Guide was well paced and had an engaging storyline. If you enjoy backwoods adventure mysteries this book is definitely a must read.

Thank you @netgalley and @aaknopf for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The remote scenic wilderness of Colorado is the perfect place for well-to-do celebrities and politicians alike to have a getaway. Some of the best fishing in the world coupled with spa treatments and five star dining, the lodge packs a high cost for seclusion and privacy. Jack lucked out getting a job to be their fishing guide. On the guests schedule, Jack assists them in fly fishing when they want and spends the rest of the time relaxing and dining.

Questions start to come up when things just seem…off. Is the lodge hiding something, or are their strict rules truly in place for the millionaire guests protection?

This book was nothing short of fantastic. It was a breezy read full of dialogue and I was shocked at how fast I read it. The nature writing in this one is breathtaking. You will feel like you are at a lodge escaping from the world and you will absolutely want to go fly fishing. Heller does a wonderful job of writing intelligently about fishing and the wilderness to make the experience genuine.

This is the first book I have read that seamlessly incorporates the current pandemic into the story. This brings the story even more to present day and adds a suspenseful element as you wonder if it has a deeper meaning.

This book was fast and thrilling. I could barely read it for trying to guess what was going on the whole time (I was wrong btw). Peter Heller will now be on my list of, read anything he ever writes. Recommend to everyone.

Thank you Knopf for this review copy!

I read Peter Heller’s “The Dog Stars” and loved it so when I saw this book, I couldn’t wait to read it! It was well worth the read and can now say I’m a Peter Heller fan for life. This novel, involving a fishing guide named Jack at a wealthy fishing lodge during a pandemic time…this book has mystery, was a little slow to start, but I honestly didn’t mind it because Heller’s writing is great, and I loved his way of describing the environment so you feel like you’re there! Great read!

I absolutely LOVED The River, so I was pleased when I say Peter Heller had a follow up, of sorts, with The Guide. If you've read The River, you've already been introduced to Jack, but it's not necessary to do so first. Jack, still mired in grief, takes a job as a river guide in Colorado, but things aren't quite right. He can't put his finger on it. Loud noises, gun shots, mysterious injuries, and the extra wealthy all combine to make this a riveting mystery. Heller is one of the best at capturing the wilderness in writing, his prose is incredibly atmospheric. So even though the plot is a bit slow in the first half, it's well worth the effort - one of the best novels I've read all year.

A get outside mystery! Rivers, hiking, intrigue, murder - The Guide has it all. I really enjoyed the first part of the book, the last third of it was definitely fast paced and exciting, All in all a well written and disturbing read.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

I am going to call this a COVID thriller. All the books I've read lately have chosen to blissfully ignore the 18-month old elephant in the room and this one just went for it. From the first paragraph mentioning "looping a cloth mask" to the bartender asking for the MC to lean over and get his temperature checked, this was the first time I've seen our current predicament in a book. At first I wasn't really sure what was going on in this book, and was feeling very similar to Jack and Allison K., the MCs. But then as things started to unfold, I couldn't stop reading. Some of the things hit hard though, because what's really stopping someone from setting something up like this fishing lodge? This was a trippy, suspenseful thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this for those looking for something quick that's a little more literary in its thriller style. However, I would also steer people away if COVID is a trigger.

I wish the book would have focused more on the mystery than the actual fishing. Anyone who's a rabid afficionado of fishing, please forgive me, but... I'd rather have a double root canal than fish, and I don't much care for eating them, either. Because of that, I can't really rate this book more than 3 stars.

*My sincere thanks to the author and publisher for allowing me to read this book prior to its publication. I was not compensated in any way for my honest review.*

I read it in a single sitting! I am not sure how I feel about it, what it’s really saying about the billionaire class AND about the way we pandemic, but I did find it riveting and I enjoyed the descriptions of nature/the west and other things totally alien to me (ie, fishing), as they made me want to go to Colorado and see some mountains/streams/forests for myself.

The publisher’s description of this novel as “a heart-racing thriller about a young man who is hired by an elite fishing lodge . . . where he uncovers a plot of shocking menace amid the natural beauty of sun-drenched streams and forests” is pretty apt! A very good late-summer read, in my opinion!

A fishing lodge for the wealthy, set in Colorado. Beautiful country. I spent many summers fishing, though not much fly fishing, so I was curious how the author would incorporate a book about fishing, and an adventure story. It's a fast read, there is much dialogue, but these short conversations also serve to ratchet up the suspense. Two interesting leading characters, one a kick ass woman, the other a battle scarred fishing guide.

That there is more to this lodge than just fishing, soon becomes apparent. At one point I thought I knew what was going on but it was even more horrific than my original thought. No graphic blood or anything like that, just greed and heartlessness from those in a position to exploit the current Covid situation. In any crisis there are those who will do anything for money and power, and those who with the requisite money, will take advantage. No matter how distasteful, no matter the people they hurt.

Heller can sure put together a both timely and adventuresome story. The ending though is beautifully written and just about perfect.