Another winner from Amber Garza - mixed in with an interesting story about religion and church amidst a disappearance, I really enjoyed this thriller!

“In a Quiet Town” is set in a town of less than 2,000 people who are shocked when two young women go missing. The title is ironic as the local rumor mill fueled by the large church congregation has always run rampant. The author juggles many storylines including an unflattering portrait of life as a minister’s wife with an undiagnosed illness, a controlling husband, and an estranged missing daughter. Despite the generic elements which are enhanced by multiple point of views and time periods, the novel is compelling because the reader wants to solve the mystery. However, my engagement in the book decreased rapidly as the author seemed too eager to let the cat out of the bag by using excessive foreshadowing. Somewhere toward the end it turned a bit too religious for me, focusing heavily on a character’s crisis of faith, leading me to think I accidentally picked up a Christian thriller. (Did I?) I wish I had known how religious the author was before going into this as her personal beliefs bled heavily into the novel.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy. All opinions are my own.

I will now be ordering this book I need a physical copy to share with my family! I love Amber Garza I will literally read anything she writes!
Tatum has been slowly pulling away from her husband, her husband disowned their daughter Adrienne for not living up to his expectations. Her husband is a pastor and runs a strict home. Tatum has been secretly seeing her daughter at the bar she works at, Tatum has become a regular at the bar, going in once a week on a night she knows Adrienne will be working. One night though, Adrienne isn't there and none of her coworkers have seen or heard from her. Tatum immediately something is wrong. Adrienne is not the type to just not show up at work. Plus it is the night her mother visits. She would have called in. Tatum knows something isn’t right. Tatum starts looking for Adrienne. The police seem to think she has just run off, , but Tatum knows that this cannot be true. When a man claiming to be Adrienne's fiancée shows up, this a complete shock to Tatum. Why didn't Adrienne mention she was engaged? They begin working together trying to figure out where Adrienne is. it soon becomes clear that she didn't leave of her own and she maybe be in terrible danger. Tatum soon begins to question this new fiancée and wonders if he may know more than what he’s letting on. As Tatum digs deeper she begins to wonder if her own life is at risk and where is her daughter?

This book was a decent thriller about a woman who finds out her estranged daughter has gone missing. It lacked some finesse but I plowed through it nonetheless. 4 Stars!

3.5-4 stars

This was a pretty good thriller, though some chapters were a bit dry at times.

Adrienne has essentially been disowned by her father, a well respected pastor in a small town in California. But her mother, Tatum, is making an effort to repair their strained relationship. She visits her daughter every week at the bar she works at, but this one particular visit is cut short because Adrienne never showed up for work. The police aren’t taking Tatum’s concerns seriously and her husband couldn’t care less. So when a stranger claiming to be Adrienne’s fiancé appears about of thin air, Tatum finally feels that her concerns are validated. He’s trying just as hard to find Adrienne, but is he the real deal or is he harboring secrets of his own?

I enjoyed reading this story and really liked the dynamic — and often rocky — relationships between all of the characters. Not knowing where Adrienne was or if she was in trouble definitely added to the suspense factor. And I appreciated that the story was told from past and present timelines because it helped build the story and reveal important details over time. But some scenes seemed to drag and feel like filler. Overall, it was a pretty good book, I just wish the pacing of the story was more consistent.

*Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for providing a copy of this book to review.*

Meh. This was a fine thriller. I think, had you not read the authors previous work, that you would probably love it. However, I’m a huge fan of the author and loved her previous books. This one was missing the magic that the first books had. The writing was excellent and the plot was interesting but I was missing an emotional connection the daughter that would have allowed me to become invested. Instead, I felt disconnected and feel I missed out. Not my favorite of the authors but a fine read for someone looking for a quick thriller.

In A Quiet Town
Amber Garza @ambergarzaauthor
Genre: Mystery/Religious
Page Count: 320

A chilling story of a mother reconnecting with her estranged daughter. But could it possibly be too late. When no on has heard from her daughter there is a great length a mother will go to, to prove this is much more than a random weekend rendezvous.

WOW.JUST.WOW. This may take place in a Quiet Town but I'm about to wake up the whole neighborhood screaming from the rooftop raving about this freaking book.

I have to admit it did take me a hot minute to become invested but Y'all as soon as I got past the first 20% I could not stop reading.

Told in 3 different POVs so expect alot of character building LIKE ALOT. But dang did I love love love the mother, daughter characters. As for the supporting characters ehh not so much. But who doesn't love a character to despise.

Don't expect to get too comfy while reading this because the twists and turns are going to have you so turned around you won't know what direction your facing. Predictable and unexpected. I literally stopped dead in my tracks at one of the large reveals because DANG.

Tatum you are an absolute bada$$. Good for you momma, good for you.

Seriously do not sleep on this one. If stalker, kidnappings, disappearances, small town drama, religious trauma, marriage in crisis, mother-daughter relationships are your jam, this one is for you.

Thank you to @netgalley and @_mira_books_ @htpbooks
For the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honost review.

Cleverly written with just enough information to keep us hooked, this story is told from 3 distinct POV’s - the mother, the daughter and the fiancé. The tenuous yet unforgettable bond between a mother and daughter is the spine of this novel. Tatum, the mother, regrets that she is estranged from her daughter yet her husband, the local pastor, is convinced that their decision was morally and religiously correct, Tatum, having a spiritual middle agent crisis meets her daughter secretly on Wednesday evenings at the bar where she works. This Wednesday, her daughter is not there, has disappeared for no reason and the police are not taking the issue seriously. Tatum is searching feverishly for a daughter she knows would not just disappear. This is a harrowing read, and there are hidden details in a blink and you miss it narrative. Building to an unexpected climax, I couldn’t put it down. Sign of a good book. Ending is even better then I thought.

A fun thriller with lots of plot twists. A mom who sees her estranged daughter secretly, believes she is missing. No one believes her except her daughter's fiancée. Lots can go wrong with this scenario!

3.5 ⭐️’s
Tatum and her estranged daughter, Adrienne, have just started to reconnect. Being the wild child of the family, her parents didn’t see eye to eye with her lifestyle, especially her father. Being a Pastor, he wanted his family to always look good in to his congregation. Recently, Tatum has started to reevaluate everything in her life and she knows she wants Adrienne in it. Seeing Adrienne on the sly has worked pretty well, but when Adrienne doesn’t show up for work one night and doesn’t notify anyone, Tatum knows there is something wrong. The only problem is, no one believes her. After all Adrienne hasn’t always led an exemplary life. Tatum takes things into her own hands and meets Adrienne’s fiancé. A finance she knows nothing about. How could she have kept that news a secret. As the days progress, Tatum knows for sure that something is not right and with the recent death of another young woman, Tatum fears for Adrienne’s safety. Pairing up with said fiancé, Tatum soon starts to question even him. Can anyone in this quiet town be trusted. Told in multiple voices and time frames (easily differentiated), this was an enjoyable, quick read. With a twist that many won’t see coming this would make a perfect beach read or one for a cozy afternoon by the fire. Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I was intrigued by this one and really tried to keep going but the bashing of what the author calls “Christianity” was driving me nuts. There’s a difference between being religious and being a Christian. Just left a bad taste in my mouth.

A very entertaining story! I've never read Amber Garza before, but I liked this one! It moved at a quick pace and had a good amount of tension and suspense.

At one point, I did have the ending figured out but it was ok. Still very entertaining and I read this one pretty fast.

It dealt a lot with faith, the struggle for what to believe in, unfaithful relationships and also how far a mother will go to protect her daughter. I would read more from this author!

I've enjoyed Garza's work in the past, but for me this one just fell a little short. It was a good mystery, but it felt a bit predictable for me. I liked the pace of the story, but it didn't keep my focus as much as I hoped.

I'm certain this book would be a good fit for many people but unfortunately, I didn't connect to the story or characters. It's just a matter of preference.

I struggled to follow this and connect with the characters and the plot. I'm not sure if it was my frame of mind, my lack of attention, or just the way it's written. I think if someone is sitting in a quiet area to read, they would connect and enjoy this.

IN A QUIET TOWN
Amber Garza
Mystery/Thriller

When Tatum’s estranged daughter goes missing, no one believes her, even her Pastor-husband. As Tatum frantically searches for her, in saunters the supposed fiancé but Tatum suspects that he is not all he claims he is.

This book is the deep look into a pastor’s family. Not all pastor’s families are as perfect as one would assume from looking at them from the outside. I should know as I grew up in one. This books also has all you would want in a thriller: twists and turns with a shocking ending. I already recommended it to my mom and give it a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

I really liked this thriller that delved into how a hyper focus on conservative beliefs affects a family, specifically a pastor, his wife Tatum, and her daughter, Adrienne. Adrienne has been estranged from her mother Tatum for several years after her pastor husband basically disowned her. Tatum finally works up the courage to secretly reconnect with her daughter and then she disappears. Was it on her own? Did something happen to her? Is it a coincidence this mysterious man claiming to be her fiancé has shown up at the same time? Tatum doesn’t think so and in fact believes something very wrong is up, and she sets off to figure out what exactly has happened and where her daughter is. Problem is, no one really listens to her at all so it is up to her to get to the bottom of everything.

This was such a fun read, I got through it in one sitting and was happy with how it all ended up. Tatum was a little whiny to me, but given the pastor husband I could understand why she was the way she was and I loved how she found her voice in this story. I have read one other of Garza’s books and really loved it, and now this one is on the list of another one I really enjoyed. I definitely recommend this one, it is a quick read and one that you will very much enjoy.

Thank you to MIRA Books and NetGalley for the digital copy to review.

This book started off so strong and I was instantly gripped by the mystery but unfortunately by the end the whole story fell apart for me. This book is told from three perspectives in a non linear format which was an interesting way to tell the story. Especially since one of the perspectives is Adrienne’s (the missing daughter) and most of her story is centered in the past and gives a greater insight into her family life. Garza tells a very compelling story about growing up the daughter of a pastor in a strict conservative Christian church and how stifling it was. Tatum, Adrienne’s mom, is another perspective we get and she also details how constricting their faith is and how it impacts her currently and in the past. But like with Tatum’s health issues and her new friendship with a woman outside the church it ultimately leads to nothing. I can see how it served Garza to have a splintered family but so much time and emphasis was placed on the Christianity angle that I thought the story would involve the Pastor or his church and it doesn’t. The third perspective was from the fiancé and while it was the most compelling of the three for me it also fell apart at the end. The ending of this book was so rushed and it had the potential to be so much more suspenseful. I gobbled this book up in two sittings which is probably why I felt so let down by the last third of this book. It had the potential to be so much more and I wanted it to deliver.

The book opens with an enticing atmosphere and a compelling mystery at its core. The author sets the stage in a small, idyllic town that hides its dark secrets beneath the surface. The characters are intriguing, and their initial development piqued my interest. The story builds an atmosphere of suspense and unease that keeps you engaged.

Where the novel begins to stumble is in its pacing and character development. While the story started off strong, it gradually lost its momentum and began to meander. The character arcs, which initially help promise, seemed to plateau, some feeling underdeveloped. This lack of growth made it challenging to fully connect with or invest in the characters as the story progressed.

Additionally, the central mystery, which had so much potential, began to lose its edge as the plot unfolded. It felt as though the narrative struggled to maintain the same level of suspense and intrigue that had initially drawn me in. By the time I reached the book’s conclusion, I found myself somewhat detached from the story.

Despite these shortcomings, In a Quiet Town is not without merit. Amber Garza’s writing style is engaging, and she demonstrates her ability to create a vivid and atmospheric setting. There are moments of tension and surprise scattered throughout the novel that keep the reader engaged, even as the overall momentum wanes.

While this may not have lived up to my expectations based on my previous experience with the author's work, it still offers moments of suspense. If you’re a fan of small-town mysteries and are willing to overlook some pacing issues, this might be worth a try.

Amber Garza did an amazing job with this small town thriller, showing how far a mother will go to solve her daughter’s disappearance. Dark and compelling!