If you don't like PTSD, addiction, or suicidal thoughts/attempts, then steer clear. Lucky for me that I don't have those filters and very few subjects are no-go's. Animal cruelty is one of my hard limits. Apparently, I can readily read about torturing or killing a human, but by golly don't direct that towarda fuzzy lil creature!!! But I digress. This was really a good thriller/mystery story to read. I felt so badly for the main MC and was invested in seeing if he could overcome his demons. The mystery itself was kind of easy to figure out. There are clues along the way for sure, but it kept me reading to see how it would all come together.

This wonderfully thriller filled with face paced movements and action. The book does a remarkable job of dealing with the opioid addiction in the world today. The book takes place in a small Midwestern town. You will fall in love with all the characters, Definitely a page turner.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Northwoods
By: Amy Pease
Publisher: Atria books
Pub Date: 1/9/24

This book is a crime novel with a little bit of police procedural thrown in. Eli North is a Veteran who is still struggling with all he saw and went through in Afghanistan. After returning home he returned to his job as an investigator for United States Fish and Wildlife, however just 6 months later his position was eliminated. Now he’s working for the sheriff department in his hometown but he only has this job because his mom, Marge is the sheriff. He had a pretty severe case of PTSD. He is not only having flashbacks but is passing out when the panic becomes too much. He recently split with his wife which has only made his drinking problems all the worse.

While on duty Eli is called to a noise complaint at a cabin on the lake. He finds no one there. While looking for someone who was renting the cabin he finds the body of a 16 year old Ben Sharpe in his boat. What no one knows at the time is Caitlin, a 16 year old girl was with him when he died and she is now missing. Caitlin’s father is a pharmaceutical salesman and now he’s missing as well. When FBI agent Alyssa Mason arrives to assist, Eli teams up with her. As time goes on it would seem Alyssa knows more about the case than she's sharing. With so many things happening all at once will they be able to find Caitlin alive? Will Eli be able to keep himself together and find the girl?
I really enjoyed this read. The characters made sinking into the story easy. It touched on several sensitive subjects all while keeping your interest going. I’m really hoping there's more to come and that this becomes a series!

I'm so tired of stories about incompetent police officers. There has been so much trauma to communities from these people and such a lack of consequences for their actions that we really don't need to further glorify them in books. In this case, we have two incompetent police officers: Eli and his mother Marge, who is the chief of police for their town.

Eli is dealing with a lot of PTSD and alcoholism. My frustration with him was less that he's showing up on the job armed and completely black-out drunk (although this is obviously a giant issue) and more that he's been enabled to do so. We fail our veterans in so many ways, but in this case, it was his mom that I took the most issue with. She has a duty to the people she serves and she's failing that duty by allowing her son to serve when he is in that state.

Separate from these frustrations, the mystery itself was compelling. I liked the Wisconsin small-town setting, with the lake serving almost as its own character, especially with a Kwik Trip present. But my frustration with Marge and Eli brought down the book for me. I don't think I can read another story about these two.

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

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC, available everywhere now.

Unlike the wealthy guests visiting his sleepy, idyllic town, Eli North can't remember the last time he was able to get away, let alone have a relaxing day. He spends most days getting so drunk so he can avoid sitting with his thoughts. Thoughts about his former deployment in Afghanistan. How his marriage has collapsed, damaging his relationship with his son. His career is over, and if not for his mother being the town Sheriff, he wouldn't have a job. Even that's on shaky ground, both because of his inability to stay sober and the lack of crime in the area. Until one night, he is called out to investigate a noise disturbance and instead, discovers a dead body in a boat nearby. A teenage boy is missing, his friend unaccounted for. The investigation sets in motion things that Eli and the town are not prepared for, leading them on the hunt for more than just the killer.

I thought this was a good debut but it didn't live up to the hype for me. It felt less like a novel about a murder investigation and more like a novel about Eli's traumas, which was discussed on nearly every page. I could have started a drinking game for all the times alcohol was brought up and I could have been as drunk as Eli by the end. It felt like a lot to me, cramming in alcoholism, the PTSD, the focus on pharmaceuticals and opioids, addictions, etc. The end was a letdown, ending so abruptly and open-ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC! This is a gripping, police procedural mystery that tackles many hot button issues. This was an interesting debut, that kept me engaged. I enjoyed the mystery, but felt a lot was going on in terms of social commentary.

Author Amy Pease’s debut novel is a hit! Northwoods is a mystery/detective story that could be the start of a great new series. I say “could” because I don’t know if that is the author’s intention, but the book ends in such a way that follow-up novels with the same characters are a real possibility.

Northwoods follows detective Eli North, an army veteran who has returned to his hometown police force following deployment in Afghanistan. As Eli battles his own demons, he discovers a dead body at Shaky Lake. The bare bones investigative team is joined by an FBI agent as they work to solve the murder and a connected kidnapping. The mystery grows deeper, and Eli struggles to keep it together.

This novel has a beautiful setting, vividly described. The characters are well developed, and the complexity of their relationships—with themselves and each other--adds to the depth of the novel. And, as you’d hope in a mystery novel, the mystery is intriguing.

Northwoods was published earlier this month, and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. Sensitive readers should be aware of mentions of suicide, war, PTSD, and drug use.

Way too much substance abuse, and I don’t enjoy reading about it. The deputy sheriff had way too many problems, not exactly original. The fact that his mother hired him is an argument against nepotism in hiring. I was bored and quit reading. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Northwoods by Amy Pease is a slow burn mystery story about a murder in a vacation town in Wisconsin. When deputy Eli North, a man who faces demons of his own, finds the body of a teenage boy in the lake, it sets off a deeper investigation involving a missing girl and an opioid crisis.

I enjoyed this story. It's not fast paced or super thrilling, and often it felt more like a family drama than a mystery. But it was pretty good and worth a read! Eli is definitely a troubled character and makes some bad choices, but I couldn't help but root for him to find help and put his life back together.

The ending on this one is not fully resolved, which makes me wonder if there would be a sequel? I would read it!!

Wow, Amy Pease really did a great job with this novel, especially the main character. Definitely had a thriller aspect in it and I loved the writing of this storyline. The main character left everything on the pages. Such a great read.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley, Atria Books, and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my honest review.*

Eli is suffering and you can feel it in almost every page. After spending time in Afghanistan, he has developed a drinking problem and panic attacks. (And wow! When the panic attacks were described, I felt like I was dropping in to one myself.) He is also at the very beginning of a separation from his wife and son and just starting a new job with the sheriff department where his mom is the sheriff. How much worse can it get?

The case that comes up is a teenage boy who has been found dead on the lake after an overdose and a missing teenage girl who is at the lake on vacation with her mom. Another opioid novel.

I think this novel is going to stay with me a while because of the state that Eli was in. As much as you would think that as an alcoholic and someone with obvious PTSS who doesn't get any kind of help that he would be a much despised character, but I want to hear that he gets help and becomes the stand up guy that he was before the war. This novel is definitely missing antics and pieces that are in most novels where drug use and sales are the front and foremost theme. I found that quite refreshing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Amy Pease for an eARC copy of this book. This was a wonderful debut novel. Crime, murder, mystery, opioid crisis, mental illness, PTSD from serving in Afghanistan, family drama and excessive drinking. This book has all the things. If you are looking for a great story to keep you entertained and guessing, this ones for you. Well done Amy Pease. Looking forward for more to come from this author.

The search for a missing teenager leads to so much more…

Sheriff Marge North is a strong woman doing her best for the little Wisconsin town of Shaky Lake - but keeping tabs on both the locals & the vacationers that come for summer fun on the water has her department stretched thin, & she can’t always rely on one specific deputy to be sober. Sheriff North keeps him around anyway because he’s her son: Eli.

Eli used to have a prestigious investigative position with US Fish & Wildlife, but his position was eliminated shortly after he returned from Afghanistan. He’s haunted by his time in the military, & after his drinking started having an impact on his young son, his wife asked for a divorce. His job with the sheriff’s department hasn’t exactly been capturing his attention, until a case revolving around a couple of teenagers ends up pulling in the FBI & sends them into the world of opioids, & the rehab centers & pharmaceutical companies that profit off of treating addiction.

I really appreciated the author’s note at the beginning of the story that outlined trigger warnings, & felt that the addiction & mental health issues explored were handled with the care one would expect from someone in the healthcare industry (a unique perspective from a debut author). I also really enjoyed the setting & I need to make visiting the scenic upper Midwest a priority soon. Eli’s mother ended up being a bigger part of the story than I initially expected, & seeing some of the parallels between the case they were working & how Eli was spiraling in his own life gave the reader much to reflect on. One of the main take-aways I have from this narrative is that human connection & reaching out for help is something we all need to remember when facing life’s demons.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very nice debut for Amy Pease! It combines a thriller and police procedural and is set in small town Wisconsin. I loved all of the small town drama, and the setting of a lakeside vacation town was evident in every description. It truly made you feel like you were there. Beneath this quiet town, there's a darker side that quickly becomes evident as the story progresses.

I enjoyed the mother and son police dynamic. With the mother as boss. Northwoods also does a good job of highlighting mental health issues, alcohol abuse, and the opioid epidemic. The plot was well written, and the character development was great.

If you enjoy crime fiction, then I highly recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

There was a lot going on in this story, and I found it a bit confusing at first. But I stuck with it and once the investigation began I was able to stay focused to see what happens. It was a well written debut for this author and I'm glad I stuck with it.

This debut novel is part literary mystery, part character novel. It’s set in a resort town in Wisconsin, told from the perspectives of Eli, who works in the sheriff’s office who is also a veteran suffering from PTSD, and Marge, the sheriff who happens to be Eli’s mother. When a teenage boy is found dead and the teenage girl he was with has gone missing, Eli and Marge and the rest of the understaffed sheriff’s office step in to investigate, along with an FBI agent, what turns out to be a pretty complicated case.

I thought this was great, well written and couldn’t put it down! Just know going on that it’s a slow burn mystery not a crazy thriller. But I for one love this kind of book where it’s just as much about the characters investigating the crime as it is the mystery - think the style of Tana French or Jane Harper. The way the ending wraps up this particular mystery but not everything behind it makes it ripe for a sequel, and I for one will be first in line to read it.

Eli North is suffering from PTSD and alcoholism after his deployment to Afghanistan. Eli is hanging on by a thread at work because he works for his mom at the sheriff’s department. The body of a teenage boy is found in the lake and a girl is missing. Along Eli’s search he learns that the murder has ties to the opioid epidemic.

I love reading books set in Wisconsin. Add in the Northwoods and I’m 100% in! My family has a cabin in northern Wisconsin, so I could easily picture the setting. Eli is unreliable and his struggles with mental illness go deep, but he is someone I was immediately rooting for. The story explores the role big pharma plays in the opioid epidemic and its effects on a small town.

I loved this slow-burn mystery that takes place in a small town where everyone knows everyone. The topics are important and continue the necessary discussions about addiction and mental health.

I really liked this… I wanted more. I wanted Eli to start recovering! This was so painful to read… I felt like I was blackout drunk at times. I did really enjoy this story, I hope we get a series out of this. Great story about the opioid epidemic! Everything wrapped up neatly and the characters are solid. I’d like to see Eli make some growth!

I enjoyed this well-written and complex murder mystery. The setting is wonderful and the characters are multi-layered human beings just trying to cope with life. This is a great debut novel that kept me intrigued and interested. People struggling with PTSD and opioid addiction are so common in many areas of the country and I gained some insight into what it's like to deal with those issues. I loved the setting and characters and hope to read more by this author.