What a book!!! I could not put this one down and kept me at the edge of my seat, lots of twists and turns!!!

Totally enjoyed this one!!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!!

I love a mystery where someone goes missing. Sarah, Matthew and their two children set off on a camping trip in the Canadian wilderness. All is well, until it isn’t- the family wakes up to find Matthew missing. A search ensues, and throughout, you jump between the ongoing search in the present, and the building of the relationship between Sarah & Matthew in the past.

Getting lost in the wilderness is one of my irrational fears. Irrational, because I’ll never put myself in the situation to get lost in the first place. That said, I was hooked because of this personal connection I felt with the premise.

I enjoyed the twists and felt they were fairly unexpected. I would certainly recommend this to other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller is set in Ottawa and north in the Canadian Shield. As an outdoorsy Canadian, I am very familiar with the wilderness, camping and nature so was immediately drawn to the story.

Sarah was married with two children. She and her husband Matt were at times like two ships passing in the night. But she agreed to a family camping trip, though the outdoors wasn't her wheelhouse. One morning she woke up to an empty sleeping bag next to her which wasn't unusual as Matt enjoyed canoeing. But she and the kids grew more and more anxious by the minute when he didn't appear. Hours went by and they were rescued by a local. As they holed up in a hotel, hours became days and days became weeks with no leads. They eventually went home to try to resume some normalcy. After a year, the case went cold. The two investigators were at their limit. Sarah's estranged older sister dropped everything to help with the kids while Sarah was questioned by the police over and over and over. But life went on, as impossible as it was. Clues finally revealed themselves as the puzzle pieces snapped together.

Though I felt suspense and tension, in my view this is not exactly a thriller as it lacked expected twists at the end. There are also some unconvincing moments. But I enjoyed it regardless as I was in the mood for a wilderness mystery and would gladly read from this author again. There is something about the story that still drew me in and captivated me.

My sincere thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this engrossing novel.

I loved this complicated family drama. I fell in love with the characters as well. Such a great story.

Thanks Thomas and Mercer and netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

I wanted to send some brief feedback. While I was very intrigued by the premise of this book I could not get into it. Some combination of the writing style and a lack of caring about the main character prevented me from wanting to go further. I made multiple attempts but for a thriller or mystery of any sort to pull me in, it needs to give me a reason to keep going. That reason either should be a strong propelling plot point (the husband vanishing just wasn’t enough, the plot immediately stuttered when they got on the boat) or a strong connection to the characters and this book had neither for me. I intend to give it another try as an Amazon first read and appreciate the opportunity to read an early ARC.

This was an interesting suspense novel, I wouldn’t call it a thriller. A lot of secrets were involved and the story was good. I liked the writing style and even though this was a debut novel I didn’t feel as if the writing was lacking. The only point of slight criticism is for the format, as often the plot jumps from one character’s perspective to the next and there is no plot divider or else to suggest that the perspective is jumping now. Possibly that is resolved in the finished version of the book though. None of the characters were particularly likeable but I felt as if that was intended and for that quite well executed. Sarah is not very likeable even though her character is technically the victim of the situation as her husband goes missing in the wilderness. She is not working with the police very well, but she likes her kids well and her sister especially. Izzy is Sarah’s sister and she is probably the most likeable character in the whole book. When Sarah needs her she is by her side and supports during the search and afterwards. Rob is the officer who leads the search efforts in the wilderness and is very persistent. I liked him quite a bit. I loved that the book was set in Canada, as the wilderness in the northern parts of the provinces and territories contributed to the plot well. All in all an enjoyable book that I can recommend for a foggy late winter day.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really struggled to get into this book and ultimately DNFd it. I know this book will find its audience though! It just wasn’t for me.

Sarah wakes during a camping trip and her husband Matt is not in the tent. The canoe is gone and bad weather is closing in. Thus begins the story of a missing man and the exploration of a marriage. Overall, I liked this thriller and where it ultimately ended up. It isn’t perfect—daughter Bella is strongly present at the beginning and not depicted true to age and there are bits that could have been snipped out—but I enjoyed the read and the gradual peeling of the story onion to slowly reveal the story. I would for sure read Miller again.

Quick entertaining read that had some decent twists, though would call it more of a mystery than thriller/suspense. I liked the setting of the book and the premise was interesting. If you want a quick mystery that will keep you entertained I would recommend this one for sure. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

What an interesting story with a subtle but fascinating twist. This isn’t a thriller that chooses to shock you with some far out of left field twist although the story does make you think something far more sinister is going to take place. I like that it wasn’t so far fetched and yet it was a mystery I wanted to learn more about. I think good writing, which this very much was, can take you down a winding path and make the reader feel compelled to get to the end. I felt that sense of pull the entire time. Debut novel by this author and I’ll be watching for future stories.

Honestly a great debut! It was well thought out and captivating. I do feel it’s more mystery than thriller, but that was fine.

⛺️ Missing husband
⛺️ Flashbacks/dual timeline
⛺️ Don’t know who to trust
⛺️ Debut novel

It felt far-fetched at times, though remained captivating nonetheless. There were a lot of great ideas thrown in, but I felt like the ending was a bit lackluster. I did love that it was a short, quick read but still managed to tell a big story.

It’s possible I just wasn’t in the mood for this book when I read it, so take my rating lightly.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 2/01/25

Thank you Thomas & Mercer @amazonpublishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for the copy of Into The Fall by Tamara L. Miller. What a great debut! The story was interesting and multi-faceted and grabbed me right away. In the beginning there were too many literary devices that felt overdone, but as the book went on, the writing became more straightforward and easier to read. The timelines took some time to get used to, but they were written masterfully, dropping just enough clues to what happened to Matthew. Sarah was a great, realistic character, and the kids felt real but not annoying. I will be looking forward to Miller’s other books! 4 stars

Into the Fall is the debut novel by Tamara L. Miller and it is definitely an excellent debut. It all begins when Sarah and Matthew Anderson go on a camping trip in the Canadian wilderness with their children. Sarah wakes up one morning to find that Matthew has disappeared without a trace. The local police are brought in but with the weather not cooperating it makes the initial search for Matthew difficult. Over the course of a year we learn little tidbits about Sarah and Matthews life that make you question what really happened with Matthew's disappearance. The novel definitely keeps you guessing up until the very end and moves along at a great pace. Will definitely keep an eye out for future novels by this author as i enjoyed this one and want to see more as she develops as an author.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

#NetGalley #IntotheFall #TamaraLMiller

Into the Fall is a suspenseful psychological thriller with the best setting. During a family camping trip, Sarah's husband disappears into the wilderness of the Canadian forest. The story takes us on a yearlong journey of searching for her husband, which starts to reveal secrets about his past.

This story holds tons of mystery and I was so engrossed in finding out what happened. The pacing of the story moved along quickly and the author drops breadcrumbs along the way that the ending ties up nicely together. This is a great debut novel!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Very moody and athmospheric. Loved the main character and found it very interesting. Thank you for my copy!

This book was fine. The overall plot was acceptable, but had a few holes and questionable points and the ending fell flat. But for a debut novel, I don't always expect a knockout. I think the author has great potential, but this book just didn't blow me away as I had expected.

I'm on the fence when it comes to my overall feelings about this book. Parts of it were incredibly interesting and well done and some plot twists I was actually really surprised by, but the pacing of the book was really hard for me and I found myself putting it down and wandering away from it more than I cared for.

That being said, the parts that were well done were REALLY well done, and the ending has stuck with me long after finishing the book in a really deep and impactful way that still has me feeling strong emotions weeks later.

If you're into books with a bit of a slower pace who really enjoys delving into the details of grief and the human experience, then I think you'll really enjoy this one. I'm waiting for the day Goodreads finally gets with the programs and gives us the option for half stars. Realistically I think I would probably give it closer to a 3.7 if I was able.

I thought the writing was oddly poetic for a thriller mystery. I really felt like I was in Canada for most of the book that setting was really almost a character. I am not a camping wilderness person but I do enjoy a mystery or something happens there. it really had so much suspense but could be a slower story—-what would happen if your husband went missing from campsite. I thought it was well plotted, and the characters seemed real.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book we meet Sarah Anderson and her husband Matthew and two children Charlie and Bella. Sarah and her family go on a canoeing trip that Matthew organized and after it going asleep Sarah cannot find her husband and after several hours a kind older man who has a place nearby takes them to safety and the police get involved. The case goes unsolved for months until the figure out what happened that fateful day. Sarah finds out that Matthew’s real name is Jonathan and that he was previously married to someone else and had a daughter named Grace who was 12 years old. Prior to the canoeing trip Sarah believed that her husband was having an affair with a woman named Grace not knowing that she was actually his daughter who he sat up a trust for after abandoning her and her mother but wanted to make amends with her and introduce her to Charlie and Bella. Sarah put holes in Matthew’s wet suit that he didn’t bring but somehow ended up at the camp site, something that Sarah believed and honestly thought he left but who knows if she didn’t plan it that way, in order to get Charlie’s stuffed dragon Norbert. Sarah and the kids move on and she rekindles her relationship with her sister that became strained after she married Matthew. Sarah had a habit of turning into whatever she needed to become in order to make the men in her life happy (aka past relationships and with Matthew). I will admit that some of this book was kind of weird and didn’t seem really necessary but I enjoyed nonetheless.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Tamara L. Miller’s debut novel, “Into the Fall,” is a suspenseful psychological thriller that masterfully intertwines the serene beauty of the Canadian wilderness with the chilling unraveling of a family’s darkest secrets. This gripping narrative explores the fragility of trust and the lengths to which one will go to uncover the truth.

Miller sets the hook quickly and deeply as the story opens as Sarah and her family are on a vacation in the woods when her husband, Matthew, inexplicably disappears, leaving his wife with their two small children.

Miller leaves interesting bread crumbs along the way to the resolution to the truth behind this mysterious disappearance, and I found it impossible to put down.

The story centers on Sarah Anderson, a successful career woman from Ottawa whose seemingly perfect life begins to crumble during a family vacation in the remote Canadian wilderness when her husband Matthew goes missing.

Miller’s vivid descriptions of the vast, unforgiving landscape enhance the novel’s tension, making the wilderness a character in its own right. I loved Miller's inclusion of interesting haunting side concerns, such as the myth of the Wendigo, the cannibalistic half-man, half-beast creature rumored to haunt the woodlands.

This author has a rare flair for writing a captivating mystery, it earned an enthusiastic 5 stars from this reviewer.

Sarah Anderson is a compelling protagonist whose strength and vulnerability are portrayed with remarkable depth. Her transformation from a woman on the brink of a breakdown to a determined survivor is believable and inspiring.

Matthew’s disappearance and the secrets he leaves behind add layers of complexity to his character, even in his absence.

"Into the Fall” delves into the themes of trust, betrayal, and the resilience of the human spirit. The novel examines the impact of hidden truths on relationships and the lengths one will go to protect their loved ones.

Miller’s writing is evocative and precise, capturing the emotional intensity of Sarah’s journey and the stark beauty of the wilderness.

The pacing is expertly managed, with each chapter building suspense and deepening the mystery. 

“Into the Fall” is a STELLAR debut which combines a gripping plot with rich character development and a hauntingly beautiful setting.

Tamara L. Miller has crafted a novel that is meticulously written, thrilling and emotionally resonant, making it a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted mystery.

Mark my words, Tamara L. Miller is an author to watch, I read hundreds of mysteries a year, yet I found this DEBUT uniquely captivating and compelling. I couldn't put it down until I reached its conclusion, so start this book when you have time to devote to it; it is as addictive as starting a bag of your favorite potato chips, you won't want to stop until the "bag is empty" and the final page is turned!