I was initially drawn to this book because it involved a search for a hiker lost in the Maine woods along the Appalachian trail. I like books that take place in the outdoors. The stories of the characters in the book drew me in. The three main protagonists are all women at different stages in their life. This book is about relationships and the natural world that the characters draw strength from, It's a thriller as well following the search for the lost hiker.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is basically everything I want in a book: amazing female protagonists, a suspenseful plot, and rotating narration with an interesting structure. It hasn’t been easy, but Maine State Warden Beverly Miller is one of the state’s most respected search and rescue leaders with a 97% found rate. Their target, Valerie “Sparrow” Gillis, did not show up for an expected supply stop on the last leg of the Appalachian Trail as it winds through the dangerous woods toward Mount Katahdin. What happened to make Valerie so off the trail and will the team find her before it is too late? Heartwood is a lot more than a wilderness search book — it is about strong women, motherhood, and finding your peace at any age. Gaige’s writing includes beautiful passages of nature and inner musings combined with interviews, chat exchanges, and the building tension of a missing person case. Heartwood will appeal to many groups of readers — thrillers, nature, women’s lit, and anyone who wants a great page-turning book.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail from Harper’s Ferry, VA north into the Maine woods, Valerie Gillis disappears. What has happened to the charismatic, dearly loved nurse who seems to have reached a turning point in life? Has she run away? Met with an accident or misadventure? Is she dead, drowned in some bog or eaten by a bear? Lying injured and alone at the bottom of a cliff or crevice? Might her husband, the manager of her hike, be involved? Those possibilities, and many others, must be considered by Lieutenant Beverly Miller of the Maine State Game Warden’s Service as she organizes and manages the search for Valerie. Time is no one’s friend. The longer Valerie remains missing in the deep and dangerous woods, the poorer her chance of surviving.

Author Amity Gaige has given us a fine story, full of mystery and told from multiple points of view. We’re in the woods with Valerie as she struggles to survive; with Beverly at Sugarloaf Mountain as she pushes aside everything in her own complicated life to bring Valerie home; and with Lena, an elderly lady confined to a wheelchair in a Connecticut retirement home, who’s never met Valerie but is obsessed with the search and may or may not have a role to play.

Gaige tells her tale employing a variety of devices: third-person prose narratives (some quite lyric), taped investigator interviews, newspaper stories, letters and poetry from Valerie herself, and more. Gradually, we’re given leads to solving the mystery of what happened to Valerie and whether and where she might be found. Along the way, we learn much about hiking the Appalachian Trail, the beauty and dangers of the Maine woods, how easy it is to become lost, and the tremendous effort that goes into searching for those who have disappeared.

It's a fast-moving and very absorbing read that includes compelling characters and relationships, well-described settings, some surprises, more than a little suspense, and from time to time, some beautiful literary writing.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Amity Gaige, and publisher Simon & Schuster for providing me with a complimentary ARC. All of the foregoing is my independent opinion.

This is an excellent book. I just finished it and am still wrapping my head around all the feelings it brought me. I wanted to be out in the woods looking for Valerie. And in the home talking to Lena. And I even wanted to give Santos a reassuring hug.

Valerie is resolute in her quest to hike the Appalachian Trail, with her husband, Gregory, providing support. The book's narrative revolves around Valerie's ordeal of getting lost and her actions during this time. It features a cast of characters, each with their own narrative. Bev, the park ranger, leads the search efforts, while Lena plays a pivotal role in the story. Valerie reveals her resilience through letters written to her mother as a means of survival. The book captivates with its excellent character development, making it a commendable read for all.

I really enjoyed Amity Gaige’s novel the Sea Wife in 2020 so I was excited to receive this digital arc of her next novel Heartwood. Gaige has created my favorite kind of novel - a character driven mystery that kept me turning the pages while becoming attached to the three female main characters. Lena, Beverly and Valerie all share their conflicted feelings about mother/daughter relationships while involved in the search for Valerie who has gotten lost during her Appalachian Trail hike. I won’t spoil the ending, but I will recommend this to anyone looking for a gripping story with strong female characters and a strong sense of New England. Thank you to Amity Gaige and Simon and Schuster for this advanced copy!

Wow! This is a twisted read. Suspense, trials, righting of wrongs. Characters and storyline is compelling. I admire Bev and her perseverance to continue the search. Recommend highly. I was given this well written book by NetGalley as an arc and I am freely sharing my review

Enter the drama of the Appalachian Trail! Gaige has stuck us in the heart of the trail - in Maine, where the undergrowth is too thick to see or trek through. A few steps off the white slashed trail can literally mean chancing your life!

In Heartwood a solo hiker goes missing and the Investigator is determined to find her. Maine State Game Warden Beverly stops at nothing -even sleep as she does whatever she can to find missing Valerie. The story is vivid and tense and I learned so much more about the Appalachian Trail - it's almost a character in this story and I keep on thinking about it.

If you love a thriller, love hiking, love heroes, this is a story for you! #heartwood #simonschuster #amitygaige

Title: Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Pub Date: April 1, 2025

⭐️ 3.5/5

Appalachian Hiking Trail
Multiple POV
Missing Person's Search

We get to read in multiple POV in the form of a mix of interviews, letters from Valerie to her mother, Lt. Bev during her extensive search, and Lena who unknowingly will be joining the search from states away.
While this was less thriller/suspense and more literary fiction, I still enjoyed it throughly and read it in just two sittings. Lt. Beverly worked tirelessly even when all hope seemed to be gone, and I was pleasantly surprised how all of the POVs and characters came together in the end.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster, for the digital review copy!

TW: Multiple mentions of pandemic

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Heartwood tells the story of a missing hiker on the Appalachian Trail, and the narrative weaves together the perspectives of Valerie, the lost hiker, Bev, the Maine game warden heading up the search, and Lena, a wheelchair-bound woman living in a retirement home who becomes involved in the search remotely. The author deftly connects the characters and shows us their inner lives in a way that brings richness and meaning to what could have been "just" a thriller.
I enjoyed learning more about the trail and those who choose to traverse it. It was also interesting to read about what goes into a search and rescue operation in dense wilderness.
Ultimately this novel made me think about the ways we all get lost and found and the relationships with ourselves and with others that help us do both.
I would definitely read more from this author.