I had mixed feelings about this one. It's the kind of book that I didn't really enjoy reading (or listening to)... But I appreciated it much more when I was done. It's really well-written and I liked how the author brings the story together; it just wasn't really the book for me.

Cover Your Tracks starts on a train in the middle of a blizzard. We meet Margo, who is 8 months pregnant, and Nick, an army ranger. When the train starts heading toward a massive avalanche, Nick helps Margo escape to safety. Thank goodness because the train heads into the avalanche and presumably, none of the passengers survive. What a start to a novel!

Though they escaped the avalanche, Margo and Nick are still not in the clear. They're now stranded in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard with no idea when help will arrive. In between learning what they do to try to survive, we jump back in time and learn quite a bit about both Margo and Nick's childhood and learn how they got to the point they're at now.

I don't want to spoil anything, but again, I will say that the ending really impressed me. I like what the author did. But I was definitely a bit bored throughout the book. I found myself not really caring about Nick or his childhood at all. Margo's was more interesting to me, but it just wasn't enough to make me love the book. That's OK though because though this is not quite the book for me, I do think a lot of people will love it. It's especially great for readers who like slow burn thrillers.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cover Your Tracks was a very fun mystery/thriller book to dive into. From the very moment of meeting Nick and Margo, I was sucked in. I mean a super pregnant girl on a train with an avalanche on the way? Sign me the heck up.

I'm not going to lie, I was entertained from start to finish. The whole love and hate back and forth thing just kept me on the edge of my seat. Then once the crazy side came out.. weell, crap - I was so sucked in that I wasn't even shocked by what happened towards the end.

Long story short, I devoured this and I'm hesitant of ever getting on a train. Never rode one before.. and now I'm going to think long and hard before I step on to one. Damn you psychological thrillers for getting into my head!

I had seen Cover Your Tracks by Daco Auffenorde all over #bookstagram, so I knew I was in for a treat. My friends on the 'gram know their thrillers. 

It's an action-packed thriller told in dual perspectives. Is it overly realistic? I'll let the survivalists out there decide that. But, was it entertaining? Yes. 

Allyson Ryan narrates this audiobook, and the run time of this book is 7 hours and 50 minutes. 

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Just before Christmas, Margo, at 8-mos pregnant, travels by train across the Rockies to Spokane for her niece's wedding.  But, the train is about to be engulfed by an avalanche and Nick, an Army veteran recognizes this.  He tries to get others to go to the last car of the train so he can uncouple it and keep them safe from what's ahead.  Only Margo agrees to follow him.  This is the story of their attempts at survival, with reflections into each of their past experiences.  The story will keep you riveted, but be prepared for some graphic and violent details, and a rather abrupt ending.  I could have done without some of the graphic descriptions, so I'm not rating it as high as I might have otherwise.

While the premise of this book had me really intrigued, the execution didn't really work for me, I'm sorry to say. Somehow, it just strained credulity one too many times and I didn't feel very absorbed. That being said, it is an interesting and creative idea.

After reading the synopsis for this one, I was thrilled when Dreamscape Media granted my wish on NetGalley so that I could listen to this audiobook.
Margo Fletcher is an ER nurse, traveling by train from Chicago to Spokane. Eight months pregnant, she is on the way to her childhood home to reunite with her estranged family.
The train suddently begins braking, as it travels through a remote area of the Rockies in blizzard conditions.
The conductor order them to remain seated as a treacherous avalanche begins up ahead of them.
Former Army Ranger NIck Elliot defies the instructions and tells the passengers that the only means for survival is to head to the back of the train.
Only Margo trusts his instincts and she joins him in the last train car, which he uncouples so they avoid the on-rushing snow.
The rest of the train is lost in a crush of snow.
As the weather worsens, they must head into the wilderness, fighting for survival.
Besides contending with the hazardous weather, they must face the threat of wild animals.
Eventually Nick guides Margo to a shelter atop a mountain.
But now Margo must confront Nick, and the secrets between them.
This was a dark, crazy and suspenseful thriller that kept me highly entertained.
I felt it was a bit over the top at times, but it was exciting and fun to listen to.
The narrator did an excellent job and I enjoyed the way the story flashed back from Margo and Nick's pasts as it led up to their final conflict.
Thank you Dreamscape Media Keylight for the audiobook via NetGalley.

In her debut novel Daco S. Auffenorde takes readers to a train, where two strangers are going to have to trust each other to survive:

Margo Fletcher is heading from Chicago to Spokane in the middle of winter, back to a family that she has been distant from for many years now. But she is eight months pregnant and there are some things that need to be said and put behind them. While passing through the Rocky Mountains, something triggers an avalanche. A stranger comes up to Margo and tells her they have to get to the back of the train if she and her baby are to survive. Margo ends up listening to him and it save their lives. However, now they are stranded in the wilderness with nothing to survive. Luckily for Margo Nick is an ex-army Ranger and a hunter and knows his way around the outdoors. He promises to help her and the baby. But should Margo trust him? He did just save her life, but he is a stranger, and some things just don't add up. Everyone has secrets and some are just more deadly than others.

I was drawn to this story for the premise of the book. It idea of having to survive in the winter with a stranger but also being extremely pregnant, I can read that, I haven't read a survivalist story in a long time but this is where the premise kind of steers you wrong.

This book tries to do too much. I think that the book should have been separated into two different parts with the the first being used to describe how Margo ends up taking the train. In the second part there could be more of a focus on the survival aspect and then had Nick's flashbacks in there as well. There are quite a few flashbacks throughout the book, and this muddles down the survival book aspects that the premise offers readers. Personally, I enjoyed the flashback aspects of how and why these two people ended up being on the train, more than the survival aspect, as once again it did not seem like this was the true focus of the book.

I also think that having the flashbacks with Nick throughout the book instead of a second part that I was able to figure everything out and the "big" twists that she had planned throughout the book.There was no shocker there for me. Don't get me wrong I was invested in both the characters throughout the story I just wish I would not have been able to figure the whole situation out. Trust me the flashbacks are extremely interesting and you get to know the characters from when they are children and has shaped them to be the people are now. If you like character development, Auffenorde gives it to you in spades.

The is one aspect within the book, that did not make since to me. Nick who is an Army Ranger, hunter, he knows his wilderness yet he states to Margo that there are Snow Leopards out there. Ummm nope, there are not, Snow Leopards do not live in North America, they live in a small region in Asia. I think Auffenorde meant Puma, mountain Lion or Cougar and none of those are refered to as a Snow Leopard. I realize it is a small detail but it goes against Nick as a character and I wonder how did the author or editor not catch this flaw.

This is such a catch-22 book for me, I loved the idea of the premise, it's not fully achieved until the end of the book, so i was disappointed by that. Yet i could not put this book down as I really enjoyed discovering who the characters were and what lead each of them to take a train across the country in the middle of winter. I think that this a is a good debut novel, and that Auffenorde story telling ability will get better the more she writes. There are great bones here and interesting twists that would knock people out if they were executed in a different way. I look forward to seeing what Auffenorde comes out with next.

Enjoy!!!

Cover Your Tracks is an intense and twisty thriller with tons of suspense and surprises. 
I really enjoyed the complex characters and thought the narrators did a fantastic job portraying them. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy.

<Giant sigh>

If you’re going to write a book about man vs. the elements, you should probably do some research on said elements first.

This book had a great premise and so much potential, but it’s so unrealistic that it’s practically sci-fi and it’s unrealistic in an irresponsible manner. 

PSA for anyone who made the mistake of looking at the environmental factors dealt with by the characters in this book as real: If you are stranded on a mountain after an avalanche, roving bands of murderous coyotes are not your main concern. They’re not even your 603rd-ranked concern. And here’s why: Coyotes do not form gangs to murder and eat humans. They just don’t. Any sort of coyote attack on a human at all is actually exceedingly rare and perpetuated by a sick or starving animal. 

If you’re writing fantasy, fine, do whatever you want, but if your book is supposedly “realistic” as this one purports to be, it is incredibly irresponsible to put this kind of information out there. It causes readers to potentially believe that an animal such as a coyote is a real threat, and thus possibly attack and injure or kill an animal that is of no danger to them. 

The situation in which Nick and Margo find themselves is perilous for many reasons. But being mauled by wild animals is one of the least likely to occur. If your train derails and strands you in the Rockies, your primary concerns should be freezing to death, dehydration, starving, avalanches , disease, and complications from any injuries sustained in the crash. NOT coyotes. 

There are plenty of dangers an author can use in a story like this to make the narrative exciting that are real and legitimate. And if you’re going to have a When Animals Attack! moment, at least pick something that might actually attack humans, like a grizzly bear. 

A lot of other reviewers have also complained about the author’s insensitive approach to Native Americans. I’m not sure this was *as* bad as many were arguing that it was, but it still smacks of poor judgment. Surely an author should know that the response would be like this? You would think so. But the lack of research and desire for factual accuracy with regard to the hilariously cartoonish murder coyotes tells me that the author doesn’t value accuracy or responsibility in content at all. 

What a waste of a great premise for a book.

This book was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it via audio book on my way to work. The unexpected twist at the end was a great turn of events and one I wasn't expecting.

I love a good psychological thriller. This one is fast paced and builds the suspense as the main characters' secrets are revealed. I do wish it was more believable though.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

That twist, though!  Cover Your Tracks by Daco Auffenorde, is set mostly in present day on a cross country train and in the wilderness somewhere in the Rockies.  It also has flashbacks to the main character's back stories. This book starts off and you are immediately in the suspense and action.  To the point that it is almost a let down when the author starts going back to the main characters history's and upbringings.  But, as I read, I started enjoying those parts too.  It was a great suspense-background-suspense push and pull that ended up keeping me reading; wanting to know more and more as the characters developed and the present day situation unfolded.  I don't want to give too much away but I was truly not expecting that twist at the end.  If you enjoy suspense, read this book!  4 stars.

This was a fun, quick thriller that is perfect for a fast winter read.  You can feel the cold and setting of the Rockies.  Margo is pregnant and traveling by train, when an avalanche hits and she escapes with a fellow passenger, a former Army Ranger.  The two try to find safety but encounter obstacles along their way.  This was a fun thriller.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read/listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
It started very promising and got me hooked, but by the ending reveal it became apparent that the reason behind all that build-up is quite silly. The narration was pretty good non the less.

A train crashes in the wintry, mountainous middle of nowhere and two strangers—Margo, a heavily pregnant doctor traveling alone, and Nick, a mysterious man with a wealth of wilderness survival skills—manage to survive, only to then have to battle the elements until they are rescued.

This frigid winter psychological thriller had me completely absorbed—I could not stop listening. Right from the beginning scenes, the action and suspense didn’t stop. I was horrified by Nick's increasingly controlling and misogynistic behaviour as the story progressed, and dismayed at Margo’s growing self-doubt as he led her to question whether her hormones were making her illogical and incapable of decision-making. The concluding chapters were equally engrossing, and I teetered on the edge of my seat with fearful anticipation before it all came to a close.

I tend to feel some psychological elements like gaslighting in a pretty visceral way. The entire time I listened to this audiobook I kept thinking back to Robert C. O’Brien’s 1974 tome "Z for Zacharia”. In both cases, the reader increasingly finds themself wondering whether the guy’s controlling behaviour and gaslighting are rooted in good intentions or in something sinister. In both books, there’s no one else around to check the woman’s perspective nor to help her out of the situation, forcing her to “play nice" with the potentially dangerous, possibly unhinged strange man with whom she is isolated in order to survive, and it seems more and more like he does not have her best interest at heart. Perhaps the one thing worse than being the only survivor is not being the only survivor.

Whew! This one is suspenseful from the very beginning until the end. The book begins as a crowded train is traveling through very snowy mountains, and a gigantic avalanche is spotted coming right for them. Nick and Margo are the only survivors, and the scenes with the avalanche set up the story really well in terms of survival and suspense. There is a frantic feel throughout that really works because of the high level of suspense. As he and Margo traveled through the remote, snowy forest toward safety, Nick used his advanced military skills to save a very pregnant Margo time and time again. I never fully trusted Nick, and I think this made the story more suspenseful for me. I absolutely loved the descriptions of weather and nature and snowy conditions.

Audiobook Notes: I chose to listen to this audiobook because of the narrator, who I have heard before and I'm a big fan. Another of my favorite audiobooks with narration by Allyson Ryan is a survival thriller, so I was extra excited to see what her performance would bring to Cover Your Tracks. I was pleased that I listened to the audio format of this book because Ms. Ryan narrated wonderfully, and I would love to recommend that readers listen to this story on audio because the level of suspense is just so much fun.

Title: Cover Your Tracks by Daco Auffenorde
Narrator: Allyson Ryan
Length: 7 hours, 50 minutes, Unabridged
Publisher: Dreamscape Media

I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for sending me a free copy of this audiobook for review via NetGalley!

This is a good psychological suspense.

Margo, an ER doctor, is eight months pregnant but has an important reason to travel to her childhood home. She had struggles with family as a young woman and hopes this visit may be a time for reconciliation. As the train travels through the Rockies a blizzard brings an avalanche threatening the train.

Rejecting the conductor’s orders to remain seated, Nick, a former Army Ranger, insists that the passengers must move to the back of the train to survive. Margo is the only one to listen and they are the only survivors when the train is caught in the avalanche.

Margo rushed off without even her purse or phone, although it is unlikely there would be cell service. The pair are stranded with no rescue expected soon. Nick seems to have a plan for shelter and survival and Margo has little choice but to follow. Although Nick is reticent about his own past and plans, he seems to want to help Margo and protect her unborn child.

Nick helps fend off wild animals, provides game for food, and finds alternate shelter. But as the days pass with more storms and no apparent effort to get to civilization, Margo becomes more stressed and concerned. Margo has secrets from her past but hers may not be as strange and intense as Nick’s secrets.

I was impressed with the tense and chilling (not cold, but fearful) atmosphere that the author creates. The story is told with flashbacks to develop the damaged and determined characters. There are hints of issues in the personalities and it was interesting to see how these played out. I suspected trouble and was gripped as the past history was revealed and the collision course of the characters explained. I recommend this to fans of psychological thrillers.

Audio Notes: Allyson Ryan does a fairly good job with the narration. She made an effort to provide distinct voices although it seemed a bit of a strain to get the male voices. Still, I appreciated that she conveyed the chilling tone of the story and the story moved quickly for me as an audio presentation. 

Source: Received from NetGalley.

I was excited when I saw this book and read about the author. The author is a hometown girl and I wanted to support local talent.  I wasn't disappointed. The story opens with a very pregnant Margo on a train traveling to see her estranged family in Washington for the holidays.  What she wasn't expecting was the train to be derailed by an avalanche. Or that a handsome stranger, Nick, would save both her and her unborn child.  That's when things take a dramatic turn.  Nick, who started out acting like a hero, but then there is something about him that just doesn't seem right.  The story unfolds with both characters giving their stories through flashbacks. Will they survive the snow storm?  Will they be rescued?  Will they fall in love like a Hallmark movie?  Stick around until the end because you have to read it to believe it.

I did not get to listen to this book before it was archived. I was really excited about this book. I will wait until it comes out in paperback.

This book kept me guessing until the very end! When an avalanche puts two survivors on a journey into the wilderness, numerous twists and turns keep this story moving unexpectedly. A very pregnant doctor and a veteran reflect on their lives as they fight to stay alive! If you're looking for a good mystery, this is a great one to keep you guessing!