This is a stand-alone thriller and had me engaged from the very first page. Sarah discovers her sister Gemma missing and goes on the hunt to find her. She uncovers even more girls have gone missing and it kept me glued to the pages. Lots of twists and turns throughout. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my early review.

Iwill never ever go on a solo hike.This book is so eerie so chilling told from the perspective of two sisters.This is a true page turner with so many twists and turns kept me guessing tilllast page.#netgalley #avonbooksuk

A clever mix of recaps from both the distant and much more recent past is coupled with the fast-paced present as it becomes a race against time to reconcile these two strands. From not knowing who is central to the story, to finding that just about everyone is, makes gripping reading.

This was a good and eerie read an my first read by M.J. Ford.

The blurb reads
In the wilderness it’s kill or be killed…

MISSING
When Gemma Kline is reported missing after setting off on a solo hike in the remote Pennines, her sister, Sarah, is dumbfounded. How can someone disappear without a trace?

PRESUMED
Travelling to the isolated town where Gemma was last seen, Sarah discovers it’s not the first time a young woman has vanished from the hills in mysterious circumstances. As she digs deeper, it quickly becomes apparent that neither disappearance is what it first seems – especially when unwelcoming locals share chilling tales about what’s really lurking on the moors…

MURDERED
Whatever has happened to her sister, one thing is clear: this town has secrets someone would kill to keep. But even on the fells, nothing stays buried forever…


I loved the characters in this good mysterious novel. We meet Sarah who is desperately trying to find out what has happened to her sister, Gemma. Gemma and Sarah had a massive argument many years ago and haven't spoken since.


Sarah sets out and the story really weaves a very mysterious story and really worth a read, especially if you enjoy a good who done it and good storytelling.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and MJ Ford for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I was engrossed in this story of Sarah who goes searching for her estranged sister Gemma in the pennines.
Within in the village where Gemma was last seen there are some helpful neighbours and some who try to scare Sarah off from her search. But with talk of a teenager who went missing over 20 years ago and a wild cat roaming the hills she fears the worst.
A fast paced novel that I could imagine as a great film. I certainly didn't see the ending coming either
Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for this advanced copy of which I'm under no obligation to review

Although I am not sure why it is called The Hiker, this is a murder mystery with a difference. Sarah is a divorce lawyer in London about to get to married to Doug within the next few weeks. She has invited her sister Gemma whom she has not seen or heard from since they fell out at their mother’s funeral five years ago. The body of her sister’s partner is found in a burnt out vehicle in the Pennines and the police think they may have found body parts of her sister. That leads to Sarah setting off to the small village where this all may have happened. Gemma and her partner were trying to blackmail drug suppliers which is never a safe project. Another angle of the story is the disappearance ten years ago of a girl named Alice who was never found. Are the two cases linked in any way? This book has many exciting twists and turns in Sarah’s personal life as well as in the search for her sister. It leads to an exciting and rewarding climax. The story is well conceived, believable and well written. I recommend it.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for ARC.

Sarah Kline is busy busy busy in the lead up to her wedding. She does not expect the police to turn up at her work making enquiries about her estranged younger sister Gemma, and her slightly disreputable boyfriend. Unable to contact Gemma, Sarah heads to the remote northeast of England to try and pick up her trail, not realising the consequences that will ensue, that will change her life.

This is told from two perspectives (past Gemma, present Sarah) and that allows the reader to see both narratives unfold and feel twice the dread. The surprises just keep on coming.
The plot is incredibly twisty and I think perhaps a little cluttered in the end, but the denouement is satisfying and I enjoyed this. I will be giving this as a gift to a friend who enjoys being scared silly by her reading choices!

This book has a lot packed into the story, Crimes are being committed but I wouldn't categorise the book as a police procedural as the police seem pretty useless in finding Sarah's sister Gemma...A young girl also disappeared years earlier but the police haven't made any progress with that investigation. Sarah, however, is determined to find her sister especially when she is told that her sister's boyfriend has been found dead in a burnt out car. A good read with lots of surprises

Sarah Kline likes to keep work, home, and family separate although, as her wedding is in a few days, the lines have blurred a little recently. When the police arrive at her office needing to speak with her urgently Sarah's mind goes into overdrive, imagining herself grieving for her fiance instead of celebrating with him. However nothing she thought up or tried to prepare herself for was even remotely similar to where their enquiries propelled her.

The Pennine town Sarah finds herself in is surrounded by beauty but is isolated and insular. Everyone knows everyone else but can't help her in her search and even after one unexplained death and a missing person the police don't seem to be in any hurry to find out what happened. With local legend and crimes unsolved for decades crowding her mind even Sarah begins to wonder if the solution is far less logical than she could have imagined.

This standalone mystery is a really good read and although I worked out some single strands I was nowhere near the entire solution. The location and locals were vital to the success of this and merged with Sarah's story, told in the first person, perfectly. Sarah definitely grew on me, she was entitled and a little self righteous to begin with but as the story progressed she became far more likeable.

The other side of the story was told from a different perspective which successfully filled in any gaps Sarah couldn't and by beginning at an earlier point in time fleshed things out nicely. I found the ending rounded everything up in such a way which, avoiding spoilers here, was both surprising and satisfyingly right.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. Although I prefer to get immersed in series of books I am glad I read this excellent standalone and happily recommend it.

A woman disappears and her sister sets off to try to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

The setting is sinister and with the unwelcoming locals and the suspicion of a strange creature, it’s an interesting premise and the chapters switch between each of the sisters. I’m afraid, for me, it felt a little flat and slow and I struggled to maintain interest. Overall, an OK read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Sarah is a lawyer on the verge of getting married to the love of her life. But then her sister Gemma disappears under mysterious circumstances. They are not on good terms, haven't spoken in years, but she's still her blood and she must find her. Sarah heads to the Moors in search for her sister, but what she finds is an unsettling town full of secrets and lies. No matter what Sarah will find out what happened to Gemma, but she soon discovers that her sister is not the only person to disappear in this town.

The first half of the book is a slow build but still interesting, full of mystery & atmosphere. Then there's an explosion of action, danger, twists & turns and even an element of the supernatural. The ending is interesting & different. It reminds me of a famous actor IRL who had the same condition and who met with similar tragic demise.

I’m a fan of M J Ford, absolutely love the DS Josie Masters series (you should give them a go!) so was excited to try this stand-alone novel. And it is an excellent crime thriller though has a little bit of a slow start.
Story evolves around Two polar opposite estranged sisters, when one goes missing.
Intertwined with an old folks tale that makes you wonder if a supernatural element may occur, especially with the first person epilogue.
Great novel, ending is super paced and the setting is fantastic.

3.5 rounded up
Lawyer Sarah and her sister Gemma are estranged following the death of their mother.
When Gemma goes missing the police contact Sarah and it’s all very strange and mysterious.
Is a burning car with a body inside it connected? In addition, Sarah receives a postcard from Gemma posted in the Pennine village of Hartsbridge, close to where the car burnt out.
Sarah decides to go north to County Durham to see if she can locate Gemma, much to her fiancé Doug’s disapproval. Does Gemma‘s disappearance link in any way to that of 15 year old Alice Brocklehurst 16 years ago also from Hartsbridge??

I really like the alternating points of view of Sarah and Gemma, their lives could not be more different and there is a stark contrast. At times though this does cause some uneven pacing which is probably inevitable due to the disparity of the sisters lives.

The puzzle of Gemma and her disappearance amplifies and becomes more and more intriguing especially because of the attitudes of some of the locals who are distinctly unfriendly to say the least. All the characterisation is good and some of their actions are very questionable. You do want to yell at a few of them!

One of the best features of the book is the excellent atmosphere the author creates utilising the remoteness of the Co Durham location, the moorland and forested areas with properties on the periphery of the village adding an aura of mystery which combines well with local tales and myths. This generates some spookiness, it’s creepy in places raising the hairs on the back of your neck.

I’m not sure what to make of the ending, I think it is one that will divide opinion. It’s certainly a bit weird, definitely strange but I will say it’s very different and it does fit in with the clues as the plot progresses so isn’t left field!

Overall, this is an entertaining easy read in a great setting.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Avon U.K. for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the Arc of The Hiker by M J Ford in return for my honest review.
I loved this book and liked how it was told from the perspective of the two main characters sisters Gemma and Sarah. Once I started I didn’t want to put it down. This is a really well constructed story with interesting and relatable characters and a twist I didn’t see coming. I will defiantly be recommending this book and finding more by this author.

A really dark and creepy atmospheric thriller told from alternating viewpoints. A great mystery, which unfolded at a fast pace. I loved it and the characters. Highly recommended.

This one is definitely a page turner! I enjoyed the way this story was told from the perspective of two sisters. It had some thrilling twists and creepy atmosphere - well done!

Successful solicitor, Sarah Kline, is busy making sure everything at work is sorted as she's a week away from getting married to fiance Doug when she gets a visit from the police. The police are investigating the whereabouts of her sister Gemma as they've discovered a burnt out car containing a body in the Pennines. They believe the body is Gemma's boyfriend but there's no trace of Gemma. Even though Sarah and her sister have been estranged for five years she feels she has to go to the Pennines to discover what has happened. When Sarah arrives in the village of Hartsbridge she hears that another young woman disappeared fifteen years previously and was never found. There's also a local legend of a big cat prowling the local moors.

This is one of those mystery stories that has you thinking you've got everything figured out, the villain nailed from the outset, to then throw you completely off.

The first half of the story alternates between Sarah and Gemma. Sarah's story is told from her the moment she discovers her sister is missing and decides to investigate the disappearance. Interspersed with this is Gemma's story which begins three weeks previously and explains the build up to her disappearance. The alternating of these stories keeps the pace going.

If anything the first half of the book doesn't do the story justice as it's about halfway through that the tension really begins to escalate and you begin to wonder about exactly what Sarah has stumbled on to.

The Pennines feature heavily, making you realise how lonely and isolated you can be both out on the moors and in one of the tiny villages dotted around. The village of Hartsbridge is populated by a strange mix of characters and you wonder who, if anyone, can be trusted. You also have to question what secrets they are hiding.

Really enjoyed reading this book. It hooks you in very quickly. I liked how the story was split in between the two sisters and told from their own perspective. Really good.

The Hiker by M.J. Ford

A really engrossing book , I was hooked from the very beginning and raced through it whilst not wanting it to end.
The story of two estranged sisters and one goes missing. The other sister sets out to find her.
The story takes us to a very remote area and for me this added to the tension of it.
A few twists added to the atmosphere and I almost felt the need to look over my shoulder a few times.

I'll be honest, I'm not that much of a fan of crime fiction as I always find it quite unsettling. In fact I decided I'd probably make this one my last even though it is a very good book and it didn’t take me that long to read it. The only reason I chose it really was because it was set in the Pennines and I live at the foot of them, yet I forget how far the Pennines stretch so it’s absolutely nowhere near where I live anyway.

Not the best reason for choosing a book then, yet having said that, once I’d started it, I did find myself flying through the pages and once picked up I found it quite hard to put down. I think one of the reasons why I read it so quickly was the scene changes back and forth through alternating chapters. With Gemma taking us through the story in one chapter then her sister Sarah in alternating chapters searching for her sister. As the book went on, each chapter would end on a bit of a cliffhanger which made it very tempting to skip a chapter to see what happened next (I didn’t do this though).

It perhaps has a bit of a slow start but even then there is still atmosphere and tension. The further along you go there are twists and turns, along with a fair bit of action. It is an atmospheric setting with a tense plot and certainly has you biting your nails and on the edge of your seat by the time you approach the conclusion of the book.

Anyone who enjoys crime fiction I imagine will love this book.

**To be posted to blog nearer to publication**