This book started off so strong and I was instantly gripped by the mystery but unfortunately by the end the whole story fell apart for me. This book is told from three perspectives in a non linear format which was an interesting way to tell the story. Especially since one of the perspectives is Adrienne’s (the missing daughter) and most of her story is centered in the past and gives a greater insight into her family life. Garza tells a very compelling story about growing up the daughter of a pastor in a strict conservative Christian church and how stifling it was. Tatum, Adrienne’s mom, is another perspective we get and she also details how constricting their faith is and how it impacts her currently and in the past. But like with Tatum’s health issues and her new friendship with a woman outside the church it ultimately leads to nothing. I can see how it served Garza to have a splintered family but so much time and emphasis was placed on the Christianity angle that I thought the story would involve the Pastor or his church and it doesn’t. The third perspective was from the fiancé and while it was the most compelling of the three for me it also fell apart at the end. The ending of this book was so rushed and it had the potential to be so much more suspenseful. I gobbled this book up in two sittings which is probably why I felt so let down by the last third of this book. It had the potential to be so much more and I wanted it to deliver.

The book opens with an enticing atmosphere and a compelling mystery at its core. The author sets the stage in a small, idyllic town that hides its dark secrets beneath the surface. The characters are intriguing, and their initial development piqued my interest. The story builds an atmosphere of suspense and unease that keeps you engaged.

Where the novel begins to stumble is in its pacing and character development. While the story started off strong, it gradually lost its momentum and began to meander. The character arcs, which initially help promise, seemed to plateau, some feeling underdeveloped. This lack of growth made it challenging to fully connect with or invest in the characters as the story progressed.

Additionally, the central mystery, which had so much potential, began to lose its edge as the plot unfolded. It felt as though the narrative struggled to maintain the same level of suspense and intrigue that had initially drawn me in. By the time I reached the book’s conclusion, I found myself somewhat detached from the story.

Despite these shortcomings, In a Quiet Town is not without merit. Amber Garza’s writing style is engaging, and she demonstrates her ability to create a vivid and atmospheric setting. There are moments of tension and surprise scattered throughout the novel that keep the reader engaged, even as the overall momentum wanes.

While this may not have lived up to my expectations based on my previous experience with the author's work, it still offers moments of suspense. If you’re a fan of small-town mysteries and are willing to overlook some pacing issues, this might be worth a try.

Amber Garza did an amazing job with this small town thriller, showing how far a mother will go to solve her daughter’s disappearance. Dark and compelling!

When her daughter goes missing, who will believe that she is truly in danger? And who should you trust? This story kept me guessing the entire time! I didn’t know who was lying and who was telling the truth and the big twist, I did not see that coming! I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and trying to figure this one out! Great popcorn thriller!

I'm a sucker for a beautiful book cover and the synopsis grabbed me. This book was ok I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It had a great start and it kept my interest but the pacing was slow for me. It's a solid read and I enjoyed most of it. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was an amazing story!! It was fast paced and kept me interested from page one all the way to the end. It really goes into the story of Adrienne’s life and her relationship with her parents or lack thereof. There was some parts where I felt sorry for her and sympathized with her and connected with of the bad relationship with her father or just men in general, I have to say though! She definitely knows how to pick them.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I read by Amber Garza and it definitely won’t be the last. I can honestly say this book made it to my 5 star list. This is just my own honest opinion.

I'm not going to say much more about the plot of In A Quiet Town since the blurb does a good job of giving an overview of the story and I don't want to spoil anything for the readers out there.This is a story about small town gossip, a broken family and mother's intuition. Tatum must rely on her mother's intuition when her daughter goes missing since no one else believes her or will help -- including Tatum's husband and her daughter's father, the pastor of the local church.

The story is told from multiple points of view and that made the delivery of the story to the reader very interesting. It was quite clever how the points of view were used in this story and I really liked that about it. I love having that moment with things just click into place and that just makes me want to keep turning those pages to see if my theories are correct. That's what I want in a mystery/ thriller -- I want to be right in the story solving the mystery too.

Tatum was an interesting character, not only in her belief in her daughter's peril, but also from the perspective of being a wife of the pastor. Seems like there's quite a few expectations and Tatum did enjoy going against convention and I liked that about her. She really is the central character here and I was rooting for her all the way! She just knows that something is wrong and won't give up.

I really liked how this story unfolded to me as a reader and that's why I am giving this five stars. It was creative and clever and I loved the ending between Tatum and her daughter. I enjoyed this story quite a bit and definitely recommend it to fans of thrillers and mysteries.

I’m here today as part of the Summer Blog Tours to highlight In a Quiet Town by the most awesome Amber Garza. She writes incredible mysteries that are thrilling but not too scary or violent. I really liked the character of Adrienne in this story. It can be hard growing up in an uber-religious family that decides what you will and won’t do and worries about how everything “looks”. Yet Garza gives us enough background that Adrienne’s father is not a caricature, lending to the believability of the story.

Thanks for having me as part of the tour!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

In a Quiet Town is the latest release from one of my auto-buy authors, Amber Garza. I have read all of Garza's published works and have enjoyed them all. There's just something so addicting and entertaining about her style of tense Domestic Dramas. There's always a bit of mystery and intrigue, as well as interesting explorations of different familial relationships.

In this story we meet Tatum, a mother of two grown children and wife to a pastor in a small California town.
At the beginning of the story, we learn that Tatum has recently reconnected with her estranged daughter, Adrienne. Years ago, Tatum's husband basically disowned Adrienne because she wasn't living up to his lofty expectations.

Adrienne was happy to get out from under the thumb of her overbearing father and has been living her own life ever since, recently working as a bartender.

Tatum has missed having her daughter in her life and has started secretly visiting her at the bar. She was delighted when Adrienne seemed open to them reconnecting. Tatum has become a regular at the bar, going in once a week on a night she knows Adrienne will be working. One night though, Adrienne isn't there and none of her coworkers have seen or heard from her.

Tatum knows something is wrong. Adrienne is not the type of girl to just not show up at work. Plus, she knows it is the night her mother visits. She would have called in. Something must have happened to her. As Tatum starts searching for Adrienne, she doesn't find a lot of help. The police seem to think she has just run off for space, or whatnot, but Tatum knows that's not true.

Eventually, she meets a man claiming to be Adrienne's fiance. This comes as a complete shock to Tatum. Why didn't Adrienne mention she was engaged? Then again, they have just rekindled their relationship, perhaps her daughter felt it was too personal to share. Regardless, Tatum is just happy that someone else is as distraught about Adrienne's disappearance as she is. At the end of the day though, can she really trust this guy?

They begin working together trying to figure out where Adrienne is. As the intensity builds, it becomes clear that she didn't leave of her own volition and could still be in terrible danger. Can Tatum find her before it's too late?!

As always, I was immediately drawn in by Garza's characters. From the start, I wanted to know more about Tatum and enjoyed learning about her life and family.

Garza excels at creating believable mother-child relationships. Sometimes I will be reading along and a quick line, or thought pattern, will give me chills or bring me close to tears. I always love the relationships she builds within her stories, because they aren't always easy.

This one actually made me uncomfortable at times because it felt so real. There is a strong religious aspect due to Tatum's husband being a pastor, which played a large role in Adrienne's estrangement. While I don't have a lot of that in my background, and can't really comment on how it would impact a family dynamic, the circumstances put forth in this novel seemed very believable to me.

I liked how Tatum, even though she was a mother of grown children, felt like she was still learning about herself, growing and coming into her own. Part of her growth was due to the love of her children and her unwillingness to give up on Adrienne. I found that character growth really powerful. It was nice to see that just because she was a well-established adult, her life didn't have to remain static. She could make changes.

It did get pretty intense. By about the halfway point, I was yelling at the book while reading. Particularly any scene involving a man. I wanted to smack them all. Please note, that's not my general demeanor, but these guys deserved it.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a tense domestic drama blended with a nice mystery. Bonus points, if you enjoy reading about mother-child relationships. Also, if you have enjoyed any of Amber Garza's work in the past, you should definitely pick this one up.

Thank you so much to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will continue to pick up anything from this author and am already anticipating the next release!!

I was going to give this book a 2.5 star, but it doesn’t deserve that so, 2 stars. What a disappointment. I was looking forward to this book but I didn’t like it unfortunately. The vibes were immediately off from the start for me. The religious aspects were cringe. The story was predictable, there was too much irrelevant information thrown right at the start, I didn’t connect with any of the characters. I struggled to get through it. The only redeeming quality is that I cared what had happened to the missing girl and I liked that she was rebellious towards her pastor dad

In a Quiet Town
Written By Amber Garza
Publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing
Release Date August 08, 2023
Genre Mystery/Thriller


Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Suspense: 5/5
Overall Enjoyment: 5/5

When I read the publishers blurb, I jumped for the opportunity to read this book. Amber Garza did not disappoint me at all. This has it all mystery, doubt, deception, lies, suspense, and surprise.

Tatum’s daughter Adrienne is missing. While Tatum and Adriennes relationship had been fractured through the years, she always loved her daughter. Tatum’s husband, a prominent pastor on the other hand has disowned her and that caused a rift between the family. Tatum reaches out to Adrienne in hopes of repairing their relationship by going to the bar she worked at on Wednesday’s when her husband was not at home. Things started going great and they were getting along well. But soon she realized that Adrienne had vanished without a trace. She did not show up for work one night when Tatum showed up to see her.. Everyone thinks she has gone on a trip with her boyfriend, but Tatum has mother’s intuition and does not believe that theory.
Fear has set in and Tatum desperately tries to get the police and her husband to believe her that something is wrong. To her dismay however, no one takes her seriously. The desperation can be felt as Tatum struggles to find her daughter. There is a sense of urgency now for Tatum. Then a man shows up to say he is Adrienne’s fiancé. Now Tatum has another person who shares her fears and convictions about her disappearance. This is where the author gets into your soul and pulls you in without letting go. You can feel the desperation and urgency as she races to find her daughter without much help.
Thisis book will illicit moods and feelings that do not come easily for most authors. The heightened sense of anxiety that you the reader feel as you read this takes you to a place that you never want to experience. But the question lingers, who is the fiancé and what is his motives for showing up now? Is there something sinister afoot? If so what has happened to Adrienne?
The author does an amazing job of building up to the climax and keeping the reader enthralled and engrossed all the way to the end. The characters are well developed, adroit, and complex as the story is told by three Adrienne, Tatum and the fiancé. The chapters flow together perfectly, are just the right length and bring all three of the characters together in a way that helps the reader understand what is happening and feel the emotions right along with them. This is a gripping thriller that will ensure that you will hug your child and make sure they know how much you love them.

5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I'm always excited to read an Amber Garza book but this was my least favorite. It was hard to connect with any of the characters and I didn't find any of the twists very thrilling. Bummer.

Everyone loves the term popcorn thriller – and this fits that description perfectly. A quick read that you just can’t put down and want to finish as quickly as possible. IN A QUIET TOWN had me on the edge of my seat and those short chapters are always my downfall. Who else looks ahead to see how many pages the chapter is? As a chapter-to-chapter reader, this always kills me. “Oh, this one is 6 pages, I’ll go through it quickly.” Repeat this game until I’m almost done with the book. Plenty of twists and turns, and even as an avid thriller fan, there were a couple parts that actually caught me by surprise. With some dark and eerie themes at the end, this will be perfect for those looking for a fast-paced thriller that you can enjoy over a weekend (or a day, if you’re like I am). Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book! It moved at a good pace and was unique. It had a good amount of suspense that built up well. I would recommend this to those who enjoy thrillers. Special Thank You to Amber Garza, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick read with good suspense. I enjoyed this author’a writing style and can’t wait to read more.

Thank you Harlequin trade publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review .

A quick, entertaining, and twisty read! IN A QUIET TOWN was full of action right from the first page, and delivered a compelling narrative with different POVs that actually works. I’ve enjoyed all my previous reads from Amber Garza and this certainly won’t be the last!

Amber Garza delivers a haunting and suspenseful tale in "In a Quiet Town," where a mother's desperate search for her missing daughter leads her down a treacherous path of deception, doubt, and unexpected alliances. Set against the backdrop of a small California town, this chilling novel explores the depths of a mother's love and the harrowing uncertainties that arise when the lines between truth and fiction blur.

Tatum's life has been marked by estrangement, her relationship with her daughter, Adrienne, strained and fractured over the years. The disapproval of Tatum's husband, a prominent local pastor, has cast a long shadow over their family. When Tatum takes the brave step of reaching out to reconnect with her daughter, her initial relief quickly gives way to alarm when Adrienne vanishes without a trace.

Garza expertly captures the frantic desperation of a mother grappling with the inexplicable disappearance of her child. Tatum's pleas for help fall on deaf ears, with no one willing to take her concerns seriously. The sense of isolation she experiences is palpable, deepening the sense of urgency as she races against time to find Adrienne.

The novel takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of a mysterious man who claims to be Adrienne's fiancé. Tatum's hopes are rekindled as she finally finds someone who shares her conviction that Adrienne's disappearance warrants immediate attention. Yet, doubts and questions linger. Is this stranger who he claims to be, or does his presence conceal a more sinister agenda?

Garza's narrative is marked by its pacing and tension, drawing readers deeper into the mystery with every turn of the page. The author deftly explores the complexities of trust and the fragile threads that bind individuals together, even in the face of skepticism and disbelief. As Tatum and the enigmatic stranger join forces to unravel the truth, layers of deception are peeled back, revealing startling revelations that challenge their perceptions.

The portrayal of the small California town serves as a backdrop of both familiarity and unease, mirroring the characters' internal struggles. As Tatum's determination leads her on a perilous journey, the boundaries between reality and illusion become increasingly blurred, intensifying the suspense and intrigue.

Should you listen to the little voice telling you something isn't quite right? Haven't we all had those feelings about someone or something? To me, this is a wonderful story about a mother and daughter and how far a parent will go to protect her kids, even when they are adults. This book kept my interest the whole way through it. The ending had me saying, "Oh, my gosh." I read through one part of the ending twice just to make sure I was reading it correctly! I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. This is the first I have read by this author, and I will be looking for other titles by her.

This was a solid mystery, I flew through to find out what was happening to the missing women.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 Stars: I have read and enjoyed a few of Amber Garza's books, so was looking forward to reading In a Quiet Town. I was not disappointed by this thriller/suspense story. Tatum is married to a small town pastor, who is very strict and opinionated. Their daughter, Adrienne, moved out and has had no contact with her family or brother for awhile. Tatum wants a relationship with her daughter, so when her husband went out on Wednesday evenings, she went to the bar where her daughter worked and they began to mend their relationship, until the one night Tatum shows up and Adrienne doesn't arrive at work. She is sure something has happened, but no one will take her seriously. The police and her husband are sure she has left for a trip or getaway with her mysterious boyfriend/fiancé. Tatum won't give up, she knows, she can feel, that her daughter is in trouble.

In a Quiet Town is a psychological thriller showing the bonds between a mother/daughter, as well as what happens when you get in too deep with someone you really don't know. I don't want to give the story away, but I will tell you that I was pulled in right from the beginning and immersed in this story until close to the end. The story is told from three POVs: Tatum, Adrienne and The Fiancé. There is a lot of suspense and some fear on my part as well as some creepiness. There are themes of overbearing parents, friendships and how they change with time, love of mothers/daughters, trust, abuse and more. I enjoyed this one, but after the final twist, I found the wrap up a bit of a letdown. If you enjoy a twisty psychological thriller with a bit of creepiness, then I recommend you pick up In a Quiet Town.