Into The Fall is one of the greatest books I have ever read. It usually takes me a couple of weeks to finish a book, but I couldn't put this one down. As a child therapist in training, I just wanted to reach through the pages of the book and hug the children. Tamara L. Miller did a phenomenal job of making you feel a connection to every character as well as making you feel what they were feeling. I'm looking forward to gifting this book to a few book loving friends when it becomes available for purchase. I know they will love it as much as I did. Tamara L. Miller is a wonderful writer and a fantastic storyteller, and I hope to see more from her in the future.

John Fallow's "Into the Fall" is a complex story, set against the backdrop of an isolated small town during an unseasonable first winter The story weaves together several different perspectives, each one creating a mysterious a including obviousness. While Fallow’s story is interesting and his characters are well drawn, the book has flaws that merit a three-star rating.

The book’s greatest strength lies in its setting. Fallow excels at creating a sense of foreboding and suspense. The descriptions of relentless harsh weather and suburban landscapes are vivid and immersive. This atmospheric writing keeps the reader engaged, drawing them deeper into the story as the story progresses.

The characters in "Into the Fall" are another strong point. Falo has created a variety of artists, each with their own secrets and inspirations. The interactions between these characters add depth to the story and make their interactions feel real and emotional. The hero’s journey is particularly interesting, as they navigate external threats and internal conflicts.

However, the book is not without flaws. One of the major issues is pacing. The story starts off strong but starts to lag in the middle sections. Some chapters can feel unnecessarily drawn out, which can frustrate the reader. Strengthening these parts would have added to the complexity of the plot and increased the overall suspense.

Another area where "Into the Fall" fails is its resolution. While building a solid plot, the ending and finale feel a bit rushed. It’s not too hard to tie up some plot threads and a few questions remain unanswered.

"The woods were savage, dark, and deep. And they kept their secrets."

Sarah's marriage is falling apart. Now her husband is missing and the investigation turns up new, alarming information about him. Can she help find a man she might not have ever known? Does she even want to?

Tropes:
Going missing during a trip/vacation
rural mystery
missing person
things are not as they seem

Content warnings:
this is a thriller--so anticipate most of the CWs that would normally come with that. Police, missing persons, betrayal, death, etc.
In addition, pregnancy loss is briefly mentioned (occurs off page).

What I liked:
This novel was so well written that I almost don't believe it's a debut. The build of tension was excellent, and, for the most part, the plot believable. The I-couldn't-put-it-down factor was strong! I read this book in every free moment I had over the course of about 12 hours.
Sarah is a compelling, flawed character that I both empathized with and, at times, wanted to throttle.
Other reviewers have criticized the ending, but I liked it. It's not what I expected but was still believable. I closed the book feeling wholly satisfied that there were no loose ends or unanswered questions or absurd red herrings.

"Grief can do that: transport you to a moment where hope is stronger than reality."


What I didn't like:
The police don't question the children. Literally at all . That struck me as strange.
Otherwise, I spotted literally only one grammar mistake in the whole piece (scared mistyped as sacred towards the very end of the book). I have very few complaints overall.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Impressive! I picked up this book on a cross-country flight - the minutes just raced by as I was totally engrossed in this book (a welcome distraction on such a long flight!). The author does a great job of building suspense and keeps you hooked throughout. The initial premise of the book is that of a husband and father suddenly disappearing on a family camping trip in the middle of the night... with his wife and children left behind. The book moves quickly and kept me hooked - I finished it on the flight! If you like thrillers, give this one a try - you won't be disappointed.


I received a advance reader copy via NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

The ending was both not at all where I expected it to go, and completely right for the story. I'd recommend this to fans of character-driven mystery plots exploring the quiet tragedies that can upend a seemingly ordinary life. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC!

Without repeating what is already in the book description I think this was really well written. I really enjoyed this read, and def want to find other similar books. I am glad to have closure but also all the feels.

This book was a quick read, it was enjoyable and I felt invested in Sarahs storyline. The author did a very good job conveying Sarahs emotions and I could feel her grief and frustrations right along with her. The suspense is kept up well through out the book, keeping my wanting to come back to it as soon as I could, but I give it 4 starts only because the ending was quite the letdown. I was expecting to have a big climax but it never came. It left me feeling more sad than shocked.
I also felt like some of the themes (mythic legend) felt unnecessary for the plot and felt like it was just a filler.
Overall I do recommend this book
Thank you to NetGalley to allow me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The story starts out with Susan and Matthew and their children camping, out of season in challenging conditions. Susan awakes to find Matthew missing. His canoe has gone and his lifejacket is lying nearby. A search then follows. The story continues and it is obvious that Susan and Matthew's relationship is not what it seems and the lawman leading the search probes deeper. She reunites with her sister for support and it becomes clear that she is hiding something and memories concealing mysteries emerge. This is slow going and tedious reading. Nothing really happens for a lot of the story and it is difficult to maintain any interest or even to care about what has happened to Matthew.

I thought the book was good. It had a lot of “who dun it” mystery to it where you thought it was going to go one way, but the ending was kind of like…”oh okay” and a little anti-climatic. I liked the main character Sarah and I felt like I could relate to her quite a bit, especially about motherhood. I would recommend this book to someone looking for mystery with elements that get unearthed throughout.

This was unputdownable. A refreshing plot which gives you whodunit vibes but also makes you rethink your assumptions at the end.

Matthew, Sarah and their kids go on a camping trip where Matthew goes missing. This unravels the family as there is nothing to point the direction for the police. We also see POV's meandering back and forth in time and Matthew's past come to light. The lies, the suspicions, the unspoken words all warp together as all fingers point towards Sarah. Then the author shows you a different side of Matthew which convinces you of the direction.

What I really found commendable was the ending which was simple yet satisfying and heartbreaking.
This is definitely a must read even though it's not a murder mystery.

I give this book 4 glorious stars for keeping me hooked till the end.

I thank Net Galley and the publishers Thomas & Mercer for the E-Arc and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Into the Fall releases January 21, 2025

While on a camping trip with his wife and two kids, Matthew disappears sometime between the hours of them going to sleep and waking up the next morning.
His wife, Sarah, is left wondering what happened to the experienced camper she married, while trying to keep it together for her two kids.

The very first thing I noticed that set off alarm bells was the fact that there was no mention of Sarah trying to contact Matthew. Even if there wasn’t any cell service at their campsite, it’s natural instinct to take out your cellphone and check it — it’s 2016, not the 90’s.
This gave me the impression that she already knew he didn’t take his cellphone, but how exactly would she have known that?

Having Matthew’s pov towards the end was something I really appreciated, but the story still felt anticlimactic. I believe he had good intentions and didn’t deserve the ending he got, which left me extremely melancholic.

A minor pet peeve was having to read the constant use of “ya” in place of “yeah” which became annoying… As a Canadian, I wouldn’t even consider that proper Canadian slang either.

Without getting too deep into specifics, I would recommend this if you like quick reads and plots involving hidden pasts.

I have to say that I thought this book was very good! It wasn’t an intense thriller but it keeps you reading and interested in the characters and what happens next. Would definitely recommend

The plot was thorough and well done along with the process of telling the story and wrapping up at the end.

Into the Fall by debut author T.L. Miller, published by Thomas & Mercer is a fantastic story, excellent written with a storyline and characters easily to connect with.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, 4,5 stars.
Blurb: Sarah Anderson has it a thriving career, a nice home in Ottawa, two young kids…and a marriage coming apart at the seams.
Then her husband, Matthew, vanishes without a trace during a family vacation. Sarah and her children are nearly lost among the Canadian nature. And a big storm is brewing.
A kind rural lawman comes to their aid and takes an interest in the case. The trail goes cold, however, launching Sarah into an odyssey to find her husband. On the way, she must reconnect with her estranged sister and duck the suspicions of a city police officer. But that’s nothing compared to unearthing the dark secrets buried deep in the granite of her marriage—and herself.

Oh this was GOOD! Such a suspenseful story. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved the plot and was on the edge of my seat. Great book!

Wow, so many great thrillers this year. This is one of them. I highly recommend this book to fellow thriller readers. I think you’ll enjoy

This psychological thriller is full of twists and turns, surprising revelations, and complex characters. Rather than an action-packed thrill ride, it is a quietly tragic mystery about secrets kept, secrets revealed, and the effect either can have on relationships and lives.

Sarah Anderson, her husband Matthew, and their children are on a weekend camping trip in the Canadian wilderness when Sarah wakes to discover that her husband is gone. Afterwards, shocking secrets from Matthew's past come to light. But as it becomes clear to Sarah how little she really knew her husband, it also becomes apparent to the reader that Sarah isn't exactly a reliable narrator, and flashback chapters reveal that the couple were having marital problems well ahead of the trip. Could Matthew have decided to just walk away from his family, abandoning Sarah and the kids in the wilderness? Or did Sarah have something to do with his disappearance?

After search and rescue turns up no trace of Matthew, Sarah reconnects with her estranged sister, who comes to help out with the kids, and I really enjoyed how their sibling relationship was portrayed.

I'm not sure about the choice of setting the book in 2016 (for the trip), almost ten years before the publication date. There is no apparent reason why this was necessary, no events or context that mean the story couldn't work just as well if it was set today. So I think it might have been a better choice to leave the year unspecified, and have any flashback chapters just say x years/months before the trip, and the later chapters x months after the trip. That could've avoided the risk of the book feeling slightly dated, even when it is brand-new.

The ending was both not at all where I expected it to go, and completely right for the story. I'd recommend this to fans of character-driven mystery plots exploring the quiet tragedies that can upend a seemingly ordinary life.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Sarah, her husband Matthew and their kids Bella and Charlie are camping in the Canadian wilderness when Matthew goes missing. The police think that it's just a guy who got into an accident, but once a few days have passed, they become suspicious.

SPOILER ALERT

There's no killer, or not the way we usually think about a killer. Matthew's disappearance is kind of his own fault because it happens after a series of events he created by making the choices he made.
There's so much happening that I liked that his death was ultimately so random

WOW !! I am truly speechless at the moment !! I can’t believe this is a debut novel , such a smart and brilliant read!!

The ambiguity in this novel alone kept stringing me along for more and more , I couldn’t stop I was so addicted to Into the Fall .

“Magical beliefs and superstitious behaviors allow people to reduce the tension created by uncertainty and help fill the void of the unknown “

The devil loves unspoken secrets. Especially those that fester in a man’s soul”

Without giving too much away Into the Fall is a gripping thriller heavily weighted with mystery , so much that I read this in less than 24 hours , I burned through this book !!

The story starts off so picturesque and vivid I felt like I was in the forest camp setting with Sarah and her husband Matthew and their two children.

Set in the Canadian forests Matthew takes his family for a late fall camping trip , and mother natures storm is not the only storm brewing…. when Sarah wakes up the next morning Matthew is nowhere to be seen , he simply has vanished!!

Now the police are involved and the search and rescue are brought in and countless hours and endless efforts are put into searching for Matthew , but there simply is not a trace or clue of what or where he could be!!

As the investigation goes on the case goes cold , but a semi retired lawman takes interest in the case and he has many speculations running through his head and he can’t help but wonder if Sarah is hiding something from him , does she know more about what happened that night than she claims ??

Was there marriage on the outs ?? Was Matthew having an affair and Sarah did something to Matthew?? Did Matthew fake his own disappearance??

How far would you go to protect the ones you love ?

I loved the writing style of this book so much , the mystery kept pushing me forward and never got stagnant and I loved all the bread crumbs the author left for us leaving us nice and full all the way to the very end !!

Thank you so much NetGalley ,Thomas & Mercer and Tamara L Miller for this scrumptious thriller !! I can’t wait to read more from this talented author !!

Respectfully Another Read by Angie