North of Nowhere

 

Author: Allison Brennan

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Year: 2023

❄️𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄❄️

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the digital arc. 

For five years, the former enforcer for the head of a Los Angeles crime family has lived in hiding in Montana with the children of Boyd, his former boss. Tony took the two kids and fled after  children’s mother was murdered. For five years, Tony has raised them as his own while trying to keep the kids safe and hidden from father and cruel grandmother. Their luck runs out when Boyd and his henchmen finally track them down. Tony and the kids escape into the Montana wilderness as Boyd closes in. As a blizzard moves in, the danger ratchets up. 

This was an entertaining, but messy mix of crime fiction and wilderness survival story. I say messy because there were so many tangents to the story. Crime boss Boyd’s estranged sister literally parachutes into the Montana forest to help find the kids. An LA police detective with his own agenda turns up on the scene. It was a lot of work keeping track of all the characters and threads to this story. 

I thought there was a little too much telling and not enough showing with this story. We hear how terrible the grandmother is, but it’s quite awhile into the book before we see any examples of her cruelty. I thought the sense of urgency to find the kids during the blizzard was mitigated by how much time all the adults in the woods spent standing around talking. I had trouble overlooking the fact that Tony never changed his last name and even registered the kids in school with his last name. 🤦‍♀️ And if you don’t want anyone to find you, maybe don’t send the kids to school on picture day? I thought the story ran a smidge too long and could have been tightened up to keep the story moving. I liked it and this it could be a good choice for readers who enjoy survival/adventure or who want an escape into the Montana wilderness. North of Nowhere is available today. 

QOTD: what’s for dinner tonight? I think we’re have steak and corn on the cob. And I think by hubby is doing the cooking. 😀

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