I was able to read a galley copy of Amy Pease’s debut novel Northwoods through Thoughts from a Page patreon group and Atria Books and I am so thankful. I read this 288 page mystery/thriller in just two sittings. It’s outstanding, and I highly recommend getting your pre-orders and library holds in now as this publishes January 9, 2024.

Set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the small resort town of Shaky Lake, Pease’s novel tells the story of Eli North. Eli is struggling. His PTSD after deployment to Afghanistan is raw and his drinking is out of control. His marriage and career are over and the only job he can get and keep is with the local sheriff’s department, where his mother is the sheriff. 

The body of a teenage boy is found in the lake and Eli begins to rise from the fog of his drinking and pain to investigate. The investigation takes many twists and turns and seems to cross all sections of town. Soon it’s discovered that a teenage girl is missing, and Eli, his mother, and an FBI agent race against the clock and delve deep into the opioid epidemic to find the girl.

The descriptions of the setting and the well developed characters had me turning the pages late into the night, determined to solve the case along with Eli. Pease’s characters are flawed and realistic and despite their flaws, I found myself rooting for them. She handles the horribleness of the opioid epidemic with care. I had recently read Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe which would be an excellent nonfiction pairing with Northwoods. I look forward to reading more from Pease and perhaps even more about Eli.