All Who Wander- Joe Clifford 4 Star review.

Joe Clifford is know for his work in thrillers and psychological thrillers at that- and this book is no different. It is dark, very twisted and gets under your skin in the best way possible. Unlike most thrillers where your mind is constantly trying to guess the plot twist- this book kept me engaged and "living" in the moment. I truly felt as though I was there in the moments with the characters and just as stunned by the ending. I highly recommend picking up this book and finding a cozy place to sit because you wont want to put the book down.

Dark psychological thrillers are the author’s specialty, and he has done it again with this story. Jumping back and forth, two narratives take us to the past and show how the future has been affected as well. Good use of the technique to keep the reader interested.

Joe Clifford's ALL WHO WANDER is a dark and disturbing literary, domestic psychological suspense about a troubled young woman who mysteriously disappears during a snowstorm, never to be found again.

PAST: 1998 Vermont. A brutal, snowy night. A young woman, Brooke Mulcahny, escapes her nightmare of a life, crossing the border from Massachusetts to rural Vermont. She is running from danger and her past. She was looking for a motel when, due to the weather, she ran off the road and crashed due to the icy roads and blizzard.

From that night, no one had seen her since. A neighbor man stopped by and offered help. She declined. Some cameras showed she may have gotten into a white van. Was she picked up by the serial killer who lived nearby—one who had killed other women?

The author takes us back to Brooke's childhood. Growing up in a highly dysfunctional home, her mom left without a word when she was young. Her father, Paul, was distant and spent most of his time working and drinking. Emotionally distant, he offered them food and shelter, and that was about it.

Her mother showed back up at their door years later with a baby boy, Bobby, from another man. Their life returned to some sense of normal until she told them she had cancer. Her mom left them again, died, and now left them with a boy. A boy that Brooke thought was weird. He just took up space.

Brooke got into drugs and all sorts of trouble with men as a teen, from the married high school coach to Mike, the drug addict. She was not pleasant to her stepbrother Bobby. She had a best friend, an upstanding, brilliant, friendly Aaron, who adored her, but she was not interested in him as a boyfriend.

She was dating an evil, abusive, bad boy, a drug addict, controlling and jealous, Mike, also from a bad home environment. Brooke dropped out of nursing school and worked at a nursing retirement home.

Then, with a crazy scheme for money, Brooke with a co-worker and Mike, a drug deal goes down badly. Now Brooke's dad has to put up the house as collateral. No one was there as an influence for Bobby. His mom was always on the run before she died, so he never had a stable upbringing.

From past to present, we learn the events leading up to the night Brooke disappeared. It kept you on the edge, waiting to see what happened the night of the accident.

PRESENT: Now, twenty-one years later, Bobby is all grown up and now going by Robert, an esteemed professor at a private Upstate New York University; he has just received a significant NEH grant and married with son Peter. He has undergone years of therapy to cope with his traumatic past. Can he leave his past behind?

Even though Robert does not owe Paul anything, he purchased Paul's home for him and pays his bills in an assisted living facility, which will not last much longer.

He has always wondered what happened to Brooke. Then, a young woman named Lily appears, claiming to be Brooke's daughter. From here on out, his world becomes unraveled as he investigates further.

Robert's life is out of control; he becomes detached. His wife left with his son to visit her parents for a while. Robert is determined to find out what happened to Brooke. Someone breaks into their home and screws up the dog's vocal cords. He does not believe Lily is Brooke's daughter. Something is up, menacing and sinister.

What happened to Brooke?

Atmospheric, gritty, dark, and compelling ALL WHO WANDER is my first book by Joe Clifford, a talented author. His writing is lyrical, with vivid descriptions, delving deep into the evil human conditions.

Honestly, I was hooked from the first page towards the end UNTIL the book turned to weird Stephen Kingish horror! Until this point, this was 5 Stars, and due to this strange turn, I downgraded it to 4 Stars.

When he brought the characters Robert/Bobby, Mike, and Aaron together —what happened next was just creepy! I was unsure of the purpose of this unless the author was exploring how people change. The good can turn evil, and the evil can turn good, doing a complete 180 and Robert going rogue! Do past sins define you? All the characters were deeply flawed—nature vs. nurture.

I enjoyed the author's lyrical, beautiful writing. The storyline was powerful, thought-provoking, and intriguing until it turned weird and twisted with an ending that was not satisfying. However, I look forward to seeing what comes next from the author.

There are themes of drug use, addiction, violence, abusive relationships, alcoholism, trauma, inner demons, step-siblings, and abuse.

Thanks to Swell Media and NetGalley for a gifted ARC for an honest opinion.

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Pub Date: Sept 5, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
Sept 2023 Must-Read Books

As with most of the books that I’ve read by Mr. Clifford, the setting is East Coast gritty, dark and wet or snowing. The seedier side of humanity is fleshed out, you aren’t on a sunny beach. He explores his characters during vulnerable parts of their lives. I stumbled across his Jay Porter series a few years ago and knew I liked his writing style. This is a psychological mind twister with a few events which some readers could find disturbing.
One of the protagonist Robert (Bobby) is married, has reached success as an academic, has a son, should be happy with life. He is instead consumed with the disappearance of his half-sister when he was just a kid. All the sessions with shrinks haven’t given him closure, he needs answers. New developments could finally give him facts. Answers aren’t always what we want them to be, it could be worse than the not knowing. As Robert seeks out those people in his sister’s life from back then, his own disturbing memories surface.
The sister, Brooke, was just twenty with a lousy home life when she was last seen. She’d made some poor choices, fell for ‘bad’ guys and her future is more of the same. Did she just leave for new opportunities or did something more sinister occur? Memories and witnesses are notoriously unreliable, especially after all these years. The characters are so well described I could picture them all as I read. The urgency to get to the truth had me on pins and needles. It’s full of discoveries, secrets and disreputable people. I couldn’t find a place to take a breather, read it in twenty-four hours.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “All Who Wander” by Joe Clifford, published by Square Tire Books. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

All Who Wander turns out to be a dreary soap opera. It was very difficult to keep reading as we were given no reason to really care about the characters, including the missing Brooke. While I would prefer to be supportive of the author and his effort, I can't even guess why this book made it to pring.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Chilling and thrilling! All Who Wander is a deep, dark and dynamic psychological thriller in the order of Girl On A Train. I read it in one sitting- I could not put it down! It is the first I have read of Joe Clifford’s extensive collection, but certainly won’t be my last! It’s delightful to discover new authors with such writing mastery. Joe Clifford is an award winning author, which is no surprise after reading his latest installment.

The storyline’s structure is well done. The novel transitions seamlessly and smoothly repeatedly from the past (before Brooke’s disappearance) to the present ( post disappearance). Resolving Brooke’s disappearance is the thread that runs - and upends- stepbrother Robert’s world. The pacing starts slow but builds up steam to an electrifying climax and shocking resolution! WOW!🤩 The MANY twists build heart pounding suspense! The character driven story fuels the plot chillingly. It is a dark and gritty noir type of storyline- quite rough but so engrossing; it is steeped in mystery that keeps one guessing to the very end! WOW!🤩

Some thematic elements addressed: do past sins negate future happiness, past trauma and it’s affect on the present psyche and human condition, the depths and depravity of our alter-ego, guilt, drug use, parenting abuse/neglect, redemptive transformation and conversely how easily a “respectable” person can fall downhill on the slippery slope. Fascinating and thought-provoking, this one will stay with this reader for some time.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unsolicited and unbiased review. The opinions of this reviewer are entirely my own.

All who wander was such a thriller! I really loved how suspenseful this book was, and you just never really knew where the story was going. This is an incredible book and will have you twisting and turning. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a good thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley/Publisher for the opportunity to read this E-arc for my honest review.
Excellent plot with many twists which would have been a five star ⭐️ rating if not for the need for editing, multiple discrepancies with timelines/ages, verbiage using incorrect definitions and the repetitive use of stepsister (half-sister was the correct word). This caused the inability to immerse myself completely in the book.
Great ending!

ALL WHO WANDER by Joe Clifford starts with a promising premise: woman on the run, high stakes, country I know. Settled in for a thrilling ride, I was thrown off by the telling of the story in broken sentences, information dumps, and feeling that the reader was being steered to certain feelings, thoughts, and experiences. I am sorry to be so brutal with what started out so anticipated. I could not finish this story although I did want to know if the protagonist ultimately triumphed over daunting odds.

Joe Cliffird, has entered the room and he is here to stay!

Whoa, that was a doozy of a book, All Who Wander, will have you thinking about what you read long after you conclude. Jam packed with twists and turns, you will never be prepared for what happens next.

The snowy setting gave me the chills, both literally and figuratively. This book is TWISTED!!!!!

I hate to admit this, but this was my first book by Joe Cliffird. I won't be making that same mistake twice, I have already downloaded "Junkie Love" and "Say My Name" to read next!

Check out this teaser:

One snowy night in 1998, Brooke Mulcahy's car slides off the road in rural Vermont. Her car is discovered. She is not. Twenty-one years later, Robert Kirby, Brooke's stepbrother, is paid a visit from a young woman (Lily), claiming to be Brooke's daughter. Since a tumultuous upbringing, Robert, formerly known as "Bobby," has enjoyed considerable success. Now an esteemed professor at a private Upstate New York university, Robert has just received a significant NEH grant. After Lily's visit, Robert's life is upended.



His wife Stephanie reveals she is unhappy in the marriage and takes their teenage son to visit her sister in PA. Brooke's former best friend, Aaron Reardon, still devastated from Brooke's disappearance, offers to help. And forever lurking in the background is Mike Rakowski, Brooke's ex, a possessive, abusive drug addict.



As Robert's world unravels, he revisits that night twenty-one years ago where everything went wrong, unearthing a horrible, bone-chilling secret. In the vein of Simone St. James' Sun Down Motel and other female-driven domestic psychological thrillers today, All Who Wander mines the depths of past transgression, begging the question: do past sins automatically negate future happiness?

Darkness and cold.......

Clifford paints a picture of unloving darkness and cold. I'm not talking about the cold and dark outside but the cold and dark inside that ruins lives and is visited onto the children. Children who then grow up and visit it onto their children. And the cycle continues until someone decides to break it.

I'm not a great fan of the dual timeline but Clifford made it work well here. I am left both happy and sad. He answers the questions that he helped build up at the beginning and leaves me hoping for the best, happy accidents at the end.


<i>An ARC gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley.</i>

He has lived the last 21 years not knowing to where his sister disappeared or even if she is still alive when a young woman steps into his life and starts a journey down a road best left untravelled. As his present life dissolves into the past, what story will this brother find?

All Who Wander is a fast paced psychological thriller. Well written, the characters draw you in, as does the narrative.

Twenty years ago, Brooke, was killed in a car wreck. In the present day, a young woman claiming to be Brooke's daughter, appears and comes to meet her step uncle, Robert. Soon, Robert's life begins to unravel.

It is all about secrets and Robert has to unravel them. Every time the reader figures it out the narrative whip lashes the reader's ideas.

An edge of your seat thriller

Well developed characters and a fast paced story kept me reading late into the night. This is one of those novels where just when you think you know what's going on, you don't. The twists kept me guessing right to the very satisfying ending. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Joseph Clifford for an advanced reader copy.

What really happened that night years ago? A brother and sister…a niece…an ex…a friend…quite a group of realistic characters. This story moves quickly. Trying to unravel this mystery is not easily accomplished. Talented author. Great story. Thanks Netgalley.

Wow! My first read by Joe Clifford but definitely not my last. I really enjoyed his fresh and insightful style. This one hooked me early on and really never let go! The characters were fantastic. Loved the twists and turns.
Thank you NetGalley, Joe Clifford and Swell Media for an opportunity to read and review this book

On a snowy evening in Vermont a woman’s car slides off the road as she tries to escape her past.
Her car is discovered, she isn’t.
Twenty one years later, her stepbrother gets a visit from a young woman claiming to be the woman’s daughter. What follows is the complex unearthing of family secrets.

I found this to be a well constructed read that maintained my interest throughout and am grateful to NetGalley and Lisa from Swell Media for the opportunity to preview.