On holiday in Portugal with her previously estranged brother, Detective Elin Warner becomes embroiled in a missing person’s case.

As Elin and Isaac try to find out more about Kier, they become suspicious of an off grid group camping in the park.

Contrasted with Kier’s diaries from several years before, we learn more about her controlling partner, Zeph.

A slow burn which is more credible and nuanced than the previous novel in the series but still has one unnecessary and implausible twist as well as the continued references to the Hayler case which still hasn’t become part of the main story after three books.

Detective I Elin is on another case, she’s in Portugal to find a missing person. She should have met with her in the UK, but didn’t.

It’s dark, violent and keeps you wanting more. It was a bit of a slow start, but was a great ending that I didn’t see coming. An all round 4 star read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

If you haven’t read the first two books in this series I would definitely recommend you do before picking this one up because at times I felt like I was missing information and would have enjoyed it even more if I had read the other two first. That being said this one was a great read which I really enjoyed it had so many twists and turns that I definitely didn’t see coming. The wilds is a beautifully and very cleverly written book which had me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely be going back to read the first two books at a later date.

I loved the sanitarium. Was really looking forward to this one. It was great to read, I did want to get to the end to find out what had happened. So many red herrings making you think you knew something but then you find you were wrong.
Kier is missing and her brother penn is desperate to find her, he asks his friend Isaac to help. Issac and his sister Elin go on a trip to Portugal to try to find kier. What they find only leaves them with more questions.
The story goes between past, when kier was in Devon with her then boyfriend zeph, and the present, where Issac and Elin are trying to find out what has happened.
I would recommend this book.
Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another wonderfully atmospheric thriller from Sarah Pearse.

I read and thoroughly enjoyed an ARC of The Sanitorium where we were introduced to Elin. This is book three in the trilogy although can be read as a standalone.

Elin has travelled to Portugal with her brother, Isaac, to get away from it all by staying in a caravan in a National Park and to reconnect with each other. However, Isaac has other ideas as he is helping a friend to try to find out what happened to his sister, Kier, who disappeared in 2018 from this same National Park, where she was staying in her caravan. He asks for his detective sister’s help. Elin soon gets

There are a handful of people living at the nearby campsite who are clearly hiding something. Do they know what happened to Kier?

The story is told over two timelines where we follow Kier and her horribly controlling boyfriend in 2018 then Elin and Isaac in 2021.

I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as the tension built towards the end. A brilliant and unpredictable ending!

I was a massive fan of The Sanatorium so was keen to read the authors new novel. However, this book didn’t really do it for me. The plot is intriguing but I found it too slow paced and kept waiting for a major twist to grip me but sadly it didn’t happen. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author for the chance to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for an #ARC of #TheWilds.

I have read the first book in this series (The Sanatorium) but not the second (The Retreat). While I felt I missed a little by not reading the second book, having read the first gave me a slight background to the protagonist Elin and her family/work situation.
This book follows a dual timeline of Elin in 2021 and Kier in 2019. Keir has gone missing and Elin and her brother Issac inadvertently find themselves looking for her.
I enjoyed the book, but found the characters in the camp slightly 2D in description. However that really just felt like a side annoyance in the whole mystery of where did the missing people go, and what was the connections between everyone.
I will be going back to read the second book in the series, and possibly reread all 3 in order. I'm sorry to see this is the final book in the series. Recommend reading as intended, the third in a series.

Once again the cover jumped out to meet me. So had read it.

Brilliant thriller.

I just wanted to keep reading but didn't want it to end.

The wilds - Sarah Pearse

This was great! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In my opinion like I find is the case with most books, the beginning was a bit slow (slower for me as reading/listening to other books in between) but it took an unexpected turn and I was hooked

Kier’s maps sounded beautiful and added a sense of great feeling, throughout the story, they held the key to a whole lot of significance. I got goosebumps reading about the attack on Kier. When ‘running or escaping, starting again away from domestic abuse everything and everyone are scrutinised, but there is always that waiting and wondering for that fatal moment, you can’t help but think is it going to be today, or tomorrow, next week? Am I being watched, who do I talk to?

I absolutely loved ALL of the characters apart from Zeph! (He got what was coming, good riddance to a piece of shit) … Karma’s a bitch and she owns it!

I haven’t read the first 2 books in the series and in case anyone was wondering I don’t think it matters because until I read a review I didn’t know there were books before it.

The Wilds is book 3 in the authors Detective Elin Warner series, The Wilds can absolutely be read as a standalone but I would recommend reading The Sanatorium and The Retreat first to get the full experience and because they're just really good books.

One thing that Sarah Pearse really exels at is creating an amazing setting for her books with The Wilds being no exception, The Wilds mainly takes place in an expansive National Park in Portugal where Elin is on holiday with her brother Isaac and becomes involved in a missing person's case. Pearse has created a very atmospheric, mysterious, isolated and haunting setting in the park yet its also claustrophobic at times despite the sheer size and openness of the location.

The story is told from two POV's and two timelines, Elin in the present day and Kier a few years before. I instantly loved Kier feeling such a strong pull and connection to her, almost feeling protective of her. There are plenty of twists in Elin's chapters while she's trying to get to the truth of what happened to Kier, I honestly didn't know what was going to happen next or what was the real story behind the camp, the campers & the clear uneasiness they felt towards Elin & Isaac's presence.

There are tough, heavy topics covered in The Wilds such as domestic violence, coercive control and gaslighting but the author addresses these topics extremely well & it's clear a lot of research has gone into it.

I would describe this book as a slow burn particularly Kier's chapters with the author slowly building up to the circumstances behind her disappearance but it works really really well.

Two things I loved but won't say much about to avoid spoilers are, Kier's maps; I just love the idea of them & the meaning behind the title The Wilds; something I'll remember forever.

This was such an enjoyable read that I couldn't get enough of, it was a real 'just one more chapter' book that I ended up reading in one sitting.

This was a very confusing story at times but totally gripping. The charactes were all very different but came together in a compelling storyline. The bui;ld up to the climax was intense with a great conclusion.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 2*
Characters: 3*
Twist: 2*
Setting: 4*

I really hoped I would like this the same as the first in the series, sadly it was closer to book two - lacking.
All 3 books have the most marvelous settings and Pearse writes them with such clarity I can picture them entirely. But the plot, the pace and the characters just didn't do it for me, again. I guessed most of the twists, and felt if everyone just stopped lying there wouldn't even need to be a book (I have big issues with thrillers that only have twists because people mask who they truly are). This is probably the end of the road for me with this series, there's better series that I gel with that I'd rather spend my time on.

I previously really enjoyed The Sanatorium and The Retreat which are the two previous books in the Detective Elin Warner series, so I was excited to start The Wilds.

The majority of the book is set in a national park in Portugal, which makes for a great setting, this is something Sarah Pearse always excels – the settings of her books are always atmospheric and well detailed. The park is expansive, with a lot of trails, but also felt claustrophobic in places. The narrative alternates between Elin in the present, trying to enjoy a holiday with her brother but getting dragged into a missing person case and Kier in the past, before she went missing.

I enjoyed Kier’s point of view in particular, as I found myself getting a little frustrated at the characters in the present narrative. The brother Isaac selfishly ruining Elin’s holiday by dragging her into another case when she is so mentally scarred by the last one felt cruel. Elin also just isn’t a very good detective and takes things far too personally which has annoyed me throughout the other two books as well.

I do recommend reading the other two books in the series before this one – although the crime being investigated is a standalone, there is a lot revealed about the overarching plot line in this book. I certainly wouldn’t want to go back and read the other two for the first time if I’d read this one as it will spoil it somewhat. In her author’s note at the end, Sarah Pearse mentions that this will be the final book focusing on Elin Warner. To be honest, although I’ve enjoyed the novels I’ve read in terms of plot and setting, I haven’t engaged with Elin much as a main character, so I am excited for whatever project Sarah embarks on next!

Overall, The Wilds is a solid read and a fitting end for the Elin Warner trilogy – I’m excited for the next project from Sarah Pearse. Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group UK – Sphere for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't realised The Wilds was the third part of a series. I had read the previous book but not the first but still enjoyed them both as standalone books. I found the characters interesting and wanted to keep reading about them. The story was jam packed full of twists and turns and the pace was like lightening. I cannot recommend it more highly apart from read them in order. I wish I had as I'm now off to read the first!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Portugal, 2021.

Elin Warner is travelling with her brother, Isaac. The siblings have been estranged until recently, and this trip is a chance to reconnect and get to know each other again.

They stay in a secluded, small caravan campsite in the Parque Nacional, Portugal’s National Park, far away from civilisation and surrounded by nature. It’s worth mentioning that they are the only guests at the small caravan site.

It is then that Isaac drops a bombshell: his friend’s sister disappeared three years ago at the Parque Nacional. He begged Isaac to go to Portugal and uncover what happened to Kier Templer back in 2018.

As you can imagine, Elin is somewhat perplexed and annoyed that her brother agreed to do this, as it was meant to be their ‘bonding time’, but the policewoman in her quickly reemerges.

They discover a camp nearby, which appears to be a permanent one, and the people there are definitely hiding something.

What happened to Kier, and can Elin and Isaac piece together the puzzle before it’s too late?

I really enjoyed this book. I loved The Sanatorium and The Retreat, and I was very much looking forward to reading The Wilds.

I loved the setting of the story: a hot, scorching, but desolate Portugese location where you’re pretty much on your own. The fragility of the relationship between Elin and Isaac certainly added more tension to the mix.

I also liked the dual timeline, especially the events of 2018. I was desperate to read about Kier’s experiences with her then-boyfriend Zeph, and how she arrived in Portugal.

The story features descriptions of domestic violence and coercive control, which may be triggering for some people.

I would like to thank the publisher, Sphere, for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

This is the third book in the Elin Warner series. Elin, a police woman, is on holiday with her brother,, Isaac. rebuilding bridges. When they arrive at their destination he tells Elin that he is off to visit a campsite where his friend's sister disappeared several years ago. Elin visits with him and her curiosity is piqued. She begins to investigate. What she doesn't expect are some of the things that happen as a result!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as more of Elin's past was revealed. Although this can be read as a standalone novel, it would be useful to have read The Sanatorium and The Retreat prior to reading.

Overall I enjoyed this book and got through it quickly. However, I did find it a bit confusing for the first 10%. There was a lot of back and forth and the split narratives and timelines were a bit confusing. I also didn’t realise I possibly should have read the second book as it referred back to it several times and I felt like I was missing some context.

The writing is very good, really atmospheric and visual like The Sanatorium. I really liked Elin and felt drawn to her as a character. The distinction between her and Kier was good, the different narratives probably helped (it’s unusual to read a book where 1 character is in 1st person and the other is in 3rd person). The setting of the book was really nice and I felt like I was exploring Portugal with Elin and her brother.

The overall plot was ok, I found the build up was good but then the ending was a little underwhelming if I’m honest. But overall it’s a good atmospheric book that is worth having on the list.

I really like this series of books with Detective Elin Warner. They are well written and full of twists coupled with interesting characters. This one finds Elin in Portugal, searching for a missing girl. It is told from different points of view and with short chapters. The plotting is centred around emotional and physical abuse, as well as gaslighting. It is a thought provoking read which I would recommend to lovers of thrillers. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

The Wilds by Sarah Pearse | Pub Date Jul 16 2024 - 4.5 stars

#TheWilds is the third and final book in the series about Detective Elin Warner. It is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. With its eerie and remote setting, Sarah Pears weaves a story full of suspense and tension. The characters are well developed and feel real. If you love psychological thrillers that keep you hooked, #TheWilds (and the whole series itself) is definitely a book you don’t want to miss.

Publisher:
Little, Brown Book Group UK | Sphere
Pages: 432

Thank you @NetGalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in this cracking series so, you know what to do! Elin is a bit of a complex character so it does make sense to do this, even though the main story is self-contained.
We start with the disappearance of a young woman, Kier, who vanished after going "off-grid", her brother Penn being very worried. The last place she was known to be being a Portuguese national park. Which is where we catch up with Elin and Isaac, who have been asked to look into the case, Penn having exhausted all other assistance. And that's really all I can say about it as it all gets a bit interconnected and convoluted and, well, you'll see!
As with the previous books, the setting is integral to the story, especially given the missing woman's penchant for creating the most wonderful, intricate and personal maps which she religiously sends home to her brother. It's their thing. Well it was, until she vanished. And we hear from her in flashback chapters peppered throughout the narrative which gives us some insight into who she is and why she ended up where she did.
The story is well plotted and said plot executed with aplomb. It also gets on with itself very well as there is no superfluous waffle or padding to intrude. Pacing matches the narrative all the way through, ramping up to deliver a worthy finale. Which I understand to also be the end of this what I guess should now be called a trilogy rather than a series. Which is a shame. But there you go. All that's left to find out is what the author has planned for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.