This was an ok read although I did find my interest in it waning throughout the second half of the book. The book is focused on a relationship between a woman called Kier and her boyfriend, Zeph. When we first meet them it seems clear that she's in an abusive relationship. She makes a comment about a dish he's cooked and he reacts completely inappropriately and aggressively, leaving her more or less mute with fear.

This and other instances of his mood quickly shifting and turning nasty make us extremely wary of Zeph. But the novel then gives us more of Kier's back story - a family where her dad was abusive towards her mother, who eventually flipped - and things get slightly more complicated.

I think the novel is trying to explore the impact of abuse and violence on people's minds. Kier is constantly fearful that there is a "monster" inside her, and compares this to the "monster" that apparently was inside her mother and made her retaliate against her father. Through Kier's conversations with her brother, we learn more about their childhood and how although it seemed clear on the one hand that their father was abusive, his manipulation sometimes left them confused and blaming their mother.

The book sees Kier apparently go missing and detective Elin Warner and her brother Isaac end up trying to track her down. Various hidden relationships and secret identities come to light as this unfolds. We are repeatedly unsure as to the true nature of several characters and doubtful as to whether we can trust them.

I appreciate the attempt and what the author seems to be trying to do, but I did feel it wasn't as sophisticated as it might have been. There are a couple of surprises in the book but the plot on the whole is a little bit weak. I did have to make myself keep reading it as my interest waned.

It's not a really bad book but at the same time I've read better.

Detective Elin Warner had planned to spend some time in a secluded Portuguese national park, wanting to lose herself in nature. Only, when she arrives, she discovers that traveler Kier had recently disappeared without a trace.

Will she be able to find out what happened to her when those that remain at the campsite all seem determined to avoid her questions and what once seemed like a serene national park reveals its sinister truths.

You don’t want to get lost in these woods.
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This novel is part of the Detective Elin Warner series but, as someone who hasn’t read the others in the series, I feel works well as a standalone.

We follow both Detective Elin Warner as well as Kier as a dual POV. This did lessen the enjoyment for me as it personally made it harder to keep up with events and took me out of the story.

I found The Wilds to be a well written thriller novel, painting vivid pictures in my mind as the reader.

The twists and turns left my head spinning and I was on the edge of my seat trying to work out what had happened alongside Detective Warner.

This was rather slow-paced for a thriller but it did work well and I look forward to reading more of Detective Elin Warner. I do feel that reading the first two prior to this may have helped my enjoyment of this novel more as I did struggle to truly invest in the characters.

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Thank you to the publisher @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and the author for providing me with this ARC

The dual time line dual pov tale of Keir, a woman bedeviled by her past and missing in the present. Elin Warner and her brother Isaac are on a camping trip she hopes will rebuild their bond and he hopes will help his friend Finn, whose sister Keir disappeared in the park in Portugal where they are camping. Keir's story- her relationship with Zeph-might seem familiar but there's more here than meets the eye. Elin finds the park and the group of people they meet camping there odd and menacing but do they know what happened to Keir? There are some twists, especially for Elin-who has struggled with memory issues since being injured (I missed the last book but I was okay without the details). It's atmospheric, the characters work and the story telling will keep you turning the pages. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. No spoilers from me!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’ve read the previous books in this series but this works well as a stand alone. Liked the sibling themes throughout. Good unexpected twists too.

This is the first Sarah Pearce book I have read. Praise to her for writing a book on coercive control and emotional abuse and doing sufficient background study of these areas to form the basis of the story. The setting of a Portuguese National Park is a good one. This is the third book in a series that was preceded by The Sanatorium and The Retreat but stands alone. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I have never read any Detective Elin Warner books before but this did not detract from the enjoyment this story gave me. Erin, on a career break, finds herself with her brother in a Portugese National Park. A few years earlier another girl Kier was in the same park and went missing. Her brother is now searching for her and Elin gets caught up in the search. The stories of both women are told concurrently and there is a lot of problems with trust and domestic abuse. The only down side to the story is that it features a rather mystic element which I felt was unnecessary but overall a great read.

After the dark events that scarred her childhood, Kier Templer escaped to live her life on the road. As a twin she’s never lost contact with her brother until, on a trip to a Portuguese national park, Kier vanishes without a trace. Detective Elin Warner arrives in the same park ready to immerse herself in its vast wilderness - only to hear about Kier's disappearance, and discover a disturbing map she left behind. The few strangers at the isolated camp close ranks against her questions, and the park's wild beauty starts to turn sinister. Elin must untangle the clues to find out what really happened to Kier. But when you follow a trail, you have to be careful to watch your back and out in the wilds of a national park, it's easy to get lost.

I really enjoyed the return of Elin in this book, her character has developed over the first two books and she is very easy to connect with, Sarah having done a great job in her writing allowing you to fully embrace her thoughts and feelings at every stage of the cases she encounters.

The importance of places is beautifully executed in this book, it really makes you consider the memories that a place, even if you’ve only been there once, can have in your life. The maps created by Keir are quite vivid in my mind through the descriptions and I feel this was a very clever way of explaining the character’s journey, her emotions at different life stages guiding the way.

It wouldn’t be a Sarah Pearse book without the twists and they do not disappoint! I won’t be giving anything away but the one halfway through I really didn’t see coming at all!!! A slower pace than previous titles but the short chapters maintain the tension, the clues strategically placed so those pages have to keep turning as you want to know more.

This works well as a standalone title but adds even more to the series. I am sad this was the third and final outing for Elin but I am excited to see what comes next from this author in the future, safe to say I’ll be reading!

The third novel in the series featuring detective Elin on a trip to the Portugal national park with her estranged brother. A terrific sense of place and the setting is beautuful. However, the narrative was slow, very little suspense and I was not invested in the characters. I have read the previous two novels and this can be seen as a standalone.

To be transparent I did not read the first row books of the series as it was indicated that you could read this as a stand-alone. Now I think I should have done as I struggled to like any character, or find depth to the story.
I found the blurb of this book interesting and was expecting a thriller/ suspenseful thriller. However if fell short.
Not for me, but that is my opinion only .

This book had an interesting premise and a lot of potential for an eerie thriller. However, I found it a little underwhelming and it just didn’t deliver.

I found I didn’t connect with any of the characters, so I found it very hard to care what happened to them.

The setting was beautiful and I did enjoy the dual perspectives we got from Elin and Kier.

This was a well written book but it just didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, which is what you want from a thriller.

This is the first book that I have read by Sarah Pearse but hopefully, it won't be the last, although this book is part of a series it can be totally read as a standalone.
The story is set over two timelines and two countries Devon 2018 and Portugal 2021.
Detective Elin Warner and her brother Isaac had lost touch along the way but were taking a much earned break to reconnect. Isaac had suggested The Parque Nationale in Portugal, an off the beaten track Airstream surrounded by mountains and forest, it was only when they arrived that Elin realised that Isaac had an ulterior motive, his best friend Penn's sister Kier had disappeared and this was the last place that Penn knew that she had been, Isaac had promised Penn that he would look for her.
Kier and Penn's early life had good memories but they had soured and life became traumatic after their mother killed their father and then took her own life in prison, Keir had been called "the monster's daughter", she had become withdrawn, she took comfort from her art, drawing beautifully illustrated maps of places that had held happy memories.
After a bitter break up with her partner, Zeph, Kier decided to travel, she sent Penn one of her beautiful maps illustrating each place that she visited........until Portugal, when he didn't receive a map Penn knew that something was wrong.
This story is beautifully told, the two families become intrinsically tied in a way that I didn't see coming. The Portuguese setting of this story plays a great part in this book, with the authors descriptive powers I could feel the creepy atmosphere, picture the tall trees and the clearings, feel the slippery rocks.
Who are the strange people living in isolation in the forest ? could they be involved in Kier's disappearance ? What were the tepee like symbols ? Was Kier still alive ?
This story has nail biting suspense, red herrings galore and surprises by the dozen, I couldn't put it down.

Sibling rivalry is a well-known idea, but there are other tensions which they both experience which can cause fission. Mothers often catalyse these. In this novel, two sets of siblings overlap.
Keir Templar and her brother Penn had become estranged following their mother’s imprisonment for murdering their cruel and coercive father, and her subsequent suicide. Keir had left Devon and become an artist with a dark vision, carefully modulated for clients, but drawn to strong willed and potentially coercive men (not an unusual outcome for the child of an abusive relationship). Penn’s upcoming marriage has brought her back to Devon, along with her boyfriend, Zeph, a formerly well-known Chef now reduced to cooking from the modified camper van which is also their home. Reuniting with Penn in the village that was their childhood home has made her aware of the danger that is Zeph, and they split up, with him returning to his home town, New York. After the wedding she leaves the UK in the van.
Detective Sergeant Elin Warner has had a traumatic few years, traumatised over a complex murder case, the death of her mother, breaking up with her boyfriend, isolation from her brother, Issac and most recently the death of his wife. To try and repair their relationship, she has gone off on a hiking trip to Portugal with Issac. He had chosen the destination partly because his friend’s sister had disappeared in the area and he thought Elin’s detective skills might find some clue to her whereabouts. The friend is Penn and the missing sister is, of course, Keir. Is she missing, or dead, and if so why and by whom?
This is the third book featuring Elin, but is effectively a standalone. It is told in overlapping chapters, either Keir in Devon in 2018, or Elin in Portugal in 2021, with flashbacks to fill in relevant history explaining the circumstances leading to the psychological states of the protagonists. The writing is good, quite heavily descriptive with a lot of metaphor. I felt the Keir chapters could have been tighter, and the Elin chapters overly spun out, but the plot as a whole works and there are some interesting twists, including a major one about half way through, and the final resolution is sensible, although it does leave a lot of issues that need tidying up. I make it 3.5 rounded to 4.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I have the first book in the series but haven't read it yet. Initially I didn't realise that this book was in a series and to be honest it didn't really matter. It didn't affect my enjoyment of this book at all. I will go back and read the other two books because this one was so good. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. Definitely worth a read this summer!

Thank you to Sarah Pearse and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the third in a series of books about Detective Elin Warner (The Sanatorium, The Retreat, The Wilds). Detective Elin Warner is on a leave of absence, travelling in Portugal with her brother Isaac, who she is trying to reconnect with. Isaac seeks Elin’s help to locate Kier, a friend’s sister who has been missing for months. Elin is reluctant to get involved, but as they meet the camp nearby, a series of suspicious actions put Elin on high alert.
The Wilds alternates between the current timeline and Kiers’ account of her relationship several months ago up to her disappearance. Kier is clearly unhappy in her relationship, experiencing gaslighting and coercive control, causing her to question her own reality. This is complicated by childhood events where Kier’s mother murdered their father, after years of domestic abuse..

I have mixed feelings on this one. There are strong moments of suspense, interesting dynamics and unexpected twists. However, there are also lengthy chunks of description and narrative that slow down the pacing and at times, made it hard to keep reading. I also think having read the previous two books, the reader may be more invested and more captivated by the plot earlier on, as I felt a bit on the backfoot not having read The Retreat, as the beginning eludes to events from Elin’s past.

I hadn't read the first two parts to the series, but this reads fine as a stand alone. The author's writing is very descriptive and the sense of place is strong, but I felt that was at the expense of pace. The story unfolded very slowly at the beginning and I thought Elin's deductive powers were a bit slow for a police officer! A reveal at the end made me think the whole story could have been avoided by a bit of normal communication and I didn't understand why that hadn't happened, so I was left feeling a bit non-plussed.

I hadn't realised that this was part of a series to begin with. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the story and enjoyed reading it, although I thought the ending was slightly predictable. But still very enjoyable.

Detective Elin Warner wants to immerse herself in a Portuguese national park but her antennae are up when she learned about a missing woman who vanished within the location’s confines. Elin has Keir’s map – rather a disturbing one – and the beauty of the park is suddenly too far sinister.

A fast paced thriller that has you gripped from the start. Exploring the theme of domestic abuse and violence it can be triggering. Kier and her twin brother Penn witnessed the gruesome murder of their father at the hands of their mother, who suffered in silence while neighbours and friends turned a blind eye. Her conviction and subsequent suicide in prison has naturally traumatised the siblings. Fast forward and it appears that Kier is also being abused both physically and psychologically by her partner, a famous chef. Despite his own history of violence towards his previous girlfriend and employees, his friends believe his public persona. Kier must escape his clutches if she is to survive. Unfortunately she has gone missing just as his previous girlfriend did.
The book switches to the present timeline where Detective Elin and her brother Isaac are on a trip at a remote national park in Portugal, a place Penn believes was the last place his sister was seen alive. Unbeknown to Elin and Isaac Penn has changed his name and now works for Elin and befriended her brother. As Steed he has orchestrated their trip in the hope of them finding his twin.
The plot alternates switching from the past to the present and creates some pretty tense moments as Kier is gaslighted, manipulated and tormented. This is strong stuff.
It's worth noting that the book acts well as a stand alone despite it being the 3rd installment of the series.
Highly recommend and thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

The Sanatorium (2021) and The Retreat (2022) were the first two installments of Sarah Pearse's trilogy; The Wilds is the third and last installment.
Once again, the investigator Elin Warner is on vacation and enjoying a cordial relationship with his brother Isaac while exploring the untamed landscape of Portugal's national park. As Elin and his brother are getting back in touch, he adds that a few years ago, someone they used to know vanished from that exact spot. As a result, they decide to work together to find out what happened to Kier, a young woman. They venture far into the forest and find a quiet, modest camp that is home to several hidden secrets.
This book is split over two timeframes, each centered on a distinct person: the "past" timeline: Kier, her twin brother, and her current lover are driving through Denver, England's forests before going to a wedding. "present" timeline: this is the plot of investigator Elin Warner.

Up until Kier leaves her partner and runs away to Portugal, the reader is kept informed about the dynamics of their relationship and all the secrets that both reveal to one another and keep to themselves while they are in Denver. After a year or so, she vanishes.
Chapter after chapter, we travel back and forth, through time, to discover what really happened to Kier in Portugal. And with everyone who was associated with her.

This novel moves quite slowly at first. It is the most narratively focused on characters among the three volumes. This book differs significantly from the first two in that it is a disappearance mystery rather than a murder mystery. This distinction may not be obvious, but it is one. The Wilds reads very differently from Pearse's earlier novels, in my opinion. Although it doesn't feel quite as convoluted as the previous volumes, this one does feel more grounded. The plot and subjects covered here are quite realistic, in addition to the characters being completely credible. Both timelines have a lot of references to toxic masculinity, ghosting, psychological abuse, and domestic violence.
As always, I find the writing to be incredibly evocative and spooky. tactile, even.


The third and last book written by the author is called The Wilds, is the third and, as the author herself informs us at the end of the book, the last installment in the series. Before reading this one, I would suggest that readers read The Sanatorium and The Retreat. Especially The Sanatorium, as the author includes a few minor spoilers from book #1 in this passage. This third book also contains a "plot twist" involving a character who appears in the first two volumes.
While I wouldn't say reading the earlier volumes is a "must," being familiar with all of the characters will make things easier and more enjoyable.

In terms of the scene, atmosphere, and subjects covered, I think this is my favorite of the three. As, I still appreciate The Sanatorium greater just because of the mystery.
Overall, this book has been a lot of fun for me. I'll never forget the characters or the mood from this book, and I heartily suggest it to anybody who enjoy slow-burning, character-driven mysteries as well as anyone who has read a Sarah Pearse book in the past.

I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I am very grateful.

The Wilds by Sarah Pearse, the third and final instalment in the Detective Elin Warner series, is a blend of mystery and psychological thriller. This novel can be approached as a standalone, which is how I read it. Here are my thoughts on the conclusion to the series. My rating is 3.5 stars.

Plot Summary and Structure

The story follows Elin Warner and her brother as they venture into a remote national park in Portugal, seemingly to reconnect with each other. However, their journey quickly becomes more complex when they learn that Elin’s brother has chosen this location with a hidden agenda. A woman named Kier has gone missing in the same national park, and Elin and her brother find themselves drawn into the mystery surrounding her disappearance.

The narrative is divided into two timelines. The "present" timeline features Detective Elin Warner, while the "past" timeline delves into the lives of Kier, her twin brother, and her boyfriend in the woods in England, just before attending her brother's wedding. This dual-timeline approach adds depth to the story, creating almost a mirroring of past and present that intertwines with the central mystery.

Setting and Atmosphere

One of the most compelling aspects of The Wilds is its isolated setting. This is one of my favourite settings in thriller books and this made me love it a lot. The book excelled at creating a vivid sense of place, and the remote national park in Portugal is no exception. The descriptions are so clear that you can almost feel the isolation and hear the whispers of the forest and mountains. The cover also complements the book's atmospheric writing, drawing us into the eerie and captivating setting.

Plot themes

The relationship between Elin and her brother is central to the story. Their dynamic provides a framework, explaining their motivations and allowing them to work together in unraveling the mystery. This sibling relationship is mirrored in the past timeline with Kier and her twin brother, adding an extra level of depth. This parallel exploration of sibling bonds really engaged me as a reader, highlighting themes of loyalty, trust, and the power of familial connection.

Mystery and Suspense

From the beginning, the book is filled with mystery and suspense. Numerous unanswered questions and potential theories kept me engaged. However, the initial tension occasionally gets repetitive, with frequent instances of hearing noises and glimpsing shadows and people. While this builds suspense, the eventual payoffs for many of these eerie moments didn't always meet my expectations.

Plot Twists

The pacing accelerates significantly around the 70% mark, where many questions begin to be answered. Some twists serve as straightforward misdirection, while others are genuinely surprising. These unexpected ones add excitement and kept me guessing until the very end.

Character Development

Each character in The Wilds plays a crucial role in the plot, with varying degrees of development. By the conclusion, readers have a clear understanding of the main characters, their motivations, and their significance to the story. Pearse did a good job of ensuring that even the less developed characters contribute meaningfully to the plot.

Conclusion

The Wilds is a fitting conclusion to the Detective Elin Warner series, offered a gripping mystery set in an isolated location. The dual timelines and mirrored sibling relationships added depth to the narrative, while the suspense and plot twists kept me engaged. Although some elements of the initial suspense felt repetitive, the book's ultimate revelations and character development made for a satisfying read. Fans of the series will find much more to appreciate from characters they already know and love, and newcomers like me can enjoy it as a standalone mystery that showcases Sarah Pearse's talent for crafting atmospheric and compelling stories. I now want to go and read The Sanatorium and The Retreat.