The Wild Between Us

A Novel

By: Amy Hagstrom

Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal

The rescue of two missing boys in the Sierra Nevada mountains relies on unraveling the mysteries of the past in an addictive novel of heartrending suspense.

After inheriting his uncle’s lodge, Silas Matheson hopes the grandeur of the California Sierra Nevada will be a fresh start for his two young sons, and a chance to finally face his demons. It was here, fifteen years ago, that Silas and his friends Jessica, Danny, and Meg ventured into the mountain wilderness and Jessica vanished without a trace. When his boys go missing in the same dark woods, the fear and guilt that Silas has been running from ever since come crashing back.

Silas’s panicked call brings in the local search-and-rescue unit, and two familiar faces: Danny and Meg. As the frantic search gets underway, the three friends are plunged into a painfully recurring nightmare, each of them thinking, This can’t be happening again.

With a storm brewing and the boys’ fates threatened with every desperate hour, the secrets of the past begin to surface, and this time, for Silas, Danny, and Meg, there’s no escaping the truth.

©2023 Amy Hagstrom (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Victoria Villarreal nimbly narrates as the chapters jump between Silas's point of view and Meg's and from the present search mission to the one from 15 years before, when this friendship fell apart. Villarreal excels in distinguishing the main characters from each other and giving each person a unique voice within the story. She fills her performance with a spectrum of emotions that are heartfelt rather than overwrought. A gripping suspense, recommended for listeners of Lisa Unger, Ruth Ware, or Gillian Flynn.”—Library Journal

“The Wild Between Us shows how a suspense novel should be written. The tension ramps up with every scene, starting with the call out through to the shocking resolution. With the authentic description of the search and rescue mission, and the beautifully realized characters and scenery, Amy Hagstrom has created a story that all readers of suspense will relish, an achievement all the more remarkable given it’s by a debut author.”—Authorlink

“The Wild Between Us is an unputdownable novel full of heart-stopping suspense and emotions. I couldn’t read fast enough and was blown away by this stellar debut.”—Lyn Liao Butler, Amazon bestselling author of Someone Else’s Life

Loved the characters

This book kept my interest from the very beginning. It is set in the high Sierras of California which is one of my favorite places. I couldn't help get attached to Silas, Danny and Meg as they traveled through their lives from youths then back to present time adulthood. It has some great mystery, twists and turns and my favorite kind of ending. Excellent read. I can't wait for the next one.

Great story

This kept me listening. Never a dull moment. Great story with a twist you may or may not see coming.

Excellent

Loved the story. The characters drew you in. The accuracy of the background Groupon search and rescue was descriptive.

Relatable and sucked me in!

I have been waiting over 30 years to read another book from this author! And goodness did Amy ever deliver!

Loved it.

Perfectly paced suspense. Well thought out story. Loved the characters. It’s hard to find believable layered stories like this and Amy pulled it off! Love this book!

Couldn’t Put it Down!

This book is so dang good!!!!! I’ve been up way past my bedtime because I couldn’t put it down. It’s set in the Sierras and Amy’s writing transported me smack dab into the fabric of my life with each impeccable description of the locations. Amy has clearly done her research with all things Plumas County, along with the complexities of Search and Rescue operations, and the systems surrounding them. This story grabs you and holds on from the start as the reader is quickly immersed and invested into the lives of its characters. The suspense of the quickly moving plot had me wanting more at the end of each chapter. This was such an entertaining and fulfilling read- thank you, Amy! On a side note, the narrator does an excellent job!

Tedious

A coming of age story of young people who make bad decisions. Many parts don’t hold together and what I think the author intended to be tension building, I found to be repetitive and frustrating.