Review: North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan

 

North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan

Publication Date: August 8th 2023 by Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 368

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 38min

Narrator: Eliza Foss

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Sixteen-year-old Kristen and eleven-year-old Ryan escaped their criminal family with their godfather, Tony, five years ago. Since then, they’ve been living under the radar, Tony posing as their dad. Tony’s prepared for them to run if they’re discovered and has all the plans in place. Unfortunately, Tony spots the bad guys with little time to spare and with a wicked blizzard on route.

They end up crashing the small plane in the Montana wilderness and must hike out to their safe house. The bad guys are in pursuit, but there are a few good people out to help them: their aunt Ruby, a former marine and tough lady ready to risk it all for them, Nick Lorenzo, owner of Triple Pine Ranch and Tony’s employer/friend, and Sheriff Kate Paxton.  These people had big hearts and couldn’t be bought by Kristen’s criminal family.

North of Nowhere started off with a bang and was action-packed all the way through! I was on the edge of my seat! I needed to know these kids would be safe! Being lost in the Montana wilderness as a terrible blizzard beats down on them was intense, but they were being pursued by hired gunmen and their father, a criminal and murderer on top of everything else. Even worse in my opinion was their evil grandmother! The thought of Kristen and Ryan back with her sent terror into my heart!

I admired Kristen, being tough and determined at such a young age. She cared about her brother so much. Ryan was a sweet, smart kid with a hearing impairment that didn’t seem to hold him back. I rooted for Kristen and Ryan, and I was happy they had good people on their side!

I’m a big fan of Allison Brennan’s mystery/thrillers and this stand-alone did not disappoint! It was the perfect combo of action, suspense, and likeable characters. Also, more than a few unlikable characters!

North of Nowhere was one heck of a page-turner!

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to the audio version. I highly recommend either format! Eliza Foss’s performance was excellent! I’ve enjoyed her performance in the past, most notably narrating Allison Brennan’s Max Revere series. I love her rich voice! I listened to my usual 1.5x normal speed and sometimes a little higher when things got intense.

5 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestseller Allison Brennan’s latest standalone is an unputdownable race to the dramatic finish.

After five years in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristin and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is minutes away from kidnapping them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The pilot, a man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety—unaware of the severity of the approaching storm.

Boyd’s sister Ruby left Los Angeles for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the horrors of the McIntyre clan. So when she gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she drops everything to try save them.

As the storm builds, Ruby isn’t the only person looking for them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn’t understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too.

But there is a greater threat to Kristen and Ryan out there. More volatile than the incoming blizzard, more dangerous than the family they ran from or the natural predators they could encounter. Who finds them first could determine if they live or die. . .