ARC Review: North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan

North of Nowhere
Author: Allison Brennan
Publication: Minotaur Books (August 8, 2023)

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 Kristen 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. . .

My Thoughts: NORTH OF NOWHERE was a fast-paced and action-packed thriller. When he learns that Boyd McIntyre has located him, Tony takes the two kids he has been sheltering for five years and tries to escape.

However, gunfire which wounds Tony and causes the plane to crash in the wilderness leaves sixteen-year-old Kristen and her deaf ten-year-old brother Ryan to survive a coming blizzard and get away from the father who wants to take them back to California to be part of a crime family. 

Boyd and his henchmen aren't the only ones one the kids' trail, Ruby McIntyre is also looking for her niece and nephew. She managed to escape the clutches of her family by joining the Army but her fiancé was murdered when he tried to bring evidence against the family. She cut all ties with her niece and nephew to keep them safe. Now she has to find them.

Nick Lorenzo is also looking for the kids. Tony had worked for him the five years they were in Montana and Nick has grown close to the kids. He's an experienced outdoorsman and a native to the area. His son is good friends with Kristen and Ryan.

Finally, there is a third person searching. Lance Jackson is a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. He's been searching for Tony and has a warrant for his arrest. Tony, supposedly, murdered the kids' mother and kidnapped the kids. 

The story had lots of twists and turns and very realistic characters. Fans of fast-paced thrillers with intriguing characters will enjoy this one. 

Favorite Quote:

Ruby took a deep breath, walked back to inspect Tony's body. He had been injured but alive when he first rested there, then he was shot twice in the chest.

Those two shots had killed him. The others may have been fatal, but someone shot him in the chest.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.