A merciless wilderness. A harrowing attack. A desperate escape.

Book blurb

When a tragic accident sidelines Miley’s dreams of Olympic gold, she takes a summer job at a mountain guest lodge. The Frank Church wilderness is remote, but it’s the perfect place to train and recover. The local lore about a lodge staffer who died years ago doesn’t scare her.

But it should.

Miley’s plans take a terrifying detour when she’s abducted during a morning run. Held captive in a desolate off-grid cabin, she needs her athletic prowess, cunning mind and unwavering courage to survive. But, as the nightmare at the cabin escalates, Miley is forced to form an unlikely alliance and attempt a risky escape.

Can she outwit her captors and survive the wilderness before it’s too late?

My thoughts

The first part of the book covers Olympic biathlon Miley’s story. Miley had a bad accident in which her mother died, she is left injured, unable to compete, mourning and distressed. She gets a job at a summer resort in the Frank Churchill Wilderness, Idaho where she can build in training towards the next Olympics. Her friendship with her Olympic teammate Brent is in limbo as she tries to recover.

Miley runs each morning in the Forest, her route takes her to a lake and back. On one of these runs Miley is taken by two preppers, a father and son, she enters a dark world where she is to become the bride of the son but first she must be broken, made to understand how to behave in order to survive. When she is brought to their place she realises that another woman, Rayna, is Mary a woman who was presumed dead after getting lost in the wilderness. Rayna/Mary is ‘married’ to the father. Rayna is the example the preppers want Miley to copy. Miley is determined to escape!

When Brent is told about Miley’s disappearance he rushes to Idaho. When the search has gone on several days and the trail seems to have gone cold. The search is eventually stopped but Brent is determined to go on. Will, who befriended Miley at the lodge, agrees to stay with Brent and the two carry on.

The book alternates between Miley’s story and Brent’s search.

The first part of the book, up to Miley going to Idaho, was I felt a little repetitive and drawn out but it set the tone particularly with regard to Miley’s ability to fight back against adversity. Once she is taken it is a dark, brutal novel which contains kidnap, control, sexual, physical and mental abuse. Ultimately Miley, due to the huge amount of determination to survive and escape she possessed, does her utmost to fight back but there were parts of this story that I found difficult to read and get past. Brent’s story of continuing to search for Miley along with Will gave small relief, it was no easy task, yet helped to keep a glimmer of hope alive. Nevertheless, this book is well written and the epilogue does allow it to end with something more than this harrowing experience giving hope and the beginnings of happier times to come.

Although inspired by a true story of an Olympic athlete this is not that athletes story. Of course, no one should have such an experience put into the world for everyone to read without permission and consultation as no doubt Noelle W. Ihli and the publisher agree. Indeed, Ihli writes that she hopes the book will ‘honour victims and their resilience’ – I do to. I also think that these stories need to keep being told not only in the hope that men but also those who raise and educate them, indeed Society as a whole will listen, act and do better. All too often, sadly, it feels like one step forward and two steps backward.

Book: Purchased

#20BOS26

You can read all about the #20BOS challenge on Annabel’s blog at AnnaBookBel. Annabel has taken sole charge of this challenge in 2026 having been co-host with Emma Words and Peace in 2025 after taking over the challenge from Cathy @ 746books.

The Virtual Crime Book Club

The Virtual Crime Book Club is hosted by Rebecca Bradley, author of the D I Hannah Robbins and D I Claudia Nunn series as well as standalone novels.

Rebecca is a great host and often gets the authors to come along and chat with us. You can find out more on Rebecca’s website.

Warning!

You can watch the recorded meetings below. Not all meetings are posted for a variety of reasons and when they are be aware they may contain spoilers so, if you’re planning to read the book, it may be better not to watch until you’ve done so. (Note: this month’s club will not be available).

https://youtube.com/@rebeccabradleyauthor

Information

Publisher: Panmacmillan – Imprint: Macmillan|11 March 2025 | 368 pp |ISBN 9781035080137

Buy: Macmillan | Amazon U.K | Bookshop.org (affiliate link)| Hive | Your local library | Your local bookshop

Author: Noelle W. Ihli is an international bestselling author of thriller-suspense novels, including BookTok sensations Ask For Andrea and Run On Red. When she’s not plotting her next thriller, she’s scaring herself with true-crime documentaries or going for a trail ride in the foothills (with her trusty pepper spray). Noelle lives in Idaho with her husband, two sons and two cats.

Author page MacMillan | Author website | Instagram | Facebook | Tik Tok

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