My Rating ~ Five Stars

RELEASE DATE: 26 October 2021

Format: E-ARC

Publisher: Affirm Press

Pages: 384

Blurb

In the summer of 1989, a local teen goes missing from the idyllic suburb of Camp Hill in Australia. As rumours of Satanic rituals swirl, schoolteacher Tom Witter becomes convinced he holds the key to the disappearance. When the police won’t listen, he takes matters into his own hands with the help of the missing girl’s father and a local neighbourhood watch group.

But as dark secrets are revealed and consequences to past actions are faced, Tom learns that the only way out of the darkness is to walk deeper into it. Wild Place peels back the layers of suburbia, exposing what s hidden underneath guilt, desperation, violence and attempts to answer the question: Why do good people do bad things?

Review

Thank you to Affirm Press, for providing me with a copy of this book, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review!

When Tracey goes missing in a small town, everyone but her parents are sure she has run away. But a boy who listens to heavy metal and dresses in black, plus a neighborhood watch meeting, change all that.

An ex teacher of Tracey’s is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, even if it means researching satanism and cults in the local library. Policewoman Sharon is a local and, although she also believes Tracey has left the town of her own accord, she starts to pay attention to the whispers of the town grapevine and takes over the investigation.

Wild Place was a wild ride that focused on the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the 80s and 90’s – when black clothing and heavy music could equal a slam dunk conviction of wrongdoing in the public eye. The twists and turns kept me glued to the page of this fascinating thriller and I really enjoyed the storyline. The characters were interesting and well formed. Our main character, Tom, has Tourette’s and, as such a stereotypically misunderstood syndrome, the explanations of the true effects on his life were enlightening.

If you’re looking for a wild ride, set at a frantic pace, with enough twists to keep you guessing, make sure you check out Wild Place.