Heartwood

September 17, 2025 /

Heartwood ~ Amity Gaige

Valerie Gillis is hiking the Appalachian Trail alone. Well, sort of alone, as there are a lot of hikers on the trail, and people sometimes hike together for days or weeks on end, and her husband is following along in his car, meeting her every few days to give her provisions. When she doesn’t show up on time, he’s not too worried at first, but after a day goes by and she still doesn’t appear, he starts to worry.

The search is on, led by Beverly, the Maine State Game Warden with a perfect record for finding lost hikers. She doesn’t always find them alive, but she always finds them.

Lena is an elderly recluse in a retirement community, who would rather spend time with her online friends than with her fellow retirees. She is pulled into the story of the missing hiker, because for a short time she is afraid that it may be her daughter.

Heartwood is told through the lens of these three women, as well as interviews with other hikers and so on. Will Valerie be found alive? Why did she go missing to begin with? Is there foul play, or did she simply injure herself and take a wrong turn or three? I really enjoyed this book, including the sometimes complicated mother-daughter relationships of all three women. Highly recommended.

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