Follow Her Down

A Gripping Dive into Past Trauma

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

As an avid reader with a hectic schedule, finding time to indulge in my favorite books has been a challenge. However, when I stumbled upon "Follow Her Down" by Victoria Helen Stone, it quickly ascended to the top of my TBR pile. Victoria Helen Stone consistently delivers gripping thrillers, and this book is no exception.

The story revolves around Elise, who has been haunted by the murder of her sister during their teenage years, a tragedy that fractured her family. Her mother became agoraphobic, her brother saw conspiracies everywhere, and Elise herself struggled with alcoholism. Despite a local boy confessing to the crime, the aftermath left permanent scars on their lives.

Elise tries to rebuild her life by purchasing and managing an old mountain lodge near her hometown. She is determined to move forward, refusing to revisit her painful past, even when an old ex-boyfriend reaches out to reconnect. But her resolve is shattered when this ex turns up dead, in the same area where her sister was murdered. This forces Elise to confront her past head-on. As her brother's conspiracy theories deepen, Elise finds herself struggling to maintain her grip on reality, bombarded by trauma from all sides. She must navigate these challenges while seeking answers to the lingering questions surrounding her sister’s death.

"Follow Her Down" was a solid four-star read for me. While it didn't compel me to read it in one sitting, I was thoroughly engrossed whenever I could steal some time to dive back in. The book masterfully blends several of my favorite tropes: revisiting the past, complex family dynamics, unreliable narration influenced by a vice, and a small-town setting. The atmosphere is tense and the semi-isolated mountain lodge adds an unsettling edge that borders on horror—a delightful touch for thriller enthusiasts like myself.

Elise is a fantastic character. Her unreliability never becomes frustrating; instead, it makes her deeply human. I felt her pain and rooted for her as she grappled with her flaws, hoping she would find the strength to overcome her challenges. The twists throughout the book kept me guessing, but it was the final twist that truly blew me away.

In conclusion, "Follow Her Down" by Victoria Helen Stone is a must-read for thriller fans. Elise's journey through trauma and the haunting suspense of her story makes this a gripping and atmospheric novel. I would gladly read more about her in the future.

Moving Thriller Set Against Family Trauma. There are times when you find a thriller tale that has genuine heart, when a book that is supposedly intended to make your heart beat faster also manages to make the room quite dusty at times. This is one of those tales.

There is quite a bit to unpack about this story, but to reveal the things that truly make it as powerful as it is could delve too far into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that the setup itself is done well - we are many years after a massive trauma for a family and even their small community, and the trauma reverberates to this day in many different ways. Stone manages to craft a story that is pitch perfect thriller - more bodies are piling up *now*, and it seems they may be connected to the original trauma, at least if some people are to be believed. It is the way she goes about executing this story, exploring the various internal dynamics within our main character and the larger dynamics within her family and community, that give this book its heart and its soul.

Overall a strong tale, though perhaps not *so* atypical as to be heads and shoulders standing above others of its form and genre. Still, for those that enjoy this type of tale - or even those open to exploring if they like this type of tale - this is certainly a strong entry within the space, and a worthy read indeed.

Very much recommended.