Have You Seen Sarah Baker?

by T.A. Cruz, Angelina Rocca (reader)

The search is on, but what exactly are the folks of Fulton County hiding?

For five years, high school English teacher Sarah Baker has helplessly watched her marriage become emptier than the bed she crawls into alone each night. But a divorce would leave her in financial ruin, so she stays shackled to the husband who left his vows at the altar.

Then Sarah discovers an escape and takes the ultimate risk, only to find herself chained again—this time in the basement of a remote cabin.

When a grisly teen murder rocks his quiet northwestern town, rough-around-the-edges Sheriff Jeffrey Mills has his hands full identifying the body while facing the mounting pressure of tracking down the missing high school teacher the community is determined to find. In the blink of an eye, a heart attack sidelines him during the search, and Mills faces an impossible choice: skirt the law and lose his one chance for redemption or leave Sarah Baker to her fate.

But one thing is clear: they’re both running out of time.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Crime, Book Club, Fiction

Audio CD

First published May 4, 2023

About the author

Raised in a small California farming town, T.A. Cruz spent his childhood honing an imagination as vast as the wheat fields stretching around him for miles. With 6 years of military service, and passport stamps from around the world, part of him will always be in that little town with a single stoplight and a population of 1500. A lifelong lover of horror, and things that go bump in the night, T.A. Cruz decided it was time to take that passion to the page to shock and terrify others for a change. He is an active member of the International Thriller Writers and is on the hunt for more groups to expand and connect with other authors that share his passion. When not diving face-first into another project, this Bestselling Mystery Author enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was compelling reading set in a small northwestern town, Fulton County a teacher from the local high school goes missing just as the body of a young teenager is found and the local sheriff Jeff Mills and his deputy’s Jenn Holloway and Simmons do their best to come up with answers.

Sherriff Mills has lived in this town forever his father was sheriff before him and life growing up was tough and Mills is tough man rough around the edges but he knows his job, and he is very impressed with Deputy Holloway and he is teaching her all he knows about policing and these two cases gives him lots of chances to do that, he knows he won’t be in this job for much longer.

Working together they start to piece clues together but are really running out of time to find the missing Sarah Baker, will she be alive or are they looking for a body, is the death of the young teenager Jessica linked to Sarah’s disappearance and if so how are they linked, so many thoughts and clues to follow.

I did very much enjoy this story, it had me thinking I can stay that, lots of fabulous characters, it is one that I recommend to any readers who love a good mystery, thriller.

My thanks to Tule Publishing for my digital copy to read and review.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

The blurb of HAVE YOU SEEN SARAH BAKER? sounded so exciting, the type of book I like reading. It was not. I thought about DNFing a bunch of times but figured why not. Next time I’ll listen to my instincts.

[Cassie Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get this book
It’s so good
I couldn’t put this down.

Holy moly.

There were so many twists.

I loved this

[Brittany Coppell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fucking DEVOURED this book! A dead teenager found in the woods…a missing teacher who’s married to a real drunk jerk…a funny old “stuck in his ways” sheriff….

The books does have alot of back and forth. You really have to pay attention. And who the hell SPRAY PAINTS a car? 😆 Don’t forget about the deputy miss Halloway! She has some amazing instincts!

Anyway….i can’t wait to read more books from this author! Mr Cruz…you’re awesome!

[Tea&Biscuits · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good thriller and Have You Seen Sarah Baker? Did not disappoint. This book is just written well. I was engaged with the characters and was kept on my toes. I did have an inkling about the plot twists but there were definitely parts I was surprised at finding out. Did a solitary tear fall at the end? Yes, yes it did. This book did not end how I expected it to and I love that. Rock my world.


I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the super talented Angelina Rocca. Chefs kiss. I could listen to Angelina read the ingredients from the back of a shampoo bottle and still rate it 5 stars but give her a great book and we are in God tier territory. 5/5

[Youssra (semi ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
For a debut novel, this was very good!
It so hard to give a coherent review of this without spoilers bcz its best to go into this book completely blind. All you really need is the title.

This was gripping, tense, emotional with likable and unlikable characters. I really liked the pacing.
What I didn't like was the excessive description of irrelevent details, I skimmed a lot of those 😂
Some readers may not like the dual timelines and the back and forth between them, but I actually eat that shit up😂 and it was very well done here imo.
Spoilers ahead!!!!















Sarah girl... They shouldn't have found you. You got what you deserved.
Justice for Jen, she didn't deserve that fate!!!!!!
The baby :(

[Stephanie K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC

•Murder mystery + Abduction mystery
•The writing felt a little clunky at times. This could be because it’s an ARC and not fully edited yet. Strange phrases took me out of the story. “Her hair was neck length.” “Her head arched.”
•The jumping timeline was difficult to follow at times, but it did make for some fun discoveries.
•At first, the different parts of the story seem separate and disjointed but I like how the author tied them together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I enjoyed trying to piece everything together and anxiously read on to see if I was correct. I thought the characters were well written and dimensional. I enjoyed the storyline and thought it tied up nicely at the end.

I finished the book yesterday and have found myself thinking about different part of it all day today!

[Kassybetweenpages · Rating 5 out of 5]

OML is anyone is this dang book trustworthy...Jail every single one of you just strait to jail!!!

This book had more twists and turns in it than the back roads of West Virginia. I Listened to it with my ear-balls and I would Highly recommend.

[Caitie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I really did not know what I was getting into with this book. I have no words for the twists and turns.

[Erica Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was not what I was expecting at all! I never would have guessed that ending! And the tears I cried!

[Rose Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have NO idea, this read will twist you up.

Just when you’ve figured out who has Sarah, you’re wrong. But at the same time you should’ve guessed it all along. So worth the read, you’ll pass this one along to friends for sure. 👮‍♂️ is my fave character in this book!

[Grace Baby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.25⭐️(audiobook) while i did find this one interesting and it kept me hooked, i found a lot of the content of the book unpleasant. i’m not a fan of the high-school student/teacher relationships, just kinda gives me the ick. and this book had multiple of these which really threw me off. as well, i pretty much guessed the big “twist” right at the beginning of the book so it was a bit underwhelming when it was revealed. i also don’t really like how it ended, and how we’re still left with unanswered questions :/ it was a quick easy read and i found it interesting, but was definitely not my favourite

[Patrice Jimenez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I wasn't feeling it but it's because I wasn't a big fan of Sheriff Mills right off the bat. It changes character perspective throughout though and that's where it really picked up for me. Definitely kept me guessing the whole way through trying to unravel the mystery! Sheriff Mills did grow on me a bit by the end though. There are clues throughout to figuring out what REALLY happened but just when you think you've got all the answers, more discoveries throw you for a loop. "Have You Seen Sarah Baker?" feels like you could be watching a true crime documentary.

[Jennifer Sebring · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a mind fuck! I'm still reeling! I didnt know who the bad guy was, almost everyone is morally grey. The victims are piling up. And it all centers around a missing woman named Sarah. This was a really fun read that mentally fucked me. I cant wait to see what this author has in store for us.

[Lauren Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed maybeeeee 15% of this book. The constant timeline and POV shifts made this almost too difficult to follow.

[Kylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The basics:
Sarah Baker’s life is falling apart at the seams. She’s a small town English teacher struggling to make ends meet. Sarah’s struggling to conceive, which has left her marriage is in shambles. When Sarah takes an opportunity to escape her stale life, she finds herself chained up in a basement with no way out.

In the present, Sheriff Mills is worn thin. With no evidence and no suspects, Sarah’s case keeps growing colder by the day. What are the residents of Fulton County hiding?

My thoughts:
I absolutely loved this novel from T.A Cruz! I highly recommend Have You Seen Sarah Baker? to anyone looking for a new thriller or looking to support an indie author. This novel had some amazing, dynamic characters. Each character had a clear relationship to one another that evoked an emotion from me—Sheriff Mills and Deputy Holloway was a particularly heartwarming relationship. In addition, each character was multifaceted and conflicting. This novel remains on the forefront of my mind long after I’ve finished reading. While I sympathized with Sarah Baker, felt fear for her, and hoped for her safety, I was equally disgusted and disturbed by her.

In addition, the pacing was excellent— I finished it in two days. The novel also did a great job of keeping me engaged as each new plot twist took hold. Many of the twists caught me by surprise as well!

I had only two slight critiques of the novel. First, I found that at some points, the timeline became a bit hard for me to follow. T.A Cruz does an excellent job of implementing different character perspectives, but the timelines on these perspectives changed very frequently. One chapter would feature Mills three weeks before Sarah disappeared, then the next would be Sarah in the present. Then, we’d go back to Sarah to weeks before she vanished. The chapter order was a bit jumpy, which made it hard to follow at times. I think it would’ve been more clear with actual dates instead.

Lastly, while the end of the novel was extremely heart wrenching, I do think it left a lot of technicalities unaddressed. SPOILER ALERT: For example, how did Shawn’s dad know what Sarah did to Jessie Jenkins? Sarah wouldn’t have been pregnant then, so why was he already following her? How did Mr. Watkins know about Shawn’s death? Shawn had only just found out he was a dad, so how did Mr. Watkins find his body at the bottom of a canyon? If Shawn was as good of a student as Mrs. Baker claims, how did no one notice his mysterious un-enrollment in school? While very minor details, I found myself wondering after the novel concluded.

Overall, however, this novel was amazing! I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to support a great indie author.

[Ema Ambrožič · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Audiobook 🎧 & Kindle 📱

Sarah had watched enough crime shows to know better. They were all feral. Savage. Animalistic beyond repair. How far gone was she? Would everyone back home—John, the high school faculty, the town—still look at her as they did Sarah Baker? Or would they see a shackled woman? A prisoner? Damaged goods? She hadn’t the slightest clue.

This book was very good. It kept me engaged & guessing the whole time. I really liked how the Author broke this book up into parts, so we were able to get more in depth with the characters, events that happened and how it all tied together in the end. Just such great attention to details and descriptions, I could easily picture it all in my head and felt like I was right there in the story and on the hunt for Sarah trying to solve what happened. 

I need it again. One last time.

My favourite kind of mystery/suspense is one that's not predictable and you don't see things coming; breadcrumbs were definitely left for us to pick up on but you were still never really certain and that ending. Even tho I kinda guessed the plot, it was still amazing. There are a lot of plot twists I didn’t see coming.

Also, can we appreciate papa Mills. His love for Halloway is sweet and the ending had me tearing up.

“You found her, Sheriff. You sure did.”

I think the ending was nice, all things considered. I like the fact that we are able to question the aftermath.

“Look, our marriage wasn’t perfect by any means. We had our issues like every couple. But that doesn’t change the fact that I loved her and want to find her, okay?”

Overall, fairly enjoyed this read. For the first book by this author is was very good.

The fack that Sarah was so messed up…Omg, the way it really spun into to her being a predator and she killed both kids is sooo crazy.

Quotes:

“My name is Michael. It is nice to meet you, Sarah Baker.”

“There comes a time in any sheriff’s career, if you’re lucky, that a deputy like Jenn Holloway walks through the front doors of your station. Anyone in this town could tell you how special she is after five minutes of talking to her.” Most of the crowd had nodded. “Never in my tenure have I met a deputy with more heart and more drive to make Fulton a better place for its residents. I would like to take this time to acknowledge Jennifer Holloway as my successor. She is brilliant beyond her years, and there are none better suited for the role of Fulton County Sheriff. If voted to the position, she will bring pride to the town, the department, and to its citizens. She has my full confidence.”

[Kim Reads (Read Your Writes Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Gemini

A fantastically mind-blowing read.

Have You Seen Sarah Baker? is the first book that I have read by T.A. Cruz. It was a very entertaining read. There are a lot of interesting characters and plot twists that I did not see coming. I loved everything about this book.

Have You Seen Sarah Baker? is the story of Sarah Baker, a high school teacher, who goes missing from her small town of Fulton, located in the Pacific Northwest. But that’s just half the story. The story is also about Fulton County’s sheriff, Jeffrey Mills, who is looking to end his lackluster career on a high note. And even with that, there’s even more to discover. None of the citizens in this insignificant town are who they appear to be. Just when you think you have it all figured it, there’s a surprise. Questions abound as you learn about Sarah, her husband, her students, and the Sheriff’s Department. This story is so much more than a whodunit. It’s more of who didn’t do it. Since it’s a mystery, I can’t go into much detail because that’s what makes the book so great. As the story evolves, it becomes hard to wrap your mind around everything that’s happening. Talk about mind-blowing. Have You Seen Sarah Baker? was fun, sad, fun again, and even more sad. It’s a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. You just have to read it to believe it.

I sure hope T.A.’s next book is just as amazing as this book because I am definitely a fan.

**Received a copy of the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it.**

[Larae Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have You Seen Sarah Baker?" isn't just a book; it's a bone-chilling descent into darkness that will haunt you long after you've turned the final page. From the suffocating grip of Sarah's failing marriage to the gut-wrenching terror of her desperate bid for freedom, every moment drips with suspense and dread.

As Sheriff Jeffrey Mills races against time to unravel the mystery of Sarah's disappearance, the stakes couldn't be higher. With each turn of the page, the tension mounts, and the shadows close in, threatening to swallow them whole.

And the remote cabin? It's more than just a prison—it's a labyrinth of horrors where every creak of the floorboards and every whisper of the wind sends shivers down your spine.

Listening and reading simultaneously only amplifies the terror, immersing you in a world where danger lurks around every corner and there's no escape from the relentless fear.

"Have You Seen Sarah Baker?" isn't for the faint of heart, but if you're brave enough to venture into its chilling depths, you'll be rewarded with a spine-tingling tale that will leave you checking over your shoulder long after you've finished.

[Jen Dragons and Daggers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was offered an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I found the way the author wrote this story very interesting with different timelines. There were parts of this story I didn’t see coming and parts I could see a mile away. This however did not take away from book. It was hard for me to get attached to any given character, I found myself feeling sorry for pretty much all the characters involved. The sheriff was a bit crash at times with the way he spoke which made sense for his character but made it hard for me to connect with him in any level. Overall, I found what the author did with the plot to be interesting and definitely suspenseful. I ended the book with lots of questions but over all it was a entertaining read.

[Amanda Coudriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What did I just read? For me, it started a bit slow. There are so many moving parts jumping from different perspectives and timelines, but once I got about halfway through following the characters became a bit easier. Once I could though I was hooked. The storyline flowed better and I could not stop reading. I needed to know what happened. I was surprised but satisfied with the ending. Not who I thought did it, but I think the ending is very realistic. They do leave a lot open to interpretation but isn't that how most crimes are? We never know the full story, do we? Great book!

[Ashley Kalivoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 Stars

Wow! What a ride this book was! Fast paced doesn't even begin to describe how this novel felt. It hooked you from the beginning and pulled you along for the ride. The writing was what I would describe as "reader friendly." It was simple, straightforward, and allowed the reader to fall effortlessly into the narrative.

The story toggles between two timelines, the past and present, until the two collide together at the end bringing the story to its' BANG of a conclusion. Mrs. Sarah Baker goes missing a few days after the discovery of a young teenage girl is found dead in the woods. The Sheriff of the town and his deputy work relentlessly to solve the murder of the young girl while also dealing with the disappearance of a well-known school teacher. The reader is pushed back and forth between the two timelines as the story is slowly unfolding. The days leading up to Mrs. Baker's disappearance have you turning the pages, holding your breath, and wondering what the hell is going on.

Everything about this story is fast-paced. There is a seriousness to this book, but the author does a good job of sprinkling a little humor throughout to keep it light when it needs it. The last 50 pages of this book is where the story really comes together. So much is revealed and your head will be spinning with the what is unveiled. It was everything I like to see in a good thriller. The anticipation of what is to happen next, the reveal, and the conclusion are what make this a solid book.

There are TW's to be aware of before you pick this one up, so be sure to check those before diving into the book. If you are looking o read something that will hook from the beginning and not let you go until the end, then this book is for you. While the story may be fast moving, be sure to soak up what you're reading. It may just be the clue to solving the mystery behind Mrs. Sarah Baker's disappearance...

[Monica Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ This was INSaNE! Took me a little longer to get through because I was confused at times. Dual POV and multiple timelines but it does all come together. The twists in this book had me gobsmacked. This is a very good thriller, and very well written but it also made me very uncomfortable. The ending traumatized me so definitely take check your trigger warnings.

Domestic Violence
Sexual Assault
Kidnapping
Pregnancy
Graphic Violence
Adult/Minor Relationship

[Chelle Cypress · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I just stepped a wild rollercoaster ride with so many twists and turns it left my head spinning.

Sarah Baker a 28 year old teacher seems to have the perfect life when she suddenly disappears. However, as we unravel the events of her disappearance we find that everything is not as it seems.

Between the intricate story telling and the fantastic narration I was riveted by this story. I will 💯 be recommending this book.

[jennmreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cruz does not mess around. This thriller keeps you on your toes where you find yourself saying “just one more chapter.” He writes characters you can’t help but love (I’m lookin at you, Mills) and some you want to punt out the nearest window (no spoilers here 😉)

[Desiree Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a thrilling book! It had so many twist and turns and honestly every time I thought I knew what was going on, I ended up wrong. It’s full of small town scandal, a missing beautiful woman, murdered teens, high school students harboring secrets and a sherif who can’t seem to stay sober. It’s a quick read and definitely worth it if you’re looking for something suspenseful.

[Alexa Haulk · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars for me on this one. Not my favorite thriller but still pretty good. I felt like it was kinda drawn out & a little confusing to follow at times bc of the back and forth between characters and timelines. Didn’t love but also didn’t hate 🤷🏽‍♀️

[Lyn Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. Harrowing. That’s all I can come up with. As mysteries went it unravelled as the layers were peeled back, not settling where you might want them to. The shifting timeline was a bit off-putting but the story did come full circle.

[Alexia Wypishinski-Prechter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/
This book was honestly soo good, i didn't give it a full 5 because i didnt enjoy the mystrey ascpect as much as i though i would. THE FACT THAT SARAH WAS MESSED UP. OMG, the way it really spun into to her being a predator and she killed both kids is sooo crazy.

[Claire Freer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending ruined me and the twists I was not expecting! Only giving it 4 stars as I feel like some parts dragged on, it took me a long time to finish this one compared to other thrillers but would still recommend!