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Frankie Elkin #2
Една грешна стъпка
Какви рискове си готов да поемеш, ако всяка твоя стъпка може да се окаже погрешна... и смъртоносна?
Тимъти О'Дей познава гората, но въпреки това изчезва безследно още първата нощ от ергенския къмпинг. Разкъсвани от страх и вина, шаферите не знаят какво се е случило и не могат да кажат нищо за необичайните улики, оставени от приятеля си. Полицията също... Франки Елкин не познава гората, но знае как да намира хора.
Когато бащата на Тимъти организира едно последно търсене, тя се присъединява към екипа само за да открие, че някой е готов на всичко да осуети издирването. Скоро те се състезават с времето, изправени пред най-лошото, което хората и природата могат да предложат, а една грешна стъпка може да се окаже фатална...
Тимъти О'Дей познава гората, но въпреки това изчезва безследно още първата нощ от ергенския къмпинг. Разкъсвани от страх и вина, шаферите не знаят какво се е случило и не могат да кажат нищо за необичайните улики, оставени от приятеля си. Полицията също... Франки Елкин не познава гората, но знае как да намира хора.
Когато бащата на Тимъти организира едно последно търсене, тя се присъединява към екипа само за да открие, че някой е готов на всичко да осуети издирването. Скоро те се състезават с времето, изправени пред най-лошото, което хората и природата могат да предложат, а една грешна стъпка може да се окаже фатална...
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2022
3288 people are currently reading
43205 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Gardner
82 books20.4k followersLisa Gardner is the #1 New York Times bestselling thriller author of the Frankie Elkin series, as well as the Detective D.D. Warren, the FBI Profilers and the PI Tessa Leoni series.
Her current suspense novels feature Frankie Elkin, an everyday, average person who specializes in finding missing people. When the locals have given up, when the media has never bothered to care, Frankie takes on the challenge. From looking for a missing teen in inner city Boston to searching for a missing hiker in the wilds of Wyoming to rescuing a possibly kidnapped girl on a remote island in the Pacific, Frankie is on the case!
Lisa lives in the mountains of New Hampshire with two crazy pups. When not writing, Lisa loves to hike, play cribbage, and, of course, read!
Her current suspense novels feature Frankie Elkin, an everyday, average person who specializes in finding missing people. When the locals have given up, when the media has never bothered to care, Frankie takes on the challenge. From looking for a missing teen in inner city Boston to searching for a missing hiker in the wilds of Wyoming to rescuing a possibly kidnapped girl on a remote island in the Pacific, Frankie is on the case!
Lisa lives in the mountains of New Hampshire with two crazy pups. When not writing, Lisa loves to hike, play cribbage, and, of course, read!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,834 reviews
February 25, 2024
One Step Too Far has Frankie Elkin on the search for a man who went missing five years earlier. Frankie has joined a yearly search crew after one of the original eight crew members requires medical care on the eve of the latest search. That's what Frankie does, successfully finds missing dead people long after their cases have gone cold.
The man went missing in a national forest while camping with his four college buddies. Now, one buddy has gotten sick so Frankie is on the team with the man's three remaining college buddies, the man's dad, a local wilderness expert, a Bigfoot hunter, and a Search and Rescue member and her cadaver dog, Daisy. Yes, Daisy is the one who rates being mentioned by name because Daisy is all kinds of awesome!
The father has been getting threatening messages that seem to be designed to get him to call off these yearly searches but dad is not going to stop looking for his son until he finds his body. The dad and the wilderness expert are very standoffish to Frankie and the others but the Bigfoot hunter and SARs team member are friendly and helpful. Then there are the three former college friends. The guys spend their time distanced from the others, obviously mad about spending another week in the wilderness looking for a friend whose disappearance is a source of both anger and guilt. It's not even clear if the friends still like each other, anymore.
The hike to the base camp is a tough one. Then things start happening to make it clear that someone is going to great and dangerous lengths to sabotage this search mission. As Frankie gets to know the three friends, she realizes that the dynamics between the college friends was not good, long before one of them went missing.
When there is a large cast of characters, it can be hard to get to know them and care about them. But Gardner does an excellent job of introducing us to this group of people and getting me to care. The three friends were so cold, standoffish, clearly grumpy about being on this search mission that I couldn't imagine liking them but as the story progresses and things fall apart, Frankie comes to know most of the crew members a lot better. As she gets the men to open up, I really didn't want anything to happen to them and could understand their wide range of emotions towards their missing friend, each other, and the friend's dad. I also feel like I understand Frankie's motivations better now, it's as if this difficult and dangerous expedition allowed me to bond with Frankie as she bonded with the three friends. The story really tugged at my heartstrings and now I can't wait to join Frankie on her next search.
Pub: Jan 18, 2022
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC.
The man went missing in a national forest while camping with his four college buddies. Now, one buddy has gotten sick so Frankie is on the team with the man's three remaining college buddies, the man's dad, a local wilderness expert, a Bigfoot hunter, and a Search and Rescue member and her cadaver dog, Daisy. Yes, Daisy is the one who rates being mentioned by name because Daisy is all kinds of awesome!
The father has been getting threatening messages that seem to be designed to get him to call off these yearly searches but dad is not going to stop looking for his son until he finds his body. The dad and the wilderness expert are very standoffish to Frankie and the others but the Bigfoot hunter and SARs team member are friendly and helpful. Then there are the three former college friends. The guys spend their time distanced from the others, obviously mad about spending another week in the wilderness looking for a friend whose disappearance is a source of both anger and guilt. It's not even clear if the friends still like each other, anymore.
The hike to the base camp is a tough one. Then things start happening to make it clear that someone is going to great and dangerous lengths to sabotage this search mission. As Frankie gets to know the three friends, she realizes that the dynamics between the college friends was not good, long before one of them went missing.
When there is a large cast of characters, it can be hard to get to know them and care about them. But Gardner does an excellent job of introducing us to this group of people and getting me to care. The three friends were so cold, standoffish, clearly grumpy about being on this search mission that I couldn't imagine liking them but as the story progresses and things fall apart, Frankie comes to know most of the crew members a lot better. As she gets the men to open up, I really didn't want anything to happen to them and could understand their wide range of emotions towards their missing friend, each other, and the friend's dad. I also feel like I understand Frankie's motivations better now, it's as if this difficult and dangerous expedition allowed me to bond with Frankie as she bonded with the three friends. The story really tugged at my heartstrings and now I can't wait to join Frankie on her next search.
Pub: Jan 18, 2022
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC.
September 30, 2022
Hard to put down.
I enjoyed Before She Disappeared enough to seek out this sequel, but now I think that one pales in comparison. One Step Too Far was an utterly thrilling survivalist adventure through the woods in search of a young man (or, more likely, his body) who disappeared five years earlier when on his bachelor party.
Frankie teams up with a tough hiker pro, the missing guy's dad, the friends who were with him the night he disappeared, a quirky Sasquatch hunter, and a trainer/dog duo to head into the wilderness. She thinks she knows a thing or two about hunting a missing person, but, boy, is she unprepared for surviving the woods when it seems like nature, her own body, and maybe mysterious figures watching from the trees are all out to get her.
Everyone is hiding something. Everyone knows a bit more than they're letting on. Could one of her companions know what happened to Tim?
It's super fast-paced and enjoyable. And a bit scary, to be honest. I wasn't 100% sold on the ending/reveal but it actually didn't matter that much. The journey there was fabulous.
I enjoyed Before She Disappeared enough to seek out this sequel, but now I think that one pales in comparison. One Step Too Far was an utterly thrilling survivalist adventure through the woods in search of a young man (or, more likely, his body) who disappeared five years earlier when on his bachelor party.
Frankie teams up with a tough hiker pro, the missing guy's dad, the friends who were with him the night he disappeared, a quirky Sasquatch hunter, and a trainer/dog duo to head into the wilderness. She thinks she knows a thing or two about hunting a missing person, but, boy, is she unprepared for surviving the woods when it seems like nature, her own body, and maybe mysterious figures watching from the trees are all out to get her.
Everyone is hiding something. Everyone knows a bit more than they're letting on. Could one of her companions know what happened to Tim?
It's super fast-paced and enjoyable. And a bit scary, to be honest. I wasn't 100% sold on the ending/reveal but it actually didn't matter that much. The journey there was fabulous.
April 11, 2022
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
I love Lisa Gardner and have enjoyed many of her books including the first in this series with Frankie Elkin, “Before She Disappeared”.
This novel has a completely different setting. Instead of a run down neighborhood in Brooklyn we are transported to the wilderness of Wyoming. Not just any wilderness, but an incredibly difficult area to search with the culmination at sheer cliff face, almost impossible to climb.
How did Frankie get here?? She is reading a local Wyoming newsletter. There is a mother who is dying, who wants only to bring her missing boy home. Something about this case calls to her and she gets off the bus in the small town of Ramsey.
It doesn’t take Frankie long to find the proposed search party conferring in the local bar. They are a group of 8 which include a cadaver dog, Daisy and her handler Luciana and a professional Big Foot hunter.
Tim has been missing ever since a campout with his friends before his wedding, 5 years ago. The search had been extensive with many experienced hunters and teams of search dogs but no trace of Tim has ever been found.
Husband and father, Martin, is determined to lead one more search party for Tim to fulfill his wife’s dying wish.
When one of the group, Josh, becomes ill, Frankie talks the group into allowing her to fill his spot. Frankie has no professional training in hiking the wilderness but, using Josh’s backpack and supplies, she sets off at dawn with the group.
NO ONE IS PREPARED FOR WHAT WILL GREET THEM THIS TIME!!! Frankie is very good at getting people to talk, finding out their secrets and solving puzzling cases. What she lacks in training she makes up for with a quick, problem solving mind that is always one step ahead of everyone else.
No spoilers here but this short quote after two days of hiking and various unforeseen actions:
“THIS WHOLE THING HAS BECOME SOMETHING BIGGER THAN DISCOVERING TIM’S BODY. SOMETHING MORE SINISTER.”
I can’t remember ever crying with the characters in a thriller, but I did this time!! Ms. Gardner’s skill at describing and rounding out her characters is stellar. The writing flows well and I felt immersed in the wilderness of Wyoming. We also get more answers about Frankie's background and why she is called to find the missing whom the police and others have abandoned.
Don’t miss this one if you love character driven novels. It’s more than a thriller, it’s a study in human behavior, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY!!
My heart was racing through many parts of this book, and the ENDING, WOW!!
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this novel.
I love Lisa Gardner and have enjoyed many of her books including the first in this series with Frankie Elkin, “Before She Disappeared”.
This novel has a completely different setting. Instead of a run down neighborhood in Brooklyn we are transported to the wilderness of Wyoming. Not just any wilderness, but an incredibly difficult area to search with the culmination at sheer cliff face, almost impossible to climb.
How did Frankie get here?? She is reading a local Wyoming newsletter. There is a mother who is dying, who wants only to bring her missing boy home. Something about this case calls to her and she gets off the bus in the small town of Ramsey.
It doesn’t take Frankie long to find the proposed search party conferring in the local bar. They are a group of 8 which include a cadaver dog, Daisy and her handler Luciana and a professional Big Foot hunter.
Tim has been missing ever since a campout with his friends before his wedding, 5 years ago. The search had been extensive with many experienced hunters and teams of search dogs but no trace of Tim has ever been found.
Husband and father, Martin, is determined to lead one more search party for Tim to fulfill his wife’s dying wish.
When one of the group, Josh, becomes ill, Frankie talks the group into allowing her to fill his spot. Frankie has no professional training in hiking the wilderness but, using Josh’s backpack and supplies, she sets off at dawn with the group.
NO ONE IS PREPARED FOR WHAT WILL GREET THEM THIS TIME!!! Frankie is very good at getting people to talk, finding out their secrets and solving puzzling cases. What she lacks in training she makes up for with a quick, problem solving mind that is always one step ahead of everyone else.
No spoilers here but this short quote after two days of hiking and various unforeseen actions:
“THIS WHOLE THING HAS BECOME SOMETHING BIGGER THAN DISCOVERING TIM’S BODY. SOMETHING MORE SINISTER.”
I can’t remember ever crying with the characters in a thriller, but I did this time!! Ms. Gardner’s skill at describing and rounding out her characters is stellar. The writing flows well and I felt immersed in the wilderness of Wyoming. We also get more answers about Frankie's background and why she is called to find the missing whom the police and others have abandoned.
Don’t miss this one if you love character driven novels. It’s more than a thriller, it’s a study in human behavior, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY!!
My heart was racing through many parts of this book, and the ENDING, WOW!!
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this novel.
August 8, 2025
Bawiłam się najlepiej na świecie, ale na koniec trochę scooby doo się zrobił xddd
December 20, 2021
Tim O’Day went missing on his bachelor party whilst camping in the woods, and 5 years later, his father and his buddies are still continuing to search for his remains, with the help of others who are experienced in wilderness search strategy and tactics, including cadaver dog Daisy.
Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic with no roots, she travels the country searching for missing persons who’s searches have been abandoned by officials - the cold cases. She receives no cash payment for her troubles, but her reward is bringing back their remains for grieving families.
Frankie manages to get herself a place on the search party to coincide with the 5th anniversary of Tim’s disappearance. The hike through the woods is particularly tough going for Frankie, and sleeping out in the woods in freezing temperatures makes it even more unbearable.
Other hikers have gone missing in these woods before, and when strange things start happening, Frankie wonders what’s really going on!
Gosh, this one had me on the edge of my seat, the tension was unbearable, suffused as it was by the threat of constant danger. The remote location - the beauty and majesty of the mountains, set against the dread of the thickly wooded areas, adds much to the storyline.
One of my favourite books this year, absolutely loved it, and a mention for Daisy the dog, who is adorable.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review*
Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic with no roots, she travels the country searching for missing persons who’s searches have been abandoned by officials - the cold cases. She receives no cash payment for her troubles, but her reward is bringing back their remains for grieving families.
Frankie manages to get herself a place on the search party to coincide with the 5th anniversary of Tim’s disappearance. The hike through the woods is particularly tough going for Frankie, and sleeping out in the woods in freezing temperatures makes it even more unbearable.
Other hikers have gone missing in these woods before, and when strange things start happening, Frankie wonders what’s really going on!
Gosh, this one had me on the edge of my seat, the tension was unbearable, suffused as it was by the threat of constant danger. The remote location - the beauty and majesty of the mountains, set against the dread of the thickly wooded areas, adds much to the storyline.
One of my favourite books this year, absolutely loved it, and a mention for Daisy the dog, who is adorable.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review*
March 27, 2022
When will I learn? The first book in the series was a 3-star read for me, but I decided to give book #2 a chance after hearing from other readers that it was better than the first. My apologies to those who loved it, but I should have followed my instincts. By the time the story began to fall apart I had too much time invested to give up.
The first half of the book was interesting and then it all fell apart. Frankie is still fighting her demons and still makes it her mission in life to find missing persons. This time she teams up with a search party to go look for Timothy, who was last seen camping in the mountains with friends on the eve of his wedding. The search group heads out on a grueling, arduous trek into the mountains. I don’t camp and I don’t hike but I actually enjoyed this part of the story. Maybe I like to live vicariously?
We learn more of Frankie’s backstory, with more repetitive angst and obsessive thoughts. I guess I have a cold black heart because it’s growing tiresome and I’m losing patience with her.
Strange things begin happening and there are hints that there are secrets and not everyone in the search party is who they say they are. Frankie’s spidey-senses causes an “itch between her shoulder blades” (IDK?! 🤷🏻♀️). Then the story turns into an OTT action movie, with as much realism as you would expect. Meaning none. Much of what entails was so silly it made me laugh. I wish I could vent, but no spoilers!
There are plot holes galore and at the end there is a long monologue from Frankie telling us how it all went down, a plot device I loathe. I had to use the search function on my kindle because I had no idea what or who she was talking about. The culprit(s) were dumb as a box of rocks. The motive was beyond stupid and unbelievable plus there were numerous plot holes too massive to ignore. SO MANY QUESTIONS. All of which defy common sense. I feel as if I lost a few IQ points just reading it.
Another buddy read with Marialyce, another disappointment. I like to give authors a second chance, but now I know this author is not for me.
One positive: I loved Daisy the dog.
The first half of the book was interesting and then it all fell apart. Frankie is still fighting her demons and still makes it her mission in life to find missing persons. This time she teams up with a search party to go look for Timothy, who was last seen camping in the mountains with friends on the eve of his wedding. The search group heads out on a grueling, arduous trek into the mountains. I don’t camp and I don’t hike but I actually enjoyed this part of the story. Maybe I like to live vicariously?
We learn more of Frankie’s backstory, with more repetitive angst and obsessive thoughts. I guess I have a cold black heart because it’s growing tiresome and I’m losing patience with her.
Strange things begin happening and there are hints that there are secrets and not everyone in the search party is who they say they are. Frankie’s spidey-senses causes an “itch between her shoulder blades” (IDK?! 🤷🏻♀️). Then the story turns into an OTT action movie, with as much realism as you would expect. Meaning none. Much of what entails was so silly it made me laugh. I wish I could vent, but no spoilers!
There are plot holes galore and at the end there is a long monologue from Frankie telling us how it all went down, a plot device I loathe. I had to use the search function on my kindle because I had no idea what or who she was talking about. The culprit(s) were dumb as a box of rocks. The motive was beyond stupid and unbelievable plus there were numerous plot holes too massive to ignore. SO MANY QUESTIONS. All of which defy common sense. I feel as if I lost a few IQ points just reading it.
Another buddy read with Marialyce, another disappointment. I like to give authors a second chance, but now I know this author is not for me.
One positive: I loved Daisy the dog.
January 20, 2022
WOW!
What a thoroughly taut, tense, and engaging mystery. It is filled with breath-holding chases through the back country of Wyoming. I was engrossed from beginning to end and hope that readers will be equally as captivated as I was.
NOTE: No harm comes to Daisy the dog.
This is the second book featuring Frankie Elkin, who I am so glad that Gardner brought back for another installment. She's a complex woman with a driving mission to help find missing people, and she'll use any means necessary to bring closure to the family. She hears the story of a young man who disappeared in a national forest five years previously during a drunken bachelor party weekend. His friends, father, and some other searchers are headed out to find his remains, and Frankie joins the group. It becomes clear that they aren't alone, and that everyone is hiding something.
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen and hoping that everyone from the group would survive. There's a large cast of characters and it was difficult for me to keep them straight at first, but eventually I got to know all of them and was moved by their different struggles. I also liked how their lives caused Frankie to ponder her own life and choices.
There is so much tense action throughout, but it is also tempered by some humor and real heart. I loved Frankie in the first book, and I love her even more now. Just as Gardner's other characters have become integral parts of my reading life, Frankie now holds a place of honor along with D.D., Tessa, Quincy, Rainie, and the rest. This book can totally be read as a standalone, but why would you want to do that? Go get a copy of Before She Disappeared and get to know Frankie from the beginning.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
What a thoroughly taut, tense, and engaging mystery. It is filled with breath-holding chases through the back country of Wyoming. I was engrossed from beginning to end and hope that readers will be equally as captivated as I was.
NOTE: No harm comes to Daisy the dog.
This is the second book featuring Frankie Elkin, who I am so glad that Gardner brought back for another installment. She's a complex woman with a driving mission to help find missing people, and she'll use any means necessary to bring closure to the family. She hears the story of a young man who disappeared in a national forest five years previously during a drunken bachelor party weekend. His friends, father, and some other searchers are headed out to find his remains, and Frankie joins the group. It becomes clear that they aren't alone, and that everyone is hiding something.
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen and hoping that everyone from the group would survive. There's a large cast of characters and it was difficult for me to keep them straight at first, but eventually I got to know all of them and was moved by their different struggles. I also liked how their lives caused Frankie to ponder her own life and choices.
There is so much tense action throughout, but it is also tempered by some humor and real heart. I loved Frankie in the first book, and I love her even more now. Just as Gardner's other characters have become integral parts of my reading life, Frankie now holds a place of honor along with D.D., Tessa, Quincy, Rainie, and the rest. This book can totally be read as a standalone, but why would you want to do that? Go get a copy of Before She Disappeared and get to know Frankie from the beginning.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
January 18, 2022
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
“My name is Frankie Elkin and finding missing people is what I do. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never bothered to care, I start looking. For no money, no recognition, and most of the time, with no help...Why do I do what I do? Because at the end of the day, the people left behind matter as much as the ones who are missing.”
Frankie Elkin is back, this time in Wyoming, when she hears about a man who went missing in a national forest 5 years prior. He was camping with his friends and disappeared one night...never to be seen again despite tremendous effort.
Now, on the 5-year anniversary of his disappearance, the man’s father, along with a myriad of folks, are planning on one more search to find his body and bring him home. Frankie, living her nomad lifestyle, wants in...even if the leader of the group doesn’t think she will be particularly helpful.
“Can you shoot a gun?”
“God no. I rely on my charm.”
“And when a bear charges?”
“Um, run faster than the next person?”
Frankie has her work cut out for her as the group does laborious hikes through the woods and sleep outside in the elements. The group knows that at least 5 other hikers have disappeared in these woods over the years. Coincidence? Or is the answer far more nefarious?
Nefarious indeed. Frankie and the group will have to use all of their willpower if they want to escape the woods alive.
I have been waiting (im)patiently to read the next Frankie Elkin thriller, and this did not disappoint! She’s one of my favorite characters, and I’m so glad author Lisa Gardner decided to turn her life into a series (this is book #2, so now is a good time to catch up).
Frankie is funny, charming, and endearing. She’s also an alcoholic (dry for 10 years), has suffered extreme loss, and is complex and lonely. While there were many points that made me chuckle, don’t be fooled. This is a dark book with heart-palpitating danger lurking. I couldn’t put it down!
I honestly couldn’t believe how much I came to love the characters in this story. At first, they were mainly cold and rude, but they grew on me...More importantly, they grew on Frankie. Hands down, my favorite character is Daisy, an adorable yellow lab who also happens to be a phenomenal search and rescue dog. Dog lovers are going to fall in love with her!
I found the last 25% highly suspenseful, but also very touching. By the end, I had tears in my eyes. I can’t wait to see where life takes Frankie next, and I hope she learns to figure out her life. The ending definitely makes me want more!
Thank you to Dutton for sending me a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 1/18/22.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
“My name is Frankie Elkin and finding missing people is what I do. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never bothered to care, I start looking. For no money, no recognition, and most of the time, with no help...Why do I do what I do? Because at the end of the day, the people left behind matter as much as the ones who are missing.”
Frankie Elkin is back, this time in Wyoming, when she hears about a man who went missing in a national forest 5 years prior. He was camping with his friends and disappeared one night...never to be seen again despite tremendous effort.
Now, on the 5-year anniversary of his disappearance, the man’s father, along with a myriad of folks, are planning on one more search to find his body and bring him home. Frankie, living her nomad lifestyle, wants in...even if the leader of the group doesn’t think she will be particularly helpful.
“Can you shoot a gun?”
“God no. I rely on my charm.”
“And when a bear charges?”
“Um, run faster than the next person?”
Frankie has her work cut out for her as the group does laborious hikes through the woods and sleep outside in the elements. The group knows that at least 5 other hikers have disappeared in these woods over the years. Coincidence? Or is the answer far more nefarious?
Nefarious indeed. Frankie and the group will have to use all of their willpower if they want to escape the woods alive.
I have been waiting (im)patiently to read the next Frankie Elkin thriller, and this did not disappoint! She’s one of my favorite characters, and I’m so glad author Lisa Gardner decided to turn her life into a series (this is book #2, so now is a good time to catch up).
Frankie is funny, charming, and endearing. She’s also an alcoholic (dry for 10 years), has suffered extreme loss, and is complex and lonely. While there were many points that made me chuckle, don’t be fooled. This is a dark book with heart-palpitating danger lurking. I couldn’t put it down!
I honestly couldn’t believe how much I came to love the characters in this story. At first, they were mainly cold and rude, but they grew on me...More importantly, they grew on Frankie. Hands down, my favorite character is Daisy, an adorable yellow lab who also happens to be a phenomenal search and rescue dog. Dog lovers are going to fall in love with her!
I found the last 25% highly suspenseful, but also very touching. By the end, I had tears in my eyes. I can’t wait to see where life takes Frankie next, and I hope she learns to figure out her life. The ending definitely makes me want more!
Thank you to Dutton for sending me a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 1/18/22.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
November 10, 2023
Frankie Elkin, hunter of the missing, returns in this intensely dark and nailbiting thriller from Lisa Gardner, after her previous outing located in Brooklyn where she finds her first living missing person, she is now in what for her is the far more unfamiliar territory of the Popo Agie Wilderness in Wyoming with its picturesque mountains and woods. She arrives in the small town of Ramsey intending to join a party looking for the remains of Tim O'Day, who disappeared 5 years previously, on a camping trip with his 4 friends, prior to getting married. His grieving father, Martin, and the friends had embarked on unsuccessful annual attempts to find him, this is the final trip led by the experienced Nemeth, including Luciana and her beautiful SAR cadaver dog, the yellow lab Daisy, and Big Foot obsessive, Bob.
No-one is keen on Frankie joining, she has no hiking or camping experience in the wilderness, but when one of the friends has to drop out, she is accepted. She might live to regret this decision as she finds herself struggling to meet the physical demands, but this is the least of her worries as she and the group find themselves prey, being hunted by what appears to be a serial killer, always one step ahead of them, their food rations reduced and ruined, having to contend with desperately serious injuries, and being shot at. As Frankie gets to know the group, she uncovers secrets and lies, getting to know the 3 friends, Miggy, Neil and Scott, their feelings of guilt over the loss of Tim, angry at being railroaded into the nightmare annual search for him by the determined Martin, but unable to refuse. As the position of each member of the group becomes ever more precarious, will any of them survive to tell their story?
Gardner knows how to weave a tense and suspenseful crime story, and here she picks the perfect wilderness location, atmospherically depicting its beauty, remoteness and dangers, a captivating place that attracts hikers, some of whom have gone missing through the years. This, along with the author's capacity to create and develop characters we cannot help but care for, make for a winning combination when it comes to her crime fiction. Frankie is a complex woman, haunted by the trauma of her past, a recovering alcoholic, compassionate, committed to find the missing because of those left behind, suffering and mourning, having lost essential pieces of themselves and their sense of identity. This is a riveting crime read, with oodles of tension and suspense, that will make you think twice before you head out on your next hiking trip in the wilderness! Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
No-one is keen on Frankie joining, she has no hiking or camping experience in the wilderness, but when one of the friends has to drop out, she is accepted. She might live to regret this decision as she finds herself struggling to meet the physical demands, but this is the least of her worries as she and the group find themselves prey, being hunted by what appears to be a serial killer, always one step ahead of them, their food rations reduced and ruined, having to contend with desperately serious injuries, and being shot at. As Frankie gets to know the group, she uncovers secrets and lies, getting to know the 3 friends, Miggy, Neil and Scott, their feelings of guilt over the loss of Tim, angry at being railroaded into the nightmare annual search for him by the determined Martin, but unable to refuse. As the position of each member of the group becomes ever more precarious, will any of them survive to tell their story?
Gardner knows how to weave a tense and suspenseful crime story, and here she picks the perfect wilderness location, atmospherically depicting its beauty, remoteness and dangers, a captivating place that attracts hikers, some of whom have gone missing through the years. This, along with the author's capacity to create and develop characters we cannot help but care for, make for a winning combination when it comes to her crime fiction. Frankie is a complex woman, haunted by the trauma of her past, a recovering alcoholic, compassionate, committed to find the missing because of those left behind, suffering and mourning, having lost essential pieces of themselves and their sense of identity. This is a riveting crime read, with oodles of tension and suspense, that will make you think twice before you head out on your next hiking trip in the wilderness! Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
February 15, 2022
Hunted
I knew I would have trouble setting the book down within minutes of starting it. It began with a terrifying scene of five young college friends camping in the Wyoming wilderness on a bachelor weekend. What happened would change their lives irrevocably. One Step Too Far is an immersive book packed with mystery, tension, twists, surprises, a wonderfully vivid and dangerous location and characters that imaginatively support an enthralling story. The novel is cleverly structured to keep the momentum high, anxiety taut and twists exciting.
On a stag weekend in the Shoshone National Forest, Tim O’Day and his friends; Neil, Scot, Miguel and Josh, experience a commotion and wailing one night. They take off running only to discover when they reassemble, Tim is missing. In the many searches that followed, Tim was never found, and now at the fifth annual search, there is a mood of closure; closure to the guilt the friends feel, closure to the brakes put on life and closure parents need for their child. Led by Tim’s ferociously driven father Martin, Tim’s friends, Nemeth a local hiking expert, Bob a bigfoot hunter, Luciana and her cadaver dog Daisy, and Frankie Elkin, this group will undertake the final search.
The search is full of danger, and it isn’t too long before things start happening that look like someone is trying to jeopardise the search and put everyone’s life in peril. What starts as a hunt for Tim ends with each being hunted.
I knew I would have trouble setting the book down within minutes of starting it. It began with a terrifying scene of five young college friends camping in the Wyoming wilderness on a bachelor weekend. What happened would change their lives irrevocably. One Step Too Far is an immersive book packed with mystery, tension, twists, surprises, a wonderfully vivid and dangerous location and characters that imaginatively support an enthralling story. The novel is cleverly structured to keep the momentum high, anxiety taut and twists exciting.
On a stag weekend in the Shoshone National Forest, Tim O’Day and his friends; Neil, Scot, Miguel and Josh, experience a commotion and wailing one night. They take off running only to discover when they reassemble, Tim is missing. In the many searches that followed, Tim was never found, and now at the fifth annual search, there is a mood of closure; closure to the guilt the friends feel, closure to the brakes put on life and closure parents need for their child. Led by Tim’s ferociously driven father Martin, Tim’s friends, Nemeth a local hiking expert, Bob a bigfoot hunter, Luciana and her cadaver dog Daisy, and Frankie Elkin, this group will undertake the final search.
“My name is Frankie Elkin and finding missing people is what I do. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never bothered to care, I start looking. For no money, no recognition, and most of the time, with no help. Why do I do what I do? Because at the end of the day, the people left behind matter as much as the ones who are missing.”Lisa Gardner has a fantastic ability to introduce a wide array of characters with intriguing backgrounds in a measured way that helps savour the different personalities. Frankie is the main protagonist and a tremendous character that works well in the setting and the life mission she seems to be on. While I appreciated her thought process on the search and how she deals with people, I’m still trying to fully understand why she chooses to manage her income in the way she does. The psychology behind the other characters is fascinating, and the group of friends need to find a way to move forward and get on with their own lives but do they harbour a secret?
The search is full of danger, and it isn’t too long before things start happening that look like someone is trying to jeopardise the search and put everyone’s life in peril. What starts as a hunt for Tim ends with each being hunted.
“Eight people head into the woods. A grieving father, a hiking guide, three college friends, and three semi-professional searchers. On the surface, it makes sense. So why do I have a feeling eight of us won’t be coming back out?”This is first-class entertainment for thriller lovers, and I highly recommend reading this book. I also want to thank Penguin Group, Dutton and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in return for an honest review.
February 13, 2022
Frankie Elkin has devoted her life to helping find people once the authorities have given up. She is rather broken but continues to forge ahead, putting others ahead before herself.
When she hears about a search party that has gathered for the fifth anniversary of Tim, a missing hiker, she quickly hitches a ride to Wyoming to join the search/recovery party.
A ragtag of a team including the hiker’s father – large and in charge, the local mountain guide, a large man who dedicates his time in search of Bigfoot (yup! Not a misprint…he is determined to find Bigfoot!) and the missing hikers 4 closest friends (who were hiking/camping with Tim when he vanished).
Only for some reason, they don’t seem to want her there. Hmmm….. is someone hiding something? Frankie is determined to find out what exactly happened to this hiker.
Wow! This was one frightening hike! There is definitely more going on in these mountains and it’s not long before they are in over their heads and may find themselves in the same predicament as Tim. Now it’s a fight for survival!
So I’m not the most outdoorsy person around. (to say the least). Sitting in my backyard with a book and a cup of tea is as close to camping as I will get. And after reading this book! Yup! I am staying put!
My only drawback- I did have a few issues with some of the medical aspects of this book. When I read I try to put my nurse’s cap aside (no! I don’t really have one! Eeks!) But there were just too many times I shook my head with some of the inaccuracies.
A buddy read with Susanne that garnered a lot of discussions.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
When she hears about a search party that has gathered for the fifth anniversary of Tim, a missing hiker, she quickly hitches a ride to Wyoming to join the search/recovery party.
A ragtag of a team including the hiker’s father – large and in charge, the local mountain guide, a large man who dedicates his time in search of Bigfoot (yup! Not a misprint…he is determined to find Bigfoot!) and the missing hikers 4 closest friends (who were hiking/camping with Tim when he vanished).
Only for some reason, they don’t seem to want her there. Hmmm….. is someone hiding something? Frankie is determined to find out what exactly happened to this hiker.
Wow! This was one frightening hike! There is definitely more going on in these mountains and it’s not long before they are in over their heads and may find themselves in the same predicament as Tim. Now it’s a fight for survival!
So I’m not the most outdoorsy person around. (to say the least). Sitting in my backyard with a book and a cup of tea is as close to camping as I will get. And after reading this book! Yup! I am staying put!
My only drawback- I did have a few issues with some of the medical aspects of this book. When I read I try to put my nurse’s cap aside (no! I don’t really have one! Eeks!) But there were just too many times I shook my head with some of the inaccuracies.
A buddy read with Susanne that garnered a lot of discussions.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
November 9, 2025
Gardner has really upped the ante with One Step Too Far. In my humble opinion, this second Frankie Elkin installment even outshines the previous book, Before She Disappeared.
This episode takes Frankie into the most treacherous parts of Wyoming's outback, as she helps a team - of both experienced and unexperienced hikers - search for Timothy O'Day (a 20-something, fit, bright, and very experienced outdoorsman), who has been missing for years.
The team consists of the search party leader (named Nemeth), who is a former National Forest district ranger (and now a local guide), with much experience hiking the treacherous Wyoming outback and leading multiple search and rescue missions, Martin O'Day, Tim's heartbroken father (search organizer who taught Tim everything he knows about hiking and camping in rugged conditions), Three of Tim's guilt-ridden college best friends (who were with him on the doomed hiking trip for one last hoorah before he gets married), a search dog and her master, Bob (a seasoned and burly big foot hunter), and Frankie, who learns very early on just how completely unexperienced and ill-prepared she was for the treacherous and exhausting quest she fought so hard to join.
What ensues is nonstop suspense and horror as the weary hiking party fights for their lives against an unknown entity that clearly does not want them snooping around.
This was one of the best books I have had the pleasure of actually "reading" in a while, and I cannot sing Lisa Gardner's praises highly enough. I was constantly looking forward to my next opportunity to pick up my kindle and finding out what happens next. Frankie's dry, self-deprecating sense of humor is always a highlight.
This gets my highest of recommendations.
This episode takes Frankie into the most treacherous parts of Wyoming's outback, as she helps a team - of both experienced and unexperienced hikers - search for Timothy O'Day (a 20-something, fit, bright, and very experienced outdoorsman), who has been missing for years.
The team consists of the search party leader (named Nemeth), who is a former National Forest district ranger (and now a local guide), with much experience hiking the treacherous Wyoming outback and leading multiple search and rescue missions, Martin O'Day, Tim's heartbroken father (search organizer who taught Tim everything he knows about hiking and camping in rugged conditions), Three of Tim's guilt-ridden college best friends (who were with him on the doomed hiking trip for one last hoorah before he gets married), a search dog and her master, Bob (a seasoned and burly big foot hunter), and Frankie, who learns very early on just how completely unexperienced and ill-prepared she was for the treacherous and exhausting quest she fought so hard to join.
What ensues is nonstop suspense and horror as the weary hiking party fights for their lives against an unknown entity that clearly does not want them snooping around.
This was one of the best books I have had the pleasure of actually "reading" in a while, and I cannot sing Lisa Gardner's praises highly enough. I was constantly looking forward to my next opportunity to pick up my kindle and finding out what happens next. Frankie's dry, self-deprecating sense of humor is always a highlight.
This gets my highest of recommendations.
June 27, 2023
Jedna z lepszych książek Gardner!
July 15, 2024
Again, WHYY have I been sleeping on Lisa Gardner???
I looooved this, I love Frankie so much I wish she was real I feel like we would be such good friends.
I looooved this, I love Frankie so much I wish she was real I feel like we would be such good friends.
March 8, 2022
**CRACK** That is Lisa Gardner hitting it out of the ballpark!!
I enjoyed Before She Disappeared but I LOVED One Step Too Far!
A missing man, a big foot hunter, a cadaver dog, an anguished father, college friends and Frankie Elkin enter the woods.... Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, doesn't it? But it is really the beginning of s brilliant, pulse pounding page turner.
Five years earlier, Tim and his groomsmen went on a hiking/camping trip. It was supposed to be their last hurrah and a time for bonding. They all entered the woods; Tim never came out. Every year Tim's father and his friends look for him in the woods. This time they are joined by Daisy, a cadaver dog and her handler, Luciana, Bob a big foot hunter and Frankie Elkin who travels around finding people. She can join the team when one friend becomes ill.
This was such a gripping and riveting book. I listened to the audiobook and loved every second of it. This book is atmospheric with the woods/mountain being very much a character as well. As they hike deeper into the woods, strange things begin to happen, that let them know that perhaps they are not alone. Someone has taken their food, but that is not all....
As the tension mounts and dread begins to set in, it becomes clear that they are in danger.
Lisa Gardner out did herself with this book. I loved the tension, the dread, the pulse pounding action toward the end. I could feel the characters anxiety and fear popping off the page. This was such a wonderous surprise.
Amazing from cover to cover. I can't wait for the next book in the series!!
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
I enjoyed Before She Disappeared but I LOVED One Step Too Far!
A missing man, a big foot hunter, a cadaver dog, an anguished father, college friends and Frankie Elkin enter the woods.... Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, doesn't it? But it is really the beginning of s brilliant, pulse pounding page turner.
Five years earlier, Tim and his groomsmen went on a hiking/camping trip. It was supposed to be their last hurrah and a time for bonding. They all entered the woods; Tim never came out. Every year Tim's father and his friends look for him in the woods. This time they are joined by Daisy, a cadaver dog and her handler, Luciana, Bob a big foot hunter and Frankie Elkin who travels around finding people. She can join the team when one friend becomes ill.
This was such a gripping and riveting book. I listened to the audiobook and loved every second of it. This book is atmospheric with the woods/mountain being very much a character as well. As they hike deeper into the woods, strange things begin to happen, that let them know that perhaps they are not alone. Someone has taken their food, but that is not all....
As the tension mounts and dread begins to set in, it becomes clear that they are in danger.
Lisa Gardner out did herself with this book. I loved the tension, the dread, the pulse pounding action toward the end. I could feel the characters anxiety and fear popping off the page. This was such a wonderous surprise.
Amazing from cover to cover. I can't wait for the next book in the series!!
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
March 29, 2022
4.5 stars
This is a propulsive, high-octane thriller, bound to keep readers on the edge of their seats. It is character-driven and vividly describes a heavily forested wilderness area in Montana. Filled with thrills and chills, secrets, twists, and misdirections, the high momentum is generally maintained with great entertainment value.
Five years earlier, Tim O'Day, an experienced camper and hiker, went on a wilderness camping trip with four friends. It was just prior to Tim's wedding, and during a drunken bachelor party, they hear some eerie sounds. The fiends scattered to find the source of the noise. During this time, Tim disappeared. He has never been found.
His frenzied and driven father, Martin, has organized a search group annually with the goal of locating his son's body and bringing the remains home. His dying wife has little time left and wants to be buried alongside her son. Martin has received threatening messages to call off this year's search mission, but he will not be stopped in his determination to recover Tim's body.
The yearly searches have been led by Martin O'Day, an experienced wilderness guide who is regarded as a local hero, and a huge man who has the reputation of being a Big Foot hunter. He maintains a list of people who have gone missing in these woodlands. Tim's four friends who accompanied him when he vanished have been ordered by Martin to attend each year. They hold a lot of anger and guilt and resent Martin as they do not want to be there. We learn their group friendship had been fractured, and they were not on the best terms with Tim or each other. They are uncomfortable with outdoor adventure and in a grumpy mood. Added to the team is a Search and Rescue woman with her cadaver dog.
Just before the departure, one of Tim's friends collapses in a drunken state and is taken to hospital rehab for his alcoholism. With a vacant place on the team, Frankie Elkin secures a place, although the leaders feel she is unprepared to join. She is tenacious in her determination to find Tim's body. She feels families left behind matter as much as the missing and is possessed with returning remains to grieving families to provide closure. Frankie is a recovering alcoholic, without roots in any community. She has a talent for finding people but most of her unpaid work has been done in urban settings. She travels light and owns few belongings. She knows she lacks the skills and endurance for strenuous wilderness hiking but hopes to fake it. She doesn't have the proper clothing or equipment necessary but fortunately is given the departed alcoholic young man's backpack and gear.
Soon a search and wilderness adventure turns into a desperate flight and fight for survival. They are aware that someone is watching them and sabotaging the team's food rations and other supplies. While searching a cave a shocking discovery is made. They are being hunted and shots are fired at them. Not everyone is physically able to keep up the pace. There are severe injuries and deaths.
" So why do I have the feeling eight of us won't be coming back?" It takes much fortitude and endurance to avoid a well-armed and unknown killer and to tend to those injured from the search team.
Who will survive? What is the motive for this murderous rampage? Will the killer be identified and brought to justice? Will Tim's body be located?
This is an intense thriller, with well-developed characters, and a vibrant environmental setting. It is bound to keep the reader guessing.
This is a propulsive, high-octane thriller, bound to keep readers on the edge of their seats. It is character-driven and vividly describes a heavily forested wilderness area in Montana. Filled with thrills and chills, secrets, twists, and misdirections, the high momentum is generally maintained with great entertainment value.
Five years earlier, Tim O'Day, an experienced camper and hiker, went on a wilderness camping trip with four friends. It was just prior to Tim's wedding, and during a drunken bachelor party, they hear some eerie sounds. The fiends scattered to find the source of the noise. During this time, Tim disappeared. He has never been found.
His frenzied and driven father, Martin, has organized a search group annually with the goal of locating his son's body and bringing the remains home. His dying wife has little time left and wants to be buried alongside her son. Martin has received threatening messages to call off this year's search mission, but he will not be stopped in his determination to recover Tim's body.
The yearly searches have been led by Martin O'Day, an experienced wilderness guide who is regarded as a local hero, and a huge man who has the reputation of being a Big Foot hunter. He maintains a list of people who have gone missing in these woodlands. Tim's four friends who accompanied him when he vanished have been ordered by Martin to attend each year. They hold a lot of anger and guilt and resent Martin as they do not want to be there. We learn their group friendship had been fractured, and they were not on the best terms with Tim or each other. They are uncomfortable with outdoor adventure and in a grumpy mood. Added to the team is a Search and Rescue woman with her cadaver dog.
Just before the departure, one of Tim's friends collapses in a drunken state and is taken to hospital rehab for his alcoholism. With a vacant place on the team, Frankie Elkin secures a place, although the leaders feel she is unprepared to join. She is tenacious in her determination to find Tim's body. She feels families left behind matter as much as the missing and is possessed with returning remains to grieving families to provide closure. Frankie is a recovering alcoholic, without roots in any community. She has a talent for finding people but most of her unpaid work has been done in urban settings. She travels light and owns few belongings. She knows she lacks the skills and endurance for strenuous wilderness hiking but hopes to fake it. She doesn't have the proper clothing or equipment necessary but fortunately is given the departed alcoholic young man's backpack and gear.
Soon a search and wilderness adventure turns into a desperate flight and fight for survival. They are aware that someone is watching them and sabotaging the team's food rations and other supplies. While searching a cave a shocking discovery is made. They are being hunted and shots are fired at them. Not everyone is physically able to keep up the pace. There are severe injuries and deaths.
" So why do I have the feeling eight of us won't be coming back?" It takes much fortitude and endurance to avoid a well-armed and unknown killer and to tend to those injured from the search team.
Who will survive? What is the motive for this murderous rampage? Will the killer be identified and brought to justice? Will Tim's body be located?
This is an intense thriller, with well-developed characters, and a vibrant environmental setting. It is bound to keep the reader guessing.
March 2, 2022
"I recognize that anguish. It robs me of my own breath. Failure, in its harsh, cruel entirety. I know it intimately. And just like Martin, I still can't stop myself from making the same mistakes."
Lisa Gardner draws us back into the sporatic life of Frankie Elkin in this second edition of the series. Frankie is a wandering soul trying to outrun her demons. As a recovering alcoholic, each day is a supreme struggle. But Frankie has a special gift. She's so good at finding the unfindable. She's gone from the inner city to the wilds of Wyoming now. Frankie is good at swimming against the current.
Tim O'Day has been missing for some time now. He and his buddies went on a camping trip as his bachelors' party before the wedding to Latisha. The drinking got out of hand and one of the group wandered off. Tim volunteered to hike back down for help. He was never seen again even though he was a renowned woodsman. His father, Martin, brings this group back every year to search the area for clues.....even though time presses at the realization of recovering a body now.
Frankie, low on funds, enters into the small Wyoming town. She's volunteered to be part of the search party although she is limited in her experience in the wilderness. She's met with negativity, but they agree that she can take the place of another who dropped out. It's a beastly terrain and will challenge Frankie to her core. But the tables will turn and Frankie and the group will find to their dismay that all is not what it seems in this search......and there's no turning back.
I found that the character of Frankie has changed a bit from the first novel. Frankie had an attitude problem and kept mostly to herself. She was always in the defensive mode. The quest was the all and everything. In One Step Too Far, we will experience a different, more vulnerable Frankie, who has been beaten up by life from its earliest beginnings. She's far from the Marvel Comic Book rendition of a bad-ass woman with super powers. Frankie becomes more aware of her limitations. She also recognizes parallels of hurt in others now. Frankie survived as a loner in the past. With this new adventure, she's become part of the group and willing to keep her finger on the pulse of another.
One Step Too Far reads as a standalone. But I'd say to grab Before She Disappeared in order to dig deeper into what makes Frankie tick. The name alone tells you that you're in for a wild ride through the crunch of those fallen leaves......Lisa Gardner. Really recommend.
Lisa Gardner draws us back into the sporatic life of Frankie Elkin in this second edition of the series. Frankie is a wandering soul trying to outrun her demons. As a recovering alcoholic, each day is a supreme struggle. But Frankie has a special gift. She's so good at finding the unfindable. She's gone from the inner city to the wilds of Wyoming now. Frankie is good at swimming against the current.
Tim O'Day has been missing for some time now. He and his buddies went on a camping trip as his bachelors' party before the wedding to Latisha. The drinking got out of hand and one of the group wandered off. Tim volunteered to hike back down for help. He was never seen again even though he was a renowned woodsman. His father, Martin, brings this group back every year to search the area for clues.....even though time presses at the realization of recovering a body now.
Frankie, low on funds, enters into the small Wyoming town. She's volunteered to be part of the search party although she is limited in her experience in the wilderness. She's met with negativity, but they agree that she can take the place of another who dropped out. It's a beastly terrain and will challenge Frankie to her core. But the tables will turn and Frankie and the group will find to their dismay that all is not what it seems in this search......and there's no turning back.
I found that the character of Frankie has changed a bit from the first novel. Frankie had an attitude problem and kept mostly to herself. She was always in the defensive mode. The quest was the all and everything. In One Step Too Far, we will experience a different, more vulnerable Frankie, who has been beaten up by life from its earliest beginnings. She's far from the Marvel Comic Book rendition of a bad-ass woman with super powers. Frankie becomes more aware of her limitations. She also recognizes parallels of hurt in others now. Frankie survived as a loner in the past. With this new adventure, she's become part of the group and willing to keep her finger on the pulse of another.
One Step Too Far reads as a standalone. But I'd say to grab Before She Disappeared in order to dig deeper into what makes Frankie tick. The name alone tells you that you're in for a wild ride through the crunch of those fallen leaves......Lisa Gardner. Really recommend.
January 25, 2022
4.5/5
“Five guys went into the woods. One has never been seen again. And the other four . . . they are not who they used to be either. Life is like that.”
Haunted by her past, Frankie Elkin is “an average, middle-aged white woman, short on belongings, long on regret” who specializes in cold cases mostly involving the “underserved” in the community. While on the way to Idaho, where she plans to take up the case of an eight-year-old boy who has been missing for sixteen months, she comes across an article about thirty-three-year-old Timothy O’Day who disappeared while on a bachelors’ camping trip with his college friends in the Popo Agie Wilderness on the edge of Ramsey, Wyoming five years ago. Tim’s father has been searching for any clues about his son’s fate for the last five years and is about to venture out on his next trip into the wilderness where Tim was last seen. Frankie changes her plans and joins the search, motivated by her desire to bring closure to the family of a missing young man whose mother is dying of cancer. Even though Frankie has no experience of hiking or search and rescue in the wilderness she joins the group who, though skeptical of Frankie’s ability to hold her own in the rough conditions , reluctantly agrees when one of Tim’s friends has to drop out.
“Eight people head into the woods. A grieving father, a hiking guide, three college friends, and three semiprofessional searchers. On the surface, it makes sense. So why do I have a feeling eight of us won’t be coming back out.”
The group faces injury, sabotage, harsh terrain and internal conflict wherein it is revealed that there was more to the events of that fateful night five years ago than was initially reported. Added to this is the fact that Tim is not the only person to have disappeared in the area. There have been reports of several hikers gone missing over the years. When the group makes a shocking discovery and one of them is severely injured, hidden secrets and agendas come to the surface. Is someone in their midst playing games or are they being followed by someone who knows what happened to Tim? Cut off from any outside assistance, it ultimately boils down to who between themselves can be trusted and how they can survive when being hunted by someone who obviously wants them out the way. What begins as a search for a missing person soon becomes a fight for their own survival.
Taut and twisty with an ending that I did not see coming, One Step Too Far is a gripping thriller that will keep you hooked till the very last page. The descriptions of the landscape add to the dark and atmospheric tone of the novel. Lisa Gardner is brilliant in crafting thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat. In Frankie Elkin, the author portrays an admirable protagonist. She is an intelligent and strong woman battling her own demons, who goes above and beyond to bring justice for those who have been marginalized and whose calls for help have fallen on deaf ears. Even though she prefers to be a drifter, she is not indifferent to the people around her and does establish emotional connections with people she meets on her journey. I’ve enjoyed both books in Lisa Gardner’s Frankie Elkin series and hope for more in the future.
“Five guys went into the woods. One has never been seen again. And the other four . . . they are not who they used to be either. Life is like that.”
Haunted by her past, Frankie Elkin is “an average, middle-aged white woman, short on belongings, long on regret” who specializes in cold cases mostly involving the “underserved” in the community. While on the way to Idaho, where she plans to take up the case of an eight-year-old boy who has been missing for sixteen months, she comes across an article about thirty-three-year-old Timothy O’Day who disappeared while on a bachelors’ camping trip with his college friends in the Popo Agie Wilderness on the edge of Ramsey, Wyoming five years ago. Tim’s father has been searching for any clues about his son’s fate for the last five years and is about to venture out on his next trip into the wilderness where Tim was last seen. Frankie changes her plans and joins the search, motivated by her desire to bring closure to the family of a missing young man whose mother is dying of cancer. Even though Frankie has no experience of hiking or search and rescue in the wilderness she joins the group who, though skeptical of Frankie’s ability to hold her own in the rough conditions , reluctantly agrees when one of Tim’s friends has to drop out.
“Eight people head into the woods. A grieving father, a hiking guide, three college friends, and three semiprofessional searchers. On the surface, it makes sense. So why do I have a feeling eight of us won’t be coming back out.”
The group faces injury, sabotage, harsh terrain and internal conflict wherein it is revealed that there was more to the events of that fateful night five years ago than was initially reported. Added to this is the fact that Tim is not the only person to have disappeared in the area. There have been reports of several hikers gone missing over the years. When the group makes a shocking discovery and one of them is severely injured, hidden secrets and agendas come to the surface. Is someone in their midst playing games or are they being followed by someone who knows what happened to Tim? Cut off from any outside assistance, it ultimately boils down to who between themselves can be trusted and how they can survive when being hunted by someone who obviously wants them out the way. What begins as a search for a missing person soon becomes a fight for their own survival.
Taut and twisty with an ending that I did not see coming, One Step Too Far is a gripping thriller that will keep you hooked till the very last page. The descriptions of the landscape add to the dark and atmospheric tone of the novel. Lisa Gardner is brilliant in crafting thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat. In Frankie Elkin, the author portrays an admirable protagonist. She is an intelligent and strong woman battling her own demons, who goes above and beyond to bring justice for those who have been marginalized and whose calls for help have fallen on deaf ears. Even though she prefers to be a drifter, she is not indifferent to the people around her and does establish emotional connections with people she meets on her journey. I’ve enjoyed both books in Lisa Gardner’s Frankie Elkin series and hope for more in the future.
February 16, 2022
Timothy O’Day went missing at his Batchelor party, five years later his friends are still trying to locate him in the wilderness of Wyoming, all are experienced campers, but Tim was “ The Man” as he went on camping trips with his farther Martin.
Tim was in his element when he was in the woods he felt at home, free as a bird. Frankie Elkin sets out to find out what happened? A search party is set up by Tim’s father Martin who is determined to find his son but they need a guide Nemeth is experienced in these woods & helps them through treacherous terrain, there is a cast of thousands searching a host of suspects.
BUT THE QUESTION IS WHY TIM?
I absolutely love this series it was well paced, compelling dark & gritty Frankie,s development is getting up there, yes she has demons that will haunt her but her grittiness to find the truth prevails, I had a tear in my eye at the end and I agree with my friend Michael that the last 20% went like breakneck speed I loved every minute can’t wait for book 📖 three in this series all the ⭐️
Tim was in his element when he was in the woods he felt at home, free as a bird. Frankie Elkin sets out to find out what happened? A search party is set up by Tim’s father Martin who is determined to find his son but they need a guide Nemeth is experienced in these woods & helps them through treacherous terrain, there is a cast of thousands searching a host of suspects.
BUT THE QUESTION IS WHY TIM?
I absolutely love this series it was well paced, compelling dark & gritty Frankie,s development is getting up there, yes she has demons that will haunt her but her grittiness to find the truth prevails, I had a tear in my eye at the end and I agree with my friend Michael that the last 20% went like breakneck speed I loved every minute can’t wait for book 📖 three in this series all the ⭐️
January 4, 2022
Why do I do what I do? Because at the end of the day, the people left behind matter as much as the ones who are missing. We mourn the ones we've lost, but we agonize over the pieces of ourselves they took with them. The identities we'll never have again. The emotions we're certain we'll never feel again. The sense of our own selves, becoming undone and disappearing just as completely and suddenly as those who vanished.
Can Frankie Elkin carry a book without any help from D.D. Warren? Although looking forward to reading more about Frankie, I was not sure her character would be enough. Was I ever wrong! This new title from Lisa Gardner showcases her character building while demonstrating her adventure-writing chops. This is survival tale on steroids. Eight humans and a dog go out into the Wyoming wilderness on a grim mission. Their goal is to recover the bones of a promising young groom who went missing days before his wedding. How many will come back alive? Besides Frankie, my favorite character is Daisy, the SAR dog. She really shines and you will love meeting her in the pages of this book. For readers who love books set in the West (like the Joe Pickett series by CJ Box), here is a new author to try.
Thank you to Dutton and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Can Frankie Elkin carry a book without any help from D.D. Warren? Although looking forward to reading more about Frankie, I was not sure her character would be enough. Was I ever wrong! This new title from Lisa Gardner showcases her character building while demonstrating her adventure-writing chops. This is survival tale on steroids. Eight humans and a dog go out into the Wyoming wilderness on a grim mission. Their goal is to recover the bones of a promising young groom who went missing days before his wedding. How many will come back alive? Besides Frankie, my favorite character is Daisy, the SAR dog. She really shines and you will love meeting her in the pages of this book. For readers who love books set in the West (like the Joe Pickett series by CJ Box), here is a new author to try.
Thank you to Dutton and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2022
As an avid backcountry hiker & thriller lover - this is the book that I didn't realize I've been waiting for.
I'm not going to lie, at the beginning I was pretty worried that ins & outs of being backcountry were going to be poorly researched. Especially when Frankie was hoping to join the search crew with her rolling suitcase and no other gear. However, Lisa Gardner did end up doing an amazing job of making the situation realistic. Her accuracy on bear safety, gear, packing, and emergency prioritizing was admirable.
The plot line in itself was executed to perfection. Tension remained high throughout the entire novel and the high action scenes had me holding my breath. I was fully engaged from page 1 till the end.
I'm not going to lie, at the beginning I was pretty worried that ins & outs of being backcountry were going to be poorly researched. Especially when Frankie was hoping to join the search crew with her rolling suitcase and no other gear. However, Lisa Gardner did end up doing an amazing job of making the situation realistic. Her accuracy on bear safety, gear, packing, and emergency prioritizing was admirable.
The plot line in itself was executed to perfection. Tension remained high throughout the entire novel and the high action scenes had me holding my breath. I was fully engaged from page 1 till the end.
June 14, 2022
I'm just loving the Frankie Elkin character Ms. Gardner has created!
April 1, 2022
This is the second in series and I didn't read the first. Frankie Elkin is an interesting character, a woman whose past is touched on lightly in this book a woman fighting her own demons by looking for the missing. Five years previous a young man camping with the other members of his bachelor party goes missing in the Shashone National Park in Wyoming. His father has never stopped searching for him, even a trace and by now a body. This is the group Frankie, who has never camped, has joined.
It moves quickly, fraught with danger, as the group moves closer to solving the mystery, definitely keeps the pages turning. It was also, a tad too much, stretching credibility, at least mine. A good escapist novel though, if one doesn't over think the implausabilitiy which obviously I did. Loved Daisy the dog. Star of the show.
It moves quickly, fraught with danger, as the group moves closer to solving the mystery, definitely keeps the pages turning. It was also, a tad too much, stretching credibility, at least mine. A good escapist novel though, if one doesn't over think the implausabilitiy which obviously I did. Loved Daisy the dog. Star of the show.
March 26, 2022
2.5 stars (once again in Outlier land!)
I often wonder if it's okay to laugh when you come to a part in a book when things are supposed to be quite serious? For that is exactly what I did in One Step Too Far. The events leading up to that lol moment was somewhat enjoyable, but when a man shot multiple times and left for dead had one of those save the moments incidents, I just couldn't' stop myself. 😂🤣 Implausible and unbelievable and then dam the story went downhill from there sadly.
🤷♀️ I don't know. Perhaps this author is just not for me, but I once again had sky high hopes encouraged by reviews and decided to give it a go. Perhaps it was the fact that coincidentally, I was reading a John Hart story that had all his ducks in a row and actually made lots of sense. Perhaps it was the concept that an inexperienced climber could make a trek that was practically killing the other participants, (well some of them were but not by the climbing but possibly by a rifle shooting Sasquatch!🐾🐾🐾) I accepted all of this, because I enjoyed the character of Frankie Elkin who 🧗♂️ searches for the forgotten missing, because she is compelled to. This 110lb. lady is able to make the impossible possible.
The plot makes for quite a story but unfortunately this story seems to wander about 🚶♀️until it seemed to fall of a low-lying cliff literally.
So sad to say, this was not a 🌟 as I so hoped it would be. It fell down a cliff pretty fast and then seemed to be grabbing at straws to come to its conclusion. I know many of my friends liked this one five stars worth, but for me it sadly missed the heights 🏔 I was hoping it would achieve.
But, 🥂 to Jan and I for once again soldiering through a book that didn't delight or send us 🚀 soaring into reading nirvana. However, we both loved Daisy the dog!
I often wonder if it's okay to laugh when you come to a part in a book when things are supposed to be quite serious? For that is exactly what I did in One Step Too Far. The events leading up to that lol moment was somewhat enjoyable, but when a man shot multiple times and left for dead had one of those save the moments incidents, I just couldn't' stop myself. 😂🤣 Implausible and unbelievable and then dam the story went downhill from there sadly.
🤷♀️ I don't know. Perhaps this author is just not for me, but I once again had sky high hopes encouraged by reviews and decided to give it a go. Perhaps it was the fact that coincidentally, I was reading a John Hart story that had all his ducks in a row and actually made lots of sense. Perhaps it was the concept that an inexperienced climber could make a trek that was practically killing the other participants, (well some of them were but not by the climbing but possibly by a rifle shooting Sasquatch!🐾🐾🐾) I accepted all of this, because I enjoyed the character of Frankie Elkin who 🧗♂️ searches for the forgotten missing, because she is compelled to. This 110lb. lady is able to make the impossible possible.
The plot makes for quite a story but unfortunately this story seems to wander about 🚶♀️until it seemed to fall of a low-lying cliff literally.
So sad to say, this was not a 🌟 as I so hoped it would be. It fell down a cliff pretty fast and then seemed to be grabbing at straws to come to its conclusion. I know many of my friends liked this one five stars worth, but for me it sadly missed the heights 🏔 I was hoping it would achieve.
But, 🥂 to Jan and I for once again soldiering through a book that didn't delight or send us 🚀 soaring into reading nirvana. However, we both loved Daisy the dog!
October 4, 2022
Wow!! Couldn't put this thriller down until the very end!
Frankie Elkin is an amateur sleuth who looks for missing people from very old and cold cases. She joins a search party looking for a young man who disappeared five years ago while camping with his groomsmen at a bachelor party in the deep woods of Wyoming.
Highly recommend!
Frankie Elkin is an amateur sleuth who looks for missing people from very old and cold cases. She joins a search party looking for a young man who disappeared five years ago while camping with his groomsmen at a bachelor party in the deep woods of Wyoming.
Highly recommend!
February 18, 2022
After reading book 1 I was eager to get my hands on book 2. I had it on preorder.
I met Frankie Elkin in book 1 and I’ve learnt more about her in this book too as she investigates a man, Tim O’Day who went missing. He was camping in the wood the night of his bachelor party.
Five years they have been searching for his remains non of his family or friends can find him. The case has got cold.
Frankie is a recovering alcoholic and what she does for no payment whatsoever is pick up the cold cases that others have closed.
Why does she do it?
It’s not a job to her and she gets no rewards?
Because….
Families are grieving, they can’t rest, they can’t grieve properly they are half feeling hopeless and half hopeful that someone will find out for sure if their loved one is still alive or find the remains so they can get peace.
She joins the party for the 5th anniversary of a search in those woods.
It’s eerie to say the least and bitter cold.
Then others go missing.
What in the hell is happening here?
Lisa Gardner got me hooked. I didn’t take long in reading this I was so on the edge of my seat, chewing my nails and couldn’t wait to see what was what (with one eye open)
I so loved this book.
I’ve recently got “into” Lisa Gardners books and I think I’m beginning to be a fan!
I met Frankie Elkin in book 1 and I’ve learnt more about her in this book too as she investigates a man, Tim O’Day who went missing. He was camping in the wood the night of his bachelor party.
Five years they have been searching for his remains non of his family or friends can find him. The case has got cold.
Frankie is a recovering alcoholic and what she does for no payment whatsoever is pick up the cold cases that others have closed.
Why does she do it?
It’s not a job to her and she gets no rewards?
Because….
Families are grieving, they can’t rest, they can’t grieve properly they are half feeling hopeless and half hopeful that someone will find out for sure if their loved one is still alive or find the remains so they can get peace.
She joins the party for the 5th anniversary of a search in those woods.
It’s eerie to say the least and bitter cold.
Then others go missing.
What in the hell is happening here?
Lisa Gardner got me hooked. I didn’t take long in reading this I was so on the edge of my seat, chewing my nails and couldn’t wait to see what was what (with one eye open)
I so loved this book.
I’ve recently got “into” Lisa Gardners books and I think I’m beginning to be a fan!
February 8, 2022
5 Masterful Wyoming Suspense Stars
Lisa Gardner is at the top of her game! Her latest book had me on the edge of my seat and I could not put this one down! By the end of the book Frankie Elkin had cemented herself in my favorite character list and I hope there are many more books to come that feature her flawed searching self.
Frankie Elkin is a missing persons expert. She tackles cold cases that everyone else has given up on and has been successful 16 times. It’s tough going as her help is often not welcomed and she has to persevere and dig in, asking tough questions along the way.
This time, Frankie has read about a missing person case in the Wyoming wilderness. A soon-to-be groom disappeared on his bachelor party and his body has never been found. Now his father is conducting one last search in a new area of the wilderness.
There’s a whole cast of characters in this one and Gardner expertly lets us get to know each one, so that by the end of the book, I know them well and don’t want to say goodbye to them.
There are the groomsmen/best friends who blame themselves and are dragged along every year in the search. There’s the local expert Nemeth, who knows the woods and guides the team across tough terrain. There’s a Bigfoot expert and a wonderful search dog Daisy and her handler. Each plays a different part in the mystery and the search for the missing man.
As the group undertakes the arduous task, they appear to be under attack from strange things in the forest. As the group gets closer to finding the truth, it becomes obvious that they are all in grave danger. Can Frankie, the weakest hiker in the group, survive? And will they find the missing man?
This made for an excellent buddy read as we all traded ideas on the plot and ultimate villain. Be sure to read Mary Beth and Marilyn's reviews. Can't wait for the next Frankie book!
Lisa Gardner is at the top of her game! Her latest book had me on the edge of my seat and I could not put this one down! By the end of the book Frankie Elkin had cemented herself in my favorite character list and I hope there are many more books to come that feature her flawed searching self.
Frankie Elkin is a missing persons expert. She tackles cold cases that everyone else has given up on and has been successful 16 times. It’s tough going as her help is often not welcomed and she has to persevere and dig in, asking tough questions along the way.
This time, Frankie has read about a missing person case in the Wyoming wilderness. A soon-to-be groom disappeared on his bachelor party and his body has never been found. Now his father is conducting one last search in a new area of the wilderness.
There’s a whole cast of characters in this one and Gardner expertly lets us get to know each one, so that by the end of the book, I know them well and don’t want to say goodbye to them.
There are the groomsmen/best friends who blame themselves and are dragged along every year in the search. There’s the local expert Nemeth, who knows the woods and guides the team across tough terrain. There’s a Bigfoot expert and a wonderful search dog Daisy and her handler. Each plays a different part in the mystery and the search for the missing man.
As the group undertakes the arduous task, they appear to be under attack from strange things in the forest. As the group gets closer to finding the truth, it becomes obvious that they are all in grave danger. Can Frankie, the weakest hiker in the group, survive? And will they find the missing man?
This made for an excellent buddy read as we all traded ideas on the plot and ultimate villain. Be sure to read Mary Beth and Marilyn's reviews. Can't wait for the next Frankie book!
March 28, 2024
Frankie Elkin is a woman who finds missing people. In this second novel in this series, Frankie joins a rescue team setting out to find the body of a missing hiker from five years ago. The group includes the missing mans former friends, a search and rescue guide dog and even a Bigfoot believer. But fairly quickly, the group realizes something sinister is at play and soon it's a game of survival.
Lisa Gardner really did a great job with this follow up novel; instead of the big city we have the woods and nature, instead of infiltrating a community Frankie is infiltrating a friend group. It was a fascinating mystery and while Frankie obviously helped it wasn't in ways she usually did. I don't think her outside perspective was as helpful in this book as much as her tenaciousness and need to have the questions answered did. It was still a lot of fun to read and if you didn't love the first book you might like this one more.
Lisa Gardner really did a great job with this follow up novel; instead of the big city we have the woods and nature, instead of infiltrating a community Frankie is infiltrating a friend group. It was a fascinating mystery and while Frankie obviously helped it wasn't in ways she usually did. I don't think her outside perspective was as helpful in this book as much as her tenaciousness and need to have the questions answered did. It was still a lot of fun to read and if you didn't love the first book you might like this one more.
July 4, 2023
Frankie Elkin, who spends her time searching for missing people the world has stopped looking for, learns of a young man who went missing in a Wyoming national forest five years ago. Law enforcement has abandoned the search, but a crew of people led by the young man's father are still looking.
I'm loving the Frankie Elkin series. Book 1 was a 5-star read for me so I'm gonna need more stars ... this one was even better! Frankie joins a motley crew of searchers looking for what they expect will be the remains of Tim O'Day who disappeared in the Wyoming wilderness 5 years ago. I felt every discomfort and sore muscle that Frankie suffered, the writing was that good. The characters are well fleshed out and I hated some and loved some, especially Daisy, the search and rescue dog. There were quite a few shocking surprises, some very sad moments and so much tension at times that I had to take a few breaks. I was totally bamboozled by the ending! This book could be read as a standalone but I highly recommend you read the first book to learn Frankie's background.
I can hardly wait for Book 3 being published in March 2024. I borrowed a copy of this book from the London Public Library.
I'm loving the Frankie Elkin series. Book 1 was a 5-star read for me so I'm gonna need more stars ... this one was even better! Frankie joins a motley crew of searchers looking for what they expect will be the remains of Tim O'Day who disappeared in the Wyoming wilderness 5 years ago. I felt every discomfort and sore muscle that Frankie suffered, the writing was that good. The characters are well fleshed out and I hated some and loved some, especially Daisy, the search and rescue dog. There were quite a few shocking surprises, some very sad moments and so much tension at times that I had to take a few breaks. I was totally bamboozled by the ending! This book could be read as a standalone but I highly recommend you read the first book to learn Frankie's background.
I can hardly wait for Book 3 being published in March 2024. I borrowed a copy of this book from the London Public Library.
March 27, 2022
One Step Too Far was the second book in the Frankie Elkin’s series by Lisa Gardner and boy was it good! I listened to the Audio CD that was performed extremely well by Hillary Huber. It was tense, chilling, terrifying, unpredictable and gripping. I enjoyed Before She Disappeared but One Step Too Far was in a whole other category. It was fast paced with wonderfully complex and well developed characters. One Step Too Far was a crime thriller that awakened every fear imaginable in me, made my adrenaline flow and brought about an intense feeling of foreboding in me as I listened to it. It was about surviving in the wilderness and who was best suited to survive more than Frankie Elkin?
Frankie Elkin had heard about a grieving father, Martin O’Day, whose son went missing on the first night of his bachelor party camping trip in the wilderness of Wyoming five year ago. Martin O’Day had organized a team of seven to search for his son one last time. Frankie was determined to join the team even though her hiking and tracking experience was near nonexistent. Her expertise was in finding missing people. She just knew that she could be useful in helping to find clues about what happened to Tim out in the wilderness of Wyoming five years prior. Tim was experienced and well versed when it came to hiking, camping and surviving. According to his friends, Tim just vanished that night and never reappeared. Now, on the anniversary of Tim’s disappearance, Frankie Elkin became the eighth member of the search team. Four members of the team were proficient at hiking and camping. The other four, including Frankie, had little to no experience. The hope of finding clues about what happened to Tim that fateful night inspired and pushed them all on, though. Joining them was also a cadaver dog named Daisy and the guilt-ridden best friends of Tim who were supposed to be his groomsmen in his wedding and had witnessed his disappearance. As the team ascended the treacherous mountain path, it became clear that someone or something was lurking close by trying to stop their mission. Hearts raced! Food disappeared! Team members suffered injuries! Everyone was on high alert! How far would the evil presence go to stop the team’s search?
I found myself holding my breath, sitting at the edge of my seat and feeling terrified as the search team climbed the mountain looking for evidence of what happened to Tim. Lisa Gardner was brilliant in her storytelling. I really felt as if I was in the Wyoming wilderness with the members of the team. The visual descriptions of the topography of the Wyoming wilderness were authentic and so vividly accurate that I felt that I was side by side with the characters. One Step Too Far was dark, tense and quite terrifying at times. I was sorry when I got to the end of the audio CD. I can’t wait to read the next installment in the Frankie Elkin series. I highly recommend this book.
Frankie Elkin had heard about a grieving father, Martin O’Day, whose son went missing on the first night of his bachelor party camping trip in the wilderness of Wyoming five year ago. Martin O’Day had organized a team of seven to search for his son one last time. Frankie was determined to join the team even though her hiking and tracking experience was near nonexistent. Her expertise was in finding missing people. She just knew that she could be useful in helping to find clues about what happened to Tim out in the wilderness of Wyoming five years prior. Tim was experienced and well versed when it came to hiking, camping and surviving. According to his friends, Tim just vanished that night and never reappeared. Now, on the anniversary of Tim’s disappearance, Frankie Elkin became the eighth member of the search team. Four members of the team were proficient at hiking and camping. The other four, including Frankie, had little to no experience. The hope of finding clues about what happened to Tim that fateful night inspired and pushed them all on, though. Joining them was also a cadaver dog named Daisy and the guilt-ridden best friends of Tim who were supposed to be his groomsmen in his wedding and had witnessed his disappearance. As the team ascended the treacherous mountain path, it became clear that someone or something was lurking close by trying to stop their mission. Hearts raced! Food disappeared! Team members suffered injuries! Everyone was on high alert! How far would the evil presence go to stop the team’s search?
I found myself holding my breath, sitting at the edge of my seat and feeling terrified as the search team climbed the mountain looking for evidence of what happened to Tim. Lisa Gardner was brilliant in her storytelling. I really felt as if I was in the Wyoming wilderness with the members of the team. The visual descriptions of the topography of the Wyoming wilderness were authentic and so vividly accurate that I felt that I was side by side with the characters. One Step Too Far was dark, tense and quite terrifying at times. I was sorry when I got to the end of the audio CD. I can’t wait to read the next installment in the Frankie Elkin series. I highly recommend this book.
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