Switchback

Patrick Flint #1

by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

A doctor with a taste for adventure. A doomed mountain vacation with his family. In the midst of a million acres of wilderness, Patrick Flint is about to discover that not everybody loves the new town doc.

All Patrick Flint wants is a peaceful getaway in the Wyoming mountains for his rare days off. He’s grown weary of the bicentennial celebrations, the angry families of patients, the rash of campers coming down from the mountains high on speed, and the midnight call-outs to cover for the town veterinarian. When his wife Susanne balks at the trip just as they’re walking out the door—leaving him to go it alone with his lovestruck teenage daughter Trish and eager-but-adolescent son Perry—Patrick is wounded but determined, despite the news of a murderer escaping custody on the other side of the mountains.

After two days of rain-soaked horseback riding to hunt and fish, Patrick’s gotten nothing but weird encounters, wet socks, and a whiny daughter. So, on the third day, when Trish begs to stay behind at their campsite to read, Patrick is secretly relieved.

Meanwhile back in town, Susanne’s had a rough time of it herself. A break-in, a wreck, and a premonition that something is terribly wrong with her family. Unable to ignore her growing fears, she enlists the help of a Wyoming-tough neighbor, and the two women make for the mountains.

When Patrick and Perry return to camp, Trish has vanished, along with the horses, the truck, and the trailer. Clues point in opposite directions. Did she run off with the boy whose note Patrick found at the camp? Or was she taken—as the tire marks over their destroyed tent suggest? Whichever it was, the tracks lead into the mountains, not out of them. With help too far away to make it before Trish’s trail is washed away, Patrick and Perry embark on a desperate trek into the wilderness to find her, with Susanne not far behind them.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Adventure, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook, Ebooks

428 pages, ebook

Published November 15, 2019

About the author

I'm a USA Today bestselling mystery/suspense/thriller author and a big horse and sled dog enthusiast.

My hunky husband and I ride our beloved draft cross horses way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, WY, where we run a rustic, off-the-grid lodge on the face of the Bighorn Mountains. When I'm not writing or riding, I'm passionate about wilderness sports, always with a couple of rescue dogs, bear spray, a mountain lion knife, and my Judge. NO ANIMALS HAVE BEEN HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS LIFE ADVENTURE (but don't sneak up on me).

I've made some lists and won some awards, yada yada. Amazon Charts Top 25 bestseller. USA Today Bestseller. The Silver Falchion for Best Adult Mystery WINNER (Fighting for Anna), the WINNERS for USA Best Books Fiction: Cross Genre (Hell to Pay, Heaven to Betsy), and others. With books "in print" of over 3,000,000, readers seem to enjoy the books—I think they have exceptionally good taste. {insert goofy grin here} Lots of them follow my show Wine Women & Writing, too, where I fangirl my favorite authors and interview them for your listening and viewing pleasure. Subscribe free at http://bit.ly/PamelaWWWR <--case sensitive.

You can read my series in any order or as standalones, but they're a lot of fun if you do them like this:

* Detective Delaney Pace (coming soon!): Her Silent Bones, Her HIdden Grave, Her Last Cry, Her Forgotten Shadow, Her Burning Lies, and Her Cold Heart.

* Patrick Flint Wyoming-based series (PG):
Switchback, Snake Oil, Sawbones, Scapegoat, Snaggle Tooth, Stag Party, Sitting Duck, and Skin & Bones. #9 coming in 2026.

* The Jenn Herrington Wyoming Mysteries (PG-13):
BIG HORN, WALKER PRAIRIE, and RED GRADE coming in 2026.

* What Doesn't Kill You Super Series:
1.Caribben-based Katie Connell (PG-13): Saving Grace, Leaving Annalise, Finding Harmony, and Seeking Felicity
2. Texas-based Emily Bernal (PG-13): Heaven to Betsy Earth to Emily, Hell to Pay
3. Texas-based Michele Lopez Hanson (PG-13): Going for Kona, Fighting for Anna, Searching for Dime Box
4. Wyoming-based Maggie Killian (R, language): Live Wire, Sick Puppy, Dead Pile (plus shorts Buckle Bunny and Shock Jock)
5. Caribbean-based Ava Butler (R, sexual situations): Bombshell, Stunner, Knockout

I also have a children's book series featuring Poppy, the world's best grandfather, and Petey, his blind Boston terrier.
Free starter library https://pamelafaganhutchins.com/maili...

If after all that you still want to learn more about my books, my podcast, or me, then God Bless Ya.

There are many ways: My website and its blog. The aforementioned newsletter. Email me: Pamela at PamelaFaganHutchins dot come. And you can follow me around the web:

Website: https://pamelafaganhutchins.com
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pamel...
Pamela's Posse for Readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pamel...
Facebook http://facebook.com/pamela.fagan.hutc...
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And, finally, to learn more about my fellow SkipJack Publishing authors, visit: http://skipjackpublishing.com/.

Reviews

[Pamoliverio · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should have been titled The Flint Family’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad 4 Days. Kidnapping, break-ins, speed druggies, knife fights, gun shots, giardia, dead horses, snow, rain, hail..... Jeez, how many things can one family take?
I’m definitely NOT going to read anymore books in this series.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tense, satisfying thriller with suspense that builds with each new chapter. Pamela Fagan Hutchins fans will fall instantly in love with Patrick Flint and his young family as they navigate a camping adventure that turns out to be much more than they bargained for. Pamela layering of several points of view to tell the tale made this one a particularly fun read. Those who know her stuff will be pleased with the life and complexity she breathes into her characters. Her affection for the outdoors and knowledge of the nuances of the back country give Switchback the beauty of a Bob Ross painting with Alfred Hitchcock hidden among the trees.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t hate this book. Another reviewer referred to the “piling up of catastrophes,” which I will borrow..it’s all so wildly improbable. And in real life, these family members would spend the rest of their lives in therapy, and the family would break apart..they wouldn’t happily walk into the sunset..oh, and into another adventure. It wasn’t badly written, though. And, contrary to my previous experiences with audiobooks narrated by the author (bad! very bad! Don’t do it!), while this narration wasn’t up to high professional narrator standards, it was acceptable.

[John (JC) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a comfortable read. I do not know how far I will go with this series. It has been compared to a cross between Joe Pickett and Longmire. I would think it is closer to Longmire but that is still a stretch.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Switchback: A Patrick Flint Novel - a review by Rosemary Kenny

An incredible family thriller adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat and chewing your fingernails down to the elbows with the excitement and tension to be found within Pamela Fagan Hutchins' Switchback, which is #1 in her A Patrick Flint series - it's sure to be #1 on your mystery thriller adventure bookshelf.I really liked the contrast between 'moody teenager' Trish, who was a real pain in the b*m at the start, but through trials and many tribulations comes to appreciate her parents so much more than ever before, by the end, Younger brother Perry would like to be grown up - like yesterday! Ignored by Trish, (who's a typical elder sister), he's still the 'baby' of the family - probably why he's so keen to go on the trip and show he can be a 'real' hunter too! Susanna rebels against Patrick's 'grand plan' of a camping/elk-hunting trip, soon having cause to regret her decision to stay home alone. Susanna is a 'southern belle' by comparison to their Wisconsin neighbours and their current lifestyle is quite alien to her former one. Patrick has worked so hard to become a respected doctor and she's been a rock solid soul-mate, home-maker and wonderful Mom to their children, but what happens while they're apart?. Will the adventure-turned-nightmare encompassing them separately and then together, lead to tragedy - or an HEA?
You'll have to buy a copy of Pamela Fagan Hutchins' amazing family drama Switchback to find out the truth...but be sure to turn off the phone and close the curtains while you read this fantastic new Patrick Flint novel - it's an absolutely unputdownable wonder of a story that you're sure to love!

[Judy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers in my review, but here's what you need to know. A well-written story of mystery and suspense in a family camping trip gone horribly wrong. Amazing descriptions of the setting and the story, an edge of your seat nail-biter that will keep you swiping your Kindle because you just won't be able to find an appropriate stopping point! Initially, I agreed to proofread the book for errors and inconsistencies, but got so engrossed in the book, I just didn't, so I'm pretty sure that speaks for itself...so now, I am providing my honest review. Take a chance on this first in series, the only thing you'll be sorry about is that you have to wait for the next book!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Intriguing and suspenseful at its best. A new Dr in town, who just wants a bit of vacation with his family, unfortunately that doesn’t work like that. Something is going on. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop reading.

[Corinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Selfish, stupid husband. Selfish, whiny wife. Naive son. Courageous, intelligent daughter. Determined, clever neighbor. Draggingly slow story. Silly date, time, location headers for each chapter. The meth addicts weren't the most evil characters in this bizarre tale, the father was.

[CHM · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't hate it but won't do more of the series. What a convoluted set of catastrophes in 4 days and as one reviewer stated, "felt like bitch slapping" everyone of them in the family.

[Sheree K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a couple of months ago and apparently forgot to leave my review. (Sorry Pamela!)

The story is set in Wyoming in the late 70's. Patrick is a doctor who moved his family from Texas to Wyoming. He loves the outdoors and planned a big camping trip for them. His wife didn’t want to go much to his astonishment and finally put her foot down. His teenage daughter didn’t either due to plans she had with a boyfriend. Patrick was adamant both children were indeed going and they were going to have fun darn it!

The trouble began after they left where they were supposed to be camping and finally chose another campsite. All was set when some motorcycles stopped and said they were in their spot. After setting up everything, Patrick was in no mood to break camp and move. The sites are first come first served anyway and there was nothing left at the site by the motorcyclists. They finally left.

As the story progresses, we learn that Susanne had an unnerving encounter with a fugitive who broke into her house and tied her up. He stole some clothes and left her. After her Deputy neighbor comes to check on her thanks to their dog, she releases her and notifies authorities. Susanne has a premonition that something is wrong and goes to where the family is supposed to be camped; they never showed up.

Patrick is not having a great time. Rain and a whiney teenager are trying. She finally talks him into leaving her behind at the camp when he and Perry prepare to go fishing. After that fiasco, they return and Trish is missing. Where did she go? Did she leave with a friend? Was she taken? The campsite is wrecked. Something is terribly wrong. Search is on.

The two storylines are woven together expertly. The descriptions of the area and people put you into the action. Recommend this series. I've read the second book and it is just as good.

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Switchback by Pamela Fagan Hutchins is so much more than I expected. It’s not just a western, it’s an adventure into the back country of Wyoming and I loved it.

We first meet Doctor Patrick Flint when he is awakened with an emergency hospital call…and the adventure begins. His patient is a far cry from what he expects and I almost burst out laughing when I found out who she is. But that is a surprise you will have to find out for yourself.

In the small town of Buffalo, Wyoming, he is called on to perform double duty.

Uh oh. Patrick and the kids are heading out for a camping trip. Will they be the hunters, or the hunted. I am immediately hooked with a feeling of impending doom. The underlying current of suspense keeps me reading, making me have to know what happens next. Pamela Fagan Hutchins takes it even further than I anticipated and I love it.

Susanne, Patrick’s wife, wasn’t into hunting and stayed home, but her instincts made her feel something was wrong. And she was right to worry.

Meanwhile, Patrick is having flashbacks to Susanne, feeling something isn’t right and the visitors to their campsite only enhances those feelings. He is foolish to ignore them, but none of us think bad things are going to happen to us, do we? It’s always someone else, until it isn’t. I keep yelling at him to GO HOME, but he doesn’t hear me. LOL

“Courage is when something scares you and you do it anyway.”.

You may think, by looking at the cover, that this could be a simple western romance, so I want to tell you to buckle your seatbelt and hold on tight, because this is a wild ride.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Switchback by Pamela Fagan Hutchins.

See more at fundinmental

[Toni G · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I have to confess to being a huge Pamela Fagan Hutchins [PFH] fan. I’ve read the Katie, Emily, Maggie, Michele, and Ava trilogies. I read them back-to-back like a chain smoker. They’re suspenseful, funny, angsty, and sexy. When I saw there was a new book/series coming out I was excited. Then I found out the protagonist was a male physician. At first, I was iffy. Aren’t there enough books out there that revolve around the “man”? I decided to give it a try.

Patrick Flint is married to Susanne, and they have two children and live in a small town in Wyoming. As I got further into the book, I became curious about the family. Patrick, a hard-working, good-intentioned husband, and father, Susanne, the wife and mother who’s reluctantly living in Wyoming, their teenage daughter who’s “in love,” and a young adolescent son who hasn’t quite found his voice.

Patrick is on his way home after working the night shift and is eager to embark on a long-planned family camping trip. At the last minute, Susanne decides she doesn’t want to go to Patrick’s extreme disappointment, but he insists that the trip is still on for both kids. Susanne stays home for some alone time, while Patrick and the kids head to the mountains for some horse camping, hunting, and fishing.

Oh, my Goddess. Things really go sideways, sketchy and dangerous at home and in the mountains. Okay, PFH has got me. It’s late, and I should be going to bed, but I make a deal with myself to read one more chapter before I turn out the light. Okay, just one more. I enjoyed the ride, and I’m looking forward to reading Snake Oil.

[Karen L Ledee · Rating 5 out of 5]

HELLO 2:45am! If you need to get up early the next day, don’t start reading this late in the evening. You will not be able to stop! This was ‘my stomach is in my chest and I think I stopped breathing’! OMG X 10! Not my usual reading genre, first time reading this author and I don’t remember why I agreed to read and review this book, but I am glad I did. ER doctor and his kids go into the high ground in Wyoming to hunt elk. What is supposed to be spending uninterrupted time with his kids, turns into a nightmare. They are terrorised by a couple of hard guys on motorcycles not knowing that an incident is related to them. This bonding trip is not quite what the good doctor expected. There are a few storylines that eventually merge together. Just an edge of the seat suspense! She takes you there. I believe I will read this author again after I recover from reading this book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Amy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible to put down!
I was on the edge of my seat throughout the story-I simultaneously wanted to read faster, and cover my eyes! The story, as Pamela Fagan Hutchins' books always are, is extremely well written, and I cannot recommend it enough. I can't wait for the next!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was okay. I just wanted to bitch-slap the entire family; the mom more so than the daughter.

[Deborah Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going hunting

Loved the doctor in the story with his family and the laurel and hardy bits thrown in when he tried to rescue. Can't wait to read more of these books.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes you on a roller-coaster ride from the first page to the last! Once you begin this book you can't put it down. It is loaded with murder, kidnapping, self-defense, and very bad people. When Dr. Patrick Flint decides to take his family on an Elk Hunting camping trip where they had to pack in with horses, his wife, Susanna rebels and and doesn't go. Since moving to Wyoming, Southern Belle Susanna has felt lost, save for one close friend. So Patrick, his young son and teenage daughter head out. Meantime, Susanna likes the solitude she is given with them gone...except...what happens to Susanna and her husband and children will change the lives of not only Susanna and Patrick but of their young children as well. Packing into the woods and facing the ultimate danger, will they make it out? Will they be saved? But how? With no way to communicate their plight can Patrick deal with the danger and consequences on his own? This is a terrific read that you don't want to put down until the end and what a great end it is! I received and ARC from the author but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful, well-written, and informative. Those are the top three words that come to me but there is so much more. This was proof that a mother should never ignore her intuition. It was hard to put this book down. I look forward to more adventures with the Flint family.

[Candy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not continue reading it. Characters just make such obviously bad choices.

[Ellie Carlisle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like this book. Once again I was taken in by all the 5 star reviews. Just wonder why so many people believe a mediocre book deserves 5 stars. They apparently have never read a good thriller by a really good author and there are so many out there. The main character is an MD but he is really stupid. On a camping trip with his two children they encounter several shady characters who leer and make remarks to the teenage daughter. Even with all that he leaves his daughter alone at the campsite while he and the boy go elk hunting. She,of course, is kidnapped. When they finally find her and realize they are all in danger, he must be proactive and use some forceful tactics, he makes this statement to himself, “I hate that i know from anatomy class where the soft spot is”. He then promptly pushes a knife in the soft spot and kills the guy. For Pete’s sake, he’s a dang doctor. Of course, he had anatomy classes. This author believes she’s a great author because of those reviews. Sadly she’s not. I did finish it but skimmed a lot because I couldn’t stand the dumb dialogue.

[Lisa Malmquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick Flint is looking forward to a few days off and having a peaceful getaway with his family in the Wyoming wilderness.
He's gotten a bit tired of the patients that are coming in with drug problems, angry families that blame him for their problems and midnight calls for treatment.
So, Dr Flint takes off into the mountains for a camping/fishing/hunting trip with his daughter, Trish
and son, Perry.
His wife decides she doesn't want to go at the last minute.
Things start to go wrong from the beginning.
Two days of rain, weird encounters with campers on speed, criminals on horseback scaring away the Elk and leering at his teen daughter.
Meanwhile, Susanne-the Docs wife- is back in town and not having a good time either.
She has a break in and a car wreck. She also has a premonition about her family possibly being in trouble.
Non stop action and an outdoor adventure. NO cell phones or computers included. The story is new but set in 1976. I almost read it straight through!

[R.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this outstanding novel the character of Patrick Flint is very good. I think the rest of his family creates a more realistic person and we get to see this as he and his wife work hard to save his family. There were a few things that I saw as stupid decisions that I can't really see this man making like leaving his daughter alone at a campsite with a dangerous fugitive on the loose in the wilderness. The writing is great though, I really felt the chill!

[Florence Witt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language: Some...no F-bombs
Violence: Some.
Sex: None
3.5 Read by the author who did a good job.
It was okay. I will read the second one to see if I want to continue with this series.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

A quick read! Great story line, with adventure and mystery. Along with a little family drama Definitely recommend reading it.

[Ruth Shadden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book from the start. Kept twisting and turning till the end

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are way too many stories in this book. We start with a night from heck in the Emergency Room where the Dr. Flint works, including two veterinary emergencies and dead sheriff's deputy. Of course, three of the emergencies show up later in the book related to the main story (whichever that is - there are so many that it's hard to tell). His wife - who starts out looking competent - devolves into a simpering mess who can't seem to do anything right. The story line about how the coroner's office wants to talk to him - supposedly to tie up some loose ends on a report - turns into a tool to get yet another story into the book.

So here it is, and see if you can keep it straight. A week ago Dr. Flint treated a woman for sepsis - but the family waited too long to bring her in and she ended up dying. Her relatives decide to take it out on the good doctor. Now the coincidences start piling up. Trish's (she's the doctor's daughter) crush is related to the dead woman, but has a different last name. The escaped convict who killed the deputy (the original emergency room scene) is also related to the dead woman, but has a third last name. It's because Trish wants her crush to show up at the campground that she tells him where they are, which allows the family of the dead woman to find them and kidnap her. Enough coincidences yet?

Then there's giardia. Trish doesn't believe in boiling water (even though she's been told to do so), so she just fills up canteens. She drinks from them - and is fine. Her younger brother (the most believable character in the book) also drinks from them - and is fine. Her father, on the other hand, gets it full-bore.

Dr. Flint is supposedly very competent in the wilderness - he finds clues Trish drops after being kidnapped - but fails to tell anyone when he changes his camping destination for the week. That's pretty basic stuff - let people know where you're going to be.

Then there's the meth lab that's in a trailer in a campground. Meth labs STINK; given that there are two patients in the ED (remember that opening scene) high on meth, and two more people show up in the "remote" camping area who are also high on meth, you would think that the sheriff's office would be investigating the stink - but no, they seem pretty clueless about it.

One of the veterinary emergencies in the opening scene involves a horse with a broken leg and how the human doctor covers for the veterinarian when the vet is out. I personally find that extremely difficult to believe, but fine. Except that the human doctor treats the horse and casts the leg - which provides him with the information on how to do so for his own horse (with a much worse fracture) later in the book.

Not worth the read.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that many people will truly enjoy.
SPOILERS ahead
I felt that the story became more convoluted at each new turn. People are basically divided into good and evil. People in our family are all very good. Righteous. Despite making family members do what they don’t want because he does, the father is Our Hero. Descriptions of his past behavior include refusing to stop the car on a road trip for family members to use the bathroom. A jar is passed to them. We are supposed to believe this man loves his family and is a Christian. His cruelty gave me serious pause.
The wife is feisty and (despite her protests) extraordinarily brave. Too feisty and brave to put up with bullying husband in my opinion.
The teenagers were primarily cowed although the daughter showed she’s her mothers girl.
The trilogy here seems to be Guns, Guts and the Bible. Ok. I would have liked to see character development that wasn’t so one dimensional. The Outlaws were of course, strictly Evil. It wasn’t possible to show more complexity than mean, drunken depravity. The one character who is a reluctant outlaw could have been a great match for the daughter. Both were bullied by overbearing fathers. Despite him “following the commands of a dangerous parent” and thus sympathetic, it’s a big shrug of - it’s for the courts to decide. Good or evil and never the two might wander to grey.
Also there were simply unbelievable aspects to the story line. The piling up of catastrophes for example. The nearly laughable lack of law enforcement competence or involvement. The horse with a broken leg would be shot in that situation. Undoubtedly.
If multiple people drink contaminated water it is highly improbable that only the largest person and not the smaller and younger would become ill to the point of unconsciousness. It’s another of the- oh no this can’t be!
I won’t be reading more in this series but again- I’m sure that there are those that will really enjoy this story. My taste isn’t everyone’s and I don’t expect it to be.

[RedRedtheycallmeRed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book that moves at a pretty fast pace. The setting was interesting, 1976 Wyoming, where Dr. Patrick Flint sometimes had to be the emergency vet when he was on call.

Patrick is a hardass when it comes to his family, to the point of cruelty sometimes. HE wants to go elk hunting, so everyone else should want to go and enjoy it because he does. He either gets sulky or angry (he seems to have some anger issues) when met with resistance. But his wife Suzanne has some anger issues of her own, and she stays home while he goes hunting with the kids.

Things go from bad to worse, for both Suzanne and Patrick, and they mostly have to rely on themselves for help. One Trish is discovered missing, the pace really picks up, though not entirely believable. The end wrapped up a little too quickly.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm thankful I could listen to this book at 1.5 speed. If I had been reading it, I would have done a lot of skimming.

Pros: I enjoyed the Wyoming setting and descriptions of the way of life there.

Cons: I didn't care for the family. Throwing things at your spouse or trying to force someone to do things they are scared of or hate for "vacation" doesn't impress me. The whiney, rebellious teenager wasn't enjoyable either.

There were so many plot holes and unbelievable developments. The way everyone could easily track the bad guys through miles of wilderness in the middle of the night was absurd. But my main issue was not being able to connect with any of the characters. Won't bother with another one.

[Linda Ackelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I thought it was a bit slow taking off, but every portion set you up for what was to come!! It was totally needed!! Essentially told by 3 of 4 family members (Patrick, Susanne and Daughter Trish) little brother Perry plays an integral part.
As all Pamela Fagan Hutchins novels (What Doesn't Kill You series) Switchback has characters well developed, suspense, and not just strong male characters but female characters which I love.
Once again, Pamela's descriptions of the area, Wyoming, and building characters you can 'see and feel, and the building suspense and tension are extremely well done!!