Heartwood

About the book

In the depths of the Maine forest, a seasoned hiker of the Appalachian Trail mysteriously goes missing. Valerie Gillis, aged forty-two, has disappeared just 200 miles away from her intended destination. Surrounded by nature, Valerie writes fragmented, poetic letters to her mother as she grapples with the harsh conditions and tries to hold on to hope.

Leading the search is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden in charge of locating Valerie. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a retirement community, unexpectedly becomes an amateur sleuth. As these gripping stories intertwine, a puzzle unfolds, adding urgency to the search as suspicions rise that Valerie's vanishing may not be mere coincidence.