The Hiker by M. J. Ford

 

Successful solicitor, Sarah Kline, is busy making sure everything at work is sorted as she's a week away from getting married to fiance Doug when she gets a visit from the police. The police are investigating the whereabouts of her sister Gemma as they've discovered a burnt out car containing a body in the Pennines. They believe the body is Gemma's boyfriend but there's no trace of Gemma. Even though Sarah and her sister have been estranged for five years she feels she has to go to the Pennines to discover what has happened. When Sarah arrives in the village of Hartsbridge she hears that another young woman disappeared fifteen years previously and was never found. There's also a local legend of a big cat prowling the local moors.

This is one of those mystery stories that has you thinking you've got everything figured out, the villain nailed from the outset, to then throw you completely off. 

The first half of the story alternates between Sarah and Gemma. Sarah's story is told from her the moment she discovers her sister is missing and decides to investigate the disappearance. Interspersed with this is Gemma's story which begins three weeks previously and explains the build up to her disappearance. The alternating of these stories keeps the pace going.

If anything the first half of the book doesn't do the story justice as it's about halfway through that the tension really begins to escalate and you begin to wonder about exactly what Sarah has stumbled on to. 

The Pennines feature heavily, making you realise how lonely and isolated you can be both out on the moors and in one of the tiny villages dotted around. The village of Hartsbridge is populated by a strange mix of characters and you wonder who, if anyone, can be trusted. You also have to question what secrets they are hiding.

The Hiker by M. J. Ford will be published on 10th November 2022 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a review copy.