The Wilds had everything I look for in this genre: atmospheric writing and clever plots full of twists and mystery. Although this book is part of a series, it would work equally well as a standalone. It was wonderful to be back with Elin. As you'd expect from Sarah Pearse, the writing was beautiful, the characters felt real and engaging, and the mystery side was perfectly woven. Highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy.

Soooo many twists and turns and then a stunner ending. I ate, drank and breathed this book while ignoring the world fly by.

I absolutely devoured this one.

The setting is beautiful, wide open yet randomly claustrophobic and the mystery is clever, really well plotted and cleverly twisted so when reveals come you are often not ready for them.

Elin Warner is back and this book gives her an ending of sorts, you can read this as a standalone then go back to the others to see what lead her to this place, this time and this particular case.

I loved it. Definitely a high recommendation from me.

This is a great thriller! It's atmospheric as the previous two works by Sarah Pearse, and I absolutely loved it. And it has the most brilliant plot twist!
In the third book of Detective Elin Warner, we can see a lot of character development. Elin starts to repair her relationship with herself, and works hard on her relationship with her brother. She doesn't seem as naïve as before anymore. Elin and Isaac go on vacation together in a Portuguese National Park - but as it turns out, Isaac has an ulterior motive - his friend's sister disappeared in this very park...
Three years before, we meet Kier, who has to overcome childhood trauma and is unsure about her relationship with her boyfriend Zeph. Please check trigger warnings!
Over time, the two storylines start to connect. We also finally get answers to the questions from previous books.
Look forward to reading this one, it's brilliant!

📚The Wilds by Sarah Pearse

I read and thoroughly enjoy The Sanatorium, the earlier book in the series about police detective Elin Warner and each novel follows the classic device of interweaving the detective’s own dark past with their investigation of the crime at hand. Sarah Pearse writes wonderfully well about locations and always manages to imbue the landscape with atmosphere but I felt that this book fell a little short by being so issue-led that weakened the narrative. Each development of the plot felt haphazard and disconnected from the logical realities of the story and it seemed as through the author wanted a vehicle to discuss her research into issues around coercive control more than she wanted to write something that could be compelling and truthful, or indeed fulfil the requirements of a very commercial crime fiction novel. It seemed to me as though it was a novel formed out of one spark that failed to take light elsewhere.

Drenched in Atmosphere..
The third outing in the Detective Elin Warner series and this time a past disappearance at a Portuguese National park captures Elin’s interest. However, not everything is as it seems and Elin will need to take extreme care not to put herself in danger. Whilst a completely different feel from the first two in this series is apparent, this is a tension fuelled, intriguing and compelling mystery with a deftly drawn cast, a firm sense of place and a foreboding backdrop drenched in atmosphere and menace.

Third journey out for Elin Warner, and this time round the focus is on a disappearance rather than a murder.
Elin and her brother Isaac are on holiday in Portugal when he reveals there is an ulterior motive to their trip. He has promised a friend that he will look into a camp where his sister was last seen.
Nobody is keen to talk. Elin and Isaac are convinced there's something going on but they can't put their finger on exactly what has taken place. There are a number of mysterious coincidences that give them cause for concern, and the details we're given from the past definitely add to the sense of unease.
This was a case that felt frustrating to read about since we were missing some quite important details. However, it helped us to get an understanding of the twins and their relationship.
The resolution when it came felt rather unlikely, but it made sense for the details we were given. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this.

Sarah Pearse’s third thriller has a different feel to the first two in this series. Elin and her brother Isaac travel to Portugal on a camping holiday, but Isaac has a separate mission: to search for his friend’s twin sister Kier, who is missing, last seen in a Portuguese national park.
While location is still a primary focus, and Sarah does wonderful job of bringing the park to life, it feels like there’s a stronger focus on Elin and her wider relationships than in the previous two, which makes it feel just as much her story, as it is Kier’s.
The novel deals with some tough themes: gaslighting, emotional and physical abuse, and coercive control, so please check the trigger warnings.
It brings this part of Elin’s story to a close - there’s a satisfying character arc that ties up the loose ends, but I have a feeling we’ll be meeting Elin again.
Five stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the chance to read an ARC, and big congratulations to Sarah Pearse for another great story.

This wasn’t what I expected when I saw the cover and title to be honest although I did enjoy the book.
It was well written and the characters were aptly fleshed out, bouncing back and forth between two characters POV.
I sort of guessed what had happened well before the end but was pleasantly surprised with the actual ending.
A solid thriller, with a few twists.

A really great story with so many twists and turns and then an ending I wasn't expecting! Well worth every moment reading this book.

I loved the other two Sarah Pearse books that I’ve read, so had very high hopes for this one. The story follows Elin again but this time alongside her brother. They head off to Portugal on holiday and end up investigating a missing person. The overall storyline was interesting but it didn’t have the dark plot like the other two and was a little more flimsy in terms of plot. It was enjoyable though and I would still pick up another one of Sarah’s books in the future.

This was a thought provoking read which surprised me. Sarah sums it up well in that this is definitely a whydunnit and not just a whodunnit. The Wilds gripped me in a way more than just trying to uncover a mystery but also kept me there to fully understand the relationships and people involved.
Definitely a five star read and my favourite of the three Sarah has written so far.

This is the third outing for Pearse’s Elin Warner. In the previous books, we learn that Elin has been estranged from her brother, Isaac, for a number of years, but now it’s time for them to reconcile. I was very happy to see the siblings getting to know each other again, having both suffered major traumas.
Isaac chooses a trip into the wilderness of Portugal for their time together, but he has another reason for this specific setting. To find his friend's sister.
The structure is alternating chapters beginning with the missing woman’s point of view and, although I found it a little confusing at the beginning, it actually worked very well.
The setting is atmospheric and menacing and the weather sometimes eerie and danger is around every corner. There are twists and turns constantly throughout and Pearse keeps us guessing until the very end. What more could you wish for in a page turner of a book.
The underlying theme is relevant to the world we live in, but is treated sympathetically and intelligently.

Third book in the Erin Warner series, and very different to the first two. Stepping away from the Christie style murder mysteries into a psychological thriller exploring the disappearance of Keir in Portugal.
This story was much slower and featured Erin and her brother Issac heavily. Their relationship underwent much exploration and there were deep undertones around navigating grief.
The chapters alternated viewpoints between Erin and Keir, and I was really drawn to Keirs character. A vulnerable young woman drawn into a toxic relationship with a controlling man. There weren’t the twists and turns we are used to from Pearse. Instead we were given a believable story about domestic abuse which had the writing skill to make the reader uncomfortable. Exploring how easy it is to make excuses for behaviour and to blame yourself in these situations.

The Wilds is the third installment of Sarah Pearse's Detective Elin Warner series and one that I have been highly anticipating for over a year since I first discovered the series. The Wilds takes Elin on a holiday trip to the wilderness of Portugal with her brother Isaac. Elin is drawn in by the disappearance of Kier from a nearby camp.

This book is told in two different timelines, present day and the past using flashbacks. This was such a gripping thriller and the mystery kept me on my edge, especially once we start getting Kier's POV. And for existing fans of the series, I am always wanting more information of a certain someone in Elin's life and The Wilds delivers.

I would highly recommend this book and the series overall to any thriller fan and want to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC!

I quite enjoyed this book, especially with knowing the characters from the previous books in the series. It was really easy to get into, and also I like the style of writing by the author. The plot was a little confusing at times, but overall a good read and I would likely recommend this series to others.

This is the 3rd outing for detective Elin Morgan, who recently has had to deal with more than most so a trip with her brother to
Portugal seems like it would be the perfect aid to relaxation. However with a missing woman from Elin's town back in England and her bothers interest in the case the trip to Portugal takes
on new significance for Elin.
I don't want to give any spoilers so wont go into the storyline to much except to say that i enjoyed how the story was woven together and the shock of who this was connected to was brilliant!
Another corker of a book

I really enjoyed Sarah Pearse's previous books so was excited to get my hands on her new one! In The Wilds we head to Portugal where Detective Elin Warner finds herself investigating the disappearance of Kier whilst on holiday with her brother Isaac.
The book jumps from flashbacks of Kier in Devon to the present-day investigation. I found it to be an engaging thriller with plenty of twists and turns along the way,

Contemporary drama,set mostly in Portugal ,the main theme being domestic abuse and coercive control. A secondary theme is about family. Good characters.

The twists and turns right from the start kept me totally gripped what a great read. Loved the descriptive way the story was written and characters that constantly kept me hooked .