Elise Rockwood is a 30-year-old property owner who rents cabins out in Sacramento Valley. Each day is an ongoing battle for her. She is still heartbroken over a breakup with her former lover, Christian, two years ago. As well as the tragic murder of her sister 25 years ago. For ten years, Robin’s murder was a cold case. Until a local boy confessed to the murder and ended his own life. Even though Elise, her brother Kyle, and their mother should have felt some sort of closure, the damage was already done and continues to linger. In present day, Elise learns that Christian’s body was found on a nearby trail – the same spot that Robin’s body was found. As authorities dig into Elise’s past and connection to the victim, she grapples with the trip down memory lane. But then Christian’s wife reaches out to her. And Kyle is convinced that there’s more to the story. And before Elise knows it, she’s battling trauma, backlash, and conspiracies all over again. Follow Her Down by bestselling author Victoria Helen Stone is a mystery/suspense novel that follows Elise as she battles remerging trauma, backlash, and conspiracies – and the truth is something she never could have prepared for.
Book
After Robin’s murder, Mrs. Rockwood never left the house again. Crippled with anxiety that her daughter could return home at any moment, she refused to leave. Kyle was 13 years old at the time, and had assumed the role of “man of the house” and took care of 10-year-old Elise. And when an ex-boyfriend confessed to the crime in his suicide letter, everyone had hoped they could move on. But Kyle, having the tendency to get fixated on conspiracy theories, is convinced that the confession was false and that more people were involved – more specifically, Christian and his two business partners. At first, Elise is hesitant to buy into his ramblings. But then she starts to see the possible connections. And photographic evidence that Kyle might be right. Soon Elise becomes an active participant in uncovering the truth – but she’ll never be prepared for it.
Review
Stone has a knack for suspense, thriller, and mystery, as demonstrated in Follow Her Down. The pacing is slow but the style in writing and storytelling kept me engaged. I appreciated Stone’s approach to a tragic loss in the family; the story focuses on how the Rockwoods deal with grief, the aftermath, and lingering PTSD while living the small town where it all occurred. I also thought that Elise’s struggle with alcohol abuse that rendered her an unreliable narrator at times was an interesting choice – one that added to the mystery and confusion of the whole story. That being said, the ending was just a tad disappointing. While certainly a twist, the reveal left a few questions unanswered. Even so, it didn’t ruin the experience for me, and I definitely recommend this title to readers who love suspense/mystery/thriller.
Victoria Helen Stone joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about how she approaches dark themes in her work and why she ended the book the way she did. Keep an ear out for the interview and pick up a copy of Follow Her Down, available now.
