Penny Bly is a young woman about to turn 21, attending a special school in Wisconsin and entering her tenth year of therapy with Dr. Lance Brock. What sets Penny apart from the rest of the population is that she’s a savant – one out of 75 in the entire world. She has a photographic memory and an IQ of 198. But unlike others in her intellectual pool, Penny acquired these special abilities after a horrific accident in her home. After she woke up from her coma, her father had vanished without a trace. And even though she received a card from him each year afterward on her birthday, she never learned why he abandoned his only child. And when she opens her latest card on her 21st birthday, the message indicates it’s the last she’ll receive. Heartbroken and confused, Penny decides to take matters into her own hands and follow the return address to the West Coast. But what she soon discovers is that her exceptional intellect can’t have prepared her for the world outside her isolated life in the institute. The Father She Went to Find by bestselling author Carter Wilson is a psychological thriller in which Penny faces unexpected life-and-death situations on her way to solving the biggest mystery of her life.
Book
Dr. Brock informs Penny that he’s switching roles and will no longer be her therapist. After receiving the last birthday card from her father, she sees no reason to stay. So she stops at home to say “goodbye” to her self-medicated mother, packs a bag, and heads to the first stop on her route. There she encounters 19-year-old Travis, who offers to help her find a way to make money and travel with her to California. Unfortunately, their first attempt to get money goes horribly wrong, setting off a chain of events that includes escaping death, outsmarting dangerous criminals, and even saving lives. All while keeping her eye on the goal – finding her father and learning why he disappeared all those years ago.
Review
Wilson hits it out of the thriller park yet again with The Father She Went to Find. Penny’s personal journey is heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. How would a genius with abandonment issues survive in the real world, avoiding assassination attempts and running from the law? By surviving impossible situations and putting her brain to good use, Penny achieves incredible character growth. And Wilson gets all the credit delivering an emotional and action-packed story that readers won’t be able to put down until they reach the end. And what a beautifully frightening ending it is.
Carter Wilson joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about how he created such an exceptional character and how he approaches writing thrillers. Keep an ear out for an upcoming episode and preorder The Father She Went to Find, available April 2.
