Wildwood by Amy Pease @amypeasewriter @chrishcoffey @amandadolan @simon.audio @simonaudio@bsky.social @librofm @librofm.com #Northwoods #Wildwood

the setup…
It’s been a year and Deputy Sheriff Eli North has spent it well, giving up alcohol and getting professional help to gain control over his PSTD. He and his mother Marge, the Shaky Lake Sheriff are the sole law enforcement team in this rural town. They’re dispatched to the trailer of Trinity Campanella and find what looks like a murder scene sans a body. When the FBI shows up, they learn the young woman was a Confidential Informant (CI) for Agent Adam Diaz. Agent Alyssa Mason has returned to assist him, bringing some complicated feelings to the surface for Eli who worked with her on last year’s opioid investigation.

the heart of the story…
I was rooting for Eli to clean up his act after the last story because even in his sad state, you could see he was a skilled investigator. My instincts were right about him as the sober deputy was in fine form. The search for Trinity led them to a shady health care system with ties to some powerful people. There were some loose threads from that last case that seem to have some connection. We get the points of view from Eli in the present with transitions to Tiffany from six-months earlier going forward, all woven seamlessly.

the narration…
Chris Henry Coffey returns as the primary narrator with Amanda Dolan being the voice for Trinity. Using two elevated the storytelling factor, providing clarity. They delivered wonderful performances.

the bottom line…
While having such major illegal drug enterprises operating in such a small town where everyone knows everybody’s business might bring skepticism, the vast rural nature does allow for some hiding in plain sight. This was one of my most anticipated sequels and I got the twisty story I was hoping for. There’s a whiff of something between Eli and Alyssa that needs to be explored and I still think there’s more going on in this town. Book #3?

Book Info

• Release Date: January 6, 2026
• Series: Northwoods #2
• Narrators: Chris Henry Coffey & Amanda Dolan
• Audio Length: 9 hours, 25 minutes

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(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)