What an adventure! Went Missing does for cryptids and the wilderness what Jaws did for sharks and the ocean! Chris Riley really knows how to weave a thrilling tale, and what makes the adventures of his protagonist, Sam Nolan, so compelling is Riley’s careful attention to detail when describing the wilderness and Nolan’s relationship with it. In Went Missing, whether in Canada’s Yukon Territory, where the main adventure takes place, or in New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness, the wild becomes a character in this novel, one with a potentially deadly personality that Nolan has to contend with as he searches for his missing brother in the Yukon. As one character says, “The wilderness is alive. And it’s always hungry.”
On the other hand, as Sam is called out of the Gila Wilderness by his family to help with finding his brother who’s “gone missing,” we’re also introduced the beauty and majesty of the wild in this novel. Sam Nolan is an expert survivalist with a profound respect for the land, and the reader spends much of the novel traveling and experiencing the wilderness with Sam. This is one of the many enjoyable features of the novel. As we follow Sam Nolan on his investigation, we get to see the natural world though his eyes, and not only is it fun as we observe him exercising unique survival skills, but it’s also insightful. As an outdoorsman and military veteran, myself, I was tickled at some of the details about outdoor life and survival Riley includes in his story. Sam’s dislike of tents, preferring to build improvised shelters, brought a smile to my face, along with many other details about hunting, fishing, and trapping game. Even if you took out the search and rescue elements of the story (which are thrilling!), there’d still be a novel about humanity’s relationship with nature that I would be willing to read over and again.
Went Missing is a thrilling tale of survival and healing that I highly recommend. It’s a book I know I’ll be revisiting once the weather cools and I have a chance to read it by a warm campfire while sipping coffee and listening to the sound of frogs singing across the lake…
I’ll just make sure I have my bear spray at the ready when that night comes.
(Went Missing will be available for purchase in early February. Check here for updates on its availability or check Chris Riley’s Amazon page for this and his other works.)
UPDATE: Pre-orders of Went Missing may be purchased through Black Rose Writing and Amazon.com.