4.25 Stars

Mia Haas left North Dakota behind 5 years ago and hasn't looked back, her brother handles her mother for them and she doesn't have to face the town and life that never did any good for her. Called back by the police for questioning regarding her brothers disappearance, she finds everything is not as she left it behind. Lucas Haas is wanted for the murder of an underage girl, but Mia knows he would never do anything like that and is determined to uncover the truth, no matter what it takes. Facing the town's ridiculing stares is one thing, but uncovering her past to find the answers leads Mia down a twisted trail she can barely handle.

Follow Me Down comes with all of my favorite mystery novel qualities, plus my favorite type of narrator...an unreliable one. Mia is a pill popping extraordinaire, she manages to come across as totally normal to everyone around her, except her mind is a jumbled mess. Readers are treated to her frantic thoughts and desperation bordering on obsession to find her brother and prove his innocence. Like most small towns, Mia's hometown features unpleasant drama between the upper and lower class, secrets covered by years of piled up betrayal and judgement, and the ability to ruin one person's life with a mob mentality. On top of that, this is the height of scandal; Jason is a young, good looking teacher and for him to not only have an affair with a student, but to also kill her, has everyone talking and everyone condemning him. Mia faces those opinions, taking on dangers and participating in slightly crazy antics to uncover the truth, along the way uncovering her own personal truth. She's the kind of character you want to believe, but she's just unreliable enough that you question everything she does. I absolutely never saw the ending coming, Sherri Smith kept the truth of Jason going missing and the true cause of death of the young girl close.

Sherri Smith brings the little town the life, the secondary characters even having such complex personalities that you recognize every person Mia encounters has some part in the mystery that truly spans several years. From the copy-cat best friend and his pot dealing wife to the overly-interested little sister of the missing girl and a school counselor who might be a little more involved than Mia would like, every one of them tells part of the story. It's definitely a case of who-dun-it, a psychological mystery that shows just how corrupt and guilty a tiny town is. Follow Me Down is an immersive experience, when you finish the last page you will be shocked to see you haven't actually been living the horrors alongside Mia. A high 4 stars to Sherri Smith for this new release. ( )

This was an excellent book. I love a thriller that I don’t guess who dunnit! I really tried to guess but the author totally fooled me! I think it deserves 4.5 stars. ( )

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**

Despite the intrigue, the first 30% of this novel was dreadfully slow. The focus shifts towards Mia as a character and shies away from the murder investigation--not what I wanted to read about truthfully. I felt like it stayed there a little too long and made the story dry. But once it got over that hump, it was a thrilling read.

The mystery itself was great. Not everything is what it seems and I really had no idea what the solution to it all was. It made the slower first half worth it in the end.

Mia reminded me a lot of Rachel from The Girl on the Train. She's that unreliable narrator that is just on the edge of sobriety so it leads to some questionable events and circumstances. Her heart is in the right place but her actions aren't always the wisest. It does make for an "on-the-edge" of your seat ride though.

While this story suffers from a long exposition, the mystery itself will have you guessing to the very end!

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: http://wp.me/p7hLUw-24g
Actual Rating: 3/5 ( )

This was a really well written, exciting book. There are lots of twists and turns, and it keeps you guessing right up to the last few pages. Any fan of mystery or whodunnits will love this book. The pill popping sister is a really fleshed out character, and you will probably never guess who the killer is.

I won this from a goodreads giveaway ( )

This was a very ambivalent read for me. While I couldn't put the book down, eager to finally solve the mysteries of murder and disappearance, there where several parts where I was totally frustrated by the main character's unreasonable behavior and naive actions.

Mia Haas is contacted by the police who is searching for her brother. When she is told that Lucas is accused of having murdered one of his students, Mia immediately travels back to her hometown Wayoata. She is determined to find out what happened, as she is convinced that her brother can't be the murderer and fears that he may be a victim of crime himself. Trying desperately to figure out what happened to her brother and who the real murderer is, she treads on almost every foot available in town. However, the police as well as the residents of Wayoata have already convicted Lucas of being guilty for the gruesome murder, being sure that he fled town to escape punishment.

Which each day, Mia uncovers new secrets and intrigues that point to different suspects, but also plant seeds of doubt in her believe in her brother's innocence. However, Mia does not give up, even when intimidated and threatened herself.

The story took some really wild and unpredictable turns, more than once bordering on incredibility. Only at the very end the solution was presented as yet another surprising twist. I loved being left in the dark for so long and led on several different tracks only to find that they led to a dead end. However, at some point it almost became annoying to be given the runaround yet again. One detail that bothered me the whole time was Mia's pill abuse, which seemed a convenient way to explain away her repeatedly crude actions, but soon became tiring and superfluous. But in a weird way, these minor flaws also add to this suspenseful and surprising story's appeal.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own) ( )