In the Woods Somewhere: A Stevie Diaz Mystery

ARC Review- In the Woods Somewhere centers on 911 operator Stephanie “Stevie” Diaz after she receives a panicked call one shift from none other than her former best friend, Andy. After her ex bestie turns up missing and then eventually dead, Stevie takes solving the mystery into her own hands by hyper-focusing on gathering clues regardless of how her fixation affects her life. Amidst uncovering just what the heck happened to her ex bestie friend that fateful night in the woods somewhere, her personal life and marriage begins to implode after she “runs into” her other ex bestie and former crush. I loved everything about this mystery thriller and it was a gripping rollercoaster of whodunnit, but also what’s going to happen next. I thought the chapter titles were clever, IYKYK. I found Stevie’s personal life & love triangle to be commonplace, but also empowering in a way and I’m sure many people could see a little bit of themselves in Stevie’s bold personality. She’s imperfect, raw, and messy just like the rest of us. She makes mistakes but is trying her best to “figure it all out”. Her two beaus were also quite special and I enjoyed the fact that they were very much polar opposites, but both had Stevie at the center of their universes much like she was their sun. Additionally the thrill of following Stevie as she begin putting pieces of the puzzle together was fun and to be honest, the killer could have been a number of suspects. I would highly recommend to all lovers of thrilling mysteries and even those who love raw and flawed characters just making their way through life. I love forward to reading the next installment in the Stevie Diaz Mystery Series “Down by the Water”!

In the Woods Somewhere by Sam Evans is a haunting neo-noir mystery that starts with a chilling 911 call for Stevie Diaz, a dispatcher. But it cuts off after what might be a gunshot. Obsessed with finding the truth, she dives in. It’s a compelling story with small-town suspense and painful emotional twists. Stevie’s flawed, impulsive, and sometimes childish. But yeah, the book is fast, especially for a non-detective. Her work and personal life get just the right attention. One letdown was the subplot with an extramarital affair. Still, it’s a good read. Fans of small-town crime mysteries will enjoy it.