The Father She Went to Find: A Novel

"A Beautiful Mind takes a life-and-death road trip in this battle of wits, maze of psychological suspense, and heartbreaking family drama." --Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of One Wrong Word

A road trip to find closure... or a reckless chase that could turn deadly?

Penny has never met anyone smarter than her. That's par for the course when you're a savant--one of less than one hundred in the world. But despite her photographic memory and super-powered intellect, there's one mystery Penny's never been able to solve: why did her father leave when she was in a coma at age seven, and where is he now?

On Penny's twenty-first birthday, she receives a card in the mail from him, just as she has every year since he left. But this birthday card is different. For the first time ever, there's a return address. And a goodbye.

Penny doesn't know the world beyond her mother's house and the special school she's attended since her unusual abilities revealed themselves, but the mystery of her father's disappearance becomes her new obsession. For the first time ever she decides to leave home, to break free of everything that has kept her safe, and use her gifts to answer the questions that have always eluded her. What Penny doesn't realize is she might not be able to outsmart a world far more complicated and dangerous than she'd ever imagined...

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Published Apr 2, 2024

448 pages

Average rating: 10

3 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Cantina Book Club
Nov 03, 2025
10/10 stars
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.

In-depth book review: https://cantinabookclub.com/review/the-father-she-went-to-find-by-carter-wilson

Podcast interview with Carter Wilson:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-23-carter-wilson-the-father-she-went-to-find/id1716042267?i=1000650487264
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4h29F7Xn7UBQ3n4eN43ACC?si=8e5e2997e16b4bf4
YouTube: https://youtu.be/FpAG54EFMHY?si=BJSwmyLDFelx6K6Z

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