In 1893 every resident in a town called Abandon disappeared, never to be found again. Journalist Abigail and her father Lawrence are determined to find out what really happened but their journey becomes more dangerous than they ever expected. Every Blake Crouch book that I have read has been amazing, but I think Abandon might just be my new favourite. Be prepared to be on edge for the entirety of this book, I am certain that your heart rate won't come back down until you've finished reading! The plot was fast-paced and constantly kept me guessing at what would happen next. I really enjoyed its unpredictable nature. My favourite part of the book was the remote winter setting. It was harsh and unforgiving, making everything a real challenge for the characters. The story is told across both past and present which was really exciting to follow both sets of characters and their journeys. Abandon is a rollercoaster of a read that would make a fantastic film. Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I’m a huge fan of Blake Crouch, this was the seventh book I’ve read by this author and so far they’ve all been brilliant. This books is 4.5 stars for me rounded up. It gets five for tension and plot. It was a little too horrifying for me in a couple of places otherwise it would have been five. This is just personal preference though and I’m sure for some people they’ll really enjoy these two unnerving moments. This leans more horror thriller than sci-fi thriller like many of other Crouch novels. The sci-fi thrillers are my favourite. This genuinely is such a clever book! I was wondering how he was going to resolve the disappearance of the town and right up until he explained it I was still guessing and looking in the wrong direction! Very thrilling! This author really does know how to keep you on your toes! I thought the transition between the two time periods of modern day and 1893 worked really well as the modern characters are investigating what happened to the town that disappeared. The Colorado isolated mountain town setting just worked so wonderfully well! So creepy and atmospheric and yet eerily beautiful at the same time. I will continue to read anything Blake Crouch writes, he has become one of my favourite authors!

This started out rather different that I thought it would as Abi, a ghost hunter couple, guide who has partnered up with Abi's estranged father as their guides head to the beautiful San Juans where they have been given permission to go to a hidden & haunted old mining town. Abigail hopes for a story to make her name but little does she knows the events that will unfold. Back in 1893 the townspeople of #Abandon disappeared on Christmas Day, meals left on tables. Nothing looks to have been touched. What happened to them & will history repeat itself? There are a few images from this read that will stay with me a long time. I was a little disappointed as I thought there would be a more supernatural feel to the read. But then I'd rather know about the people that went missing & why rather than angry ghosts. The dual timelines helped & I wanted to find out how certain townspeople made their way to Abandon in the first place & did they deserve their final fate? I do like a snowy mountain thriller & kept turning the pages to see who would survive. This edition had a short story at the end about how a character made his way there & how the journey changed him. Thank you Stephen at BlackCrow Pr for my gifted copy

Abandon by Blake Crouch Title - Abandon Author - Blake Crouch Release Date - August 2023 Page Count - 425 Read/Listen Time - 11hrs Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /3 stars You have to love a bit of Blake Crouch; The Pines series was mysterious, Dark Matter was fascinating and The Upgrade was high octane and this is to reference just a few. Abandon thought is a little different to his usual, it was slow and meandering and that oomph that we have become accustomed to with Crouch books just didn’t arrive. Abandon is written well and the few action scenes were blistering but it just didn’t have that bite. If this was a debut novel I’d have thought it was brilliant but it just wasn’t in keeping to my expectation of Crouch. So what’s it about…the aptly named town of Abandon’s inhabitants mysteriously vanished in the 1893. We follow a dual timeline with a group of gold hunters in modern day - what happens with this group and what happened to the towns people all those years ago. Throw in a team of commandos and some gunfights and that sums up the novel. No major surprises and was a little too obvious I give this 3 stars.