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The Guide

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What to expect

'Exceptionally good... A frighteningly plausible nightmare'
Observer, Thrillers of the month

'Extraordinary: a unique blend of thriller, post-Covid dystopia and paean to the healing properties of nature'
Guardian

'Peter Heller's thrillers unfurl like campfire yarns'
New York Times

'An ever so subtly dystopian wilderness noir that speculates on the horrors of a post-pandemic society'
USA Today

Kingfisher Lodge: a boutique resort surrounded by a mile and a half of the most pristine river water on the planet.
Safe from viruses that have plagued America for years, Kingfisher offers a respite for wealthy clients - and a return to normality for fishing guide Jack, battling the demons of a recent, devastating loss.
But when a human scream pierces the night, Jack soon realises that the idyllic retreat may be merely a cover for a far more sinister operation.

Critics Review

Extraordinary: a unique blend of thriller, post-Covid dystopia and paean to the healing properties of nature.
Guardian
Exceptionally good... A frighteningly plausible nightmare.
OBSERVER, Thriller of the month
Peter Heller's thrillers unfurl like campfire yarns.
New York Times
Moves inexorably from natural elegy to a fast-paced and page-turning what-the-hell-is-going-on? Shades of nativist anti-cosmopolitanism, but first-rate.
The Critic
An ever so subtly dystopian wilderness noir that speculates on the horrors of a post-pandemic society.
USA Today
Riveting... A chilling reminder of the dangers that might lie in wait for us all.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
A modern master of the wilderness thriller.
Crime Reads
The Guide is a glorious getaway in every sense, a wild wilderness trip as well as a suspenseful journey to solve a chilling mystery.
BookPage
Peter Heller is the poet laureate of the literary thriller, and The Guide offers further proof for the case. Powered by Heller's trademark prose, which alternately thunders and eddies like his beloved western rivers, this sinister and soulful story unfurls so skillfully that it's easy to ignore all the layers beneath-but you shouldn't. Heller writes about the eternal questions and the exquisite details, and he knows the places where they intersect in the human heart and the natural world.
Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD
PRAISE FOR PETER HELLER AND THE RIVER
'Glorious prose and razor-sharp tension' Observer Thrillers of the Year
'Utter joy... A suspenseful tale told with glorious drama and lyrical flair' Denise Mina, New York Times
'Urgent, visceral writing - I couldn't turn the pages fast enough' Clare Mackintosh
'Lyrical and action-packed by turns' Guardian
'A must read' Daily Express

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