Review: Follow Me Down - Sherri Smith

Follow Me Down
by Sherri Smith
Published: March 28, 2017
Genre: Thriller Mystery

Mia Haas has built a life for herself far from the North Dakota town where she grew up, but when she receives word that her twin brother is missing, she’s forced to return home. Once hailed as the golden boy of their small town, Lucas Haas disappeared the same day the body of one of his high school students is pulled from the river. Trying to wrap her head around the rumors of Lucas’s affair with the teen, and unable to reconcile the media’s portrayal of Lucas as a murderer with her own memories of him, Mia is desperate to find another suspect.

All the while, she wonders, if he’s innocent, why did he run?

As Mia reevaluates their difficult, shared history and launches her own investigation into the grisly murder, she uncovers secrets that could exonerate Lucas—or seal his fate. In a small town where everyone’s history is intertwined, Mia will be forced to confront her own demons, placing her right in the killer’s cross hairs.

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Review

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.