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Amity Gaige, author of Heartwood

In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is 42-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping. At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a 76-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Roving between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental.

Week of January 26, 2026

Paperback releases for the week of January 26th include PRESUMED GUILTY by Scott Turow, which marks Rusty Sabich's return to the courtroom as he defends his girlfriend's son against first-degree murder charges; Walter Mosley's BEEN WRONG SO LONG IT FEELS LIKE RIGHT, an emotionally stirring and pulse-pounding mystery in which a family member’s terminal illness leads P.I. Joe King Oliver to the investigation of his life; GOOD DIRT, a moving novel from Charmaine Wilkerson that finds the daughter of an affluent Black family piecing together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom; HEARTWOOD by Amity Gaige, which takes readers on a gripping journey as a search and rescue team race against time after a woman mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail; and Marianne Richmond's IF YOU WERE MY DAUGHTER, a powerful memoir about overcoming a mother's emotional neglect and finding the courage to reclaim the story of your life.