The Guide

Tell me a story... about a fight for survival 

 The Guide by Peter Heller

Publication date: August 24, 2021

Date read: November 25, 2021

Three years after the events of The  River, Jack decides to take a job as a fishing guide at an elite resort catering to the rich, famous, and other who wish to remain anonymous and escape from the pandemic running through the cities. His first client is a famous singer, and his only job is to carry her gear, rig her line, and give her advice on how to catch the best trout in the river. But a few things aren’t adding up to Jack. He never sees anyone else fishing, despite their being other guests staying at the resort, and the security is just a little too extreme. It’s not long before Jack realizes that idyllic fishing lodge might just be a cover for something more sinister, and he’s not sure who he can trust. 

Note: This is a sequel to The River, but only in that one of the main characters from The River is also the main character here, and events from The River will be spoiled if you read this book first. It is not necessary to read The River before reading The Guide, but if you plan to read The River at some point, I would definitely recommend reading it first, as the ending will be spoiled for you if you read The Guide first. 

Other than having the same main character, this book is so far off from The River that I sometimes had a hard time believing it was the same author. If you were looking for a thriller with The River and were disappointed, this is the book you were looking for. 

The times when I could easily believe that the same author wrote both books was when the characters were out in nature. The book takes place at an elite fishing lodge, and there are multiple scenes where the characters just do some fishing. This author is amazing at making the reader feel like they’re out in nature, describing the scenes in a beautiful, but not overly flowery, way. Also, fans of fishing will get a little extra out of these scenes because of the way the scenes are written. Specific lures and techniques are mentioned but not explained, so to the uninitiated they’re just words, but to someone who knows fishing, I’m sure they’re cool details. (Don’t worry, though, non fishermen won’t feel lost - it’s not like a lack of knowledge will make you miss any major plot points.)

But in the end, this book was a great mystery/thriller. Throughout most of the book, the reader is in the dark as much as Jack is, and there are enough hints that things are wrong to keep the reader interested and guessing. And I felt that the payoff was worth it. I can’t say much more without getting into spoiler territory, but I loved following Jack as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Plus, unlike a lot of thriller protagonists, he didn’t make stupid decisions, for the most part. I often find, when reading this type of book, that the protagonists make really risky decisions simply to move the story along, even if they don’t make sense as something that a normal person would do. Jack felt incredibly believable in these situations and was easy to root for. 

Overall, this is a good thriller for anyone who likes the genre, but those who like fishing and nature will get a little extra out of it. 

Rating: 4 stars 

Trigger warning: pandemic, PTSD, death, murder, mauling, medical treatment against patients will

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.