Fallout by Carrie Stuart Parks

Fallout
by Carrie Stuart Parks

ISBN-13: 9780785239857
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: September 13th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In the dusty farming community of LaCrosse, Washington, art teacher Samantha Williams manages to save her students when an SUV crashes into the school. Authorities discover that the driver in the school accident was shot right before the crash, and the survivor explains that they had been called in to help with the investigation of two sets of skeletal remains that were recently discovered. Samantha quickly becomes enmeshed in strange events, which turn ominous with the discovery of blackmail, murder, an abandoned town, and a secret government project.

Samantha has long tried to forget the tragedy of her past, but the links here can't be ignored. Yet these are secrets that others are determined to keep buried, and they’ll use any means necessary to stop Samantha’s search for truth.


My Review:
Fallout is a suspense novel. Samantha had a traumatic past. Only she couldn't really remember what happened because she was so young. She's learned to cope through art, reading children's stories, and learning odd facts and survival skills. Samantha's asked to help a forensic artist create a drawing of the skeletal remains, and she's drawn into the investigation. She realized from the start that it wasn't clear if she or the driver of the SUV was the target of the shooter. Her random skills and knowledge helped keep her alive, and she's smart enough to piece together what's going on.

The love interest, Dutch, was an ex-firefighter who quit because of survivor's guilt and became a forensic artist. He struggled to forgive himself for the death of a friend who was attempting to save him. Dutch was supportive of Sam, and they worked well together.

The characters were interesting. The suspense came from a killer trying to harm those investigating the crimes. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this exciting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.