Lisa Gardner’s ‘One Step Too Far’ Is an Emotional Tour De Force [REVIEW]

A missing groom vanishes in the wilderness. A search party hunts for him one last time. But someone dangerous is watching. Who will emerge from the forest alive? Find out in Lisa Gardner’s new thriller, One Step Too Far.

My first thought after finishing One Step Too Far is that every human on the planet is looking for a place to belong, an opportunity to matter to at least one other person in the world. In the case of Frankie Elkin—who looks for missing people—she finds herself as well her purpose through her work. Gardner’s novel begins when Elkin attaches herself to a search party looking for a groom who has gone missing during his bachelor party camping trip in a national forest in Wyoming.

From there, readers are taken on a dark and twisty ride through dense woods and around dizzying switchback turns that will keep your head spinning until the very last page. In fact, my mind is still reeling from shock and dismay as to who the villain is. Gardner kept me in suspense until the end! Usually, I have some inkling of who is responsible for all the malice in a thriller, but not this time. Well done, Lisa Gardner!

However, what I really enjoy in this novel is the arc of the protagonist, Frankie. Her thoughts, logic, fears, and desires are written with unflinching honesty and remarkable clarity. As Frankie dares to take a long hard look at who she is, I found myself relating to much of the raw emotion she feels as she gazes into her past.

This type of deep dive into the human psyche results in a thriller that transcends the genre. It’s a book that teaches us that if we are to survive, we must remember that others come into our lives for a reason and that not everyone is cut from the same cloth. And sometimes, if we are very lucky, we encounter wonderfully kind, compassionate people who simply want the best for us and offer us help without any strings attached. When we come across these altruistic people, grab hold of them and don’t let go. Just open your heart to the experience. It will change you forever.

With One Step Too Far, Gardner delivers a tour de force that is as suspenseful as it is life affirming. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today!

ONE STEP TOO FAR
By Lisa Gardner
416 pp. Dutton Books. $27.

Purchase One Step Too Far direct from Jathan & Heather Books or from one of these other fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Half Price Books, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Powell’s, Target, or Walmart.