Jess Grogan is an unemployed journalist who wants to know why her mother Nora vanished thirty years ago whilst walking the Appalachian Trail for charity. When she receives an anonymous message on her website entitled ‘Body Found In The Appalachians’ Jess is convinced it’s her mother’s and flies to the US in the hope of getting closure and also write the true story of her mother’s disappearance. The story of ‘The Trail’ encompasses black magic, mystical bracelets and cults and is told in alternate chapters by Jess in the present time and Nora thirty years later in 1993. For some time M A Hunter has been one of my favourite authors whose books I want to read without needing to look at the initial description and ‘The Trail’ hasn’t disappointed me. I’ve been pulled into the story from the first page and although different to what I’ve come to expect it has a well-thought-out plot with twists and turns, great character descriptions and tension that’s increased with each chapter. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading this thriller that’s stretched my imagination and kept me involved, and has a conclusion that’s come as a massive surprise and is totally unexpected. I can’t wait for the next thriller from this talented author.

I read the synopsis of 'The Trail' and it certainly sounded like the sort of psychological thriller that I particularly enjoy. I couldn't wait to dive in and so without further ado, I grabbed my Kindle, grabbed a cup of tea and settled down for what proved to be an interesting few hours of reading. Overall I did enjoy treading 'The Trail' but more about that in a bit. I have to be honest and say that it took me a little while to get into 'The Trail' but that has more to do with the fact that I was tired and finding it hard to concentrate when I started to read the book. Once I got into 'The Trail' that was it and I was away as the saying goes. The story intrigued me as did the characters. I had my own suspicions as to what was going to happen so I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered off in the opposite direction. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. All too quickly I reached the end of 'The Trail'. I found 'The Trail' to be a tense, gripping and dramatic read, which certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat. 'The Trail' is extremely well written. The author certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proves to be one heck of a story. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly steady pace throughout. The story is told using a dual timeline - one timeline focuses on what led up to the disappearance of Jess's mother Nora back in the day and the other timeline takes place in the present day and follows Jess on her journey to discover what happened to her mother. The two timelines interlink really well and the story flows seamlessly as a result. Reading 'The Trail' felt like being on at times scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. That's how I felt anyway. In short, I did enjoy reading 'The Trail' and I would recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of M. A. Hunter's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.