Forsaken Country
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- Create Date：2022-10-01 11:21:34
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Allen Eskens
- ISBN：1668622688
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Three fathers collide on the trail of one missing child in this breathtaking new thriller from the bestselling and beloved author of The Stolen Hours and The Life We Bury。 Max Rupert has left his position as a Minneapolis homicide detective to live in solitude。 Mourning the tragic death of his wife， he's also racked by guilt--he alone knows what happened to her killer。 But then the former local sheriff， Lyle Voight， arrives with a desperate plea: Lyle's daughter Sandy and his six-year-old grandson Pip have disappeared。 Lyle's certain Sandy's ex-husband Reed is behind it， but the new sheriff is refusing to investigate。 When Max reluctantly looks into their disappearance， he too becomes convinced something has gone very wrong。 But the closer Max and Lyle get to finding proof， the more slippery Reed becomes， until he makes a break for the beautiful but formidable Boundary Waters wilderness with vulnerable Pip in tow。 Racing after the most dangerous kind of criminal--a desperate father--and with the ghosts of their own pasts never far behind， Max and Lyle go on the hunt within a treacherous landscape， determined to bring an evil man to justice， and to bring a terrified child home alive。
Reviews
Jeanie
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I’m kicking off Halloween month with a great crime thriller and the opening scene just happens to be October 31st！ I’ve been a fan since I read The Life We Bury and while this is technically #6 in the series， any of the novels can easily be read as a stand alone in my opinion。 Max has left the police force after having found and exacted revenge on the man who killed his wife。 He’s living in a remote cabin in northern Minnesota trying to come to terms with his grief and the life he’s taken。 The f I’m kicking off Halloween month with a great crime thriller and the opening scene just happens to be October 31st！ I’ve been a fan since I read The Life We Bury and while this is technically #6 in the series， any of the novels can easily be read as a stand alone in my opinion。 Max has left the police force after having found and exacted revenge on the man who killed his wife。 He’s living in a remote cabin in northern Minnesota trying to come to terms with his grief and the life he’s taken。 The former sheriff from the nearest town turns up at the cabin unexpectedly to ask Max for help searching for his daughter and grandson that have gone missing。 Max is hesitant to help， but he can’t stop thinking about it and soon gives in。 The investigation starts in Grand Rapids， moves to the Twin Cities and eventually leads to a face off in the Boundary Waters of MN。 I thought the ending was particularly good。 Allen Eskens’ series is a favorite of mine and I recommend it often。 I loved Forsaken Country。 The character development is always so good and the storyline is fast moving and entertaining。 I’m already looking forward to the next novel！ Thank you to @novelsuspects for a copy of Forsaken Country。 This is my unbiased review。 Pub date: September 2022Pages: 336 。。。more
Lindy Santellan
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This author never disappoints。
Jkane
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Plot: We find Max Rupert in seclusion， serving out a self-imposed prison sentence in an isolated cabin in the woods。 Having trouble dealing with his past actions， Max has sentenced himself to an indefinite prison term in solitary confinement。 While not happy， Max has no motivation to change things until his old friend Lyle comes calling， looking for help。 Lyle's daughter and grandson have gone missing and the current sheriff is enemy's with Lyle and refuses to look into her disappearance。 The Sh Plot: We find Max Rupert in seclusion， serving out a self-imposed prison sentence in an isolated cabin in the woods。 Having trouble dealing with his past actions， Max has sentenced himself to an indefinite prison term in solitary confinement。 While not happy， Max has no motivation to change things until his old friend Lyle comes calling， looking for help。 Lyle's daughter and grandson have gone missing and the current sheriff is enemy's with Lyle and refuses to look into her disappearance。 The Sheriff is not only friends with Lyle's daughter's abusive ex-husband， but he also has a history of protecting him。 And Lyle thinks that his daughter ex has done something terrible。 Reluctantly， Max gets involved， and we are taken on an old fashioned search by two ex-law enforcement officers who are not necessarily confined by what is legal and illegal。 The author's plots are rarely， if ever， intricate or filled with "surprises。" Instead， what you get is just an extremely well written novel carried along by deep characters and heart wrenching motivation。 One thing I can always count on with an Eskens' novel is that I will finished the book feeling totally satisfied， and this one is no different。 I will pre-order his next novel， as I did this one。 。。。more
Ann
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Max Rupert， what a fabulous character。 His journey through life is raw and real。 All of Allen Eskens books are 5 stars for me， he is truly a gifted writer。
Jennifer
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I would definitely recommend reading the previous books in the Max Rupert series before this one because they give a lot of background about who Max is and why he decided to become a hermit and live in a secluded cabin， alone。 He is reeling and devastated by what he did （in the previous book）。 I really enjoy these as audio books。 The narrator does a really great job IMO。 The one thing that is a little depressing about this series is that they don't really have a happy ending。 This book has less I would definitely recommend reading the previous books in the Max Rupert series before this one because they give a lot of background about who Max is and why he decided to become a hermit and live in a secluded cabin， alone。 He is reeling and devastated by what he did （in the previous book）。 I really enjoy these as audio books。 The narrator does a really great job IMO。 The one thing that is a little depressing about this series is that they don't really have a happy ending。 This book has less of the police procedural and courtroom drama that previous books in the series have had。 It mainly takes place in the Minnesota wilderness with great descriptions of the brutal landscape and cold。 I really like Max， as well as the supporting characters like Lyle， Pip， and Stub。 A suspenseful audio book that will keep you engaged and entertained。 。。。more
Lisa Turbes
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Couldn't put it down！ Couldn't put it down！ 。。。more
Lori
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Detective Max Rupert has left the Twin Cities and turned in his badge after secretly avenging his wife's death。 He exiles himself to the Northwoods of Minnesota where he becomes entangled in the search for a missing mother and son。 Not only does this novel have a page-turning plot， but the depiction of the characters and setting really add to the overall reading experience。 Detective Max Rupert has left the Twin Cities and turned in his badge after secretly avenging his wife's death。 He exiles himself to the Northwoods of Minnesota where he becomes entangled in the search for a missing mother and son。 Not only does this novel have a page-turning plot， but the depiction of the characters and setting really add to the overall reading experience。 。。。more
Carla Berlin
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Another great book by Allen Eskens。 I have enjoyed reading all of his series。
Susan Buist
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I’ve read all the Max Rupert books。 It was corny in some parts but a pretty good thriller。 He’s a good author。
Barbara
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An outstanding story teller。
Kaitlyn Lord
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Another 5 star read by this author！ This was a fast paced read which is always my favorite but just a solid read from start to finish！
Sheryl Hanefeld
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A great follow-up story relating to the death of Max Rupert’s wife。 The story explains how Max finds resolution for the past and the present。 The story is captivating and brilliantly written！
Dave
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Closer to 4。5 stars。 Excellent mystery/thriller read。 Well drawn characters， exciting plot。 Highly recommend。
Darcy
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Life is a little hard in this one for Max。 We start out and he's living his life in the middle of a pity party， one he's seems to relish being the center of， even going to so far as to make things worse for himself。 Then a friend needs help and he thinks of the boy and that brings him back to life。 All of sudden Max has something to work towards， finding the missing people， but especially the boy。 This mission brings Max back into the circle of people he knows from his former life and having to Life is a little hard in this one for Max。 We start out and he's living his life in the middle of a pity party， one he's seems to relish being the center of， even going to so far as to make things worse for himself。 Then a friend needs help and he thinks of the boy and that brings him back to life。 All of sudden Max has something to work towards， finding the missing people， but especially the boy。 This mission brings Max back into the circle of people he knows from his former life and having to talk about how things were left and where they might go。 All of that good things。 I just hope that he doesn't screw things up。The how of finding the boy got a bit crazy， traveling back and forth between up North and The Cities， then heading out into the Boundary Waters and very unfamiliar land。 Max had to make some choices along the way， hard choices， choices that were bad or worse， but it was the one choice that showed he wasn't beyond coming out of his pity party。 That choice， along with the connection to an old friend will make the next book really interesting to read。 。。。more
Anita
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A masterful Author。 This latest book did not disappoint
Cecil Huston
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Another page-burner from Mr。 Eskens！ Managed to devour this in one day; one of those that doesn't really have a good stopping point。 The switching perspective has the usual cliff hangers， which in turn drives you crazy at the same time as keeping you glued。 The personal epiphany that Max goes through is the biggest behind the scenes story， very believable and well told。 Since I hail from Minnesota as well， found his description of mid October in the far north of the state right on。 The character Another page-burner from Mr。 Eskens！ Managed to devour this in one day; one of those that doesn't really have a good stopping point。 The switching perspective has the usual cliff hangers， which in turn drives you crazy at the same time as keeping you glued。 The personal epiphany that Max goes through is the biggest behind the scenes story， very believable and well told。 Since I hail from Minnesota as well， found his description of mid October in the far north of the state right on。 The characters are well developed， showing various sides of the personalities which made them more human。 The new elements that are introduced are well timed， not just plopped into the story to cover holes like some seem to do。 This was a wild ride， looking forward to the next one！Need to add a note that the beginning of "The Deep Dark Descending" was absolutely the WILDEST opening to a story I have ever read， had me riveted with my jaw hanging open。 Wow！ 。。。more
Anne OK
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（Full review posted 9/29/22）A master of his craft， Allen Eskens never fails to deliver a pure adrenaline rush！ Forsaken Country is another topnotch plotted thriller with terrifying twists and turns that send readers into a blood-curdling deep-dive。 Max Rupert has previously appeared in The Guise of Another， The Heavens May Fall and The Deep Dark Descending。 His latest release can easily be read as a standalone， although I would highly recommend reading The Deep Dark Descending that leads up to M （Full review posted 9/29/22）A master of his craft， Allen Eskens never fails to deliver a pure adrenaline rush！ Forsaken Country is another topnotch plotted thriller with terrifying twists and turns that send readers into a blood-curdling deep-dive。 Max Rupert has previously appeared in The Guise of Another， The Heavens May Fall and The Deep Dark Descending。 His latest release can easily be read as a standalone， although I would highly recommend reading The Deep Dark Descending that leads up to Max’s current situation。 Picking up three years after the untimely death of his wife， Max Rupert has left his job as a homicide detective with the Minneapolis Police Department and is now living a life of solitude in a small cabin tucked away in the woods。 He’s unrecognizable with a bushy beard and shoulder-length hair。 He’s cut ties with his former friends and colleagues – and friend and partner Niki Vang。 Most importantly， he's living his self-imposed punishment。When an elderly grandfather seeks his help in locating his daughter and grandson after what looks to be a kidnapping by his daughter’s ex-husband。 Max is hesitant and must face his demons and a moral dilemma that continually plagues his personal life。 This book ripped me to shreds， but at the same time， I was completely spellbound and consumed by every stunning word as the author delves into the human conditions of heartbreak， loss and guilt while moving forward。 The case was solved with poetic justice being served but not without tragedy。 Max got a haircut and shaved off that scraggly beard， so this can’t be the end of his storyline。 As good as Forsaken Country is， there must be more， right？ Dangling ends are not a friend of this reader – so， please give us more of Max and Niki。 I hope I didn’t imagine that hint of romance developing between those two。 An incredible read that held me in its ice-cold clutches from start to finish – a story that lingers longer in the memory once the final page is turned。 。。。more
book_luv_r
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🎧AUDIOBOOK REVIEW🎧Once again Allen Eskins knocks it out of the part。 Superb narration。 Story is so well told。 I will always buy his books。
Carol Dass
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I think this is his best！ But I say that every time！ Can’t wait for the next one！
Tina
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I love each book by Eskens more than the one before。 This one instantly captured my attention and I did nothing until I had read the entire thing。 Although Max Rupert is a recurring character， I think this one can easily stand alone。 Loved the Minnesota setting and the way Eskens tells a story。
Su
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Absolutely fantastic。
Bookreporter。com Mystery & Thriller
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To say that Max Rupert has fallen off the beaten track into a self-imposed sort of isolation would be an understatement。 The tragic death of his wife has led the former Minneapolis homicide detective to leave everything behind， grow his hair out like a true mountain man， and move into a no-frills cabin deep in the woods。However， Max cannot escape from everyone。 Ex-local sheriff Lyle Voight finds him and makes a desperate plea。 His daughter， Sandy， and his six-year-old grandson， Pip， are nowhere To say that Max Rupert has fallen off the beaten track into a self-imposed sort of isolation would be an understatement。 The tragic death of his wife has led the former Minneapolis homicide detective to leave everything behind， grow his hair out like a true mountain man， and move into a no-frills cabin deep in the woods。However， Max cannot escape from everyone。 Ex-local sheriff Lyle Voight finds him and makes a desperate plea。 His daughter， Sandy， and his six-year-old grandson， Pip， are nowhere to be found， and he believes they were taken from their home against their will。 Even though evidence may lead many to think that they had left of their own accord， Lyle is convinced that Sandy’s ex-husband， Reed， is behind their disappearance。As hard as he tries， Lyle is unable to persuade Max to return to his old detection ways and is turned down。 Meanwhile， we learn that Lyle’s suspicions are indeed correct。 Not only is Reed the guilty party， he has teamed up with an extremely dangerous individual named Spud， who broke into Sandy’s house。 Even though he claims he was only there to rob her， Spud ends up taking her life with a garrote。 Pip returns to Reed， while Sandy’s house and vehicle are made to look like they took off in a hurry to get away from her current live-in boyfriend。Max eventually softens and begins his own subtle investigation into the last known whereabouts of Sandy and Pip。 He does let Lyle know that he will need the assistance of someone who still has a badge， so he reaches out to his former partner from Minneapolis， Detective Niki Vang。 When they reunite， some of their old magic is at play， even though Niki must take the lead as Max is still a deeply broken man who easily can fall prey to his own demons and lose focus。Max literally cleans up his act as he gets a much-needed haircut and beard trim。 He and Nikki feel that perhaps Reed and Spud have pulled a Strangers on a Train move， whereby each murdered a person from each other’s life in some sort of deadly pact。 This is partially confirmed by the news of a murder in Spud’s family， which makes Max and Niki fear the worst outcome for Sandy。Max refuses to give up his search for Pip， at the very least， even though Lyle will not accept that his daughter is dead。 The two men will find out quickly that there are few animals more dangerous than a desperate father， and Reed will take Pip as far away as he can once he realizes that Lyle is after him。 The chase’s suspense level is through the roof， especially since we already are aware of Sandy’s fate， which Lyle is not privy to yet。FORSAKEN COUNTRY is Allen Eskens at his most raw and brutal as he produces some of the best cat-and-mouse games I have read in a while。 There is redemption to be had， but the price may be too high for his characters to pay。 This is a novel that you will not easily forget。Reviewed by Ray Palen 。。。more
Anne - Books of My Heart
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This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart I loved The Life We Bury which was the start of the Detective Max Rupert series， but he is barely present。 I think now it may have been renamed as the start of the Joe Talbert series。 Well on Goodreads， it is the start of both series which are intertwined in some parts。 For the past couple of years I thought we had finished with Max Rupert， not really knowing what happened to him， and moved on learning about Joe This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart I loved The Life We Bury which was the start of the Detective Max Rupert series， but he is barely present。 I think now it may have been renamed as the start of the Joe Talbert series。 Well on Goodreads， it is the start of both series which are intertwined in some parts。 For the past couple of years I thought we had finished with Max Rupert， not really knowing what happened to him， and moved on learning about Joe and Lila。 I'm so happy to be back and continuing with Max。As you may be able to tell from my introduction， this isn't really a set of series to jump in at the end， I would start from the beginning。 I think reading in the order published may be best as it is mostly chronological。 This author does not disappoint; I was thrilled to be first in line at the library to read this story。 I There are some really tough， horrible things which happen， to Max， to Joe and to Lila。 I felt with them all along。Forsaken Country is the continuation of Max's story after he left Minneapolis， and being a homicide detective。 He's living in his family cabin， up by the Boundary Waters。 A sort of friend， Lyle comes to him when his daughter and grandson， Pip， go missing。 Max really doesn't want to get involved but he has met them。 He finds he is concerned with the facts and the sheriff doesn't seem inclined to investigate。 So Max and Lyle start figuring it out。Max， and Lyle get onto the culprits who take off into the wilderness， and it's the start of winter。 Things are very dangerous in multiple ways。 I really enjoyed the smart investigation Max does。 He's out of practice and doesn't know the wilderness but he isn't stupid。 He hangs on in bad moments because Pip is only 6。 Pip isn't stupid either。I loved the world and setting in Minnesota where I lived for 35 years。 The "police procedural" and legal aspects are things I always find interesting。 The characters were realistic， some very flawed， but oh so real。 I felt for them。 We get everything from Max's point of view and it was like coming home to an old friend for me。 Narration: The narrator was new to me and new to this series。 I don't know if it is the time between books or the choice of talented narrators but they have all worked for me。 The voices of the characters were distinct enough and had appropriate tones for male and female， and the child。 I listened at my usual 1。5x speed。Listen to a clip: HERE 。。。more
Diane
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Awesome story - review coming soon
John Purcell
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For me this is a close to perfect crime fiction novel。 It has a great plot， premise， set of characters， and it is well written。 What hit me， time and time again， was that fork in the road， where the writer would take you to a place and you figured you were at a spot where the genre expected you to be and then - boom- he he skipped the cliche and went with reality。 It happened time and again， all the way to the end。 I really appreciated that。 Book like like this this keep me reading。 Now I gotta For me this is a close to perfect crime fiction novel。 It has a great plot， premise， set of characters， and it is well written。 What hit me， time and time again， was that fork in the road， where the writer would take you to a place and you figured you were at a spot where the genre expected you to be and then - boom- he he skipped the cliche and went with reality。 It happened time and again， all the way to the end。 I really appreciated that。 Book like like this this keep me reading。 Now I gotta check the previous books。 。。。more
Pat
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A great follow-up to Max Rupert’s story from The Deep Dark Descending picking up three years after the events of his confrontation with his wife’s killer。 Despite his desire to live alone in the woods， an appeal from a friend for his help in finding his missing daughter and grandson pulls Max back into the world he knows best; that of a detective。 The narrative drives the reader to the shocking conclusion but one that might find healing and love for Max。
Dinesh Raghavan
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4。5*…。
Deborah
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The ending was overwrought and way too long。 This audio book could， no， should have been 90 minutes shorter。
Luanne Ollivier
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Once I discovered Allen Eskens back in 2015， I started recommending him to everyone I knew。 Since that first book， Eskens' writing has only got better and better。 （Which is saying a lot as that first book was really good！）His latest （and eighth） book is the newly released， Forsaken Country。 For those of you who know his works， you'll be just as excited as I was to find that Max Rupert is at the heart of the book。 In this latest， former Homicide Detective Max begins to question his self imposed s Once I discovered Allen Eskens back in 2015， I started recommending him to everyone I knew。 Since that first book， Eskens' writing has only got better and better。 （Which is saying a lot as that first book was really good！）His latest （and eighth） book is the newly released， Forsaken Country。 For those of you who know his works， you'll be just as excited as I was to find that Max Rupert is at the heart of the book。 In this latest， former Homicide Detective Max begins to question his self imposed solitude。 Why？ Well， Lyle， a retired lawman， comes to Max with a desperate plea for help。 His daughter and grandson have gone missing - and the local sheriff has already made up his mind that she's run away and closed the case。 Max has his reasons as to why he finally agrees to take a look at the case。 Those who have read previous books， will know why he is so reluctant。 New readers， there's certainly enough backstory to fill in the 'what came before'。Oh my gosh， I could not put the book down。 The plotting is brilliant。 The action is non stop and had my stomach in knots。 What to do？ Yes， I stayed up very late until the last page was turned。 I had to know the ending before I could sleep。Eskens' characters have depth and introspective voices。 Max's losses， love， pain， determination and struggle to be in the world again ring so true。 On the flip side， there is an antagonist that will make your skin crawl， but again he rings true。 There's a second antagonist had my sympathy by the end chapters。 Each of these three have a voice with their own chapters。What else is there to say - it's a fantastic book。 And a very easy five stars。 I can't wait to see Eskens' next book。 。。。more
Debra
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This book brings back Max Rupert three years after he has finished with the man who killed his wife。 He has been existing， not living， in a cabin in the woods， far from everyone。 Max gets pulled into a search for a missing woman and her son， that he really does not want to get involved with。 The course of this investigation and pursuit are waking him up again。 He， along with the father of the missing woman join forces to attempt to find out what happened to her。 Neither one believes she left on This book brings back Max Rupert three years after he has finished with the man who killed his wife。 He has been existing， not living， in a cabin in the woods， far from everyone。 Max gets pulled into a search for a missing woman and her son， that he really does not want to get involved with。 The course of this investigation and pursuit are waking him up again。 He， along with the father of the missing woman join forces to attempt to find out what happened to her。 Neither one believes she left on her own。No spoilers here。 Sometimes things do not turn out the way we would like them to， but maybe the way they had to。 No do-overs。 This was a very suspenseful read with characters you get to know。 I loved it！ My only regret is that I read it to quickly。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Forsaken Country
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Forsaken Country&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Forsaken Country&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0