Heartwood by Amity Gauge

A character-driven mystery with substantial insights on motherhood.

Heartwood might be my favorite read of 2025. I’ve read around 100 books this year, and this one was a true standout.

I adored the characters. They became almost real in my mind as the story unfolded. We see this world through the eyes of Lt. Bev, a Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding and rescuing a missing hiker. That hiker is forty-two-year-old …