Fallout

Written by Carrie Stuart Parks

Narrated by Talon David

Her carefully crafted life is about to be demolished.

After a difficult childhood, Samantha Williams craves simplicity: jigsaw puzzles, lectures at the library, and the students she adores in her role as an elementary school art teacher in the dusty farming community of LaCrosse, Washington.

But when an SUV crashes into the building where she teaches, her entire world is upended. Samantha manages to keep the children safe, but her car isn’t so lucky. Oddly, her purse—with her driver’s license, credit cards, and other identification—is missing from the wreckage.

After authorities discover that the driver in the accident was shot seconds before the crash, Samantha quickly becomes entangled in increasingly strange events that have her constantly looking over her shoulder.

Samantha has long tried to forget the tragedy of her past, but the twisting connections she discovers between the murdered driver, a deadly secret government project, and an abandoned town can't be ignored. Those involved are determined to keep these secrets buried, and they’ll use any means necessary to stop Samantha’s search for truth.

• Full-length, stand-alone suspense novel
• Award-winning, bestselling author
• Also by author: Relative Silence, Woman in Silence, and Formula of Deception

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9780785239871

Carrie Stuart Parks

Carrie Stuart Parks is a Christy, multiple Carol, and Inspy Award–winning author. She was a 2019 finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence in mainstream mystery/suspense and has won numerous awards for her fine art as well. An internationally known forensic artist, she travels with her husband, Rick, across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law-enforcement professionals. The author/illustrator of numerous books on drawing and painting, Carrie continues to create dramatic watercolors from her studio in the mountains of Idaho.

Reviews for Fallout

[Ashley Wheeler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh my goodness!! An amazing ride! Sad it’s “stand alone”

[Rachel Jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have listened to every book written by this author and have loved them all!! This one is no different!

[Kelly Bishop Owens · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Chunks of audio missing. There are three noticeable skips that contain key parts of the plot. Very disappointing.

[karensiddall · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A thrilling Christian mystery story with great twists, suspicious characters, and a very satisfying resolution!Fallout is a thrilling mystery of a story had builds and builds to a dynamite resolution! The story kept me engaged and wondering the entire time, "What was going to happen next?" Sam, Dutch, and the rest of the main characters were all likable individuals. But you just know someone is hiding something; someone isn't who they appear to be. But though I liked these people, I never knew who was trustworthy. A mysterious black SUV, which made an appearance early on, had me on edge.The story is told from two points of view: Sam's and Dutch's. I frequently wondered whether either of our narrators was reliable. Dutch is recuperating from past trauma, and Sam has holes in her memory about her past, and what we do know is pretty shadowy. Their circumstances led to some fantastic plot twists and turns that surprised me and kept me glued to the pages. Add in the great descriptions of the Palouse area of Washington state, vivid imaginings of places from Sam's past, as well as a unique and wonderful disguise as a Hutterite, and this was one good and satisfying story.I recommend FALLOUT for readers that enjoy thrilling mystery stories with loads of action with one of the best examples of Christian mystery fiction I've read.I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through NetGalley and Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

[celticlady53 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fallout by Carrie Stuart Parks is about a young woman, Samantha Williams. While teaching a class at an elementary school in Washington state, an SUV comes crashing into the classroom. She gets the kids out safely but in the process, her car is wrecked, and her purse and keys are missing. She ultimately loses her job as her classroom is a mess. Sam has no friends to speak of and her parents are deceased so she is pretty much on her own. When talking to the authorities she finds that the driver Dr.Greer, the SUV was shot. The passenger, Dutch Van Setters, he holds a Ph.D. and is not too shabby to look at. He is employed at Clan Firinn, a retreat of sorts. Because she has not place to go at the moment, she is invited to stay at Clan Firinn until she gets things sorted.There is a body unearthed at Alderman Acres, this is intended to be a new housing development but because of the body being found, development can not be completed. Because of her art education, Sam is asked to do a facial reconstruction on the skull. She accepts and is quickly drawn into the workings of Clan Firinn. Clan Firrin is a place for people to recover from various addictions where hope and rehab is offered.While Sam is there, strange things start happening around her she tries to find the truth of what happened to her parents. She was very young when they died and she was sent to live with an aunt. As time goes on she finds that whatever is happening is connected to her parents. There is a nuclear plant not far from where she is, does this have anything to do with the threats that she starts to receive? A woman by the name of Mary is pregnant and hoping to find her partner who she hasn't seen in a while. I was not so sure about Mary, there was just something not quite right about her. As Sam digs deeper, the more she finds out that has her wanting to learn more. BIts and pieces of the Cold War are found and how does this affect Sam?I enjoyed this novel, has a little bit of everything in it. History, romance, Cold War, scientists, and more. If this is your kind of book, then you must go get this one. A page-turner for sure! I give it 5 stars!

[lamb521 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Title: FalloutAuthor: Carrie Stuart ParksPages: 336Year: 2022Publisher: Thomas NelsonMy rating is 4 out of 5 stars.Samantha Williams is a young woman who teaches art at an elementary school in the state of Washington. Her classroom is demolished when an SUV crashes into it. Sam had the foresight to get her students and herself to safety. However, in short order, she loses her purse, her car and her job. She must rely on others for help as she has no family and no friends. She likes living alone and her privacy. The authorities soon discover that the driver of the SUV was shot before crashing into the school, and another odd situation is that the bones of two skeletons are found on two separate instances in a nearby site that is being cleared for building upon.As Sam tries to get her life back on track, strange things continue to plague her. Also, snippets of memories from the past reveal to Sam that she is missing memories from almost a year of her life when she was five years old. What happened to her? Why doesn’t she remember? Her life seems intertwined with these events, and it will take all her smarts to figure out the answers.This author is on my “must read” list, and this novel is no exception. I thought Sam’s character was so loveable! She is shy, smart, artistic, and when she gets nervous, “Sneetches” (from Dr. Seuss) slip out in her speech. Sam is also a woman of faith. There was a lot going on in this story, which sometime kept me from connecting with characters. I enjoyed the author’s note at the end, explaining what in the story was fact and what was fiction. I learned some new history, which is my favorite subject, and got to read a suspense-filled story with some romance and humor.Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.

[ibjoy1953 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOKWhen Samantha sees the SUV that’s about to crash into her classroom all she can think of is to yell for her students to get out.and thankfully her quick thinking saved the lives of all the children. But her purse didn’t pan out do well, in fact it’s gone! And the SUV driver didn’t make it out of the crash.Wow! Carrie Parks sure does start off with a bang with her new novel Fallout. Samantha wasn’t sure what to think, especially when she finds her purse is gone, so no keys to her house, but she couldn’t go there anyway. When things started happening that couldn’t be explained, Samantha started getting a little uneasy. And after a while she downright fearful. Where is this fear coming from? Does Samantha have a secret past? I guess reading the book will tell you. And the twists and turns had my head spinning so much, by the time I had one thing figured out something else is happening. I was having a hard time figuring everything out. But I love it!! I always love a good suspense that will knock me off my feet abd this one did. I was so glued to Fallout that I couldn’t stop reading. It’s difficult to give any more information out because I’ll end up telling you something you don’t need to hear until you read it. So I’ll just say check out this book!! Carrie Stuart Parks does an awesome job writing suspense novels. I don’t get to review many of her books but I love it when I can. Hope you will enjoy this one as much as I did! For me, this is Five Stars!A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[fcplcataloger · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love mystery/suspense novels and I'm usually pretty good at figuring out the clues, but this book kept me guessing until the very end! Author Carrie Stuart Parks has crafted a fascinating tale filled with intriguing characters, page-turning action, and several red herrings. The prologue to Fallout begins with a 1988 incident that is troubling, to say the least, and then, we progress to 2015, when the mind-boggling, spine-tingling adventure begins. Art instructor Samantha Williams is nearly killed by a supposedly random accident, but it doesn't take long for the doubts to arise. Could she have been a target after all?Parks adds intricate clues and multi-layers to this fascinating story, and she also shares a strong faith message. A light romance is included but the suspense and intrigue are the main focus. There's also a historical element that left me wanting to learn more about the Hanford Site at Hanford, Washington. Fallout is a captivating thriller, and I can't wait to read more of this author's work!I received a digital copy of this book from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review.

[celticlibrarian · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A mystery with a heavy Christian theme.Samantha Williams is living a quiet life when everything is upended after a car crashes into the school where she is working. When her identification disappears along with her purse and all those other important pieces of documentation, she’s left with no where to go until she is offered a place to stay at Clan Firinn along with a woman she met at the accident site. There she meets a hunky PhD, Dustin “Dutch” Van Seters and there is an instant mutual attraction. Before she can focus on romance, however, Samantha needs to figure out if the target is really her and why.I just was not able to really get into this book and nearly put it aside. The characters seemed banal and insipid and I never felt that the actions of Samantha were believable. The plot was a bit thin and all the connections so hard to find convincing. I should have passed as it just didn’t have what I was looking for in a suspense thriller.Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this e-book ARC to read and review. I see that others liked it a lot more than I did.

[eamace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think - Christopher Robin Samantha did not always manage to remember that saying. This story brings out the best in her, teaches her many things and helps her realize why she is who she is. Orphaned as a young child, her life has been anything but ordinary. An SUV careening into her school room opens a whole new set of problems. An accident or was someone the target?This incredible book was impossible to set down before I finished it, making dinner quite late that day. A mystery that turns into a thriller with more intrigue than you can possibly imagine sets this book aside as one to remember! An early copy of this book was received through Thomas Nelson and HarperCollins Publishing. These thoughts and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This read starts and ends with action, first a car rams a school building, and ends with gun shots, what is going on, and will answers come soon enough?This author is a master at writing action packed suspense, and this one did not disappoint! You begin to wonder why a young woman, orphaned as a young child and now working as a teacher is being targeted?As the cast of characters grows you wonder whom is involved, and my mind guessed, but was I right? I kept page turning as more and more danger roared it's head. The reason is very deep, and very scary, and yet, it sure felt very real!I have read several of this author's books, and this sure won't be the last! Great read!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give positive review.