Cut Off from Sky and Earth, Melissa F. Miller, SEPT 2025 LTER
Talk Reviews of Early Reviewers Books
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1LyndaInOregon
Miller’s newest suspense novel starts out with a portrait of a marriage based on mutual deception, immediately setting up an atmosphere rife with conflict and potential danger. Tristan Rose is a crime scene specialist whose family carries a dark and bloody secret. His wife Emily is a stressed-out writer facing a book deadline and crippling case of writer’s block, pretending that all is well while she struggles with a violent and deadly memory.
When Tristan generously books a week in a remote mountaintop cabin as a “writing retreat”, readers are going to immediately suspect the worst. And while they probably won’t be disappointed, they may be surprised at a climax nobody saw coming.
The strongest portion of the story is actually the subplot, reflecting Emily’s problematic adaptation of a dark fairy tale and the triumph of its female characters rescuing themselves when they have been literally cut off from sky and earth.
The book starts strong with its ever-increasing sense of menace, but begins to wander as it becomes dependent on what seems to be highly unlikely coincidence. It winds up with a complex behind-the-scenes connection and an over-the-top villain whose motivations don’t really provide the expected payoff.
Readers can spend a couple of evenings enjoying the ramp-up here, but are not likely to come away with any lasting satisfaction.
When Tristan generously books a week in a remote mountaintop cabin as a “writing retreat”, readers are going to immediately suspect the worst. And while they probably won’t be disappointed, they may be surprised at a climax nobody saw coming.
The strongest portion of the story is actually the subplot, reflecting Emily’s problematic adaptation of a dark fairy tale and the triumph of its female characters rescuing themselves when they have been literally cut off from sky and earth.
The book starts strong with its ever-increasing sense of menace, but begins to wander as it becomes dependent on what seems to be highly unlikely coincidence. It winds up with a complex behind-the-scenes connection and an over-the-top villain whose motivations don’t really provide the expected payoff.
Readers can spend a couple of evenings enjoying the ramp-up here, but are not likely to come away with any lasting satisfaction.
