How to Survive in the Woods

In Rosenfield’s slick latest (after You Must Remember This), a woman plots to kill her spouse on the Appalachian Trail with the help of her new lover. Emma Sharp has tired of living under the thumb of her controlling husband, Logan Grant, whom she met in a psychologically fragile state after founding a nutrition startup and then attempting suicide. At the time, Logan was a broke Uber driver, and he charmed Emma into marrying him before revealing his dark side. He’s since stonewalled her attempts at divorce, spurring her to find solidarity and unexpected romance with Taylor, Logan’s ex-girlfriend and former business partner. Together, Emma and Taylor devise a plan to murder Logan while hiking Maine’s Hundred Mile Wilderness, a remote section of the Appalachian Trail. When the trio enter the woods, however, their dynamics shift, and long-buried secrets bubble to the surface. Luckily for Emma, she was raised by a doomsday prepper who taught her how to withstand dire circumstances. Her shrewd efforts to outwit nature and her fellow hikers keep the pages turning, but Rosenfield skimps on emotional depth and character development. The result, while diverting, is unlikely to stay with readers. Agent: Yfat Reiss Gendell, YRG Partners. (Mar.)