The Trail of Lost Hearts

Bestseller Graves (On the Island) skillfully tugs on the heartstrings in this nuanced tale of two lost souls finding each other on an Oregon hiking trail. After Wren Waters’s fiancé, Rob, dies in a car crash, she discovers he was keeping a shocking secret. To heal, she takes up geocaching, or searching for hidden objects on hiking trails using a GPS, and travels from Dayton, Ohio, to Eugene, Ore., for a week-long expedition. Enter psychologist Marshall Hendricks, who’s mourning the death of his free-spirited brother, Graham. After Marshall saves Wren from an assault by two creepy guys on the trail, the two decide to travel together for the remainder of Wren’s time in Oregon. Their attraction burns hot and fast, but both are wary of opening their hearts, and Wren ultimately heads home in frustration—only to find their relationship isn’t so easily severed. Graves shows how two people can find connection even at their darkest moments while serving up a satisfyingly twisty and realistic plot. Readers who like for their tearjerkers to come with happy endings should check this out. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Mar.)

This review had been edited to remove spoilers and correct a factual error.