8 wilderness thrillers that’ll make you think twice about your next camping trip

In the heat of summer, it’s a great time to explore some chilling thrills set in the great outdoors! While many appreciate outdoor spaces for the beauty, recreation, and solitude they offer, the wilderness also holds potential dangers that can make for great thrilling reads. Like a scary campfire story, these wilderness thrillers combine the pretty and the perilous. From stories of survival to tales of crimes, sometimes the scariest things in the woods are the people hiding in them.

Ready to explore the treacherous side of nature? Immerse yourself in these atmospheric stories of suspense and check out your next wilderness thriller on the Libby app.

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant
🎧 Audiobook

In the remote Appalachian Mountains, father and daughter live off the grid, surrounded by the harsh but wonderful wilderness. Cooper and Finch have been surviving mostly on their own for all of Finch’s childhood. Cooper’s friend, Jake, visits once a year for a supply refill, but this year, he doesn't show. With winter approaching, Cooper and Finch need supplies to keep their primitive cabin habitable. Knowing nothing but the woods, Finch is growing curious about what else is out in the world. Cooper is fighting to keep his daughter safe, but danger still finds them.

🎧 Gray After Dark by Noelle West Ihli

The Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho sounds like the perfect place to train and recover in the off season for Olympic athlete Miley. She takes a summer job at a mountain lodge and finds solitude on the trails she runs. With concerns over bears and the disappearance of a staffer years ago, co-workers worry, but Miley does not—at least not until on one of her morning runs when she’s abducted by preppers living off the grid. She must fight to survive her captors and the challenging landscape as she plans her escape.

The Poacher’s Son by Paul Doiron
🎧 Audiobook

This is the start of a thrilling series that follows game warden Mike Bowditch throughout the wilds of Maine. In this first book, Mike’s father, Jack, is suspected of murder. Jack may be an alcoholic and illegal poacher, but Mike doesn’t believe him capable of murder. When Jack disappears into the woods, Mike goes after him to prove his innocence. This haunting adventure through the Maine north woods kicks off the long-running Mike Bowditch Mystery series full of thrills.

An Unforgiving Place by Claire Kells
🎧 Audiobook

The second in a series, but readable on its own, this story follows Agent Felicity Harland with the national park’s investigative services branch. She and her partner, ex-navy seal Ferdinand “Hux” Huxley, head to Gates of the Arctic national park to investigate the death of a young couple and a possible cult in the very remote Alaskan wilderness. When the investigation turns dangerous on all fronts—suspects, wildlife, and backpacking conditions—help is far away and they must find a way get out safely.

North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan
🎧 Audiobook

For years, Kristen and Ryan have been in hiding from their father, a crime boss in California. When they’re discovered in a small town in Montana, they flee in a small plane. During their escape, the plane crashes in the Montana Rockies and these teenagers must fight to survive. With the wilderness, a coming storm, and killers on their trail, threats endanger them in every way. Their aunt, wanting to protect them, is also searching. It all comes down to who will find them first.

Wicked River by Jenny Milchman
🎧 Audiobook

Newlyweds set on adventure for their honeymoon soon realize the wilderness hides many dangers. Nat and Doug just wanted a romantic get away for their canoe trip in the Adirondack Forest, but they’re not alone. A man is watching them and using the woods against them, leading them further into peril. As the new couple fight for survival in a wilderness they’re not prepared for, personal drama and secrets also unravel. Told from multiple points of view, the story is steeped in scenery and suspense.

Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie
🎧 Audiobook

Fleeing from NYC to her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California, Cassie is now working with search and rescue in Yosemite, where she meets many other seasonal workers and people seeking adventure and escape. Petal lives with her older wife in an RV, keeping a detailed diary, and Jada is travelling cross-country with her boyfriend, documenting everything on social media. All three women are running from something and all of them wind up in danger when Cassie’s past catches up with her. With riveting search and rescue efforts adding to the beauty and peril of the setting, this is a fast-paced thriller.

The Twenty-Ninth Day by Alex Messenger
🎧 Audiobook

Not all wilderness thrillers are works of fiction. Even more thrilling because it’s true, this survival story is told in daily entries of the author’s canoe trip through the Canadian wilderness. Along with five friends, he explores the natural world across challenging terrain. On the 29th day of their trip, Alex is mauled by a grizzly bear and the rest of the trip becomes a suspenseful race to survive and find help.

*Title availability may vary.

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