Beck Birsching has been adrift since the death of her mother, a brilliant but troubled investigative reporter. She finds herself unable to stop herself from slipping into memories of happier days, clamoring for a time when things were normal. So when a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting arrives in the mail with the words Come and find me, pointing to a town called Backravel, Beck hopes that it may hold the answers.
But when Beck and her sister Riley arrive in Backravel, Arizona it’s clear that there’s something off about the town. There are no cars, no cemeteries, no churches. The town is a mix of dilapidated military structures and new, shiny buildings, all overseen by the town’s gleaming treatment center high on a plateau. No one seems to remember when they got there, and the only people who seem to know more than they’re letting on is the town’s enigmatic leader and his daughter, Avery.
As the sisters search for answers about their mother, Beck and Avery become more drawn together, and their unexpected connection brings up emotions Beck has buried since her mother’s death. Beck is desperate to hold onto the way things used to be, and when she starts losing herself in Backravel and its connection to her mother, will there be a way for Beck to pull herself out?
- Title: Where Echoes Die
- Author: Courtney Gould
- Publisher: Wednesday Books
- Publication Date: June 20 2023
- Genre: Mystery Thriller, Horror
- Source: Digital ARC
- Targeted Age Range: YA
- Content Warnings: death of a parent/death of a loved one, cancer, emotional abuse, gaslighting, emetophobia/vomiting, health issues
- Rating: ★★★.5
I’m often drawn to stories that explore grief and healing, and when I heard about the premise of Where Echoes Die, it immediately shot up my list of books to read — especially after reading and loving Courtney Gould’s debut, The Dead and the Dark (you can read my review of it here). A few months after Beck’s mother’s passing, she receives a letter in the mail — “Come and find me”, it says, in what is unmistakably her mother’s handwriting. There’s only one possible place she could be — Backravel, Arizona. But when Beck, and her younger sister, Riley, arrive in Backravel, they’re faced with even more questions than when they started. Something is clearly off with this town; people don’t seem to remember how long they’ve been there, there are no cars, no cemeteries, no churches, nothing. The only person who seems to have an inkling of information is Avery, the daughter of the town’s leader. As Beck keeps digging deeper into Backravel, and her mother’s whereabouts, she finds herself drawn closer to Avery. And the longer she spends in Backravel, the more Beck finds herself losing her grip on reality. Throughout the book, Beck faces a series of questions: What happened to her mother? Where is she? Why can’t anyone remember when the town was founded, how long they’ve been there, or what life was like prior to moving to Backravel? What’s the treatment center that Avery’s father, Ricky, runs, and what kind of treatment does it do? What is Ricky hiding?
While reading Where Echoes Die, I often felt like I was transported into Backravel with Beck. Courtney Gould’s writing is so atmospheric and evocative, and I had goosebumps a couple of times. The town of Backravel was as much of a character as Beck, Riley, or Avery, and I loved learning as much as I could about it. Backravel was hauntingly creepy and ominous, and there were secrets at every turn. As is the case with most mystery thrillers, I spent a large portion of Where Echoes Die trying to solve the mystery before the protagonist. In this case, I was throwing out wild theories left and right, trying to figure out why Beck’s mother would fake her death, why she’d leave her teenage daughters to fend for themselves, and where she truly was. While we already knew that Beck’s mother would often leave Beck in charge of the finances and of managing the household, there was something unusual about this situation, and more so, about Backravel. Something that Courtney Gould truly excels in is dropping little breadcrumbs for the reader along the way, although sometimes these clues aren’t what you’d think they are. I had a couple of false suspicions, and many, many inaccurate theories, but ultimately, did figure out what happened to the town of Backravel, and Beck’s mother, before Beck, so I’d consider that a win!
I found myself wishing that Where Echoes Die was longer, especially once I’d finished the book — the pacing felt a little off, and I wanted more of a resolution. I wanted to know more about what happened to Beck and Riley, more about Avery’s life, and even more so, what life looked like for them after they all started the healing process. Most of Where Echoes Die is an exploration of grief and trying to find answers to questions that no one knows the answer to, and it felt like once we got the answers, the characters were finally able to begin their healing, but a lot of that happened off-page. I also wished that we got to see more character growth and development within the characters. I don’t think I had a strong grasp on any of their personalities, or their character traits until about 60% of the book. Whether that was intentional, or not, I’m not too sure. The romance subplot also felt very underdeveloped and rushed as well.
I think Where Echoes Die is a book that I’d enjoy more upon rereading, especially now that I know what clues to look for. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced mystery!
Links for Where Echoes Die: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookstore.org | IndieBound
Courtney Gould, author of The Dead and the Dark, Where Echoes Die, and the forthcoming What the Woods Took. She writes books about queer girls, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Publishing, and now lives in Salem, OR where she continues to write love letters to small towns and haunted places.
Photo credit: Bekah Corral
