A Book A Week

"There was comfort in the uncertainty, the possibility of the impossible."

I've been a fan of Mindy Mejia since devouring her novel Everything You Want Me to Be in 2017. Her penchant for gripping plots combined with deeply drawn characters has made her one of my go-to authors. Her last book, Strike Me Down, was released in the early months of the pandemic, and I've been not so patiently waiting for her next release ever since. Three years later, with a new publisher who kindly sent me a copy of her new work to review, Mejia is back with To Catch A Storm. This start of a planned trilogy sees the author return with all the elements that made me fall in love with her work in the first place, but with a new angle that adds an extra ripple of intrigue to her storytelling. 

Eve is flying a plane high above the winter terrain of Iowa when she sees the storm. The scientist leads her mentees in a study of the weather, capturing data about the day's atmosphere to dissect once they land. She can't wait to land and tell her husband, Matthew, about everything she saw. When they touch down, though, Matthew is nowhere to be found. Instead, Eve is greeted by the news that her husband's Tesla was found far from the family home, completely engulfed in flames. Life for the couple hadn't been easy for the last few months. Matthew was suspended from his professorship after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student came to light. Eve was hurt by that revelation but stood by him. Now, she's the number one suspect in his mysterious disappearance. 

Jonah appears at Eve's doorstep after his most recent vision showed her husband hidden in a barn. The same barn, in fact, that he's seen Celina in countless times before. Jonah is no stranger to disturbing visions. As a psychic, he's assisted the local police in countless cases before. Celina's case, however, is different. Jonah has been haunted by the image of her on the barn floor. Years of searching have yielded no results. When he recognized the setting of his latest vision as the same one that had invaded his consciousness for all these years, Jonah knew he had to connect with this missing person's case. If he can help uncover Matthew's location, he can finally put Celina's disappearance behind him. 

Max hasn't been active in the local police force since that fateful day when he went against his better judgment and followed Jonah to investigate a missing girl. The pair had been a reliable duo, solving several cases with each other. Of course, Jonah's involvement had to be downplayed. Still, Max couldn't deny the results. That's probably why he was willing to follow Jonah to the doorstep of a man he claimed to have seen as part of Celina's disappearance. That fateful day ended with Max being shot, suspended from the force, and completely finished working with Jonah. Now word has gotten back to him that Jonah is attempting to insert himself into the investigation of the missing professor. Max is determined to stop Eve from partnering with the psychic and avoid the same miserable fate he finds himself in. 

To Catch A Storm sees Mindy Mejia write a highly original thriller that builds upon the wonderful precedent she has already set in her previous works. All the ingredients of a great thriller are in play here. There's a missing persons case with plenty of angles to investigate, a trio of main characters who complement and play off each other, and a frigid Iowa snowstorm that adds to the danger and tension of the entire setting.  I was hesitant at first about the psychic element of the book, especially because the rest of the novel seemed to be so grounded within the real world. I never should have doubted Mejia, though. By pitting the psychic against a skeptical scientist, Mejia addresses my concerns about the veracity of his abilities, adding real believability into an unbelievable scenario. Chapters alternate perspectives between the three main characters, giving readers insights into each of their motivations while deepening the suspense of each chapter. All this comes together in a page-turning thriller, the beginning of what is sure to be an excellent trilogy. 

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2023, 44)