Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5 stars, rounded up to 5)
Big thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley, and author Daniel G. Miller for the ARC.
A New Favorite Thriller Author
Daniel G. Miller is one of those authors whose name I had been seeing repeatedly on many of the thriller reading lists I follow, but somehow, I had never gotten around to reading any of his books. That changed when Poisoned Pen Press emailed me with an invitation to read an ARC of Buried in the Woods Below.
And now? I know I will be a Daniel G. Miller reader from here on out.
This book managed to hit so many of the things I look for in a thriller: an unsettling atmosphere, characters I couldn’t quite trust, buried secrets, psychological tension, and just enough speculative and supernatural elements to keep me constantly questioning what was actually happening.
Welcome Back to Big Island
The story follows Charlotte Hoffman, a thirty-year-old successful business consultant who finds herself returning to the one place she swore she’d never go back to: Big Island, Minnesota.
Eighteen years earlier, a terrible accident happened on the island, and Charlotte has carried the guilt of that night with her ever since. Returning after all these years is the last thing she wants to do, but once she arrives, she quickly realizes that the island hasn’t forgotten what happened.
Big Island is remote, surrounded by dark woods and home to the eerie remains of a long-abandoned theme park. Something is deeply wrong with the place.
Every night, the ghost of a girl who died on the Ferris wheel is said to roam the island, and before long, the island begins claiming victims one by one.
As Charlotte’s fear grows, so does the question at the heart of the story: Why has she been brought back?
Someone… or something seems determined to make sure Charlotte confronts her past.
The Island Is a Character
One of my favorite things about this book was its atmosphere.
The setting isn’t simply a backdrop for the story. The island itself feels like a character.
Miller does an excellent job making Big Island feel increasingly claustrophobic and threatening. Even though Charlotte is surrounded by nature, there is very little sense of freedom or safety. The woods, the abandoned amusement park, the darkness, and the isolation all contribute to this feeling that something is watching and waiting.
I could almost feel the island coming alive at night, and definitely not in a comforting way.
That eerie atmosphere remains remarkably consistent throughout the book. The unsettling feeling starts early and continues throughout, creating a persistent sense of tension without relying on constant action.
Who Can You Trust?
Another element I particularly enjoyed was the characters.
For much of the story, almost everyone feels unreliable.
Just when I thought I had figured out whom I could trust, Miller would introduce another detail that made me question that assumption. Every character seemed to be hiding something, and I was constantly reconsidering their behavior.
Even the eight-year-old twin girls, who initially appear adorable and innocent, gave me the feeling that they knew considerably more than they were letting anyone believe.
I absolutely love thrillers that make me suspicious of everyone, and Buried in the Woods Below delivered exactly that experience. I never felt completely confident about anyone’s intentions, which made the story considerably more engaging.
Creepy Dolls, Fortune-Telling Machines & Abandoned Attractions
If you know me, you probably know that I appreciate a good creepy object in a thriller.
And this book has plenty.
The abandoned theme park is filled with unsettling remnants of its past, including creepy dolls and other strange objects that add another layer of uneasiness to the story.
One of my favorites was the fortune-telling machine featuring a spooky grandma animatronic.
What I particularly liked about these objects is that they don’t need to be doing anything dramatic to be creepy. They’re simply there.
They feel almost like silent witnesses to everything that has happened on the island. At the same time, they also feel like warnings—little reminders that there is something deeply wrong with this place.
The result is an atmosphere where even an apparently harmless object can make you wonder whether you should be looking a little closer.
More Than a Psychological Thriller
On the surface, Buried in the Woods Below might sound like a story about mysterious deaths, ghosts, an abandoned amusement park, and a series of increasingly strange events.
But there is much more going on beneath the surface.
The story explores childhood trauma, guilt, buried secrets, revenge, nepotism, and the consequences of allowing painful events to remain hidden.
This is one of the reasons I think the book benefits from being read carefully.
There are details throughout the story that might seem insignificant at first, only to take on greater meaning later. Miller quietly builds the bigger picture rather than simply handing it to the reader.
So my advice would be: pay attention.
Look at the little details. Notice what characters say—and what they don’t say. There are things hiding in plain sight, and the more closely you read, the more satisfying the reveals become.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Buried in the Woods Below. It gave me the eerie atmosphere and psychological tension I wanted from a thriller while adding enough supernatural and speculative elements to make the story feel distinctive.
What really stood out to me was the combination of atmosphere + unreliable characters + buried secrets. The island, the abandoned theme park, and the creepy remnants of its past create an incredibly unsettling environment, while the characters keep you guessing about what is really happening.
This was my first Daniel G. Miller book, but it certainly won’t be my last.
If you enjoy thrillers that make you question everyone, atmospheric mysteries with a darker edge, and stories where the past refuses to stay buried, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.
I especially recommend it to readers who enjoy Mary Kubica, Riley Sager, and Lucy Foley.
Jojo’s Verdict: Shelf it!
From Jojo’s bookshelves to yours, with love!
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