For my next book, I read The Place of Many Trees from the Sadie Gray FBI Mystery Series by RB Schow.
This time, Sadie Gray and Brad Tulle are sent to the remote forests of Northern California after multiple bodies are discovered hanging from trees, each marked with the same ritualistic symbol. What starts as an FBI murder investigation quickly turns into something much darker, involving occult activity, terrifying secrets, and a community determined to keep the truth buried.
As Sadie and Brad dig deeper into the case, reality begins to blur, the danger intensifies, and the forest itself seems almost alive. The murders aren’t random, and the deeper they go, the more personal the case becomes for Sadie.
After how incredible the last book was, I was honestly so excited to dive into the Occult side of this series because that kind of mystery has always fascinated me. The mix of cults, eerie forests, ritualistic murders, and psychological tension sounds like exactly the kind of book that’s going to keep me up way too late reading.
And honestly? This book completely delivered.
One of my favorite things about The Place of Many Trees was how fast-paced it was from the very beginning. Their investigation basically goes off the rails immediately, and nothing is what it seems. Every time I thought I had some idea of where the story was heading, another twist completely changed everything. There were so many moments where reality itself felt questionable, which made the entire atmosphere feel tense and unsettling in the best way.
What I loved most was how everything slowly started coming together. Even when the story felt chaotic and terrifying, all the pieces eventually began to make sense, and the payoff was worth it.
And THE BEST PART? Sadie finally found her sister, Natalie. Not only that, but she also met her niece, Willow, and was able to save them both from the horrific cult at the center of everything. After everything Sadie has gone through in this series, seeing that happen felt huge emotionally. It gave the story so much heart underneath all the darkness and horror.
I’m so fascinated by stories involving cults, occult symbolism, isolated communities, and psychological manipulation, so this book was absolutely my kind of read. RB Schow does such a good job balancing the creepy investigative side with the emotional side of the characters. And honestly, I would 100% watch a movie or TV series based on these books. The cases feel so cinematic and intense. It honestly gives Criminal Minds vibes, especially with the FBI investigations and the psychological elements.
I also have to mention how nice it is to finally see Sadie genuinely happy with someone. Cassius clearly wasn’t the right fit, and while Brad is obviously off-limits, I still can’t help loving their dynamic because they complement each other so well. But at the same time, I completely understand why crossing that line would probably destroy their partnership.
And somehow…Barrett ended up surprising me the most. He was such a jerk in the beginning, but now he genuinely seems to care about Sadie and wants to be around her, and Sadie actually feels safe and happy with him. It feels like her world is finally settling into the right place for once.
Which obviously makes me nervous.
There wasn’t really a big lead-in to the next case, so now I’m sitting here wondering what could possibly happen next, and honestly, I’m already stressed for all of them. This series has a way of ripping stability away the second things start feeling okay, so I’m definitely nervous to see what comes next.