Sunday, June 16, 2024

An Unforgiving Place by Claire Kells

 
Felicity Harland and Ferdinand "Hux" Huxley are agents for the Investigative Services Bureau; they investigate crimes that occur in National Parks. This time they've been summoned to the Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska where a young couple has been found dead near the Alatna River. Was it a tragic accident? Or murder? 

Harland and Hux soon discover that the couple came to Alaska to meet up with the reclusive Zane Reynolds, a man who purportedly can solve any couple's infertility issues. To Harland, his group sounds like a cult. So, she and Hux head out into the remote landscape in search of Reynolds to find out if he had anything to do with the couples' deaths. 

My thoughts:  This is another intriguing mystery from Claire Kells. I really loved the setting! The Gates of the Arctic is the second largest national park in the United States; it's also one of the least visited because of how remote it is. There are no roads or trails leading into the park; you have to be flown there in one of those small Alaskan bush planes and dropped off. That extreme isolation really added some nice tension to this book. Not only do Harland and Hux have to deal with the harsh landscape, but they also have to deal with a secretive survivalist, fleeing fugitives and a "demon bear". It's a fun summer read.

Happy Reading!


Kells' previous novel:  Vanishing Edge



40 comments:

  1. Intriguing setting to have such a crime. And it would make for a fun TV series too, wouldn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would be a very fun TV series! One I would totally watch. :D

      Delete
  2. Sounds interesting.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds so good. And the setting sounds like the perfect place for a mystery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really loved the setting. All those remote wilderness places are so fun to read about.

      Delete
  4. I like the sound of the setting! Wow, that is remote. It would make me nervous to visit, but I'd love to. I read the first book and enjoyed it. I'd probably like this one, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would be nervous to camp out in such a remote spot, too. Especially when there's bears and wolves!

      Delete
  5. Sounds thrilling. I hadn't heard of this park before. Fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd never heard of this part before either.

      Delete
  6. Google won't let me sign in to comment! Anyway, I agree with the comments that the setting sounds fascinating. I'm more interested in investigative mysteries these days (rather than cosy mysteries), and this seems like an interesting variation on police work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would say this mystery lies somewhere between true police procedurals and a cosy. It's that fun middle ground that I like reading. :D

      Delete
  7. I love visiting America's National Parks, but that's one I'm not destined to ever see. Does the book give you a good feel for what a normal visit there would be like, or is it all set in the most remote parts of the park.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd love to see this National Park, but realistically I'll probably never make it up that far north either. And this book does give you a good feel for what it's like up there. I get the feeling that ALL parts of that particular park are pretty remote. Especially considering there are no roads or trails into it.

      Delete
  8. Adding this one to my "read" list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a fun book. At least I really enjoyed it. :D

      Delete
  9. A demon bear just made this sound all the better.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Between the Alaska setting and the cult-like group, this sounds like an exciting entry in the series!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Settings are important to me, especially areas that make the wilderness come alive! Sounds good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I started reading this series solely for the National Park settings in it...liking the characters as much as I do was a great bonus. :D

      Delete
  12. I'm realizing that a good portion of my summer reads this year have a wilderness setting. I love the amount of atmosphere that it adds to the stories!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wilderness settings are the best! Especially in a mystery or survival type story. :D

      Delete
  13. I recently finished Hidden in the Night, it also has an Alaskan setting. I love Alaska for book settings, especially suspense, it is so fascinating!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alaska is fascinating setting! I'm always drawn to books that take place there. :D

      Delete
  14. I am liking the sound of this. I need to check it out, hopefully I can find the time to read it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Finding the time...that's always the tricky part. Especially if your TBR list is as long as mine. :D

      Delete
  15. I love the setting and premise. I am adding to my wishlist. Thanks for putting it on my radar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been a fun series so far. I look forward to seeing what National Park Felicity and Hux get sent to next. :D

      Delete
  16. Sending you hugs and love today. Regine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Regine. You brightened up my day. :D

      Delete
  17. I want to try both this one and the one that precedes it. I know I'm not ever going to visit a park that I can only access through a small plane, so this is the next best thing, right? Plus a mystery to solve. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reading about interesting places is the next best thing when you can't travel there yourself! I do a lot of traveling by book when I'm stuck at home. :D

      Delete
  18. I looked at the first book in this series, excited because it sounded like just my sort of thing. But the cheapest I could find was over £10 for Kindle and that's just ridiculous. Real shame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You would like this series. But to pay that much? Not worth it. Which is too bad. I'm lucky my library offers them for free.

      Delete
  19. I have never been to Alaska, but I would love to visit there someday. I enjoy books set there though, especially mysteries and thrillers. This sounds fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would love to see Alaska someday, too. :D

      Delete
  20. I read this one and really enjoyed it! I've enjoyed the books I've read in this series though I think I missed the most recent one. It did confirm that while I do want to see Alaska I'm more of a cruise or some kind of set tour kind of person vs tromping about in the woods!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you on cruising to see Alaska rather than tromping through the wilderness. But then I'm very partial to flush toilets and comfy beds to sleep in. ;D

      Delete