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

North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan

 

The plot:  Sixteen-year-old Kristin McIntyre and her ten-year-old brother, Ryan, have been in hiding from their criminal father, Boyd McIntyre, for five years. But he's finally managed to track them down in Montana. And when their guardian and protector tries to fly them to safety, their plane ends up crashing in Lost Lake. Now Kristin and Ryan are on their own in the middle of the Montana wilderness, with a blizzard closing in on them, and several bad guys hot on their trail. Luckily, their Aunt Ruby is also looking for them, along with local rancher Nick Lorenzo and his teenage son, Jason.

My thoughts:  Allison Brennan writes a taut, action-packed and riveting thriller. I loved how she combines the suspense of the chase and wilderness survival in this one. She writes great characters, too; I especially liked Nick and his son and their relationship. And Kristin was so feisty and tough. I loved how she took care of and protected her younger brother. Ryan's deafness also added to the story line. Talk about an entertaining and fast-paced read!  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Quick book recommendations...

 

Blind Descent by Nevada Barr

Warning: Must love reading about caves and caving.

To help rescue a friend, Anna Pigeon must descend into the challenging Lechuguilla cave system located near Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Even though she's clautrophobic. And not a caver. But she has confidence in the group of experienced cavers she's with...until one of them dies. And Anna starts to suspect that it wasn't an accident, but murder. I have to admit, it was the cave setting that made me want to read this one, and I was not disappointed. Barr immerses the reader in the labrythine darkness of Lechuguilla Cave. And I loved it!

Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth by James M. Tabor is an engrossing nonfiction story of caves and cave exploration that I also loved and recommend. 

Uncharted by Adriana Anders

Action. Wilderness survival. Suspense. Sizzling romance.

Leo heads into the Alaskan wilderness to evacuate a man she believes to be Campbell Turner; instead, her plane gets shot down and Elias Thorne ends up rescuing her. Now they're on the run. If they want to survive, they'll have to learn to trust each other. I always love a book with a remote wilderness setting. And I loved Elias, too. He's a man keeping a dangerous secret who's lived on his own for over a decade; his struggle to open up to Leo tugged at my heart. I loved his dog, Bo, too. And Leo's a great heroine--smart, tough and resourceful.   4.5/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

Stranded

It was supposed to be a weeklong canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area south of the Canadian border. It was supposed to be a fun adventure for Emma and the other teens who signed up for the trip. It wasn't supposed to turn into a trip they might not return from alive. But halfway through their trip a freak windstorm destroys their camp and kills their guide. With limited supplies, no map, no compass, and no canoes, these four teen-agers must figure out how to survive storms, dehydration, hypothermia, wild animals and each other.

Stranded by Melinda Braun is a fast-paced and suspenseful tale of adventure and survival. None of the four teen-agers--Oscar, Isaac, Chloe, and Emma--know much about survival, although Oscar does have a copy of Hatchet in his backpack. And they don't all get along either, which adds to the drama of their situation. Life-and-death situations like this always bring out the best, and the worst, in people, which is why I'm such a sucker for these kinds of books. I like trying to figure out what I would do in similar situations. Could I make fire? Find food? Build a shelter? Stay alive? And I also wonder if my own will to survive would negatively affect the way I interact with others; I hope it wouldn't, but you never know how you'll react in extreme situations until you're in the middle of them. It's fun to think about...especially from the comforts of my living room couch. I ended up liking this book a lot.

Happy Reading!

Similar reads:

     Trapped by Michael Northrop

     Girl Underwater by Claire Kells