Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells

 "Bad things happen in the wilderness--and sometimes they're not accidents."

An abandoned glamping campsite near Precipice Lake in Sequoia National Park. Two missing campers. Who were they? And what happened to them? Park ranger Ferdinand "Hux" Huxley suspects foul play. But it's up to Special Agent Felicity Harland to investigate. But with no witnesses and sparse clues, it's not going to be easy to track down the truth. 

What I liked best about this mystery:

• Getting to know Felicity and Hux. These two characters have interesting back stories, and they work well together. Hux is a former Navy Seal with a talent for finding people; Felicity is recovering from a devastating accident and travels with a cute dog named Ollie. I look forward to reading their next investigation.
• That beautiful National Park setting with its isolated wilderness, icy blue lakes, mountain peaks, and forested trails. It's always a favorite of mine.

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Another favorite read by Claire Kells:  Girl Underwater

One Last Shot by Susan May Warren

 

From the blurb:  "When country music star Oaken Fox joins survivalist Mike Grizz's new adventure show in the Alaskan wilderness, he just wants to boost his fan base. But when tragedy strikes and Air One Rescue must save them, Oaken wants to quit. Too bad his producer has other plans--signing him on with Air One Rescue as a recruit and making a reality show.

"EMT Boo Kingston did not join Air One Rescue to train a celebrity. But she's a rookie to the team, so yes, she'll train Oaken and keep him alive and not for a minute pay attention to his charm.

"Then five women go missing from a resort during a bachelorette weekend gone wrong. Now, Air One and the rescue team will have to use all their skills and manpower--including Oaken--to find them before a blizzard settles in. But can they work together before tragedy strikes?"

My thoughts:  Ashley @ The Rustic Reading Gal, who recommended this book, said I would love it...and she was right. The compelling action starts on page one and continues throughout the book. But there are also quiet moments with Oaken and Boo and the other members of the rescue team--moments of heart, humor, redemption, forgiveness, and faith. I loved all the rescue guys, but I especially loved Oaken and Boo and how they slowly came together over the course of the story. And that Alaskan wilderness setting is always a favorite of mine. All the rescue scenes felt very realistic, and were nicely suspenseful, too. And I loved the positivity and the happy ending. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series when it comes out next month. 

Happy Reading!

Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong

 

"Haven's Rock. The town may be new, but its roots go down into the permafrost. Even the name is significant. Rock for Rockton, the town where I went to work as a detective four years ago and met a hard-assed sheriff and fell in love--with him and the town and the Yukon itself. Rock for stability, too, a bedrock foundation, the thing we lacked in Rockton.

"And Haven? Well, that's the most important part. Haven's Rock is a sanctuary for those in need. It's a place to hide when the law isn't enough to protect you from persecution for your beliefs or lifestyle, or from a stalker or abusive partner. Rockton was supposed to be that, and it was for some, but for the owners, it was a purely financial investment. This will be different. This time, we're in charge."

This is the first book in a new series; it's also a continuation of Casey Butler's and Eric Dalton's story from Armstrong's Rockton series. And I was so happy and excited to read it because I love Casey and Eric! (Their Newfoundland dog, Storm, is pretty great, too.) They're setting up their new, very secret town, deep in the Yukon wilderness when they're called in to find two missing persons. Their search quickly turns into a murder investigation. And life at Haven's Rock starts to feel eerily similar to the one they left behind in Rockton.

Armstrong has written another engrossing and entertaining mystery. I loved every page of it. (That Yukon setting is a favorite, too.) Wherever Casey and Eric go, I'm happy to follow. This is a definite 5-star read! And I'm excited to find out what happens next in Haven's Rock. (So I hope Kelley Armstrong writes fast.)

Happy Reading!

 

The Precipice by Paul Doiron

The Precipice is the sixth book in Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch series, and the second book I've read by him; I thought it was just as good as Dead By Dawn, which happens to be the twelfth book in this series, but the first Doiron book I read. How's that for convoluted? 

The plot:  When two female hikers go missing while hiking the Hundred Mile Wilderness section of the Appalachian Trail, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is called in to help search for them. He's teamed up with Nonstop Nissen, a volunteer who's hiked the AT himself many times. Mike takes an instant dislike to the man. Still, they track the girls to their last known campsite, but find no other sign of them.

The other game wardens fear the girls might have run into trouble along the trail either from wild animals like coyotes, or from a serious fall. Mike's girlfriend Stacey, a wildlife biologist, worries the two hikers ran into something more dangerous--a killer of the two-legged variety. She's even more stubborn and hard-headed than Mike. 

Their investigation leads to an injured hiker, a strange church, a crazy backwoods Maine family known and feared for their criminal behavior, and the rumor of a serial killer who's been stalking the AT.

My thoughts:  Mike Bowditch is fast becoming a favorite character! I like him, and I find his job as a game warden quite interesting. I didn't like Stacey nearly as much; I found her tendency to overreact and argue and go off on her own kind of off-putting. But Mike likes her. And I really liked Mike's investigation into the two hikers' disappearance. That Appalachian Trail/Maine wilderness setting is also a favorite of mine. It really adds to the mystery. The Precipice is suspenseful, well-written, and it reads fast. And it totally ties in to Dead By Dawn, which was fun for me because I just read that one. I'm really liking this series, and I can't wait to read the next one.

Happy Reading!

The Twenty-ninth Day by Alex Messenger

 "...this was the beginning of something life-changing for my fellow paddlers and me--this was Hommes du Nord, forty-two days of canoeing Canada's wild rivers and lakes."

 Alex Messenger was 17 in the summer of 2005 when he set off with five friends on a 600-mile trip across Nunavut in the Canadian sub-artic. And for the first twenty-eight days all went well. They successfully navigated the white water rapids strung along the Dubawnt River and happily camped in the taiga. And Alex tried to appreciate each moment along the way.

"The purpose of a journey is to experience those things that can't be explained and to forge the memories that will never be forgotten, the ones that change you forever."

Then, on the twenty-ninth day, while traversing a ridge alone, he encounters his worst nightmare. A grizzly bear. Somehow, Alex survives the bear's attack. But he and his friends are still miles from nowhere, and with his injuries, getting home just got a lot harder.

"One of the ways an expedition tests your mettle is that it's up to you and the group to solve any problems. If you wait for help to suddenly appear, your odds are not good." 

This is such a compelling biography! I loved Alex's lyrical descriptions of their canoe trip, and the river, the islands where they camped and the Inuit ruins they find along the way. And his recount of the bear attack itself is pretty chilling. He's so honest. About everything. I could not put this book down. If you love memoirs about outdoor adventure and survival, I highly recommend this one.

Happy Reading!

 

Chilling suspense...

 "This could be the work of a madman, Tana. A bizarre, ritualistic serial murderer working in remote locations and using wild animals to cover his work."

 In the Barrens, a remote wilderness area on the border of the Arctic Circle, two biology students are found dead, mauled by wolves. Or maybe by a bear. It's hard for Constable Tana Larsson, a rookie RCMP who just started working in Two Rivers, a small town in the Northwest Territories of Canada, to determine just what caused the grisly attacks. Especially when she learns there were two similar attacks four years earlier. But when she starts to investigate, no one in town seems very happy about it. Especially not Cameron "Crash" O'Halloran, a local bush pilot who she suspects of illegally flying in alcohol to Twin Rivers, among other things. For some reason Tana seems to bring out the worst in him. (Although when he finds out she's five months pregnant he suddenly gets very protective of her.) She can't trust him. She can't trust the diamond company mining diamonds in the area. And the locals keep telling her to leave it alone before she stirs up the ancient spirits that haunt the Barrens. But Tana can't let it go. No matter how dangerous it gets.

In the Barren Ground by Loreth Anne White is a chilling and suspenseful mystery. It's also a novel about imperfect and flawed characters who have made mistakes in the past and who are seeking a second chance in life. I liked both Tana and Crash. They're such a study in contrasts. Tana is young and earnest and struggling to prove herself; Crash is older, cynical, and he has his own secret agenda for being in Twin Rivers. I loved watching how their antagonistic relationship gradually changed to a partnership of cautious respect and deepening friendship. I also loved the remote setting and how it played such a significant role in this novel. And that ending! It's a good one. I'd give this book at least 4 stars.

Happy Reading!

Blind Search by Paula Munier

Quick synopsis:  Mercy Carr and her Belgian Malinois, Elvis, are back! It's the beginning of hunting season in Vermont when Mercy and Elvis find the body of a murdered woman in the woods. She's been shot by an arrow at close range, and they think a nine-year-old boy named Henry witnessed her murder. Only Henry's not talking--he's autistic and prefers numbers to words or people. He likes Elvis and Susie Bear though. But with his dad suspected of murder and the police wondering what he may have seen, it's clear Henry is in danger. Troy Warner, a Vermont Fish & Wildlife Game Warden and Susie Bear's owner, and Mercy are determined to protect Henry, even if that means finding the killer themselves.

What I liked:

• HENRY. With a penchant for Batman pajamas, prime numbers and playing his own version of Dungeons & Dragons, he's an easy character to love. I also loved how Elvis and Susie Bear are so protective of him, and how he was drawn to Mercy and Troy (who he named Paladin and Ranger).
• MERCY & ELVIS. "Elvis lifted his head, nose nuzzling her thigh. Even so, Mercy felt alone. Whether this feeling was down to another sudden wave of grief over her fiance's death catching her unawares again or the insistent tug of attraction to a certain game warden, she wasn't sure. Elvis licked her hand and she smiled. As long as she had Elvis, she was never alone."
• TROY & SUSIE BEAR. "Susie Bear was excited. All the way from the truck to the restaurant, she pranced in front of him. Despite her size, she was light on her feet. She stopped several times to enjoy the attentions of children and grown-ups alike. The dog's happy-go-lucky personality was a beacon, allowing Troy to shine in her light. He wasn't that good with people, but thanks to Susie Bear, most people never noticed."

My one complaint:  Mercy and Troy seemed to take a nice step forward in their relationship about halfway through the book, only to take two steps back at the end--a setback I found both frustrating and stupid. Here's hoping they resolve it quickly in the next book. 

Happy Reading!

Post script:

If you haven't read A Borrowing of Bones, Munier's previous novel about Mercy and Elvis, I'd recommend reading that one first. 

Bookish suspense...

Opening sentence:  By the time the boy in ward four attacked me, I'd already nicknamed him the Lost One in my head.

The main players:  

• LUCAS BLACKTHORN, age 19.  Ten years ago, he and his father, Josiah, trekked into the Boundary Waters, a remote wilderness in northern Minnesota, and never returned. Everyone assumed they died. Now Lucas is back. Only he refuses to talk about where he's been for the last decade, or what happened to him and his father.
• MAYA STARK, age 23.  Abandoned by her mother when she was 10, she's now a language/speech therapist at the psychiatric facility where Lucas has been placed, and the one tasked with getting Lucas communicating again. But the connection she ends up making with him surprises even herself. (Oh, and she has an awesome German Shepherd named Jasper.)

My thoughts:  Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia is a compelling psychological thriller about the choices we make and the secrets we keep. And there are secrets! Maya quickly becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Lucas, while Lucas only wants to get back to the wilderness and his father. Both are haunted by their pasts. I thought it was interesting how their stories intersected. I ended up really liking this one. Mejia combines good writing with engaging characters. Lucas and Maya are easy to root for, and the novel really picks up suspense and speed toward the end. All in all, Leave No Trace is an entertaining, page-turning ride.

Happy Reading!

More bookish suspense:

Jenclair at A Garden Carried in the Pocket and Rachel at Waves of Fiction have already reviewed this book better than I ever could. So go read their reviews and you'll understand why A Merciful Death by Kendra Elliot is a mystery worth reading! FBI Agent Mercy Kilpatrick is a great character; and I loved all the prepper stuff. Talk about a 5-star read. I can't wait to check out the next book in this series.