WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SKY

4 stars out of 5

I enjoyed this book – no doubt about it – but my feelings are mixed. The writing is almost exquisite – no doubt about that, either – but I spent way too much time, well, yawning. Simply put, no matter how important descriptions of scenery and events are to the story – and they certainly are – I’m used to mysteries and thrillers with nonstop action, and that doesn’t happen here.

As a child, Abby was found running from her farmhouse on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – a home consumed by flames. She’s picked up by a couple who know her, and she’s sent to live with relatives because her mother perished in the fire. All Abby can remember is that when she was found, she had a book of matches in her hand with a few missing.

Haunted by that memory and desperately seeking the truth (especially about that book of matches), Abby returns to her roots a decade later, in part to put her keen interest in the great outdoors to use helping her uncle, who has a grant to map and study trees and forests in a nearby area. Shortly after she returns, her best friend Brew invites her to a party and she meets an intriguing girl named Seda, whose behavior seems to range from confused to mental illness. Abby makes it her life’s work to protect Seda, keeping her fed and housed in an abandoned cabin, well away from all her friends and worrying when she disappears from time to time – and their encounters are written about in great detail.

As a reader, I, too, wondered about those matches and who really set the fire. I also wondered why, given Seda’s behavior, Abby would even want to be around her (I’d have given her the boot at her first transgression). The rest of the story leads up to learning the truth about both, mostly filled with descriptions of scenery, events and memories from an angst-filled Abby. As I said earlier, the writing is wonderful, the story itself seems to go nowhere fast, though resolution to the matches issue and Seda’s strangeness are a bit of a surprise (one totally satisfying and the other crossing a bit over the line of credibility). But overall, I must say that while it’s not an edge-of-seat chiller thriller (perhaps best read by a cozy fire with a glass of wine nearby), I definitely recommend the book and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy.

Where the Water Meets the Sky by Diane Les Becquets (Simon & Schuster, May 2026); 320 pp.

TWISTED TRUTH

4 stars out of 5

I'd be remiss if I didn't thank one of my cousins for alerting me to this book (and ultimately, the series) - she knows I'm a fan of two other nature and wildlife agents, Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch and C.J. Box's Joe Pickett and that I'd be delighted that a woman is getting a chance to shine in that capacity. And yes, I liked it enough to order the next three in the series as well as the soon-to-be-released fifth (arguably, most are short enough to qualify as novellas, so they're easy to read from a length standpoint).

To the author's credit, it didn't take long
for me to become a fan of Amy Rush, a Nature and Wildlife Reserve District 03 special agent (somehow, I must have missed the location - assume she's in the United States somewhere). Largely tutored by her much-loved late father, also an agent, she's an ace shot and skilled in combat techniques. Her partner, Ryan Brooks, isn't as physically competent, but rather more tech-savvy. They're working for a sourpuss supervisor, a woman who rarely shows her human side.

As she was finishing up her usual wilderness hike early one morning, Amy almost literally runs into a man who seems out of his mind and screaming. After getting him to calm down a bit, she learns he's just found two girls in the woods - both bloodied and clearly dead. Back at the station after the mess has been cleaned up and the girls identified, Amy is introduced to Ernest Stone, an FBI special agent to whom she takes an instant dislike (oh gosh, there's a surprise). But while he seems happy enough to let Amy take the investigative lead and any credit, he clams up when it comes to admitting why he's really sticking his nose in where Amy thinks it doesn't belong.

Clues are hard to come by, but three heads are better than one so eventually they converge on a promising lead. Of course, more than that I can't reveal except that the investigation doesn't go without a serious hitch or two before the case comes to a fitting conclusion. It also brings insights to what may come in the next book (nope, can't talk about that, either).

One thing I do hope, though, is that the next books have the benefit of more copy-editing and fact-checking (simply too many glitches for me to overlook, prompting me to drop a star in the rating, although I do admit to being picky about such things).

Twisted Truth by  (Ava Strong, March 2024); 147 pp.

THE LAST WOMAN IN THE FOREST

4 stars out of 5

In the end, I very much enjoyed this book; in the beginning, I wasn't so sure. The "thrilling" action really didn't pick up until the last quarter or so; after that, my eyes were glued to the Kindle pages and I didn't put it down till I'd reached the last page.

The story centers on Marian Engstrom, who, after college graduation, applied for and landed a job working with dogs as part of a study on the impact of oil exploration on the caribou, moose and wolf populations in Canada. There, she meets and falls in love with the more experienced Tate, her supervisor of sorts. He's exciting, intriguing and helps her learn the ropes. But happiness over their professional and personal coupling is short-lived; when Tate sets off to help with another project, he doesn't return. She's devastated to learn that his mangled body - the damage apparently done by a bear attack - has been found in the deep woods

Marian is devastated, but at one point before he left, she learned about four women who were murdered over a period of six years and mentioned this to Tate. Surprisingly, he claims to been the person who found one of the bodies. As she deals with Tate's death, Marian begins to recall inconsistencies in what Tate told her about his earlier life and finding that body in particular. When she learns that some of that information wasn't the truth, she begins to wonder if Tate had another, more sinister, connection to those murders. Finding the name of a retired forensic profiler (Nick Shepherd) who worked on the cases, she contacts him. He, too, remains haunted by the still-unsolved murders, and the two begin to share information and dig for clues.

It takes quite a while for their findings come together in a meaningful way - chapters switch to before Tate's death to present happenings - but eventually a more complete picture of who Tate really was begins to form. And at that point, the picture also reveals that Marian may have taken her doubts too seriously and learned far more than someone wants her to know. That, in turn, puts her own life in danger - and brings the whole thing together with a bang-up ending.

So what got in the way of a perfect rating? It's abundantly clear that the author did far more than her fair share of research on everything from the history of animal scat to bear attacks to surviving in the wild. That's commendable (as well as absolutely necessary). But to me, research is like an iceberg; most of it can and should remain out of sight. There's just too much of it here, and it tends to bog down the flow of the story. Besides that, by the author's own admission (based on her own life experiences), the story is intended to empower and embolden women who might be dealing with similar experiences. That, too, is commendable, but some portions seemed a bit too "preachy" as a result.

Overall, though, the writing is outstanding and the story both solid and unique. I'm very glad I read it, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets (Berkley, March 2019); 352 pp.

VICIOUS CIRCLE

4.5 stars out of 5

This is something like the 17th book about Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett, and since I've read most of them, by now I consider Joe a good friend. There's another reason I love the guy: As those who have read my past reviews most likely are tired of seeing, Joe and I share a surname. In fact, that's what got my attention in the beginning. This one, though, is extra-special for another reason: It was released in the United States on my birthday (March 21). How cool is that?

But of course, name- and birthday-sharing aren't automatic guarantees of loyalty to any series; great stories are. One thing that's kept me going is that over the years, is that it's been fun to watch Joe and his family grow. By this time, daughter Sheridan has graduated from the University of Wyoming, April is attending Northwest Community College, leaving only daughter Lucy still living at home. Joe's wife, Marybeth, is director of the Twelve Sleep County Library. Joe's job is going fine and all's right with the world.

Or not. At the opening, Joe is a reluctant passenger in a plane that's circling the mountains of Wyoming (way too close to the trees for Joe's comfort), looking for a hunter who's been reported missing. They spot what they think is him - along with three other humans - and the ending of that discovery isn't good. Back on the ground, Joe's also trying to track down a big poaching ring that's killing off elk, worrying about a blizzard that's about to hit and, worst of all, dealing with the realization that old enemy Dallas Cates (one-time boyfriend of April) has been released from jail. Because Joe was largely responsible for destroying the rest of the evil Cates family, he's concerned that Dallas's first order of business will be returning the favor.

When April's life is threatened, Joe knows for certain that he's right. But an attempt by local authorities to put Dallas back in jail goes south, leaving Joe and his family vulnerable once again. Toss into the mix appearances by Marybeth's totally irritating, gold-digging mother, Missy, and Joe's long-time friend, professional falconer and off-the-grid expert Nate Romanowski, and you've got the makings of another action-packed adventure.

So what motivated me to take this one down a half-notch from 5 stars? A few things needed a bit more fleshing out, IMHO; it's hard for me to believe Joe and his family - no matter how seasoned they are to misfortune and even the threat of personal danger - could have taken some of what happened to them so much in stride. Then too, Nate, while he still has his edge, just seemed a little too "normal" here; and not as much activity happens in the great outdoors (which to me is one of the pluses of the series). The ending, too, seemed a bit abrupt (almost as if the allocated word count had been reached and there was no choice but to stop or go back and chop somewhere else). Still, it's close enough to perfect for horseshoes - and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Vicious Circle by C.J. Box (G.P. Putnam's Sons, March 2017); 377 pp.