My Rating
Book Review
An Unforgiving Place, book #2 in the National Parks Mystery by Claire Kells, is a fantastic addition to the series after that spectacular first book Vanishing Edge where I fell head over heels in love with the charming pair of Felicity Harland and the oozing sexiness hot guy, Ferdinand “Hux” Huxley, and the lovable dog Ollie.
This time around, Claire Kells is taking us to the rugged and unforgiving Alaskan terrain where the adventure begins with a couple who has been found dead in unusual circumstances. Harland and Hux team up once again for the investigation following in the footsteps of a cult leader specializing in luring couples with infertility crises particularly focused on cases where men have issues.
The mystery element of the story is not out of the world, many seasoned readers can guess the twists that are waiting to be revealed but the thrill is not in the discovery of the murderer but rather the journey of traversing the inhospitable and craggy terrains of the Gates of the Arctic and the subtle attraction between Hux and Harland which they hide behind their professional exterior and that has been effectively captured by the author.
I am wondering if Claire Kells have planned adventure thrillers across all national parks in the US, if yes, I will be the first in line to read them all as Hux and Ollie have carved a way into my heart and for the pure adrenaline rush in the atmosphere created by the author. An Unforgiving Place is good to be read as a stand-alone. Still, for a few references to incidents in book 1, readers are not going to miss much though to grasp the relationship dynamics between Harland and Hux, I would strongly advise you to read them in order.
I can’t wait for the next national parks adventure.
4.5 thrilling stars.
Book #1: National Parks Mystery
Book Blurb
In one of the country’s remotest corners, Investigative Services Bureau agent Felicity Harland squares off against a bizarre cult with the deadliest of motives in this thrilling outdoor adventure for fans of Scott Graham and Nevada Barr.
While enjoying a rare weekend off, Felicity Harland, agent with the National Parks Investigative Services Bureau, learns that her cousin, Kelsey, has gone missing after a spontaneous trip to Alaska. Felicity recruits her partner, ex-Navy SEAL Hux Huxley, to aid in the search for Kelsey, but their investigation soon takes a sinister turn.
It begins with the mysterious deaths of a couple on the Koyukuk River in the distant Arctic. Then, they begin hearing ominous reports of a bizarre fertility cult known as the “Kindred of the North,” living off the land in the Gates of the Arctic, the remotest national park in the United States. Could the Kindred have recruited Kelsey to join them? As they venture undercover to penetrate the cult, they find themselves playing a dangerous game—not just with a potentially murderous group of strangers, but also with each other.
But to get to the deadly truth about the Kindred of the North and their charismatic leader, Felicity and Hux must journey to Mount Doonerak, the park’s highest peak—a forbidding climb that will put their mettle, and their friendship, to the ultimate test.
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