Monday, November 7, 2022

An Unforgiving Place - Mystery Review

Goodreads: An Unforgiving Place (National Parks Mystery #2) by Claire Kells

Rating: Really Liked It! (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  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.

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  How could I resist this setting?

My Impression: If I was making a list of places I would not survive Gates of the Arctic would be high up on the list.  It is remote, with a treacherous landscape and even more treacherous weather.  That said, reading a book set there while curled up safe and warm was absolutely fascinating.  

I had met Felicity and Hux in the first book in this series but honestly think you would be absolutely fine starting with this book.  The setting is absolutely fantastic and well described as are the difficulties with communication and searching.  Felicity and Hux are a good investigative team and work well together.  Now that they have worked together and spent time together they are an even stronger team though I could do without the hints of romance - especially since we are only seeing what is going on in Felicity's head so that it comes off as very one sided.

The mystery was well paced and kept me reading and guessing!  I'm looking forward to seeing what investigation and location the pair are involved in next.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I love that this series is set in National Parks and am looking forward to seeing where they go next.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy mysteries then this is a series to try.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

6 comments:

  1. I really want to try these books with National Park settings.

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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  2. I love the setting for this book too! It's such a remote park too.

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  3. This mystery appeals to me (mostly because of the setting), so I'm really glad to hear that you enjoyed it so much. :D

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  4. I love that this series is set in national parks. I have not even heard of Gates of the Arctic so it would be fun to visit in a book. Great review!

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  5. The setting sounds really like it would add to the tension of the mystery. I guess you might need to avoid Felicity's head!

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