Post contributed by Catherine Lowe
Fans of suspenseful thrillers may expect Alice Henderson’s A Solitude of Wolverines [William Morrow, October 27, 2020] to follow the lines of similar books on the market. However, the combination of environmentalism, suspense, and action strategically placed throughout A Solitude of Wolverines makes this novel distinctly different than others in its respective genre.
The first in the Alex Carter series, a new suspense thriller collection from Alice Henderson, A Solitude of Wolverines follows the story of Alex Carter, a seasoned wildlife biologist and conservationist trying to establish herself in the professional environmentalist world. After spending some time in the deserts of New Mexico and the plains of Wyoming, Alex finds herself back home in the Boston wetlands awaiting an important interview with a local news team about the importance of conservation. However, when Alex begins this long-awaited interview, a gunman fires into the crowd and changes her life forever. When Alex tries to find a sense of peace and normalcy within her Boston apartment, a phone call from a former professor sends her on her next adventure; exploring the mountains of Montana in search of the steadily declining wolverine population. Upon her arrival, Alex quickly realises that she is not welcome in this secluded town—and the locals are willing to do anything to drive her out.
This is a tale of adventure and discovery within itself. A particularly enjoyable aspect of the novel is the way the reader learns about wolverines while being able to “live” Alex’s life through her eyes as she tries to navigate life on the reserve. While readers are able to learn about many aspects of conservationism such as camera trapping and facts on endangered species, readers are able to be a part of the many conflicts Alex faces while she spends her time in Montana. Throughout the novel, the relationships Alex makes with the very few trustworthy people in town fill the gaps between conservationism and action and reliability.
With the balanced amount of action, suspense, information, and relationships, A Solitude of Wolverines is filled with twists and turns that keep readers interested and engaged. Alex continuously encounters suspicious activity on the reserve including rumours of murderers, sasquatch, and even a severely injured man up the mountain. The reactions of the townspeople, both concerned and unconcerned, keep the reader interested and questioning the reliability of these characters. The twists and turns the reader experiences by the conclusion, along with Alex’s fierceness as the protagonist, keeps the reader turning the pages.
While a majority of A Solitude of Wolverines focuses on the conservation efforts of wildlife across the world, some of the information becomes tedious in this first instalment in the series. Through Alex’s character alone the reader can learn a lot of information about conservationism and wolverines. Having pages of chapters dedicated to explaining behavioural patterns and family dynamics of wolverines proves to be more than anticipated. However, Alex Carter is able to create her own version of the world around her while remaining accurate to the events in A Solitude of Wolverines.
A Solitude of Wolverines is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 27th 2020.
Will you be picking up A Solitude of Wolverines? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
The first book in a thrilling series featuring a wildlife biologist who courts trouble as she saves endangered species . . . and a mysterious killer who buries his dead in the land she helps preserve—a fast-paced, action-driven tale of suspense with the atmosphere and propulsive tension of works by Jane Harper, C. J. Box, William Kent Krueger, and Nevada Barr.
While studying wolverines on a wildlife sanctuary in Montana, biologist Alex Carter is run off the road and threatened by locals determined to force her off the land.
Undeterred in her mission to help save this threatened species, Alex tracks wolverines on foot and by cameras positioned in remote regions of the preserve. But when she reviews the photos, she discovers disturbing images of an animal of a different kind: a severely injured man seemingly lost and wandering in the wilds.
After searches for the unknown man come up empty, local law enforcement is strangely set on dismissing the case altogether, raising Alex’s suspicions. Then another invasive predator trespasses onto the preserve. The hunter turns out to be another human—and the prey is the wildlife biologist herself. Alex realizes too late that she has seen too much—she’s stumbled onto a far-reaching illegal operation and now has become the biggest threat.
In this wild and dangerous landscape, Alex’s life depends on staying one step ahead—using all she knows about the animal world and what it takes to win the brutal battle for survival.
