by Nevada Barr
Part of Anna Pigeon, book 9
First published 2002
Anna Pigeon arrives at Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park on a cross-training assignment to study grizzly bears. She joins bear researcher Joan Rand and an unpredictable teenage boy for fieldwork in the remote backcountry along the Montana-Canada border. They hike through pristine wilderness, tracking signs of the massive predators and documenting bear behavior. On their second night camping, a grizzly approaches their site. By morning, the teenager has vanished and another camper lies dead, brutally mauled. Anna finds herself trapped in unfamiliar territory where the natural world she has always trusted now threatens her survival. Her connection to the wilderness, built over years as a park ranger, suddenly feels broken. She must navigate both the physical danger of the wild and her own psychological crisis as she confronts an environment that no longer feels like home.
Genres: adventure, suspense, mystery, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, survival
Setting: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Montana, Canada
333 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: violence