On My Radar: Alice Henderson's The Vanishing Kind!

 

Author Alice Henderson is a wildlife researcher, a geographic information systems specialist, and a bioacoustician. I first became aware of her writing with her first Alex Carter thriller, A Solitude of Wolverines, which has the winning combination of a strong main character, a solid mystery, fast-paced thrills, and an excellent outdoors/wildlife foundation. Since that first book, the series gone from strength to strength, so it's no wonder that I had a huge smile on my face when I found out that the fourth book in the series is in the pipeline.

Let me tell you more about it so you can add to it your own lists!

Available March 4, 2025!

Synopsis:

"When wildlife biologist Alex Carter is tasked with locating jaguars on a vast desert preserve in New Mexico, she is ecstatic. While jaguars once roamed throughout the Southwest, they are now endangered, with only a handful remaining, and Alex hopes some of the sleek and elusive creatures have found their way to the protected sanctuary.

Meanwhile, an archaeological team is excavating the gravesite of a sixteenth-century Spanish conquistador on a neighboring piece of land. Curious about the dig, Alex meets the team and, while learning about their discoveries, she encounters a dangerous group of anti-immigrant vigilantes roaming the area, threatening the archaeology team, demanding they leave. And when the militants learn of Alex’s mission, they become bent on stopping her. Because jaguars are federally endangered, the vigilantes worry that if Alex finds them, concessions will be made so that wildlife can cross the border wall. And they want no one crossing it…

And then there are the strange holes that keep appearing on the preserve—Who is digging them, and what are they looking for?

As tensions mount, Alex soon finds herself in a fight for her life against those who would prevent her from restoring jaguars to their historical habitat."

 

 

 

I have to admit that my anticipation for this one is even greater due to the subject matter. Jaguar sightings down in southern Arizona always make the news, and-- of course-- illegal immigrants are a hot topic here as well. I'm really looking forward to reading The Vanishing Kind. 

If you enjoy fast-paced stories steeped in knowledge of wildlife and with a strong main character, you should definitely give Alice Henderson's Alex Carter series a try!