September 18, 2023
Kells’s satisfying third mystery featuring National Park investigator Felicity Harland (following 2022’s An Unforgiving Place) kicks off with Felicity and her partner, Hux, trekking into California’s Pinnacles National Park to investigate the death of Chris Denton at a luxury hike-in hotel. Denton has been found on the floor of his suite with a shard of glass protruding from his shoulder blades, and local rangers are quick to accept the simplest solution for his demise—after all, his wealthy wife had secretly followed him to the hotel, hoping to catch Denton cavorting with his much younger lover, and she’s admitted to toying with the idea of hiring a hit man. But Felicity and Hux, who are privy to reports of a missing person who’s recently disappeared from nearby trails, aren’t sure the situation is quite so open-and-shut. Meanwhile, Felicity also looks into a 30-year-old cold case that took place in a cave near the hotel. While the pace is leisurely, Kells’s fully fleshed out characterizations and beautiful descriptions of the landscape will keep readers hooked. Here’s hoping this series has a long run. Agent: Beth Miller, Writers House.