| See all titles by Nevada Barr. The killings on Isle Royale have left Anna drained and haunted, her
memories of her time with the wolf study group forever marred by the
carnage on the island. Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress
disorder, she is on administrative leave, per her superintendent’s
urging. Anna wonders if the leave might not be permanent, either by her
own choice or that of the National Park Service. The one bright spot in
Anna’s life is Paul, her husband of less than a year. Hoping the warmth
and the adventure of a raft trip in Big Bend National Park will lift
her spirits, Paul takes Anna to southwest Texas, where the sun is hot
and the Rio Grande is running high. The sheer beauty of the Chihuahuan
Desert and the power of the river work their magic—until the raft is
lost in the rapids and a young college student falls overboard,
resulting in an even more grisly discovery.
Caught in a strainer
between two boulders and more dead than alive, is a pregnant woman,
hair and arms tangled in the downed branches. Instead of the
soul-soothing experience they’d longed for, Anna and Paul find
themselves sucked into a labyrinth of intrigue that leads from the
Mexican desert to the steps of the Governor’s Mansion in Austin, Texas.
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