Publisher Description

Park warden Jenny Willson is in a dangerous race for answers that could create an irreparable rift in her own organization.

When Park Warden Jenny Willson initiates a covert inquiry into a proposed ski hill in Yoho National Park, she's quickly drawn into a web of political, environmental, and criminal intrigue that threatens to tear apart a small B.C. town. Suddenly, neighbour is pitted against neighbour, friend against friend, and family against family.

After a wolverine researcher dies in a mysterious fire, Willson forms an uneasy alliance with an RCMP corporal and an investigative journalist to expose the truth behind the project. But all is not what it seems. In a showdown involving the ski hill proponent, her own agency, and mysterious political puppeteers, Willson must decide if she's willing to risk her career — and perhaps the lives of herself and those close to her — to reveal what lurks in the shadows.

Author Biography

Dave Butler is an author, photographer, forester, biologist, and a Royal Canadian Geographical Society Fellow. Hist first Jenny Willson Mystery, Full Curl, won the Arthur Ellis Best First Crime Novel Award. He lives in Cranbrook, B.C.

Review

[A] fast-paced story … [that] talks about a debate that concerns a lot of us: environmental conservation versus economic development. * Book Obsessed Introvert blog *
For those who like mystery novels with a strong outdoor component and a setting in national parks. * Reviewing the Evidence blog *

Review Quote (previous edition)

A series readers will follow for a long time.

Review Quote

[A] fast-paced story ... [that] talks about a debate that concerns a lot of us: environmental conservation versus economic development.

Feature

Features a female sleuth who is stubborn, irreverent, and known for saying what others can't or won't, and for taking things very personally Jenny Willson continues her irascible, tenacious, take-no-prisoners approach to protecting "her" national parks and her resolute pursuit of the truth continues to lead her into serious trouble Set in spectacular western mountain landscapes of B.C. and Alberta Both the villain and the investigative journalist Willson allies herself with are American, which continues the series' cross-border theme Connects two topics currently in the media: new developments in communities whose residents don't get a say, and large-scale financial fraud First book in series was well received: "A series readers will follow for a long time" ( Booklist ) and "Butler's strong debut shows a powerful heroine determined to bring a nasty but fully fleshed-out set of baddies to justice" ( Kirkus Reviews )

Excerpt from Book

Chapter 2 NOVEMBER 24, ONE WEEK EARLIER The Parks Canada administration building oversaw the town of Banff from an elevated perch south of the Bow River. It was a dominating presence, facing north along the congested length of Banff Avenue toward Cascade Mountain. It spoke of permanence, authority, tradition. Constructed as a Depression-era make-work project, the three-storey structure was completed in 1936 and symbolized Canada''s emerging need to manage the wilderness for people. Built of limestone, with sandstone trim and cedar shakes and surrounded by sweeping gardens, it projected an air of calm control, efficiency, and strong management. For Park Warden Jenny Willson, the castle-like building sat in stark contrast to the wilderness of Banff National Park. And it represented all she hated about a bureaucracy that often served itself instead of the citizens who paid the bills. She knew there were many good people here dedicated to the park, their efforts valiant despite the system rather than because of it -- those weren''t the people she despised. Her disgust was reserved for the men and women whose sole objective was to climb the career ladder, rung by slippery rung, tossing aside their morals and ethics as they did so, who changed directions with each passing political breeze, and who clawed their way up while shovelling steaming piles of blame onto the hapless rung-climbers below them. Willson paused below the stone archway at the building''s east entrance, her face reflected in the original stained glass panels, one hand gripping a brass door handle worn and discoloured from eighty years of contact with palms and fingers. She''d gone for a bike ride that morning and, because it was her day off, hadn''t bothered with the tan shirt, dark-green pants, and bulletproof vest that she normally wore on duty. Instead, she had quickly pulled on jeans, hiking shoes, and a blue fleece jacket over a flannel shirt. Her long brown hair was pulled back tight in a ponytail. The last time she''d been in this building, she remembered, two senior officials from Parks Canada''s Calgary office had tried to derail her investigation into wildlife poaching in the park. Despite their attempts to impede her, to prevent her from doing what she knew to be right, Willson had relentlessly chased an American hunter and his accomplices back and forth across the international border. She''d eventually won the race. Then, in classic government style, campaigning politicians took credit for her actions, while one of the two obstructionist bureaucrats resigned quietly and without fanfare. The other crawled up another rung on the government ladder, proof that the Peter principle was alive and well. Willson took a deep breath. Every time she passed through this door, her life changed in some way, and never for the better. She could walk away from the agency, but to do what? Reluctantly, she pulled open the heavy door and walked down the empty hallway to the office of Banff Chief Park Warden Frank Speer, her footsteps echoing on the tile floor. A thirty-year veteran of the agency, Speer was one of the few people above Willson in the parks hierarchy whom she truly respected. He''d supported her through the tortuous poaching investigation, putting his career and his pending retirement at risk. In fact, he''d been the only one to stand by her. Willson pushed open the windowed door to Speer''s office and greeted Pat Scott, a plump, no-nonsense woman in her sixties who''d worked with the chief in one capacity or another since he first became a warden. Her job title was now executive assistant, but she still referred to herself as his secretary. Old habits. Pat was short enough to be the same height standing up or sitting down -- or so it seemed to Willson, who towered over her by nearly a foot."Hi, Jenny, it''s been a while. The chief ''s waiting for you." She winked. "Keep up the good work." "Thanks, Pat. I appreciate that more than you know." Willson entered the inner office and sat down in a creaky old chair facing an older man with a grey crewcut. "You wanted to see me, Chief?" she asked, stretching her legs out. Behind the desk, Frank Speer pulled the wire-framed reading glasses off his face and looked up from a stack of documents. Willson noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the creases at the corners of his mouth -- exhaustion from the bureaucracy, perhaps? "Thanks for coming up, Jenny," he said with a weary smile. "I know how much you love this place.""To be honest, Chief, I''d rather be at a kid''s birthday party with balloons and a friggin'' clown than in this place. But I came because you asked me. What''s up?""I''m on the horns of a dilemma ... and I''m interested in getting your perspective." "Okay ..." said Willson, intrigued. She took a sip from her travel mug filled with Kicking Horse''s Kick Ass coffee, strong and black. Until the poaching investiga

Description for Sales People

Features a female sleuth who is stubborn, irreverent, and known for saying what others can't or won't, and for taking things very personally Jenny Willson continues her irascible, tenacious, take-no-prisoners approach to protecting "her" national parks and her resolute pursuit of the truth continues to lead her into serious trouble Set in spectacular western mountain landscapes of B.C. and Alberta Both the villain and the investigative journalist Willson allies herself with are American, which continues the series' cross-border theme Connects two topics currently in the media: new developments in communities whose residents don't get a say, and large-scale financial fraud First book in series was well received: "A series readers will follow for a long time" ( Booklist ) and "Butler's strong debut shows a powerful heroine determined to bring a nasty but fully fleshed-out set of baddies to justice" ( Kirkus Reviews )

Details