American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West

This is Nate Blakeslee's 2nd non-fiction work and he has done a masterful job of weaving together written records and personal interviews to tell the story of the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone and the western United States. He focuses particularly on one female alpha wolf dubbed 0-Six who came to be beloved by people far beyond the park due to bloggers who documented her activities. According to her fans, she was a remarkable leader, exhibiting the human characteristics of intelligence, strength, generosity, protectiveness, playfulness, adaptability, and the ability to strategize. She built and guided her pack ably in the face of challenging wolf packs and fearsome weather, but was ultimately defeated by the ranchers and hunters who saw the wolves as enemies. Blakeslee also examines the heated convictions on both sides of the wolf reintroduction and the often labyrinthine politics that went along with them. He briefly touches on the cascade of environmental benefits that have resulted from the wolf reintroduction--from plants to fish, to mammals and birds of prey--as they re-established a more balanced level of predators and prey. You will find yourself rooting for the wolves if you have any humanity at all.
This book was the NY Times October book club pick. Additional reviews from the LA Times, Kirkus, the Denver Post, and The Spokesman-Review.

Flower Net

Author Lisa See will be coming to Bend to do a talk as part of the Deschutes Public Libraries' "Author! Author!" series this coming year, so I decided to read some of her books. I picked this particular book because it was a mystery and had been a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery and a NYT Notable Book.
Two former lovers, David Stark, now an Assistant U.S. Attorney in LA, and Liu Hulan, now with the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing, are brought together, ostensibly to solve two murders. One victim is the son of the U.S. Ambassador to China; his body has been found in a lake by ice skaters. Hulan is put on the case and then abruptly taken off. She is shocked by the Ambassador's insistence that it was an accident and his refusal to let the case be pursued. The other murder victim is the son of a powerful Chinese business tycoon, who is found in the water tanks of a freighter bringing illegal Chinese immigrants to the U.S. David is first invited to Beijing to help Hulan and then they return to LA as the money trail leads there. But all around them potential witnesses and colleagues are dying in horrific fashion--clearly sending a warning. When they return once again to Beijing, this time without an official invitation, it quickly becomes apparent that someone or some ones are also trying to kill them.
David and Hulan had gone to law school together and lived together and worked at the same law firm, and then she suddenly returned to China and cut off all contact with David. Hulan is the daughter of the now Assistant Ministter of Public Security. Moreover, she is descended from a line of royal entertainers. She and her family endured the Cultural Revolution. At one point she was sent away to the United States to attend school. Her father was imprisoned and her mother disappeared, only to return years later as a physically and mentally broken person. Hulan's boss at the Ministry is Zai, an old family friend. Or is he? Through most of the book, we know Hulan has a secret that she cannot share with David, for fear it will change his view of her forever and for the worse.
A well written mystery enriched by details of the settings in China and the obvious knowledge of history and customs. I would be happy to read subsequent installments in this series, the "Red Princess" mysteries (The Interior and Dragon Bones).

Open Season

So I went back and ordered the first "Joe Picket" novel in the series from C.J. Box because I have heard good things about this author AND was so turned off by the other book I tried to read by him, The Highway. I have to say, this was a considerable improvement with more complex and interesting characters, at least some of whom I could identify with. Joe Pickett is a fairly new game ranger in Saddlestring, Wyoming. He has two young daughters and a 3rd child on the way. He knows his wife Marybeth has given up her career and the wealthy lifestyle she was accustomed to in order to follow him to various government-owned houses that leave a lot to be desired. Older daughter Sheridan also seems not to like the constant moving. Joe has taken the place of retiring warden Vern Dunnegan, who was a local legend, but has now gone to work as a consultant for a company wanting to run a pipeline through the Bighorn mountains. He is offering Joe the opportunity to work for this same company and make lots of money. But Joe loves his life of being outdoors and safeguarding the wildlife. When a hunting guide stumbles into Joe's backyard late one night mortally wounded and leaves behind a scarred plastic cooler that seems to have been carrying live animals, the real trouble begins. A series of murders is followed by threats to Joe's family, which come from the most unlikely direction. Joe begins to suspect that an endangered species may play a key role in what is happening. Then someone pulls strings to get Joe suspended for losing his weapon in a confrontation with a man he once tried to arrest. Joe is determined to get to the bottom of things while he still can, but the cost is higher than he ever imagined.