Lost in Yellowstone: A National Park Mystery

Maggi’s solid second outing for National Park Service special agent Emme Helliwell (after A Murder in Zion) matches a diverting puzzle with convincing emotional stakes. A family kayaking on Yellowstone Lake is stunned when a geyser spews a severed, sneaker-clad foot that lands near their boat. To Emme’s chagrin, she’s assigned to investigate; she fumbled her last case in Yellowstone National Park three years earlier, and her superiors assign her ex-boyfriend, park ranger Holden Thrush, to help with the new investigation. A coroner’s report indicates the foot belonged to a teenager. After Emme finds a pocketknife in the geyser that belongs to a wilderness school for troubled teens, she and Holden dig into the organization’s shady enrollment practices. Maggi peppers the action with enough clues—including potential links to Emme’s previous, unsolved Yellowstone case—to keep armchair sleuths guessing, while Emme’s fraught relationship with Holden adds emotional stakes. Paul Doiron fans will appreciate this. (May)