I enjoyed reading this book, finishing it in three days. Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn for sending me this ebook. This is a very good debut police procedural with Parks Canada Warden Jenny Willson focused on finding a team of poachers. The author was a Parks Canada Warden and some of this book is based on an actual investigation which involved various law enforcement agencies in Canada and the US. Since the criminals are revealed early on, it is not a mystery, but a thriller, as Willson tenaciously builds a case against the poachers.
If you like the Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr, you will like this book.
Update February 7, 2018: My wife just read this book and liked it also. She commented that the investigation took about a year, more realistic than many mystery books.
A solid 4 star book.

Jenny Willson is a sort of Anna Pigeon of Canadian National Parks, which makes Dave Butler a sort of Nevada Barr, I suppose. This is the first of a series based on the Canadian park warden, and we can only hope that the next one follows quickly. Jenny cares deeply for the parks and for the animals that inhabit them so, when it is discovered that a trophy hunter is slaughtering top specimens, she is on the hunt. The reader knows much more about what is going on than Jenny and her fellow wardens do; the suspense is all about how she will figure out who is responsible and bring them to justice. Butler brings the characters alive, providing them with nuance beyond the good or evil roles they play in the plot. His best writing, however, describes the animals and their relationships with humans.

A mystery with a twist — not your average murder victims! No spoilers here....

Author Dave Butler has written a thrilling tale set in one of Canada's national parks. The story is well crafted, with enough tension to keep you reading all night. His knowledge of the region comes shining through and so the setting is deftly portrayed. There's action galore and well-differentiated characters. I liked the tough, female protagonist who won't give up!

Full Curl is a very satisfying read and I hope Butler is writing a series. I can't wait for another like this one.

Highly recommended to all who love a good mystery with a twist.

Jenny is a hard hitting, no nonsense ranger working in Banff National Park. She is passionate about her job and protecting the wildlife so it is particularly upsetting when she discovers someone/s is butchering wildlife in the park. Early in the investigation, Jenny discovers an old bull elk shot, dead with his antlers hacked off most likely by a trophy hunter.
Luis Castillo is a cold-hearted trophy hunter who does not let anyone get in the way of something he wants. His power extends to several officials in high places now beholden to him for past favours. In his eyes, blackmail and murder are acceptable ways of conducting his business.
As the evidence mounts the real test for Jenny and her team is apprehending the main suspect before it is too late. In doing so, she will find her own life at threatened.
Although I admired Jenny’s character, I did not like her, as she was a bit too ‘blokey’ (mannish) for me. My favourite parts of the book were the opening
The operational details seemed quite detailed and I am guessing that’s the procedure followed in real life based on the author’s own experiences or from expert advice. This isnt a criticism but I did tend to skim a little through these sections.
Written by a forester and biologist living in the Rocky Mountains area this author writes as if he knows his stuff. I felt his passion for preserving the outdoors came through in his writing. It is a sad fact this sort of thing goes on in the real world no matter how many procedures and resources authorities apply.
Full Curl is the first novel in the Jenny Wilson mystery series and is a great read for those who enjoy mystery thrillers with a nature/wildlife background. There are quite a few tense moments where I was mentally holding my breath. The first few chapters made a huge impression on me and held my interest, as did the ending. Great novel by a first time author and looking forward to the next read!

I am sad to say this was a DNF for me. I had very high hopes for this one because the synopsis intrigued me and I usually love any type of mystery that can incorporate animals in to the mix. The discussion of the weapons and the procedures was just too technical for me and I abandoned it after 100 pages. There was nothing I connected with, the story did not flow for me and I did not care for any of the characters.

The promise of a mystery set in Banff National Park overcame my hesitancy of reading a book by an unknown debut author. We had visited both Banff and the counterpart United States Rockies in recent years. I relished a vicarious return and took a chance that the new Canadian author from a Canadian publisher would be a good storyteller. Consequently, I clicked “request” on the offer from Net Galley to read Full Curl by Dave Butler (no relation).

The intrigue lasts from beginning to end as park warden Jenny Willson (yes, with two “l’s”) almost catches the poachers who are hunting wildlife in Banff National Park only to miss them. The ante rises for her and the perpetrators as murder and drug dealing incorporate into the crime mix. Then there are the bureaucrats who are reluctant to join the chase because they don’t take a woman warden too seriously. Obviously, they don’t know Jenny Willson well.

Dave Butler portrays the park skillfully and beautifully in the narrative without calling attention to his descriptions but giving the reader a sense of being present in the park. No doubt this ability comes from his internalizing the area during his day job as a forester and biologist near the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia.

Caution for the debut author was completely unnecessary. In fact, I was pleased to see the notation both in the front and the back of the book “a Jenny Willson mystery, Book 1.” Since my pleasure reading genre is a good mystery, I think I’ll be seeing Jenny Willson – with two “l’s” – again.

This is a well written initial entry into what I hope will be a series set in Canada's national parks. Jenny Wilson is a truly intrepid and determined investigator searching for the truth about who has murdered wildlife under her guard. She's a great character- feisty, thoughtful, and well rounded. Loved the settings. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Fans of Nevada Barr will like this one as will anyone who likes a different sort of procedural (and the outdoors.). Looking forward to more.

This is a crime novel with a difference. The murder victims are protected animals poached from Canada’s National Parks, and most of the investigating officers are National Park Wardens. OK, so a few murdered humans pop up too, and the national police of both Canada and USA get involved – but the main focus is on the illegal poaching of the animals for sport.
The shot animals are described in loving detail, in the prime of their lives, by people who have seen and admired them, and in particular by the wildlife photographer, Canon: “In both horizontal and vertical shots, the ridges of the ram’s horns popped in the dramatic sidelight of the morning. Each horn, a triangle-shaped combination of bone core and horn sheath that grew over the core each year, showed the transverse ridges that marked the passing of time. … The two horns curled down and backward from the top of the skull, and then upward and forward again, encircling its ears in a complete circle. It was full curl” (hence the book title). All the animals are glorious mature males and superior examples of their species, with extraordinary antlers or horns. Unfortunately, that makes them prime targets for the rich American hunter, who refuses to let laws or morality get in the way of completing his collection of stuffed animal heads. The rarer (more endangered), the better.
There are three main characters in this book: the park warden, Jenny Willson; the outfitter, Eastman, who arranges the illegal hunts; and the hunter. For each of them, the paths they take are defined by their relationships with their fathers. Jenny wants to make her dead father proud, prove that she made the right decision to become a park warden, rather than follow her uncle into a career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police: “My uncle Roy, … tried hard to persuade me to join the force. But I really love the mountains and couldn’t risk being posted (away)… So I went to UBC and got a degree in natural resource conservation.”. For Jenny, the animals and the park are everything, and she will stop at nothing to protect them: her “mind centred on the stark image of the slaughtered elk, the coppery smell of blood splashed on snow, the lonely whisper of wind in the grasses. This was personal, very personal. … Willson promised herself to follow the case to the end, even if her bosses didn’t approve”.
Eastman’s “father had taught him to hunt and had always impressed on his son the need to act ethically. Hunting, he’d said, was a source of food for the family table, nothing more”. He “knew that his father would be angry, ashamed, disgusted at how far his son had strayed from the path he’d tried to set”. But for Eastman “it was the money that mattered. If that kept flowing, he’d ignore the rest”.
For the hunter, “not only did his father’s hunting protect the local crops from the voracious animals, but those animals then became food for the family, and often for other local families in need. … For his father, it was not about the thrill of the hunt, and it wasn’t a deep-seated spiritual appreciation for the lives of the wild animals he harvested. Instead, it was about providing for his family and about his position in the community; he was a provider, protector, predator rather than prey, a man not to be taken lightly. Since then, Castillo had always associated a successful hunt with the admiration of friends and family”. So, Castillo displays his ill-gotten trophies to work colleagues and associates, believing that his hunting prowess will gain him the approbation he feels he deserves.
The photographer, Canon, has an (unsurprisingly) different view: “how can someone be so arrogant and selfish that they feel it’s okay to shoot an animal in its prime so they can stick it on their wall? I can take pictures of the same animals over and over again, and others can enjoy the same experience. That’s the definition of a renewable resource. But killing an animal for a trophy, and the only person who enjoys it is the sad guy who lives in his parents’ basement and stares at it on the rec room wall”.
So, three main characters. All driven and obsessed by the different things they love: the national parks and their animals; money; the respect and esteem of others. All will do anything to achieve their aims, and woe betide any who stand in their way.
There is also an array of well-developed minor characters. Jenny has many friends, and law enforcement associates on both sides of the border, whom she is able to call upon for help in her mission. She is demanding of, and often terse with, her junior warden, Bill Forsyth. But their relationship is that of teacher and pupil, and both share a love for the Parks, and a desire for justice. Eastman and Castillo are bullies. They have unappreciated underlings beholden to them, but bearing them no loyalty: Charlie Clark (Eastman’s sorry hunting guide); and the anonymous ‘Sprague’ (Castillo’s building inspector). It is the turning of these ‘worms’ that eventually decide the case.
The pace is rapid throughout. Although you know the main guilty parties from the start, the full scale of their guilt is only revealed piecemeal. The suspense comes from the When, How and If they will finally be caught.
The writing is superb, with the author’s love for the beauty of the Canadian National Parks and their wildlife coming forcefully through in the descriptions of the environment and in the actions of the characters he clearly admires.
Jenny is a strong female lead. Her strength comes not from her femininity, but from her resolute belief in what is right and her love for the Parks. To my mind, this makes her a greater role model (for both males and females), than a woman who makes a big play of her gender, and her efforts to confound associated preconceptions.
I loved everything about this book, and look forward to many more Jenny Willson stories.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This is the first in the Jenny Wilson Mystery series. She is tough, unrelenting, tenacious and passionate about the animals she is responsible for as a park warden in Banff National Park.

Full Curl, I believe is worth 5 stars for tackling the issue of trophy hunting. Butler does it in a way that uplifts and recognises the role of women by using Jenny Wilson as his main character. When dead carcasses are discovered in the national park, it is Jenny who leads the investigation. She follows every lead and thinks through every possible scenario until she is satisfied.

But the process she has to go through is nail-biting, exciting and intelligent. The hurdles she faces are bureaucracy, deceit and arrogance, let alone danger. I could not put this book down. For lovers of conservation, crime and mystery, this book is highly recommended.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I loved this book, very good mystery, well written, story keeps you wanting to stay up and keep reading! I would recommend it to any one that loves mysteries or just wants to read a great book!

Banff National Park Warden Jenny Willson is outraged when someone begins hunting animals illegally in the park. First a huge elk is discovered shot, skinned, and antlers removed, left to rot. More animals follow. As she investigates the crimes, she comes up against government bureaucracy, reluctant local officials, and international jurisdiction issues. When the crimes escalate to include drug trafficking and murder, she knows law enforcement needs to move quickly to track down the local guides and hunters behind the poaching.

It isn't often that a book makes me angry. But this one did. Hunting is one thing, but killing protected animals within a park for trophies is reprehensible. Cutting off horns, antlers, etc and then leaving the meat to rot....ohhhhh.....very angry feelings. Very. Angry. I had to read a few chapters....then put the book down and watch a sitcom episode or two to calm down. I was never more happy to get to the part where the bastard criminals are caught and get what's coming to them than in this book!!!!

My feelings about poachers and trophy hunters aside, Full Curl is very well-written and suspenseful. I have to admit I was first drawn to this book by the unusual front cover.....and then by the plot outline. As a suspense/crime thriller, this book is different, focusing on park wardens and illegal poaching in a Canadian national park, rather than the usual police procedural fare. Unusual theme -- and utterly enjoyable (yet maddening!) story! When a book elicits an emotional response, it's good story craft! And this book definitely got me going!

Jenny Willson is a strong, intelligent and driven main character. So glad to see a female law enforcement officer depicted as skilled, respected and, frankly, ruthless. She kicked some ass! Great female MC!

The pace of the story was perfect, keeping the suspense going until the end. The characters are believable and not over-done. All in all, a very enjoyable crime thriller.

Full Curl is Dave Butler's debut novel and the first book in the new Jenny Willson series. So glad there will be more books to come! I will definitely be reading more! For more information on the author, check out his website: http://www.davebutlerwriting.com/

*I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Dundurn Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Reviewed free for review:
Couldn't remember how to get back here so reviewed on goodreads and Amazon previously.
To me, his writing compares to Nevada Barr!
Great characters, wonderful scene constructions, easy to lose yourself in this story!

Banff National Park warden Jenny Willson is shocked when she finds evidence that poachers have been killing several protected animals for trophy hunting, including a bull elk, bighorn sheep and mountain goat. With the help of newly hired Bill Forsyth and her extended network of contacts, Jenny doggedly works to identify the hunting guide and his notorious, ruthless client. It takes almost a year of investigation and since the trail crosses the Canada-USA border into Alberta, British Columbia and the American Pacific Northwest region. authorities in both countries get involved in the plan to find proof and ultimately arrest the culprits.

This is a fine debut mystery that won the 2015 Unhanged Arthur Ellis award, and I hope that this strong protagonist is featured in future books.

I received this book for free from Netgalley and Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review.

Full Curl is a mystery novel, where the main victims are animals of rare species, being hunted by an evil businessman.
Full Curl is also a mess.

At various points in the book I felt like this had several different authors, where some sequences were actually competent and suspenseful, while others were straight-up ridiculous. The baffling decision to include horribly hamfisted discussion of sexism and feminism stops the books dead in its tracks several times and I honestly felt like dropping the book completely whenever these sequences appeared. Favourite ridiculous discussion point: "Is it sexist to hire pretty people (of any gender)?". You do you, sure, and sexism needs to be addressed. But not in a mediocre mystery novel and not by a person who literally misused the word "sexism", because, psst, sexism is discrimintation based on sex or gender. Hiring pretty people of all sexes is not sexism. It may be somewhat morally iffy, but Butler literally misuses the term. How did that even get in the final draft?

Then there's beautiful writing like: "All the wardens recognized and respected the big bull because his rack was so large and impressive, his will to dominate and procreate so strong and inspiring". Holy hell, this is meant to be taken seriously.

There are flashes of an actually okay book here, when the stakes get a bit higher and we get POVs from characters that are less ridicuously annoying and bad at narrating than Jenny Willson (you know, our actual protagonist). But even these chapters are not always safe, as some of them could be taken out entirely without hurting the plot, feeling more like fat that needs to be trimmed rather than some deep exploration of side characters.

And the mystery, the central force that's supposed to be pushing the plot forward? It just does not work, at all. Taking a "Columbo" approach, Butler reveals the culprit immediately, so what the reader is left to do is follow Willson as she struggles with bureaucracy, incompetence of everybody (except for her, because she's perfect, duh), and the lack of evidence. This might work if it were written better, but in its current state? Yeah, you can probably guess for yourself.

Honestly, there are a lot of things to criticise about the book, far more than there are to praise. But I've already highlighted several major issues and I don't want to turn this into some inane bashing. So I will leave you with this: this book is like a 'cosy mystery' novel mixed with someone's personal blog full of rambling and self-praise. And if you think that combination somehow sounds fun or interesting. Well, uh, good news, I've found the book for you. ("There's dozens of us!" and all that)

This seems to be early in new series around a ranger called Jenny WIllson - who is serious about the animals she protects and is up against not only a big headed rookie colleague, wiht little experience who knows it all but by the end is showing wisdom and aptitude, but a determined killer - a trophy killer, the worst kind. What is really exceptional about this novel is its attentiveness to the small print of environment and animal well being - despite some preaching, really, I found myself utterly captivated by the knowledge of these animals and their ways that this detective has. She likens such work as like a homicide investigation - really strong and readable. Her attention to detail means we learn the ground work but also the habits of animals, and how the ranger can 'predict' what is happening when,and that an act is criminal for the same reasons.

All of the characters are well written, and I absolutely love the different perspectives in the chapters. Some of you know by now that that’s my favourite type of book! I don’t know if these kinds of crimes happen a lot, but the creative ways that Dave shows how animal parts are smuggled across the border…I can’t help but think that he’s seen one too many cases that ended like this.

The plot, the writing style, and the characters really sold me on this book. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect mystery. Usually, I’m not a fan of knowing who the killer is – I like to try and (successfully) solve it myself. But I loved it for this book, and it worked well.

In short, my favourite mystery novel of the year so far. Everything else I read after this, I’m definitely going to be comparing to Full Curl.

I loved this book! Any plot that centers around wild animals and the less than noble people who would illegally profit from their deaths is always of interest to me, and this was no exception. Expertly written with well-drawn characters, plenty of action, and intelligent dialog, this is a story that will pull at every heart-string you have... a definite roller coaster ride. You should add this to your "summer read" list. Recommended.

Jenny Willson is a warden at the Canadian Banff National Park. She is horrified to discover there is a trophy hunter being lead by a hunting guide and his helper, killing the biggest and best animal specimens. The hunter pays a premium price for a guaranteed (unlawful) kill. He is a powerful, ruthless business man with his tentacles reaching many important people. His wish is to own trophies from the best animals worldwide. The guide is an extremely obnoxious man, a bully who doesn't shy away from violence, whereas his helper is a pathetic, sick specimen who is trying to supplement his finances to pay for his expensive treatment. His alcoholic wife mainly deals in drugs. These are highly unlikeable people that Jenny somehow has to bring down to lock them up for a long time. This proves more difficult than she realized, as dealing with the ladder climbing politicians and the government is almost impossible. Unsurprisingly, the reader wants to reach out and punch these self satisfied careerists.
The ending is a good one and the descriptions of the parks is a satisfying mental vacation that will leave you wanting to pack your bags for a lengthy visit.
My only problem was with Jenny. For some reason I didn't take to her and I don't quite know why. Maybe she needed more fleshing out for me - I would like to have known more about her personal thoughts and life, away from the job. However, I would definitely read the next in the series as I did love the feel of the landscape and am curious as to the next adventure.
Thank you Netgalley and Dundurn for the eARC.

Jenny Wilson is a force to be recognized it almost always under valued regarding her passion for justice. A delightful book that takes you through the process of investigating poaching. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Dave Butler might have somewhat over-dramatized the normal life of an animal warden in his novel, “Full Curl,” but that’s okay. There are so many police procedurals floating around the book world these days there’s a need to find new careers that might have a dog in the fight.

Jenny Willson is the no-nonsense protagonist of this initial entry in a series that will feature her and her glorious wilderness in stories to come. In “Curl,” she is outraged by the poaching deaths of some of the protected wildlife in the magnificent Canadian Rockies, animals she is sworn to protect. An unscrupulous guide has taken on a client who is greedy, vicious, and deeply dedicated to filling out his dead-eyed statuary display with the bodies of all the major wild animals he can murder. Willson is just as devoted to making sure the killing ends and that both the guide and the hunter will have their hides stretched out on some wall instead.

The story follows the steps necessary to bring all the loose ends of animal protection together, get all the details in proper alignment, and to get handcuffs and prison garb on the miscreants. Subterfuge, secrets, terror, and eventually murder are obstacles that the stubborn and inventive Willson must climb over as she attempts to put a stop to the senseless killing.

It is obvious that the author is convinced he has more stories to tell. Several ideas are casually thrown about in his story that will, no doubt, be worked out in the future and I will be watching for them because I enjoyed his heroine, her sidekicks, and the beautiful scenic writing he was able to develop.