"Hollow Beasts" by Alisa Lynn Valdes is a gripping wilderness thriller that follows Jodi Luna, a rookie game warden, as she confronts a terrorist group in the rugged terrain of New Mexico.

After leaving academia behind, Jodi returns to her family's homeland in New Mexico to start a new life as a game warden. Her first week on the job takes a dangerous turn when she apprehends a poacher, who retaliates by targeting Jodi and her teenage daughter. As the poacher's threats escalate, Jodi discovers a sinister white supremacist group operating in the mountains, kidnapping women of color as part of their twisted initiation rites.

With the local sheriff unwilling to help, Jodi teams up with young deputy Ashley Romero to dismantle the terrorist network. Together, they embark on a perilous mission to bring justice to the victims and stop the group's reign of terror. However, their pursuit of justice will test not only their investigative skills but also their resilience and commitment to protecting their community.

As Jodi navigates the treacherous landscape of the New Mexico wilderness, she must confront her own fears and vulnerabilities while safeguarding those she loves. With stakes higher than ever, Jodi's determination to protect the voiceless puts her on a collision course with danger, forcing her to make difficult choices that could have far-reaching consequences.

"Hollow Beasts" is a riveting tale of survival, courage, and the fight against extremism, woven against the backdrop of the unforgiving wilderness. Alisa Lynn Valdes delivers a thrilling narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I LOVE THIS BOOK and this SERIES!

Hollow Beasts is a gripping thriller that takes the reader on a wild ride through the rugged landscapes and dark secrets of New Mexico. The protagonist, Jodi Luna, is a game warden who returns to her ancestral home after a successful career as a poet and academic in Boston. She hopes to start a new life with her teenage daughter, Mila, but soon finds herself in a deadly confrontation with a white supremacist group that is kidnapping and killing women of color.

Jodi is a compelling character who combines intelligence, courage, and compassion. She is determined to protect her land, her people, and her daughter from the evil forces that threaten them. She is also a proud descendant of the Luna family, a clan of powerful healers and warriors who have a special connection to the land and its creatures. Jodi's heritage plays a crucial role in the story, as she draws on her family's history and traditions to fight back against the enemy.

The author, Alisa Lynn Valdés, is a New York Times bestselling author who has written several novels in different genres. She is also a journalist and a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe. She brings her expertise and experience to this novel, creating a realistic and vivid portrayal of New Mexico and its diverse cultures. She also tackles important issues such as racism, sexism, environmentalism, and terrorism, weaving them into a fast-paced and suspenseful plot.

Hollow Beasts is a novel that will keep you on tender hooks, as you follow Jodi's journey of survival, justice, and redemption. It will also make you think about the world we live in and the challenges we face in an uncertain (and frequently abusive and racist) society.

Giving up many years in education Game Warden Jodi Luna starts a new position in the wilds of New Mexico, where her family have lived for generations.
A thrilling game of cat and mouse results when Jodi learns that new recruits of a white supremacist group are kidnapping women of colour to prove themselves to the organizations leader.
A page turner that I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Hollow Beasts was a quick read but forgettable read. I meant to sit down and write a review immediately but life happens. Jodi is returning to her New Mexico hometown to become a game warden and stumbles upon a white supremacist group murdering women of color.

While the synopsis sounded promising this book could have used more editing. I do think that you might enjoy it as a quick palate cleanser. I cannot remember exactly why I gave it two stars since I do not normally finish two star books. I will not be reading the sequel any time soon.

I've been reading much more racially motivated crime stories, and they mostly make me angry - that's their goal, so Alisa Lynn Valdes did a great job with that. The crime part itself is sickening but it's also good, something unique in its way.

I'll say - it did get a bit boring around 50%, the backstory of Jodi was somehow important but it was just boring in a way. Also, some things happened too fast - the plot with Lyle and Ashley. I wasn't expecting it, it was okay but also it weirdly happened way too fast for my taste.

**3.5 stars**

Hollow Beasts is the first book in a new series featuring poet-college professor turned game warden Jodi Luna. I liked it. Jodi is certainly a multi-faceted character. The side characters including her brother Oscar and her daughter were fully drawn. The story moved along quickly.

One negative I have is that maybe Jodi is too much: professor, poet, mom, wife, she hunts and butchers her own meat, she has a farm with chickens and horses and grows her own vegetables, etc. The other negative is how dumb the villains are portrayed to be.

I liked this book enough that I will look for the next book in the series when it comes out. If you like procedural with unique characters and unique jobs like the Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo or Nevada Barr you should pick this one up.

I read and listened to this one, the audiobook narrator was very monotone in her reading, not the best.

**thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

Being from New Mexico, I absolutely had to request this book and I'm glad I did. Alisa Lynn Valdés does a great job of characterization and plot building in this wilderness thriller about a woman who leaves academia to become a game warden in New Mexico. The story quickly shifts when Jodi, our protagonist, finds a horrible racist plot to harm people of color and without the help of the local sheriff, she joins forces with another young deputy. This story was fantastic, heart-breaking, and very much held my attention from beginning to end. Overall, a fantastic book and although this is my first book by this author, I would read more by her.

Disjointed writing. Horrible characters. Action taken with choices were unrealistic. I couldn't connect with the writing, the actions of the characters. A better story could have been written without the heavy politics.

#NETGALLEY #HOLLOWBEASTS #ALISALYNNVALDES

Jodi Luna is a newly appointed game warden in New Mexico that stumbles across the evil plot of a white supremacist group in Hollow Beasts.
This book was a lot of fun. It's nice to have a kick ass heroine and plenty of strong female supporting characters. The pacing is quick, with short chapters and the book isn't too long or bogged down with fillers. I will definitely look for the second book in this installment. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

'Hollow Beasts,' book 1 of 2: Jodi Lona, by Alisa Lynn Valdés (Thomas & Mercer, 253 pages, April 1)

The 2020 true-life hunting down of a 14-year-old in Iowa because “she looked Mexican” inspires Alisa Lynn Valdes’ debut thriller, “Hollow Beasts.” Dubbed the “Godmother of Chica Lit” for her “Dirty Girls Social Club” novels, Valdes continues the competent storytelling, but moving here into the grit of white supremacists who kidnap women of color as a proofing stage to the organization’s hierarchy. When academic Jodi Luna turns from her life as a professor of poetry in Boston to a new gambit as a game warden in her native New Mexico, she finds out she’s suited to the profession. She has a passion to protect her ancestral land and proves her agility by catching a poacher in her first week. That catch, though, turns into retaliation against the new warden and her daughter, forcing Luna to team with a deputy sheriff — the local sheriff flatly refuses to get involved: suspicions abound — in a captivating game of search-and-find that will ultimately one of two outcomes: the silencing of her own voice, or recovering the voices of the voiceless. A solid story sits atop important issues of injustice in this series starter.

The protagonist is Jodi, a Latina woman who moved from academia to return to her native New Mexico and a job as a game warden. . I liked reading her insights into her family, friends and community. The book demonstrated how the attitudes of a group who refuse to consider people who are different from them, in this case. This hatred demonstrates the groups justification that can justify murder.. The character of Jodi is perfect, as she works through her personal issues, family expectations and Jodi is a Latina woman who moved from academia to return to her roots in New Mexico as a game warden mid-career, along with her teenage daughter.
Through Jodi, we learn about the culture and lives of her community, the expectations of her family, and the prejudice that exists toward brown people among some that are not. I liked reading her insights into her experiences and those of her family and friends. It demonstrated how damaging attitudes can be by those who refuse to understand people who are different from them, in this case, rising to the level of deep enough hatred that can justify murder.
This book was difficult to read at times. Though the characters were well written and developed, there are some that were repellant.
This book is a page-turning thriller that draws our attention to important social issues today.

I am a fan of this incredible author. The stories she wove into this book were hard to read. I felt my heart clench each time something new would happen. Hollow Beasts discussing immigration, poaching, trafficking, racism, and the good in humanity In the midst of a thick forest filled with cruelty from humans towards one another and Mother Nature.

I knew this would be a a read that made me sad so I put it off for a bit, but I don't regret the decision. I began following Alisa Lynn Valdes' Instagram and learned even more about the inspiration for her book, which made it even more impactful for me as I read.

I am eager to read more by this author. I want to learn more, discover more, and understand more. Valdes offers that in her book and I hope to see it in her next!

Jodi Luna is a new game warden in New Mexico. She has returned, with her teen daughter, to her hometown after years away and the death of her deeply loved husband. A former professor of poetry, Jodi is back in New Mexico to rebuild her life.

On her last assignment with her mentor/retiring game warden, she encounters a poacher whose behaviour and statements expose his misogyny and racism, and scant respect for wildlife. While this seems like an isolated incident, the poacher is actually connected to a group of white supremacists hiding in the woods that are part of her patrol range. Not only are they harming wildlife, they’re also targeting Black, indigenous, and Latine women, kidnapping them, imprisoning them, and hunting them for sport. The group is sickening, and scenes at the camp are frightening and infuriating.

Jodi keeps bumping up against members of the group, who begin surveillance of her and her daughter. Meanwhile, a new deputy has joined the Sheriff’s office, Ashley Romero, and is denigrated and undermined by her boss, a racist jerk, because she’s from the city, follows procedures, and looks to shake things up in his inept running of his department. Unbeknownst to Ashley, the murder case of a young woman she’s investigating is connected to Jodi’s own encounters with the supremacist group. That Jodi, Ashley and the white supremacists are all headed for a confrontation is guaranteed when it becomes obvious that Jodi’s family is threatened.

The beginning is a little slow, but the novel quickly takes off as Jodi eases into her new role as a ranger. Along with patrolling, Jodi must make peace with friends and family she left behind for years, while also confronting a deeply-held secret from her adolescence, brought back in all its pain when her younger brother decides to unearth this past, and her reason for escaping her home town.

The book held my attention throughout, and I liked Jodi, her daughter, Ashley, their relationships with each other and colleagues. The author built tension well, and I liked how the book was resolved, and want to read more Jodi Luna stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This book was so good. I just thought that Jodi Luna was the best female character I have read about in awhile. She was so courageous taking on white supremacists and knowing herself enough to know when she needed help. She was incredibly tough and the best mother. The author wove in so many connections to Latin culture that I learned new things as I read the story. I look forward to reading more adventures about Jodi Luna

A nice start to a new series. Jodie Luna, who left academia to return home to work as a game warden finds there's more danger than she thought on the job. Despite some implausibilities this has a good rhythm and the bad guys are a topical threat. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

3.75/5 stars! The cover of this book is great and I loved the Western vibe to this story. The pacing of the story is great and it definitely works as a mystery thriller. I think there was a bigger opportunity for education for the reader about the real horrors that are happening to indigenous women and girls. But that aside, I really enjoyed the story and felt like the author's writing style really benefitted the story.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I was very excited to get this ARC Netgalley, so thank you! This was a thrilling start to what will be a greta series. Our lead character is very relatable and kicks serous butt. I can't wait to read more about her and the cases to follow. The atmosphere while tense at times was described beautifully.

I had a few problems with the lack of police involvement as various parts of different women keep turning up, I know the sheriff is portrayed as lazy and basically supporting the terrorists, but really, no FBI?
Other than that, I actually really enjoyed the first adventure for Game Warden Jodi Luna (and her various friends). Jodi is a recent widower, leaving her life in academia to bring her teenage daughter back to her family home and take on the post of Game Warden, replacing her elderly Uncle. Jodi issues a poacher a ticket, and then gives a marvelous lecture on the history of Spanish speaking people of the area. Unfortunately all this does is encourages the poacher to seek revenge.
Jodi is a well drawn character and the dialogue is fun and snappy. Looking forward to the net adventure.

I see a new series in my future with this first installment of the Jodi Luna story. If you are a C. J. Box fan you will see snippets of Joe Pickett as this game warden takes on a bloodthirsty gang of white supremacists in the beautiful mountains of northern New Mexico.

I was impressed by the narrative considering today’s problems and got so angry myself that I wanted to crawl into the pages and help Jodi take care of this mess.

This has all the hallmarks of a good series and I look forward to more. Recommended!

Oh . . . this was heart-plummeting, dread-inducing from the start--in the best ways. I mean, the subject matter alone wad horrifying but the story is full of suspense and thrilling and the setting feeds those aspects. A wild ride, literally.