Another great book by Kells! Love the detail of the Parks and their history that she winds into the story. The story could have been a little more fast paced.

Investigative Services Branch agent Felicity Harland ventures through volcanic wilderness to investigate a murder at a new hike-in lodge at Pinnacles National Park.
When a guest turns up dead at the newly-opened Pinnacles Grand Hotel, ISB agent Felicity Harland finds herself summoned to a peculiar scene. It’s clear to Harland that this murder was personal, especially when the victim’s wife admits that she wanted him dead.

But Harland isn’t so sure that this was a domestic dispute gone bad. When she hears about the Park Service searching for a missing person out on the trails, she sets out with her partner to see if the two cases are connected.

As Harland and Hux take on the rocky, exposed terrain of California’s ancient volcanic wonderland, they soon realize that the mystery at the Pinnacles Grand is not at all what it seems—and that a predator may be closing in.

This may be the best in this series yet! Felicity and Hux get called to anew hotel in Pinnacles National Park that looks like an open and shut case.--a dead man is found with his estranged wife standing over him. But the missing girlfriend bothers Felicity, and since the FBI is distracted by possible terrorist threats at the airport, Felicity and Hux are given leeway to spend some time investigating. This book went unexpected places as it moved to resolution. There's some foreshadowing that a trip to Australia to look for Felicity"s missing and presumed dead husband maybe in the cards.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for access to a digital ARC on Netgalley.com.

It's a new case for Harland and Hux—this time they're heading into Pinnacles National Park to investigate a definitely dead hotel guest and a possibly missing woman.

I'm loving this series—you can't go wrong with an excuse to send your lead characters out into the wild in every single book. I'd never even heard of Pinnacles National Park, but I'm fascinated by the idea of a (fictional) hike-in hotel. That's one way to cut yourself off from the outside world for a few days...

"Forgotten Trail" feels more balanced to me than "An Unforgiving Place" (book two in the series) did in terms of consistency of backstory—in book one, the heroine had chronic pain that was manageable but a major factor throughout the book; in book two, it barely existed; in book three, it's something that she still has to be mindful of but is manageable. I'm also delighted to see that we have only a slooooow progression of romance (why delighted, you ask? One, because I'm in it for the mysteries and the national parks rather than for the romance; two, because slooooow romance means hopefully many books in the series)—and that the hints that Harland will eventually make it to Australia in the series are getting stronger.

The mystery gets a little convoluted at times (I'm still confused by the shoe), but it was nice to see a cold case worked in—as soon as Harland mentioned working on some cold cases, I perked up. I'm not sure why—I think there's something satisfying in the chance to firmly close a box that has long been hanging open. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book. Even though it was the 3rd book in the National Parks Mystery Series, I didn't feel like I was lost. I just now feel the need to read the previous 2 books and be on the look out for the next. It does end in a cliffhanger and that was the only thing I didn't like about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise.~

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

<b> Writing: 3/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 4/5 </b>

<b> SYNOPSIS </b>

ISB agents Felicity Harland and "Hux" Huxley are called in to solve a murder at the Pinnacles Grand Hotel, a new luxury, hike-in hot spot.

<b> MY OPINION </b>

This cover reminds me of Fire of Valley State Park in Nevada. I've never experienced heat like that... at some points it was over 120F... nah brutha!! Cool experience though. Anyways... Le sigh. It hurts to write this review because I was a big fan of the cozy and cute vibes of [book:An Unforgiving Place|60399886] (book #2 in this series), so I was really looking forward to picking this one up. Unfortunately, this one was missing the magic of book #2.

Let me be clear: <b> this is NOT a bad book. </b> Just in the scheme of the series, it's certainly weaker than #2. I did enjoy 'hiking' with Hux and Harland. As with the previous book, Kells does a fabulous job setting the scene. The pace was much slower; I think if she had cut down on some of the rehashing of the crime, it would've been more on par with #2. There are a lot of juicy couture elements, but there's too much time between each reveal which renders them stale.

By 85% I was wondering how she was gonna wrap this story up because it seemed not enough breadcrumbs had been left behind. It all does come together rather quickly — fyi yeetage of disbelief is required — and the one twist did catch me off guard. Plus, the cliffhanger was FAB and I will definitely pick up #4 despite this one being like room temperature water: it's not disgusting and will do the job, but it's clearly inferior to the mini-electrocution you experience from chilled water.

Also, I put down #2 chomping at the bit for more Huxland (Harland + Hux), and was excited to see how the author would pick back up their storyline in #3. Unfortunately, the chemistry between them was nonexistent. The banter was missing and even when Harland was thinking 'I wanna climb him like a tree' it felt unauthentic. I'm hoping we get a lil more tension and bants in the next book.

I think my senior kweens who love a cozy but maybe want something with a lil more edge will appreciate this one. Again, there's not BAD about this book, it was just missing a lil pizzaz. I still encourage cozy mystery lovers to give this series a whirl. Freida and CoHo fans and domestic thrillerheads can steer clear. Thanks.

<b> PROS AND CONS </b>

Pros: interesting case, one twist caught me unawares, AWESOME cliffhanger — excited for the potential resolution of this storyline in book #4, unique setting for a police procedural, wholesome vibez

Cons: slow pace, chemistry between Hux and Harland was lacking compared to book #2, too much filler text

In Forgotten Trail, Book 3 of Claire Kells National Parks Mystery (Crooked Lane Books 2023), ISB agent (like the FBI but for national parks) Felicity Harland and her hunky former SEAL partner, Hux Huxley, find themsevles in the middle of a murder at the newest luxury hotel at Pinnacle Park. These two are a perfect choice as investigators because to get to the hotel requires a four-mile-plus hike through oft difficult terrain. Nothing slows Felicity, though, especially not her five-foot petite stature. What doesn't start out as a clear cut investigation gets more complicated when it seems to be connected to a much older cold case Felicity had been investigating. The clues are all over the place, and then the girlfriend of the murder victim disappears. 

I enjoyed this book though in this one, as in a prior one I read in this series, Kells includes a lot of detail and backstory that slows the pace. It’s good detail, but takes a long time to get through so I kept losing track of the action. Still, I definitely recommend this for those who love investigations based in outdoor settings.

Another great entry in Claire Kells’ national Park mystery series. Investigative Services Branch agent Felicity Harland and her partner Hux Huxley investigate a murder at the newly opened grand hotel in Pinnacles National Park in California. The murdered man’s ex-wife is found standing over the body, so they think that the case is open and shut, but as their investigation goes on, they soon find that there is more to the crime than it first appeared. Highly recommended, as is the whole series.

I so, so hope that Claire Kells is busy writing the next book in this National Parks thriller series! Hux is BAAACK!

Hux and Felicity are still my favourite back country ISB sleuths. Felicity,

Gotta love a former Navy Seal and his foster tracking dog - not to mention a pint-sized former FBI agent who battles to the weary end - always!

The mystery of who killed Chris Denton – as it slowly unraveled – seemed pretty obvious… or did it? There wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that the jealous wife, found standing over the deceased’s body, had done him in. Everybody - from the FBI to the National Park rangers who were also there searching for a missing hiker - kept telling Felicity and Hux as much: of course the enraged wife did it: case closed.

But our dynamic duo were determined to do a thorough job – something did not seem quite right.

And as for the unspoken vibe between Felicity and Hux - arrrgh!!! Claire Kells keeps masterfully stoking those embers: I kept wanting to nudge Felicity and push her directly into Hux’s arms. The slow burn attraction between them is undeniable, and I am loving every tantalizing, long drawn out second of it!

But never fear, Felicity and Hux are professionals – the job comes first. To make things even more difficult, the “do they or don’t they” wires get seriously crossed when Felicity’s old FBI comrade, Brodie, joins the team at the Pinnacles National Park investigation. Hux is definitely NOT happy when Brodie shows up on the scene: do Brodie and Felicity have more than their past work with the FBI in common? You will have to find out as the plot thickens and all paths in and out of the park lead to misdirection and confusion.

This was yet another winner for Claire Kells in this addictive series. I was over the moon with joy when I saw the ARC available on NetGalley. I don’t know how I can manage to wait for the NEXT gripping installment! 5 out of 5 well-deserved stars. My thanks to the author, Claire Kells, the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for an Arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review. (Please keep them coming!!! I would love to read one set in Yosemite or Yellowknife! Hint, hint!)

This was my first experience with this National Park mystery/thriller series. I love the concept of setting each novel in a national park and Kells' thorough descriptions of the topography at Pinnacles National Park make you feel like you are hiking alongside the investigators as they navigate the challenging terrain. Investigators Harland and Hux work to solve a murder mystery at the new lavish, secluded hotel nestled within the park.

While there is an element of mystery, as the plot primarily centers around crime solving, I found myself wishing that the story would pick up pace and unfold at a faster speed. I think this novel would be successfully marketed as a cozy mystery, as the overall pacing lacked the feeling of urgency typically found in the thriller genre.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, revenge, A great who done it, and some really crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Felicity Harland is back in her third romp as a National Park investigator. This time she’s at the scene of a murder at Pinnacles National Park, where a man has been stabbed to death in the Park’s hotel. His wife is the natural suspect, she’s made it clear that she wanted her husband dead, but Felicity believes there’s more to this crime than a domestic dispute. Is the murder related to the missing person in the park? I like this series, but I’m not as keen on Felicity’s relationship with her partner, Hux. I feel like their romance detracts from the mystery and the magnificent scenery in the national parks in the stories