I found this book to be rather confusing. There’s way too many characters to keep up with. There is a lot of action. I did find the little notes before each chapter interesting. It looks like I’m the odd person out in not really caring for this book
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Michael Walker is an Investigative Service Branch special agent and he is tasked with Gina Delgado a special agent that specializes in explosives to find out who is wanting to blow up all these National Parks treasures. Danny Logan and his parents and sister are visiting the Statue of Liberty when he notices a boat with some men on it that are watching the Statue really closely. He know that boat model is an old one that is not connected to the security for the Statue. He decides to film them and them and then suddenly a huge blast occurred. Hundreds of people were killed and now they are looking for who was responsible for this action. We end up in several parks before they can figure out the connections and why. The Saint Louis Arch, Zion National Park and the underground of the White House. Then the flooding at Zion! This is a fast paced book and really keeps you on your toes.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

LEAVE NO TRACE, a debut novel by Jon Land and Jeff Ayers (A.J.Landau), opens with a bang with an attack at the Statue of Liberty.

Agent Michael Walker of the National Parks Service arrives as the agent in charge, followed by Gina Delgado from the FBI. Their roles and relationship are well-written. Both are dedicated and thorough investigators. But barely do they begin to work on one incident, when another attack takes place. Crisis follows crisis in this nail-biting race to stop the villains.

I was impressed with the amount of research in this novel and enjoyed the descriptions of the national parks. This is a knotty thriller, full of conspiracy theories and a taste of political intrigue.

Leave No Trace is an action-filled, explosive debut from A.J. Landau.

"In a shocking act of terrorism, the Statue of Liberty is bombed and toppled from her base. Hundreds are killed. Special Agent Michael Walker of the National Park Service is sent to the scene. He finds the FBI already on-site and SA Gina Delgado from the Joint Terrorism Task Force running the investigation. Michael finds a young survivor with video evidence of the explosion and stumbles into an even greater conspiracy."

What a fantastic debut from Landau. I did not want to stop reading. The "topple the government" story is not new, but the way he goes about it is - going after the national landmarks. Michael has a tragic back-story but Landau portrays him as someone wanting to do the right thing. SA Delgado has some special talents with her military background that come in handy.
So many wild action scenes - the flooding at Zion and the final battle are insane.

Wildly entertaining read from Landau. I look forward to more stories with these characters.

Leave No Trace is a well written, interesting novel which can certainly be compared to the political situation in the country today. The story concerns attacks on our nation’s monuments and national parks - symbols of our democracy and freedom. The book is educational with respect to the history of some of our monuments and parks and also to prosthetics and their challenges. Along the way to a stunning conclusion, we get to witness inter agency government squabbles, a vengeful father-in-law and the resourcefulness of the major characters.
I highly recommend reading this book and thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I have recently been reading more books with National Park settings so this was a fit. Leave No Trace is a chilling story of terrorists employing methods and gathering insurrectionists in much as the attack on the Capital in 2021. The leaders are demented narcissists, so really similar.

Our main characters are Michael Walker, who works for the national park system, and has been in law enforcement there. His boss, also his ex-father-in-law, hates him. The other key player is Gina Delgado, who has lots of experience in explosives, and heads the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Together, they piece things together to try to minimize or stop attacks while also hunting the terrorists. I like Michael and Gina. They are committed and intelligent. Michael has a bit of a John McClane style.

The action is non-stop and a wild ride. I enjoy the level of technical capabilities and strategy the team uses. It is a deluge and there is no time to breathe until the end. Thriller was a very accurate naming here.

There is a bit of development on the world and characters but the action and its mysteries are primary. The start of a series makes me wonder who will be main characters going forward. Typically, Michael and Gina would not work together as they are in very different agencies. Will they become co-workers, friends or lovers? My guess is Michael will be a character since he is already in the park system. I look forward to more of the National Park Thriller series which are truly a thrill ride.

A fast paced tense thriller featuring dynamic good guys and bad guys that makes a good start to a series. This starts with a terrorist attack against the Statue of Liberty and never lets up. FBI ASAC Gina Delgado and Parks Service SA Michael Walker make an effective pair as they look for answers and try to thwart further attacks. Know that there's a high body count but there's also a nice spark of humanity. The bad guys remain a little murky to me even now but that's a small matter. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner. No spoilers.

Leave No Trace is book one in the new National Parks Thriller series by A. J. Landau; Jon Land; Jeff Ayers.
This was a fast-paced, action-packed read with an intense story.
Landau’s descriptions are particularly picturesque and entertaining
He skillfully and sensitively draws the reader in and hooks them with an interesting cast of characters. His wonderful prose and masterful storytelling caused me to read the entire book over 2 days, slowly savoring every word.
I’m ready for the second title.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

First time author for me. This book was very interesting. I thought it was a little slow at the beginning but it sure picked up fast! I really liked this book. I never really liked espionage but this wasn't too bad.

Great story

Leave No Trace by AJ Landau is the first book in the new series called National Parks Thriller. This is a twisted, suspenseful thriller about the destruction of national landmarks. The story opens with an explosion at the Statue of Liberty with hundreds of people killed.

The situation calls for a Joint Terrorism Task Force that is headed by Gina Delgado of the FBI. Special Agent Michael Walker of the Park Rangers Investigative Branch was also called in. He was quickly pushed to the side as someone who doesn’t have the right criteria to be playing with the big boys. Michael finds a huge clue with a young man who was recording an interesting boat in the water.

Suddenly the investigation turns bigger and with all sorts of interesting people and questions that are not easily answered. The story continues with Gina and Michael flying into Philadelphia and Independence Hall to save the day. Then they are whisked off to Saint Louis and the Gateway Arch.

Michael and Gina with the help of others try to track down and stop the situation from growing into an insurrection. With the government at risk, the situation gets more tense. Michael and Gina end up working from different sites trying to ascertain what is happening. Michael's ex father-in-law plays a big role in that with an interesting side story.

I enjoyed reading the novel. The first chapter didn’t grab me, but by the second chapter I was totally hooked. I will be looking for more novels in this series. I liked the main characters and how the story slowly revealed clues. I liked the book, Leave No Trace by AJ Landau and will be looking for more novels in this series.

Breathtaking, scary but plausible, Leave No Trace starts with an act of terrorism that leaves the multitudes dead and the statue of Liberty toppled. It's just the start of a plot to take over America leaving millions dead in the process. But a young boy sees something and captures it on his cell phone, kicking off a search for the perpetrators that will cross the country. National Parks Service Special Agent Michael Walker comes out of retirement to help with the investigation, and FBI agent Gina Delgado takes the lead. Protecting the young boy is key and it's a race to find the perpetrators, protect the boy and keep the nefarious plan from succeeding. Absolutely keeps you on the edge of your seat to the very last page!

I was intrigued by the description of the book and ended up really enjoying the story. The snippets of information regarding the parks were interesting. The characters, including our hero with a disability, the FBI agent, the young witness, and the shadowy good guys were all great and kept the story moving and engaging. The tie-in with our hero’s past was another interesting facet. Lots of players and intrigue keep the story moving.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and A.J. Landaue for the eARC.

Leave No Trace by A. J. Landau (pseudonym for authors Jon Land and Jeff Ayers) starts with an explosion that topples the Statue of Liberty and maintains a relentless pace. Special Agent Michael Walker of the National Park Service is awakened by his boss with the news and sent to New York as the agent-in-charge. However, upon arrival he quickly learns that Gina Delgado of the FBI will be overseeing the investigation. Due to Michael’s lack of a security clearance, he is barred from meetings of the Joint Task Force so he scours the grounds and finds a witness with key information on the attackers.

Michael and Gina are likeable characters and readers get to see their points of view as well as that of a key supporting character and two antagonists. The multi-angled view of the characters allows readers to see how each character connects to the story; adding depth and complexity that is effective.

The authors kept me rapidly turning the pages with gripping scenes, plenty of action and danger, a superb plot, and excellent writing. Along the way, readers also learn a bit about several national parks making this an educational as well as an exceptional thriller read. Despite the short chapters and switching scenes and characters, the flow worked well for me. A constant sense of urgency, a state of uneasiness, and lots of action combined with great characters and a well-written plot make this suspenseful novel a must read.

Overall, this is a gritty, intense, and chilling story with complex characters. It’s intense and dramatic and kept this reader rapidly turning the pages. This is the first book in the National Parks Thriller series and I can’t wait for the next one. I recommend it to those who like political, action, and military thrillers.

St. Martin’s Press and A. J. Landau (Jon Land and Jeff Ayers) provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for February 27, 2024.

Leave No Trace: A National Parks Thriller by A. J. Landau follows a series of terrorist attacks at National Parks. It is a recommended thriller by Jon Land and Jeff Ayers, writing as A. J. Landau.

When an explosion takes place on Liberty Island and topples the Statue of Liberty, Special Agent Michael Walker of the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch is called by his boss and sent to New York. In spite of his lack of a security clearance, Walker ends up working with FBI Special Agent Gina Delgado. Delgado has been placed in charge of the investigation as the lead of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Walker does find a boy, Danny, who has crucial information about the attack and must be protected. It quickly becomes clear that more attacks are planned against other national cultural symbols by some radical domestic terrorist group.

The riveting start of this domestic terrorism thriller takes off at a breathless pace and will quickly grab your complete attention. The first part of the novel had all the qualities of a very highly recommended thriller. As the action continues, however, some of the initial momentum is lost when the investigation leave New York and expands to other national parks. The short chapters jumping between characters and action probably don't help as they add additional secondary characters and action. As I continued reading there would be chapters that grabbed my attention again, but they were followed by some that lessened the intensity of my interest. It was also a bit of a let down when the antagonists were identified too early in the narrative as well as the excessive personal commentary being inserted in the story.

One plus is that the opening of all the 98 chapters have an interesting fact about one of the various national parks across the country. These were all engaging diversions and represented one of the better parts of the whole novel. This is the first of a new series and I would definitely read the second book in the series based on the pluses in Leave No Trace. Thanks to Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion. 3.5 rounded down

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Leave No Trace is the first book in the National Parks Thriller series.

Danny Logan is visiting the Statue of Liberty with his family. As they are waiting, Danny spots something odd in the water. He tries to get his dad's attention, but his dad is on his phone. He tells his dad he will be right back and to save a space for him and runs to the railing to take pictures of the vessel in the water. As he is taking pictures, he switches to filming the boat on the water. He notices that someone on the boat is filming him when an explosion launches Danny thru the air.

Michael Walker gets a phone call from his boss which awakens him. Angela Pierce calls and tells him to turn on the tv, doesn't matter which channel since they are all showing the same horrible story. The Statue of Liberty has been a part of a suspected terrorist attack. He needs to get to Dulles where a helicopter will be waiting to take him to the site.

FBI Special Agent Gina Delgado, in charge of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and Michael Walker, of the National Park Service meet on the island where they each believe they are in charge until told otherwise. Both Gina and Michael will be pivotal in finding those responsible for the first of several attacks which will threaten the nation.

OMG this was an awesome, mesmerizing and gripping story. This starts off with a bang and keeps on going with an incredibly fast pace that doesn't relent until the last few pages. The characters are wonderful and the heroes of which that are quite a few are amazingly strong. The zealots are picture perfect in their pursuit of fixing what is wrong according to their view with the United States. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

This is a very fast-paced, thrilling, exciting, intense, nail-biting story of domestic terrorists targeting the national parks. FBI Agent Gina Delgado and Park Service Special Agent Michael Walker are teamed up to work on the case. This story moves right along and kept me on the edge of my seat until I finished it. I loved the dynamics of the Delgado/Walker team and I hope there is a sequel to this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this awesome read.

Imagine a domestic terrorist group targeting Americans at National Parks. Enter Michael Walker, Special Agent with the Park Service, who is an able bodied amputee and he's smart and very capable. He is willing to do whatever is needed to save lives. Also enter brilliant and resourceful FBI agent Gina Delgado who will stop at nothing to save VIPs and her country.

This is an exciting thriller. So much befalls these heros, but they give it their all, time and time again. And there are more than these two heros. Great story!

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator is wonderful.

As a former National Park Service employee, I was intrigued by the description of this book but did not expect Lady Liberty to be toppled in the first chapter. Rather than focusing on the regular daily rangers, the author uses one of the many different law enforcement agents as one of the main characters. One thing that did annoy me is that the author says that maintenance employees of NPS wear blue uniforms, which isn't true. People in uniform have a variation of the same outfit which provides continuity. Either way, this was a very fast paced book that involves many units of the National Park Service (there are 428 units within the system, most not National Park parks). Either way, this will appeal to a lot of people who like fast paced thrillers that deal with conspiracy groups.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.

This engrossing thriller opens with a bomb exploding and toppling the Statute of Liberty. Hundreds are dead and injured. Danny, a teen boy visiting with his family and obsessed with different types of boats, has captured a video on his cell phone of an out of commission National Park Service boat off Ellis Island with binoculars trained on the Statute pre-bombing.

Both Michael Walker, an investigator for the National Park Service, and New-York FBI Special Agent Gina Delgado descend on the scene in the immediate aftermath to investigate. As an eye-witness with the only strong clue as to the perpetrators, Danny has to be whisked to protective custody and remains in danger.

Michael and Gina team up together as multiple other National Parks across the country come under bomb threats and attack. The puzzle pieces start adding up to a cult-like right-wing insurgency, with both ex- and active military and law enforcement officers wanting to reassert white supremacy and topple the U.S. government. The ex-colonel who leads them and the lengths to which they’re willing to go are terrifying, and the weapons at their disposal massive. Given the current hostility between factions in our country, the scenario while extreme seems far too plausible.

Meanwhile, an Indian tribe has convened an environmental action group who’s tracking the movements of large trucks seeming to be carrying hazardous materials. One of their teen scouts gets captured by the insurgents, ratcheting the tension up even more.

As the action gears up and rapidly switches between national park disasters, the insurgents on the move, the loyalists in the U.S. government trying to protect the Presidency, I found myself up reading way past midnight to finish!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Minotaur for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

You had me at Statue of Liberty toppled by terrorists. And at the outset, agent Michael Walker from the NPS and the FBI’s Gina Delgado realize there is more to the story. A young boy on an outing to the park with his family, is a witness to, and has a video of, a boat in the water, that could help them solve the crime….if they can just keep him alive and hidden.

This is a fast-paced, gripping tale that pulls you in and is particularly relevant given the sad state of terrorism activity in the world today. In particular, Gina Delgado is a very interesting character and her history and background with explosives makes her unique as a female character. I would read more with her as a primary.

Without revealing any more about the plot I can say it is a worthy read and I would recommend.