Twisty and absorbing, this 3rd episode in Kell's National Parks Mystery series will hold the attention of the listener. This book, set in a remote walk in resort hotel, is not as setting dependent as earlier episodes, but is still a reminder that nature is a dangerous place.

"Forgotten Trails," the third installment in Claire Kells' National Parks Mystery series, delivers an engaging and suspenseful adventure set against the breathtaking backdrop of America's national parks. Kells’ ability to blend mystery, nature, and character development makes this novel a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The story follows National Park Service Special Agent Felicity Harland as she investigates a series of unexplained disappearances in a remote national park. Kells excels at creating a sense of place, and her vivid descriptions of the park's rugged landscapes immerse the reader in the beauty and danger of the wilderness. The natural setting is not just a backdrop but an integral part of the story, adding layers of complexity and atmosphere.

Felicity Harland is a strong and relatable protagonist. Her dedication to her work and her personal struggles add depth to her character, making her journey compelling. The supporting characters are also well-drawn, contributing to a rich tapestry of interactions that enhance the central mystery.

The plot is well-paced, with a steady build-up of tension and a series of twists that keep the reader guessing. Kells' meticulous attention to detail in the investigation process adds a layer of authenticity to the story. The blend of forensic science and outdoor survival elements creates a unique and engaging narrative.

While the central mystery is gripping, there are moments where the pacing could be tighter. Some subplots, though interesting, occasionally detract from the main storyline. Additionally, a few plot points are somewhat predictable. However, these are minor issues that do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Overall, "Forgotten Trails" is a captivating mystery that will appeal to fans of both crime fiction and nature writing. Claire Kells has crafted a story that is as intellectually stimulating as it is thrilling, making this a standout addition to the National Parks Mystery series. With its well-developed characters, intriguing plot, and stunning setting, "Forgotten Trails" earns a solid 4 stars and is a must-read for anyone who loves a great mystery set outdoors.

When I saw it was book 3 in a series, I went and read the first 2 books. However, each book can be read as standalone novels, Claire Kells does a great job of giving you the information you need in each book without it being too much.

Felicity Harland is an Investigative Services Branch (ISB) agent and is sent to investigate a murder at the Pinnacles Grand Hotel. I absolutely loved the characters and the storyline and I've enjoyed following along on Harland's adventures.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book, as well as the mystery and I really like how the characters interact. I'm completely captivated with the ongoing relationship between Harland and Ferdinand "Hux" Huxley.

I highly recommend this book (and the previous ones in the series) and I hope there will be more mysteries with Felicity Harland.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6296753284

I am a Nevada Barr fan, and have enjoyed Scott Graham's National Parks books as well. I was hoping for another National Parks-based series to follow. This is not that -- it was such a disappointment.

The book ostensibly takes place in Pinnacles National Park, but it really takes place in a hotel that could be pretty much anywhere. The outdoor scenes are not well enough described to transport the reader anywhere. When outdoors, the main character spends most of her time being worried she won't be a good enough hiker to keep up with her partner.

The mystery itself was not well-developed and ended abruptly. The book also needed a better editor. Or perhaps it was the reader. There are multiple references to changing "tact," which totally stopped me in my tracks.

Sadly, I cannot recommend this book or author.

This third installment reads a little bit different than the first two, bringing in more technology and professional connections. There are less scenes outdoors, since the crime is committed in a new tourist complex. Harland and Hux are very comfortable working together as specific details of their interviewing styles and investigation process are revealed. The implied attraction between Harland and Hux may leave invested readers waiting for another book. The outcome of the mystery was a surprise and by the end, Harland has new questions about the tragic trip with her late husband.

Story 3,0
Narration 4.0

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the e-galley. I listened to the audiobook on Everand. My reviews and ratings are my own.

It was a good story but some of the plot was somewhat predictable. I still enjoyed it and would recommend it.

I love the National Parks and when I say this mystery set in Pinacles National Park I had to request it! I didn't realize until I stated listening that this is actually book 3 in the series. There was a well done recap of Felicity's backstory to make me feel like I could understand her character's motivations behind the actions in this third installment. The plot was a bit like watching an episode of your favorite mystery thriller tv show which was fine with me. The narrator was amazing and did a great job of keeping me engaged in the story. I now want to go and find the first two audiobooks to get to know Felicity even better. I'm looking forward to the next installment. Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an electronic copy of the audiobook for an honest review!

Complex, interesting story with great setting and wonderful lead character whose backstory carries the book.

This is the third book in the National Park Series, with investigator Felicity Harland traveling to Pinnacles National Park to investigate a death and a missing person.

I love the settings of these books (Books 1 & 2 were set in Sequoia and Gates of the Arctic.) Harland and her agent in training sidekick Hux are engaging characters with interesting back stories and a developing romantic interest.

I found a few things puzzling about this story, chief among them, how would a hike-in glam hotel work? I have enough trouble keeping my backpack down to a reasonable weight with just my hiking gear, much less a dress and heels to gussy up for dinner. (Just an idea... some details about a luggage service would have made me more willing to go along with this concept!)

I would also like to see Felicity follow-up on her physical therapy, get to the gym, and stop comparing her physical strength and stamina to Hux's.

Niggling objections aside, I like this series (best read in order.) I'm hoping that Felicity eventually ropes in Hux for a trip to Australia to investigate her missing husband.

The audio, read by Cady Zuckerman, was well done, and didn't distract from the story

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Pinnacles Grand Hotel is a newly open hotel in the middle of a national park. ISB agent Felicity Harland and her partner Hux Huxley hike there to investigate the murder of one of the guests. They also have to find a female guest now missing in the wilderness.

Remote location and no real clues as to what has happened. The difficulty of the hotel location just complicates the investigation.

Well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Really enjoyed the pace of the novel plus the twists and turns. Good characters too. Can they find out who did it, read and enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

This is book three of a series featuring this dynamic duo, Felicity and Hux. I recommend starting with book 1 to get the full character development and backstories. I am just loving this series! This time the two find themselves at the Pinnacles Grand Hotel after a body has been found. The mystery is not only who the killer is, but also a secondary story related to a cold case that has a connection to the current case. I adore Felicity and Hux, their partnership, the witty banter, the underlying tension of something more than friendship...I wish we could just skip ahead to the book that finally confirms a ROMANCE and FOREVER LOVE...:) There is once again mention of Felicity's past and her missing/presumed dead husband...things that make you go hmmm!

The narrator does a brilliant job of bringing the characters to life! Looking forward to the next installment.

4 stars

Forgotten Trail (National Parks Mystery series #3) by Claire Kells
Narrated by Cady Zuckerman
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
Expected Publication Date: November 7, 2023

Forgotten Trail is the third book in the National Parks Mystery series by Claire Kells. This is the first book I've read in the series and I was easily able to read it as a standalone mystery.

Wow! This book was so good! I loved learning more about solving crimes in national parks, it's such a cool idea. I thought this book was a great! There were so many interesting twists and I could not get enough!

The narrated by Cady Zuckerman was great! I loved listening to this audiobook!

I look forward to reading the other books in this series because I am confident they will be just as good! Loved it!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I KNEW something was up with that mask-wearing manager! I started with books 1 & 2 to prepare for this ARC and I am so glad I did. This is such a fun series to read and I love the interaction between Hux & Harland...I can't wait for them to realize they are in love! These were my first experiences with Claire Kells but will not be my last! I am adding all of her books to my TBR and eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series!

#ForgottenTrail
#NetGalley

Book: Forgotten Trail (National Parks Mystery #3)
Author: Claire Kells
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Crime/Mystery, Nature/Outdoors
Places Featured: Pinnacles National Park, California, United States
Review Score: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (3 ½ rounded up)
Review: Felicity Harland works for the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch and when a guest is found murdered at a brand new resort deep in Pinnacles National Park, she and her colleagues hike in to figure out what happened. It seems obvious when the almost ex-wife is found standing above the body, but there also seems to be more to the story… Kells did a great job of setting the scene and describing the location, but the story was a bit slow and I wasn’t really committed to finding out who did it. There was some interesting character development to Felicity, though, (and her love life), but I probably would have been more invested if I’d read the other two (which I do think I will seek out).

I got this as an audiobook galley with no prior knowledge of the author, and at first I was pretty skeptical of the writing. I kid you not, there is a passage that includes the phrase "sunbathing in the sun," and at one point the protag feels the need to explain 24-hour time to the reader. So the bar wasn't super high in my mind. But it's a fun low-stakes read, and I like that it was set in a national park. There's definitely enough world building in there that I think it's intended to start a series, and I would read others from this author.

Harland and Hux are back with their next adventure! I started listening to this one a week ago, and then had to stop and find the first two books, as I knew from a mention that there was some backstory there I was going to need. I am glad I did. While this one can be read as a standalone, it helped having the backstory.

Harland and Hux are investigating a murder and disappearance in a newly opened hotel in Pinnacles National Park. As they dive deeper in the case, there is more than expected, and first impressions are often not correct. As they continue to investigate, a cold case just might be the piece that brings the entire mystery and case into focus.

It was a fabulous read, and I enjoyed it! I look forward to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy for my review. All thoughts are my own.

The narrator is a good narrator but either she wasn't the right choice for this character, or the character was not well written. She seemed inconsistent and hollow, whereas I could picture every other character in the book.

This was a neat mystery. The setting is awesome. I didn't love the hotel aspect though. I want to check out the series and maybe there's something more campy I would prefer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio arc to listen to and voluntarily review.

The Pinnacles Grand Hotel opened just a week ago in the Pinnacles National Park and a man has been murdered in his $700 room. To get to the Hotel lodgers must park four miles away and take a rugged hike to the hotel. Wow, that's my kind of camping, if only I could afford it.

ISB agent Felicity Harland and her partner Ferdinand “Hux” Huxley make it to the scene and will be the lead investigators unless a different federal agency is called in to take over the case. At first I thought we might spend all our time indoors but we finally get some good outdoor time, too. Felicity and Hux are friends although the "maybe something more" attraction is there, if they ever decide to acknowledge it. In fact, with Hux (I can't help calling him Hunk, in my head), everyone notices his former Navy Seal he-man good looks. He's a great worker, very talented, and Felicity can't be faulted for using him in some witness/suspect questioning situations since he does seem to grab the attention of those he's questioning.

So there is the body in the $700 room. The case seems simple enough at first glance since a possibly angry wife is on the scene but then things start expanding. You have hotel staff that are less than forthcoming and wacky security features that don't work or haven't been turned on. And also word of a shoe and a missing person/body in the wilderness? Add to that the competing groups of searchers and investigators and things get even more complicated.

I like Cady Zuckerman as the narrator of this book (and the one before it). Felicity has been through some major trauma, physical and emotional, in the last few years and outwardly she's one calm, cool, cucumber at all times although she has a lot of inner doubts about herself and the past that she's trying to work through. Felicity and Hux make a great team and I'm ready to follow them into the next book and wilderness.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for this ARC.

A murder and a missing person in a national park make for a busy weekend for ISB Agent Felicity Harland and her partner, Hux in the third installment of this series.

I love these books. A unique setting always makes for a good story, but as an avid National Park visitor myself I especially love the ways these stories include descriptions of the trails and really set the scene for the reader. You can picture yourself in all of these places which really draws you in. I also love both main characters. It's hard to be specific without spoilers, but I loved where I thought this book was going as far as the personal life story, but I was a little surprised/confused by the ending. It seemed abrupt and at odds with the way it was going up to that point. Still, I really enjoyed the story and it was a very quick one day read to blow through while I walked my own trails. :)

I stumbled across this series by Claire Kells earlier this year and loved the first two books (Vanishing Edge and An Unforgiving Place). They were very exciting and interesting mysteries/thrillers, set in amazing places, so I was delighted to see a third book in the series: Forgotten Trail.

Each book takes place in a different National Park - book one is set in Sequoia National Park in California and book two is set in Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska. We are back in California for book three, this time in Pinnacles National Park.

The main female character is Felicity Harland, a former FBI agent who now works for the ISB, the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service. The ISB is described as basically the FBI of the National Parks. She has some physical limitations due to a serious hiking accident in her past, which can make her job rather difficult at times. In the first book, she meets “Hux” Huxley, a park ranger who is a former Navy Seal and they team up. They make a great team.

A new luxury hotel has opened in Pinnacles National Park, but the things is, you have to hike about 4 miles from the nearest parking area to get there! During the hotel’s soft opening, there’s a “suspicious death” and Felicity is called in to investigate. There were a lot of twists and turns, as she and Hux work to figure out what happened. The descriptions of the terrain and scenery were wonderful, along with an complex and interesting story.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Cady Zuckerman.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.