This was my first Alice Henderson book and it won't be my last. While I know it's the 4th in the Alex Carter series, and I may have missed some very minor details because I hadn't read the first three books, nothing substantive was missed. I love that the MC is a wildlife biologist working to save endangered species! This spin on traditional thrillers was what drew me to The Vanishing Kind.

In this book, the MC is tracking jaguars at a wildlife preserve, and encounters a white supremacist group causing havoc in the area, specifically to a nearby archaeological team. The MC becomes a target of this group because her jaguar work potentialls risks the creation of a wall on the US/Mexico border.

This book was action + information and I was thoroughly engaged! I enjoyed the jaguar facts and historical information, the action scenes were suspenseful, though there were a handful of highly improbable events. Overall, this was good and I'll definitely watch for another Henderson book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This was really enjoyable. It was more of an action thriller, and i love that it highlighted some serious issues with endangered animals and with our country’s social climate right now. It was a ride from start to finish. The writing was done so well and you could truly visualize everything happening in the story.

I was rooting for her from start to finish, and will definitely be looking into more of this author’s stories.

3.5 stars. I'm mildly disappointed that she's changed the naming convention for the title of this fourth book in the series. The Vanishing Kind is so meh compared to A Blizzard of Polar Bears or A Solitude of Wolverines. But, no one asked my opinion.

The good news is the series continues to entertain with strong mysteries, exotic terrains, and a strong environmental message. I love learning about whatever animal Alex is studying. This was a fun read, though the ending stretched my credulity a little too thin. It's still an excellent series and I look forward to reading many future adventures.

when alex, a wildlife biologist gets asked to go to new mexico and do research on jaguars- it's an offer she can't refuse. after getting to her remote cabin she is excited to see what she can do to help the jaguar population. once she's there and fully immersed in her research she has a run in with a racist hate group that is not in favor of her work and the people in the neighboring towns. she finds herself not once or twice in these dangerous situations with them, but multiple times. can she do her research or will this group hunt her like prey and kill her?

I just finished listening to an engaging new book. The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson was a great listen.

3.5* While I enjoyed this book it didn't draw me in tight. I enjoyed the setting and hearing about this species.

When wildlife biologist Alex Carter is tasked with locating jaguars on a vast desert preserve in New Mexico, she is ecstatic. While jaguars once roamed throughout the Southwest, they are now endangered, with only a handful remaining, and Alex hopes some of the sleek and elusive creatures have found their way to the protected sanctuary.

Meanwhile, an archaeological team is excavating the gravesite of a sixteenth-century Spanish conquistador on a neighboring piece of land. Curious about the dig, Alex meets the team and, while learning about their discoveries, she encounters a dangerous group of anti-immigrant vigilantes roaming the area, threatening the archaeology team, demanding they leave. And when the militants learn of Alex’s mission, they become bent on stopping her. Because jaguars are federally endangered, the vigilantes worry that if Alex finds them, concessions will be made so that wildlife can cross the border wall. And they want no one crossing it…

And then there are the strange holes that keep appearing on the preserve—Who is digging them, and what are they looking for?

After reading A Blizzard of Polar Bears in one day (#2 in the Alex Carter series), I crossed my fingers that author Alice Henderson wasn't done with this series yet. That was a five-star read for me, an unputdownable "delight of an adventure in the Canadian Arctic."

Unfortunately, the two books since have not been favorites.

I'd liken the Vanishing Kind more to a non-stop action thriller than anything else, and that's the biggest reason it didn't work for me. I like Alex as a character, and in the second book I noted that, "I loved the descriptions of the Aurora Borealis and the scenes of polar bear moms with their cubs." In this one, it felt like everything took the backseat to the action-packed plot. That's a selling point for some, but it was just too much for me.

Narrator Eva Kaminsky is great for this series; well-cast and easy to follow along with.

This is a tough review for me to write. I love Alex Carter as a character and love the overall arch of this series - following a biologist as she works on jobs related to different endangered animals in the US is super interesting to me. I love the variety of locations and animals the series has explored. The first two books were favorites for me.

Unfortunately the two most recent books were both misses. In this latest one - Alex is working to locate jaguars in New Mexico. If you’re interested in a lot of over the top action - a Mission Impossible: Biologist if you will - perhaps this is for you. It was a big miss for me and it took me forever to get through the last bit of the book because I kept getting distracted and not wanting to read it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free ebook and audiobook to review.

Thank you to William Morrow for this gifted copy! And thank you to Harper Audio for the ALC.

The Vanishing Kind left me so damn empty and desolate, while simultaneously being charged with hope and a sense of action. This book is described as a novel of suspense, and yes, but it is also a harsh look in the mirror for America. There are so many aspects in which we need to improve as a country. Caring for and respecting our land, empathizing and being considerate of our people, and the people seeking refuge.

I went into this richly written book blind. I did not expect to learn so much, and to nearly be brought to my knees with emotion. It hurt, frankly. It reminded me of Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy in the sense that it taught me about environmental conservation, about a species dangerously close to extinction, and how they are essential to our eco system. I knew next to nothing about Jaguars in America before this book, and now it is my hyper fixation.

I’ve felt so helpless these last few weeks. Watching the constant ticker of breaking news. The dismantling of every environmental safety net. The barreling steam engine of climate change coming at us. But this book made me feel like I could make a change in my immediate world, the same way Once There Were Wolves made me feel I was making a difference in rewilding my yard.

I cannot recommend this book enough. 🐆