The Last Ranger
A novel
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3.9 • 167 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The best-selling author of The River returns with a vibrant, lyrical novel about an enforcement ranger in Yellowstone National Park who likes wolves better than most people. When a clandestine range war threatens his closest friend, he must shake off his own losses and act swiftly to discover the truth and stay alive.
“A good story that’s intertwined like leaves afloat in a river with the current of Heller’s descriptive powers… Filled with Heller’s lush writing… Powerful.” –Denver Post
Officer Ren Hopper is an enforcement ranger with the National Park Service, tasked with duties both mundane and thrilling: Breaking up fights at campgrounds, saving clueless tourists from moose attacks, and attempting to broker an uneasy peace between the wealthy vacationers who tromp through the park with cameras, and the residents of hardscrabble Cooke City who want to carve out a meaningful living.
When Ren, hiking through the backcountry on his day off, encounters a tall man with a dog and a gun chasing a small black bear up a hill, his hackles are raised. But what begins as an investigation into the background of a local poacher soon opens into something far murkier: A shattered windshield, a series of red ribbons tied to traps, the discovery of a frightening conspiracy, and a story of heroism gone awry.
Populated by a cast of extraordinary characters—famous scientists, tattooed bartenders, wildlife guides in slick Airstreams—and bursting with unexpected humor and grace, Peter Heller masterfully unveils a portrait of the American west where our very human impulses—for greed, love, family, and community—play out amidst the stunning beauty of the natural world.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Wild in the most literal sense, this mystery-meets-Western is loaded with wildlife, hunters, and miles of untouched wilderness. Introverted park ranger Ren spends much of his time wrangling disrespectful tourists who don’t know how to interact with nature. But when unusual events start happening—a man hunting a beloved local bear, Ren’s friend getting caught in a strange trap—Ren realizes that a group of poachers is encroaching on the park he loves. Author Peter Heller offers up a nuanced story where nobody is a pure hero or absolute villain. We loved the rough-around-the-edges characters who fill out the novel’s expansive Wyoming setting. Heller’s descriptions truly transport you to Yellowstone, and his languid pace lets you drink in the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. If you’re a lover of nature or you appreciate a mystery that gets your brain ticking, you’ll be mesmerized by The Last Ranger.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Heller (The Guide) offers an immersive story of a dedicated Yellowstone park ranger and the threats he faces down. Ren Hopper spends his days policing poachers and saving families from animal attacks. In his spare time, he likes to read Russian fiction and hang out with Hilly, a biologist who is studying the wolf packs that inhabit the park. One day, he finds Hilly caught in a leg trap and rescues her. Suspicion for setting the trap falls on alleged poacher Les Ingraham. Ren investigates Les's background and finds he is peripherally connected to the Pathfinders, a militia of wealthy ranchers whose ultimate goal is to take over government land for their own financial gain, but local police refuse to follow up on his discoveries. As Ren and Hilly become romantically entwined, he finds more traps, which he takes to be veiled threats from Les. Though the plot is fairly thin, Heller compensates with strong characterizations, a vivid sense of place, enough wolf lore to fill several NatGeo specials, and a Boy Scout Handbook's worth of wood-crafting tips. Fans of fiction about the outdoors are well served.
Customer Reviews
A Poetic Western Thriller - A Great Read
Fans of C.J. Box and Longmire will find the setting and plot line here enjoyably familiar, but with a protagonist who brings an unusual level of compassion and decency to the task. Heller brings his tight, poetic writing style to bear on a protagonist caught between his instincts for solitude and his need for connection, and paints an atmospheric study of life working in and around the National Park.
This is coming from a fan of Heller
I have read everything he has written and enjoyed them all. Unfortunately this is his weakest work, both in the plot and in the quality of the writing.