A Ghost of Caribou

Mystery fans passionate about climate change and wildlife conservation will relish this third offering (following A Blizzard of Polar Bears) in Henderson’s series featuring feisty wildlife biologist Alex Carter. The Land Trust for Wildlife Conservation sends Alex to Washington State to check out whether mountain caribou, thought to be extinct in the contiguous United States, are wandering down to Washington from Canada. Series narrator Eva Kaminsky perfectly projects Alex’s passion and singlemindedness in protecting endangered species, even when her own life is at risk, as it is here when she lands smack in the middle of a battle between loggers and activists trying to protect the old-growth forest. When the body of a forest ranger turns up and the sheriff asks Alex to be on the lookout for another missing person, Kaminsky ramps up the suspense. This white-knuckle ride is so intense that listeners may not realize that they’re also learning about real environmental issues until the dramatic conclusion.