Blog tour: Deadly Yellowstone, edited by Lise McClendon
This post is part of a blog tour organised by Random Things Blog Tours. I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
‘Explore the treacherous and awe-inspiring landscape of America’s first national park in this new anthology, Deadly Yellowstone. With scalding geysers, stampeding buffalo, and ravenous grizzlies, danger lurks at every turn.
‘As a global tourist magnet, Yellowstone National Park attracts not only nature enthusiasts but also those with sinister intentions. Unravel the mysteries within the park’s boundaries as these 13 gripping short stories delve into baffling events amidst the beauty and danger of Yellowstone.
‘These stories are fictional, and bear no relation to real people or events. Some are amusing, some scary or mysterious, some fantastical. Yellowstone is like that: something for everyone.’
The 13 short stories in Deadly Yellowstone, edited by Lise McClendon, are set (as you’ve likely already realised) in the stunning landscape and iconic and functional buildings of Yellowstone National Park. Between them, these stories contain many kinds of human and beast, as well as different time periods and features of the park.
I found Deadly Yellowstone very enjoyable. As well as being enthralled by the crime or mystery at the heart of each tale, I loved getting to “see” bits of the park through the authors’ vivid, multi-sensory descriptions of geysers, lakes, mountains, and more.
The park’s wide appeal means there’s a whole variety of characters to root for or against – from poachers and other wrongdoers to rangers and researchers, everyday people to the rich and famous, and younger to older visitors. Some stories follow the perpetrators, and others the victims. And, of course, the park’s wildlife pops up in many of the stories, from fearsome bears and bison to smaller forest critters.
The stories that particularly stood out for me were characteried by friendships between older women, showing the value of supporting, rather than rivalling one another, and that there’s still plenty more you can see and do even if society deems you “past it”.
For example, Celeste Berteau’s For the Love of Ansel Adams, as well as being a fun and intriguing art museum mystery, features two adventurous, irrepressible septuagenarian sidekicks to the main character, who really make the story pop. Alongside its thread of danger, Sally Milliken’s Little Glorious Life is a moving, contemplative account of four friends following an itinerary set by their late fifth, culminating in the scattering of her ashes in a place she loved. In Honeymoon Trip by Julie Fasciane, meanwhile, a desperate woman calls on a resourceful pair of old friends to help her take care of a problem.
I also particularly liked the stories where objectionable characters got what was coming to them from the animals of the park. I won’t say which stories this happens in so I don’t spoil anything, but the characters absolutely deserved it and it made for some very satisfying endings!
As you might expect, park rangers pop up in quite a few of the stories, highlighting the important work they do keeping visitors safe and conserving the wildlife and environment in the parks – especially important messages considering the bumpy ride they’ve been having recently with firings and re-hirings.
I especially enjoyed The Dead Bear Affair by Kenzie Lappin, and What Roams at Night, by Alyssa Bowen, because their woman ranger main characters were clearly very passionate about Yellowstone, had entertaining interactions with other characters and appealing senses of humour, and were sensible and resourceful while working in remote, potentially dangerous conditions.
Deadly Yellowstone is a thrilling and scenic anthology.
