“White-knuckle suspense.” – C.J. Box, New York Times bestselling author
“Well written and terrifically paced.” – AnnArbor.com
Summer “Sam” Westin’s assignment to report on cougars in a Utah park goes horribly awry when a child vanishes from a campground and the TV news focuses on the local mountain lions as the likely culprits. Sam has good reason to suspect the shadowy man she spotted at the … she spotted at the end of the path. Can she find the truth in time to save both the child and the big cats?
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Grabbed my attention from the very beginning and kept my interest to the last page. Good summer read.
Love all of Benson’s books!
An outdoor adventure with a wonderful feeling of setting and place. Loved it.
This book grabbed my attention and kept me involved. I would find myself swept away to the woods, waiting for the endangered animals to appear around the next rock or tree. When the main character was swept away by the river, I actually held my breath with her. Totally enjoyed it
Held my interest from the first page to the last
Great story. I have read all of her books and have not been disappointed.
Made me want to find more time to continue reading and find out what would happen next.
ENDANGERED by Pamela Beason is the first book in the Sam Westin Mystery series. It was an exhilarating, suspenseful, and tense story. Summer (Sam) Westin has held a variety of jobs, but is currently a freelance wilderness writer working for the Save the Wilderness Fund. She has returned to Heritage National Monument in Utah where she once worked as a park ranger to write a story about cougars. Unfortunately, a young child turns up missing shortly after she saw him. Unfortunately, the frenzy that unfolded led to many blaming the local cougars for his disappearance. Sam is determined find the boy and prove that the cougars were not at fault.
The characters were compelling and felt three-dimensional. Their motivations seemed believable and well-drawn and the secondary characters were well-rounded. The descriptions were vivid and gave a clear sense of place. The plot was intense, suspenseful, absorbing, and entertaining. However, there were a few items that could have been depicted differently and more balanced. Not all hunters drink while hunting and not all park superintendents are incompetent. Additionally, I am not sure that the rules regarding carrying rifles in a national monument were adequately researched.
Overall, this was an action filled story with lots of twists and turns. The writing style and story line drew me in and kept me fully engaged. I look forward to reading more books in this series.
Guy Walks into a Nevada Barr…
That’s how I felt while enjoying “Endangered” by Pamela Beason. It was as if I had walked into the middle of a Nevada Barr mystery set in an equally magical place.
The setting in Beason’s “Endangered” is fictional Heritage National Monument in Southern Utah. Beason artfully evokes that stunning and convoluted high desert landscape that is home to five national parks and several national monuments. (Two of which are, coincidentally, endangered in 2019, but that’s another story.)
I felt claustrophobic when hero Summer (Sam) Westin led me through a slot canyon—yet could catch my breath just enough to enjoy the sliver of blue sky and the myriad colors in the rock. When her characters rappelled, I felt the slick rock under my feet while sensing the heart-pounding void below. And without a hint of proselytizing, this skillful author compelled me to side with the creatures when they were in conflict with man.
All this, and, oh yes, a page-turning mystery, involving the disappearance of a toddler who was camping with his adoptive parents when he vanished.
Pamela Beason’s novel reminded me of a Thoreau quote. “Why should not we … have our national preserves … in which the bear and panther … may still exist, and not be civilized off the face of the earth.”
“Endangered” reminds us there is still much we need to know about wildness and how to preserve it, and yet, while “Endangered” educates, it entertains.
Pamela Beason is a polymath. She knows a lot about a lot. She blends her experience, her knowledge and many and varied authorial elements seamlessly and successfully in “Endangered.”
I would stack Beason’s work up against that of any environmental mystery writer—Barr none.
Gregory Zeigler, author
The suspense in this book really kept me reading. The is a 5 star book except for all Sam had to endure at the climax got to be a little too much over the top. I really enjoyed this book.
Independent and outdoorsey, it will be fun to see how Sam Westin and her friends continue to grow and evolve.
Very well written, got to know the characters and author was able to pull you into the story. I’ll admit the first chapter was disappointing and seemed confusing but I’m so glad I continued beyond that and kept reading. I would recommend this book to all. I only wish they had her books in our local library.
All the characters are suspects. Great page turner
Quirky main character sets her mind to redeeming herself for not ensuring a toddler gets back to his parent’s campsite. Some of the action is a bit far fetched, but entertaining nonetheless.
Really liked the characters and will be looking for more stories with Sam
Great read…page turner
Shows how the media can blow things out of proportion just for ratings.
An original and engaging crime thriller. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
Couldn’t put it down
Easy read