ALEX CARTER SERIES: BOOK ONE
HarperCollins Publishers, October 27, 2020
The first book in a thrilling series featuring a wildlife biologist who courts trouble as she saves endangered species . . . and a mysterious killer who buries his dead in the land she helps preserve—a fast-paced, action-driven tale of suspense with the atmosphere and propulsive tension of works by Jane Harper, C. J. Box, William Kent Krueger, and Nevada Barr.
While studying wolverines on a wildlife sanctuary in Montana, biologist Alex Carter is run off the road and threatened by locals determined to force her off the land.
Undeterred in her mission to help save this threatened species, Alex tracks wolverines on foot and by cameras positioned in remote regions of the preserve. But when she reviews the photos, she discovers disturbing images of an animal of a different kind: a severely injured man seemingly lost and wandering in the wilds.
After searches for the unknown man come up empty, local law enforcement is strangely set on dismissing the case altogether, raising Alex’s suspicions. Then another invasive predator trespasses onto the preserve.
The hunter turns out to be another human—and the prey is the wildlife biologist herself. Alex realizes too late that she has seen too much—she’s stumbled onto a far-reaching illegal operation and now has become the biggest threat. In this wild and dangerous landscape, Alex’s life depends on staying one step ahead—using all she knows about the animal world and what it takes to win the brutal battle for survival.
HarperCollins Publishers, November 9, 2021
Wildlife biologist Alex Carter is back, fighting for endangered species in the Canadian Arctic and battling for her life in this action-packed follow-up to A Solitude of Wolverines, “a true stunner of a thriller debut” (James Rollins) and “a great read” (Nevada Barr).
Fresh off her wolverine study in Montana, wildlife biologist Alex Carter lands a job studying a threatened population of polar bears in the Canadian Arctic. Embedded with a small team of Arctic researchers, she tracks the majestic bears by air, following them over vast, snowy terrain, spending days leaning precariously out of a helicopter with a tranquilizer gun, until she can get down on the ice to examine them up close.
But as her study progresses, and she gathers data on the health of individual bears, things start to go awry. Her helicopter pilot quits unexpectedly, equipment goes missing, and a late-night intruder breaks into her lab and steals the samples she’s collected. She realizes that someone doesn’t want her to complete her study, but Alex is not easily deterred.
Managing to find a replacement pilot, she returns to the icy expanses of Hudson Bay. But the helicopter catches fire in midflight, forcing the team to land on a vast sheet of white far from civilization. Surviving on the frozen landscape is difficult enough, but as armed assailants close in on snowmobiles, Alex must rely on her skills and tenacity to survive this onslaught and carry out her mission.
ALEX CARTER SERIES: BOOK THREE
HarperCollins Publishers, November 15, 2022
Building upon the highly acclaimed debut of Alice Henderson’s A Solitude of Wolverines and its follow-up thriller A Blizzard of Polar Bears comes the eagerly anticipated and electrifying third installment A Ghost of Caribou, in which wildlife biologist Alex Carter encounters an unsolved murder and a town in turmoil while in search of this majestic, all-but-vanished animal.
When a remote camera on a large, rugged expanse held by the Land Trust for Wildlife Conservation picks up a blurry image of what could be a mountain caribou, they contact Alex Carter to investigate. After all, mountain caribou went extinct in the contiguous U.S. years ago, and if one has wandered down from Canada, it’s monumental.
But when Alex arrives on scene in the Selkirk mountains of northeastern Washington state, she quickly learns that her only challenge isn’t finding an elusive caribou on a massive piece of land. The nearby townspeople are agitated; loggers and activists clash over a swath of old growth forest marked for clearcutting. The murdered body of a forest ranger is found strung up in the town’s park, and Alex learns of a backcountry hiker who went missing in the same area the year before.
As she ventures into the forest in search of the endangered animal, she quickly finds herself in a fight for her life, caught between factions warring for the future of the forest and a murderer stalking the dense groves of ancient trees.
PRAISE FOR THE ALEX CARTER NOVELS
“What a treat! Alice Henderson has delivered a treasure of a novel—and, to readers’ delight, a promise of more where this came from. Her depiction of the natural world in all its beauty and terror is spot-on. Into this she weaves a cast of characters both original and fascinating, as well as a heroine who does the unbelievable, yet one can believe it. A great read!” (—Nevada Barr, New York Times bestselling author)
“A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson is a thriller with a heart, a riveting story of conspiracy, murder, and wilderness survival that will keep you turning the pages. Vivid characters, a pulse-pounding plot, a fascinating wildlife-conservation background, and beautifully realized settings make this an exceptional read. This is the first book in a series about wildlife biologist Alex Carter; I can’t wait for the next one.” (—Douglas Preston, #1 bestselling coauthor of Relic and Crooked River.)
“A true stunner of a thriller debut. Both a mystery and a survival story, here is a novel written with a naturalist’s eye for detail and an unrelenting pace. It reminded me of the best of Nevada Barr, where the wilderness itself is as much a character as the feisty wildlife biologist who must solve a crime in a remote town where no one is talking, and everyone is a suspect. It’s so fraught with excitement and wondrous details that it demands to be read in one sitting and savored afterward. Don’t miss it.” (—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Odyssey )
“With a plot and character arc that leap from the frying pan into the fire, A Solitude of Wolverines sizzles with action, dripping with the kind of characters and environs that make for a long-lasting series in which readers can really sink their teeth. (–Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries)
“Just as in author Alice Henderson’s previous book, A Solitude of Wolverines, action-packed doesn’t begin to describe A Blizzard of Polar Bears. As soon as you think Carter has solved one crisis, she’s faced with another. The swift-paced book is hard to put down.” – Denver Post
“A superb thriller of heart-pounding suspense set amid the rugged beauty and majestic wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. Alice Henderson’s insights on wildlife and ecology are a sweet bonus to a great mystery.” – Dirk Cussler, New York Times bestselling author
“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the woods… Alice Henderson has penned another taut environmental thriller that will leave you breathless—both from the beauty of the surroundings, and the danger lurking within it.” – Robin Burcell, New York Times bestselling author
“Henderson manages to marry both suspense and mystery in this book, featuring a classic, suspense-driven fight-and-flight with several overarching mysteries. It’s even better than the excellent first book in the series, A Solitude of Wolverines. Fans of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon novels may well enjoy this.” – First Clue
“Henderson is first and foremost an inexhaustible inventor of exciting wilderness fight-and-chase scenes that keep the momentum going. But during breaks in the action, we learn many cool things about the scientific study of polar bears in situ and catch a hint of romance in Alex’s attraction to a righteous but unstable activist, which makes her ever so slightly vulnerable without demeaning her.” – Airmail
“A thriller that combines non-stop, breathtaking action with lyrical descriptions of a haunting landscape. I could not put it down.” (–Terry Shames, author of the award-winning Samuel Craddock series)
“Passionately detailed and exquisitely researched, Alice Henderson’s A Solitude of Wolverines is a breathless wild ride of a thriller. Animal biologist Dr. Alex Carter is the ingenious, resourceful heroine. She could build an A-bomb out of firecrackers if you gave her half a chance. Set against the forbidding beauty of Montana’s backwoods and mountains, A Solitude of Wolverines sizzles from start to finish with shady characters, dangerous wildlife, and the most enterprising heroine I’ve met in a long time. Superb.” (–James W. Ziskin, author of the Anthony and Macavity award-winning Ellie Stone mysteries)
“Looking for a little action with your activism? A Solitude of Wolverines delivers in spades. A page-turning read that will definitely leave you guessing. Alice Henderson is an author to watch!” (– Michael Laurence, author of The Annihilation Protocol)
“Alice Henderson has once again proven she is a true master of suspense. A Solitude of Wolverines is not for the faint of heart. It is a compelling, nail-biting story that kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down.” (–Owl Goingback, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Coyote Rage)
“A Solitude of Wolverines is a rare species indeed: an edge-of-your-seat thriller that fires not just the adrenaline but engages the heart and soul as well. With a compelling heroine, an incredible setting and pulse-pounding action, this one is truly a breed apart.” (– Lisa Morton, six-time Bram Stoker Award winner)
“Reading Alice Henderson’s books almost feels like cheating. Her mysteries are exquisitely expressed, and we admire Alex Carter’s passion for doing the right thing. We also get to visit exotic locales while never having to leave the comfort of our couch. As still another added bonus, by the time we finish A Blizzard of Polar Bears, we feel as though we could explain the process of studying polar bears and why it’s imperative that this research be done. There are so many benefits from reading a book that once begun is difficult to put down.” – Book Reporter
