I have some thoughts...

Ok, first half of this book, I was loving it - then...the pacing and plot got a little muddy.

Summary
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.

Following a park ranger and all the craziness that goes on in a national park?! I was ALL IN, but the conflict didn't get paced well and no other characters were developed well besides Ren. I did however, really enjoy Ren so that's why I ended up between 3.5 and 4 stars.

Thank you @netgalley for the ebook and thank you @prhaudio for the complimentary listening copy!

Now I really want a reality show that follows park rangers! Would you watch??

*This picture is in Acadia National Park, taken on Cadillac Mountain when John and I went in 2013.

BRB, booking a trip to Yellowstone. Peter Heller is so so good at nature writing and making his reader feel as though they are right in the action.This is a slower burn than some of his others, but that didn't bother me at all. Not only did I get insight into the landscape and wildlife of Yellowstone, but also the day to day work of a national park ranger and the researcher who call the park home. The main storyline was tense and propulsive, but the side stories were strange, hilarious, and terrifying, dangerous all at that same time. I loved Ren as a main character, like truly felt a little in love with him by the end. He enjoys a simple life, but is also principled and determined. What a guy ;). I do believe this is my new favorite Peter Heller book.

The Last Ranger by Peter Heller is beautifully written. The descriptions of the land and nature in the Yellowstone area are vivid and passages of introspection are lyrical and meaningful. I was very impressed with the book in these areas. However, I will admit to wishing for a bit more momentum to carry me forward. It didn't feel to me that the plot was driving the story, especially for something being marketed as a thriller and suspense. Though there was certainly suspenseful aspects of the story, they never succeeded in creating much tension in my reading experience. It's quite possible that this just isn't a good fit for me, but I recognize the quality of the book for others who read in this genre.

With gorgeous writing, Peter Heller describes the landscape of Yellowstone National Park in his most recent book, THE LAST RANGER. His language engages all of the readers’ senses as he shares the views, sounds, and smells that his ranger, Ren, is fortunate enough to encounter as a part of his daily life. Have your highlighter ready as you read this book; you are going to want to mark passages to go back to once you’ve reached the end of this fast-paced suspense novel.

The book takes place in the northern sections of Yellowstone, where wolves, bears, and other wildlife range and tourists misbehave. Heller reminds us in the plot that Yellowstone is a part of the untamed West, the human population of which includes individualistic ranchers, hunters, trappers, and others who do not think kindly of the federal supervision of “their” land. Heller has a clear opinion on the subject of setting aside land for all of the nation to enjoy and where animals can thrive, but he writes nuanced characters on both sides of the issue. Ren, an environmentalist who wonders if he is the last ranger who truly cares about animals, grows throughout the book to understand how it is possible for a good man to take a different stance.

The central plot involves Ren’s relationship with Hilly, a wolf researcher who lives in a cabin close to his own, and Hilly’s deadly feud with a poacher who sees the wolves as a source of income. His own love of the animals, his job as a wildlife ranger, and threats to his life compel him to become involved in locating and stopping the poacher. In the process, he uncovers a subversive group intent upon ending what they see as the land grab of the government in creating Yellowstone National Park. Ren’s motivations are enhanced by flashbacks to his upbringing. He is a very deeply created character, and one I hope we will see resurface in future books.

Ren loves fishing and the book describes several detailed scenes of backwoods fishing. Not being a fisher myself, some of the language went over my head. But the manner in which the flow experience of fishing is written is astounding and nearly makes me want to take up fly fishing. Heller describes in a few paragraphs what it took Csikszentmihalyi an entire book to impart. Just reading this selection is a flow experience.

In spite of the beautiful writing that may cause the reader to pause or reread, the book builds to a can’t-put-down pace. In the end, the plot threads come together in a very satisfying way but one which leaves room for Heller to pick up those threads and weave a new plot in the future. Heller is not known for a series, though his most recent two books, THE RIVER and THE GUIDE, do follow the same character. I am hopeful that he brings us back to Ren, but mostly I am just looking forward to following him into his next book, whomever it involves and wherever it is placed.

It’s hard to make peace with yourself when all the women’s in your life have … complex relationships with death. In The Last Ranger, Peter Heller once again mixes strong characters with beautiful word pictures in a fast-paced thriller. Can’t wait for the next one!

I love everything of Peter Heller’s that I have read so far. However, this one was just fine. It’s slow as much of his work is, but this one was even slower than normal. The central conflict didn’t compel me the way I hoped it would, and actually as I hit the last chapter of the book on audio, I was incredibly surprised to realize it was over..

Heller's newest suspenseful wilderness story is full of danger, wonder, and emotional ties; the unforgiving nature and beauty of the natural world; and quick thinking that saves the day more than once. As with all Heller novels, the writing is exquisitely beautiful.

Peter Heller's newest novel, The Last Ranger, centers around Ren, an enforcement officer in Yellowstone National Park.

Ren spends his days protecting tourists from the wild animals who live in the park, stopping drunken fights at campgrounds, and serving as mediator between wealthy vacationers temporarily in the park and the working-class full-time residents of the neighboring town.

When he investigates a local poacher, he begins to unravel a complicated web of conspiracy theories, renegade heroism, secrets, and danger.

Peter Heller is an absolute favorite author of mine. His writing is beautiful, and its spare tone strikes the perfect chord for the wild environment his characters live within.

Ren is emotionally closed off due to past personal tragedy, yet he is endearingly connected to his fellow park employees and to many of those who live in the towns bordering the park. When he does show vulnerability, it feels hard-won--I loved it.

The impossible, frustrating push and pull of tourism and preservation are a tension throughout the story. I loved seeing Ren's procedure as he prevented issues, coped with challenges, headed off trouble, and faced danger head-on.

The reintroduced wolves are at the center of the story--the public's fascination, shared by scientists studying the animals; the inability to contain the creatures within park boundaries to preserve their safety; and the danger that comes for them even within the park.

A subplot confused me in that it felt as though its presence was meant to build up widespread danger and reveal shiver-inducing deep roots winding throughout political powerhouses and wealthy supporters. Then it was dropped altogether, so that it felt like a messy situation that isn't fully explored.

A couple of other potentially disastrous and complex situations were faced and addressed, and I enjoyed the clean resolutions that may have been easy but felt satisfying.

As always, I'm in for Heller's showcasing of the unforgiving, beautiful natural world; the sometimes-renegade justice that emerges in impossible situations; and his characters' hard-won emotional vulnerability.

His writing is just gorgeous and I'm in for every word.

I received a prepublication copy of this book courtesy of Knopf and NetGalley.

Heller is also the author of The Guide, The River, and The Painter, as well as The Dog Stars.

Whether or not you're interested in wolves or Yellowstone park, you'll be interested in the drama that plays out both in this park ranger's work days and in his head. I'm still thinking about it a week after turning the final page. I always love Heller's books for their strong sense of place, and this is no exception.

A little slow to develop, Peter Heller's book The Last Ranger is worth sticking with. The well-researched book gives the reader a real peak into the lives of those who work in and around Yellowstone. The Ranger, who serves as the book's main character, is a man who loves the outdoors and finds his work as a Park Ranger a release, of sorts, from the sadness that comes over him in waves from the tragic deaths of both his mother and later his wife. There is a mystery about a possible murder attempt that is woven through the book, but the book is as much about how the Ranger diffuses controversies and tensions between hunters, would be developers and preservationists as it is about the likely crime

Having coincidentally visited Yellowstone only weeks before I started reading the book, I gained a much better understanding of what I had seen -- the way tourists moved around the park, the comraderies of the naturists who spent days on end tracking the wolves reintroduced back into the park a few years ago, how the rangers and park enthusiasts knew some of the wolves and bears by number - and why. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a better understanding of life in and around one of the country's great national park

My thanks to Net Galley and Knopf Publishers for an advanced copy of this e-book.

Ren is a Park Ranger who mostly tries to keep the peace with tourists and wildlife. Often people seem to think they are at the zoo and safe to be near wild animals and end of getting injured or killed. I know I have a healthy respect for all of wildlife, living in the mountains!

His friend Hilly is a wildlife biologist and closely tracks the wolves that have been reintroduced into Yellowstone Park since 1995. One day he notices her car hasn't been at her cabin and goes searching for her and finds her cold, blue and in an animal trap, bleeding. He saves her, thankfully, but is now on a mission to find out who put this trap here.

The reader follows a number of characters and their stories in this book. Initially, I gave up a couple of chapters in but returned to it and very glad I did. One takeaway is my love for the wolves that are now back at Yellowstone. I'm glad they are back in their home and we should all be respectful when visiting where any wildlife lives.

The Last Ranger by Peter Heller is a quiet story about Ren, a Yellowstone park ranger who prefers his park to the people in it. He’s forced to deal with them as a part of his job, and in this story that revolves around the mystery of a poacher in the park.

This is a slow-burn, contemplative book that follows Ren’s deeply internal story, and mixes his traumatic past, lovely nature writing and the light suspense of the mysterious poacher.

The tension in this mystery is almost non-existent and the end is nearly as quiet as the rest of the book. Readers who enjoy contemplative character studies and nature stories with a splash of plot will enjoy this book about solitude and connection to both the world around us and the people in it.

The Last Ranger released July 25, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the advanced reader copy.

Ren, a Yellowstone Park ranger, is responsible for the safety of the tourists and wildlife, as well as managing the expectations of the locals. Tensions rise with some of those locals after Ren’s friend, Hilly, a wolf researcher, gets caught in an intentionally placed steel animal trap and almost dies. Heller’s beautiful, descriptive nature writing interspersed with adventure suspense is worth the read.

THE LAST RANGER is another mystery adventure story set near Yellowstone National Park written by Peter Heller (The River, Celine, and other best-sellers). It honestly took a little while to get into this story, but Heller's writing is so descriptive and enjoyable that readers will ultimately feel as though the characters have become friends. In some ways that parallels the learning about the "one wolf" and the sense of community which develops in packs. Hilly is a biologist who studies the local wolves, numbering rather than naming them, but still becoming attached and indirectly educating readers about their habits. Les Ingraham is a sometimes violent tracker with a checkered past and who, along with suspected terrorists, projects a threatening presence. Ren Hopper is the ranger, an arbitrator who investigates disturbances over campsites, handles traffic snarls, and rescue tourists from too close encounters with wild animals; "it was utterly draining, keeping the peace in one remote valley." Despite beautiful, awe-inspiring nature, Ren often experiences anger or loneliness and muses about life ("Is this what happened as life went on? You got less sure about everything?"). THE LAST RANGER is a book to savor, just like the toasts Heller shares with his readers: from Hilly: "To life. ... One part wonder, three parts pain." Or from Ren and his friend Ray who "raised his cup: 'Love, money, and the time to enjoy them.'"

This was a very enjoyable read. The Yellowstone descriptions were very good for some escapism. The writing painted a beautiful picture for the reader. My only problem was the ending felt unsatisfying.

Heller continues to write solid literary suspense set in the great outdoors.

Ren is a Yellowstone ranger, which more often than not, means protecting the tourists from their own stupidity. He likes the wolves and those who care about them, enough to go digging into a more sinister effort that's undermining their survival in the park.

This book will play well in my high school library with students who enjoy the outdoors and were fans of Hatchet who are now all grown up.

I was thrilled to return to Yellowstone National Park through Peter Heller's new book, The Last Ranger. It's an outdoors mystery with Yellowstone as the atmospheric setting and it's also a character that tells its own story. Ren Hopper, an enforcement ranger who always carries a gun, and is battling his own past as he works to keep the park safe. Hilly, the resident wolf expert and his friend, gets caught in an animal trap. She's trying to keep the wolves safe from trappers and seeks revenge against the poachers.
This is my favorite of Peter Heller's books and I've read almost all of them. The Last Ranger is sure to be a hit for readers of mystery and especially outdoors mysteries.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Knopf for the DRC and the opportunity to read and review The Last Ranger by Perter Heller.
5 stars --Pub date July 25, 2023
#NetGalley, #Knopf, #PeterHeller

I'm a huge Peter Heller fan. I've rated three of his books 5 star wonders, and this is my third with 4 stars. I've listened to all of them on audio and Heller is who introduced me to who I like to call my boyfriend, Mark Deakins, the most alluring audio reader I've experienced. I had the ebook from NetGalley but without Mark Deakins to accompany me, I was just floating facedown in the Yellowstone River trying to stay afloat. I needed rescuing and Deakins came through on the audiobook after a very long wait.

Don't get me wrong -- Heller crafted a beautiful tale as usual, probably the first book I've read that takes place in Yellowstone National Park. Of course it has all those naive tourists you hear about on the news, trying to get themselves eaten by their choice of wolf, bison, or bear. And a sympathetic, heroic Park Ranger second guessing his choice of careers while protecting nature, protecting who and what he loves .But sometimes I'd find my mind wandering and the reading could be a slow journey, despite it's beauty. It culminates in an exciting stand off of sorts, but Heller can, and has done, better than this.

P.S. I really dislike that cover! Would much prefer seeing the real thing over a drawing!

As usual, I loved the atmosphere of this book by Peter Heller! The setting is sneaks amazingly described and I love that he writes such character driven mysteries.

(𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 @𝘗𝘙𝘏𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘢𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 #𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.) I’ve long been a fan of Peter Heller and after reading his latest, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥, my admiration has only grown. Heller just plain knows how to tell a compelling story. He creates rich, fully fleshed out characters, uses a setting in the world of nature, and places both in interesting, complex, often dangerous situations. It’s a recipe that works because Heller makes sure each of his books is so different from the others.⁣
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𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 is told in first person by Ren, a park ranger at Yellowstone. He has a backstory full of hurt, but he’s living a life doing what he loves. Sure, tourists, hunters, and even some locals make his job complicated, but Ren appreciates the beauty all around him. That is, until too many lines start getting crossed and the safety of people, and more importantly, wildlife are threatened.⁣
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If you’re not into the outdoors this might not be the books for you. But if you are, or if a piece of Montana lives in your heart like it does in mine, I think you’re going to really enjoy it. If you’re on the fence, the book has two additional bonuses going for it. First, you’re going to learn some absolutely fascinating things about wolves and their reintroduction into Yellowstone and second, if you’re listening, you’ll be treated to one of the very best narrators out there, Mark Deakins! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

My first exposure to Peter Heller's writing was his brilliant 2012 post-apocalyptic thriller The Dog Stars. Since then Heller has penned several novels, all featuring characters primarily  living and working in the great outdoors, with the natural environment playing a primary role in the story.

In The Last Ranger,  Ren Hopper is a Park Ranger for the National Park Service stationed in Yellow Stone.  He is primarily tasked with enforcing the park's rules, and his daily duties usually consist of a variety of menial tasks such as ensuring traffic flow, litter control, checking fishing licenses, or breaking-up the occasional altercation between park visitors.  Other workdays, however may potentialy involve more serious duties, such as search and rescue, or investigating and arresting poachers operating illegally within the park. An avid fisherman and outdoorsman, Ren seems to enjoy his vocation. Living within the calm natural beauty of Yellowstone has given him a measure of peace and security, and helped him come to terms with the effects of a troubled childhood. Friendships forged with his fellow park employees have given him a  sense of camaraderie he has never known. 

All is not idyllic, however.  Many  local residents living within the vicinity of Yellowstone resent the park and its regulations, and view its presence as just more government intrusion and overeach into their daily lives.  Hilly, a prominent wolf biologist  living and working within the park, has become embroiled in an increasingly bitter feud with a local hunter whom she suspects is involved in illegal wolf hunting and trapping in the area.  When Ren eventually discovers Hilly near death in an illegal steel trap, he knows the situation is spiraling out of control.

The Last Ranger contains some beautiful writing. Heller's lush descriptions of nature and the park's environment do much to enhance the story.  The pacing, of the novel, however, is very slow. Very little occurs until the final quarter of the novel, and that too is very benign.  In fact, the bulk of The Last Ranger consists of Ren going about his mundane duties in the park, and pensively thinking back on the events of his childhood.  He does perform a minor bit of detective work toward the end of the novel, but it is non-productive and contributes little to the story itself. The Last Ranger had lots of potential, but it seemed as if the author was uncertain where to go with it, so the story remained weak and unfocused.  The conclusion felt halfhearted at best. 

Peter Heller has proven himself to be an able storyteller in the past, especially with novels such as the aforementioned The Dog Stars, and his gripping novel The River. The Last Ranger is certainly beneath his previous efforts.

Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

I was graciously given an ARC by NetGalley and Knopf in return for an honest review.