Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel, releasing August 1st!

I really enjoyed The Dog Stars, and couldn't stand the characters in The Painter, so I was interested to see how my third Peter Heller novel would sit. Really liked this one! The writing is so gorgeous; I think Heller is honestly one of the best atmospheric writers. You really feel like you're IN Yellowstone and the surrounding area. Loved learning more about wolf biology as well. The ending came on a bit abruptly and there's a plot point surrounding a vigilante organization that doesn't really go anywhere, but overall I really enjoyed this. Ren is a great protagonist.

The Last Ranger was great! I loved this eco-thriller, another great one from Peter Heller. I loved the Yellowstone setting.

Peter Heller’s novels captures outdoor life in a way that invites readers to feel connected to nature. Heller’s newest nature thriller, The Last Ranger, combines simple, serene prose with edge of your seat tension. Heller’s novel ambles along at a slow, relaxing pace, but never misses a beat with action and intensity.

For fans of tv series, Yellowstone, Heller’s The River, and Once There Was Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy.

We’re back in classic Peter Heller country here, with truly lyrical writing about nature combined with a tense and thrilling mystery. In this one, Ren is an enforcement ranger in Yellowstone National Park, and when a resident wolf biologist and a park-adjacent wolf (and other species) poacher have a violent clash, Ren is determined to get to the bottom of it. This novel deviates a bit from the usual Heller formula, though. His combatants are generally drawn in black and white—that is, the villains are always all villain—but this time, the portraits are more nuanced. The villain is still villainous (who can love a wolf poacher?) but we get some backstory that partially explains why he’s doing it. There are very high emotions on both sides in the park and surrounding communities and plenty for Ren to fear, as a target becomes increasingly clearly drawn on his back. All of this is hewing pretty closely to current reality. Wolves had been extirpated from Yellowstone until their reintroduction a few decades back, as a keystone predator necessary for reestablishing a healthy ecosystem. Feelings indeed run high as ranchers, outraged by the prospect of loss of livestock, shoot with impunity any wolf unfortunate enough to wander outside the protection of the park’s boundaries. In the novel, there’s a powerful secret lobby group driven by the local big ranchers with the goal of getting rid of protection for the wolves. In a totally irrelevant aside, I can’t help but wonder if the Duttons, of the TV series Yellowstone, would have been part of this group.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Heller returns to the magnificent and wild Yellowstone National Park in this quietly urgent eco-thriller. With its evocative setting, lyrical commentary, intriguing science, and sympathetic protagonist, this will be a hit with readers who loved Celine and The River, as well as Once There Were Wolves.

This story is told in third person and follows a solitary park ranger, Ren, during his daily duties in the off season at Yellowstone. Unlike the previous 2 books I’ve read by this author, which were thrillers, this story is quiet and while there is a bit of a mystery with a biologist researcher getting caught in an illegal trap, it’s not really the focus. As Ren goes about his day, whether directing traffic or keeping idiot tourists from getting attacked by wildlife, we are pulled into his past and ruminations over his family issues eventually coming to understand how he came to be alone in such an isolated place.

I enjoyed hearing about the day-to-day life and frustrations of a park ranger as well as about the wolves in the research study. Balancing our needs with those of our surroundings is such a difficult subject and I often relate to those who value nature and animals and are torn when human needs conflict. I did feel like the story ended abruptly.

I think readers who enjoyed the Solitude of Wolverines will like this. Recommended to nature and wildlife lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for a copy provided for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor Publishing for the advanced ebook of The Lone Ranger.
I have read almost all of Peter Heller’s books. I adored The Dog Stars and The River, but many others, including this one, fell flat for me. He does such a great job building the nature scenery but I had trouble connecting with the characters- they felt 2-dimensional. I loved all the information on wolves, though, and wanted much more of that..: felt like a missed opportunity.
I will still read everything Peter Heller writes even though this one wasn’t for me.

I've read most of Peter Heller's books, and I lived and worked in Yellowstone for a few years, so it was almost guaranteed that I was going to enjoy this novel.

The book definitely reminded me of my time there, from the descriptions of the landscape and towns, to the attitudes of some people working in the park, the conflicts with some people living around the park, and the crazy things some tourists do. Sparked a lot of nice memories for me.

The novel does go in a few different directions, almost to the point of feeling like it would work as the beginning of a series because many topics and relationships could be explored further.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for the advance copy to read and review.

The wolves have been reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park for a while now. Yet their existence is precarious, ensured only by strict anti-poaching regulations. The ranger in charge, Ren, spends his days striking a balance between managing park visitors and keeping an eye out for vigilante anti-government types. When Ren’s animal scientist friend is sidelined by a near-fatal accident, he realizes just how many shades of gray there are in maintaining a delicate ecosystem. The pace is a little too unhurried but the lush forests and wild habitats’ immersive descriptions are transportive and readers will root for the scarred hero.

The Last Ranger follows Ren, a ranger in Yellowstone, as he leans on the beauty of the national park to heal his wounded soul. The peacefulness and protection of Yellowstone are in danger, however, as Ren faces a series of suspicious characters and actions that jeopardize the ecosystem of the park and those he is there to protect. A beautiful and haunting picture of the true nature of humans in nature… The Last Ranger is as gripping and lyrical as all of Peter Heller’s novels, and I was so easily transported to the wilderness and grandeur of Yellowstone. Absolutely incredible book!

The Last Ranger is another brilliant book by Peter Heller. Heller knows, understands, and explains the West like few other authors, and his ability to create believable, challenging characters is unparalleled. Yellowstone is where Ren tries to keep some not very bright, greedy people from endangering themselves and others, as well as animals who inhabit the Park. Ren, a national park enforcement ranger, introduces us to the tragedy of losing both his wife and his mother early in his life, and as Heller develops characters, the plot deals with the community where he is entrusted to keep both people and animals safe.

This fast-paced mystery with elements of love and family is hard to put down. At the same time, readers learn plenty about wolves, bison, moose, and bears. There are also some suspicious if not nefarious characters who keep readers wondering who is the "bad guy" and who simply appears to be one. There is humor, and there are relationships that are fostered over time. This novel includes neighbors, fellow national park workers, and also has a believable and charming romance that completes the picture of community. Heller is able to comprehensively include everyone and everything in this book that creates a strong picture of the West and its irresistible magnetism.

Thank you to Knopf publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

Ren is a Yellowstone Park service ranger with a very tragic background from losing his gifted mother when he was young. When a wolf biologist is harmed by a local poacher Ren takes on the crime personally.

Peter Heller is a gift that keeps on giving. His navigation of the open county and is written as if poetry. Another fantastic wilderness crime novel. Highly recommended.

A lil nature thriller set in Yellowstone?? I wanted to love it but…. Alas. I did love learning about the park ecosystem and the behind-the-scenes glimpses of the ranger life and tourist enforcement. However, the cringe unrealistic dialogue and male/female relationships just ruined it for me. Read a female author instead?

I received an advance review copy of this book from Net Galley. Peter Heller is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to read this. I ended up having mixed feelings about this book. I really loved the descriptions of nature that had a strong sense of place, as well as learning a lot about wolves and how they affect the environment. I had a feeling from the storyline of the ranger that the author did not do as much research into the law enforcement piece of the book. This has been my career for over 20 years and while I tried to adapt a "suspend the disbelief" attitude and ignore the parts I felt were not realistic, ultimately I couldn't get past that, especially in two scenes towards the end of the book. In reading the acknowledgements the author writes about his research about wolves but did not list any research into the ranger career or experience. I really wish he would have. The ending felt rushed and I thought the plot was going to explore more of the organized group however it did not. I ended up giving this book 3 stars out of 5.

What I really like about The Last Ranger is that you don't get black and white. You might think you would... Yellowstone and the rangers and the scientists who protect her are good and those who want to destroy Yellowstone by killing its animals or fighting to open its lands to privatization would be bad. But Heller colors all of these cast of characters with varying shades of gray. You never quite know what you are going to get with this one.

And this one like the only other Heller book I read, The River, puts you right down in the thick of it, right into Yellowstone. With his writing, not only can you visualize sitting in the grasses watching the bears, the wolves, the bison and the elk but I swear you can hear and smell everything going on.

This was such an immersive and fascinating read.

Peter Heller and wilderness are the perfect combination for the setting of an amazing story. This one does not disappoint. A taut thriller with drama, action and suspense.

Especially loved The Last Ranger as we have plans to visit Yellowstone later this year. I loved being immersed in the setting with the main protagonist as the ranger and seeing things through his eyes. Can't wait to visit!

Reading this book you will better appreciate Yellowstone, the role of rangers/problems they encounter and many intricacies of wildlife in the park.

Once again, I thank NetGalley for introducing me to a "new to me" author. Peter Heller has been on my list of authors to read, but I just hadn't quite gotten to it yet. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Knoph, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor the publisher for providing me the opportunity to review The Last Ranger in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 31 Aug 2023.

I have a deep admiration for Peter Heller and the skill that he has in writing adventure stories that have a unique story arc of wildlife and nature challenges. This book was no different!

Things I loved: I learned more about wolves. I was able to put myself back on vacation in Yellowstone and remember the ebb and flow of the animals moving throughout the park; the throngs of people attracted to wildlife doing wildlife things; the calm serenity of nature; the little hint of romance to add a cherry on top.

Things I didn't love: the clunky storyline. There were some plot holes and some chapters that left me bored. It wasn't necessarily a chore, but it was a push to get through some of the reminiscent recall of Ren's life.

Overall, so happy I got an ARC and huge thank yous are in order to the author, publisher and Netgalley!

Many thanks to Peter Heller, Knopf, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel. I’m a big fan of Heller, and loved his previous novels The Dog Stars and The River. He has a gift for weaving together action and emotion, and few can write about the outdoors the way he can. Unfortunately, this novel didn’t work for me — it bogged down in places and then rushed to a conclusion that seemed incomplete. Still, I appreciate the opportunity to read this novel and I’ll look forward to his future work.

Peter Heller has found a perfect formula for combining human tensions and the beauty of nature. I always come for the scenery and stay for the plot and The Last Ranger is no exception. There was so much compassion and hope in this story even in face of the terrible things that we do each other and to the planet.