As a fan of Nevada Barr’s series featuring National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon, I jumped on Henderson’s first novel, A Solitude of Wolverines (2020). The Vanishing Kind is Henderson’s fourth entry in her Alex Carter series.

Alex is a wildlife biologist, and each book finds her studying a different species and fighting different bad guys. In The Vanishing Kind, she is studying jaguars in New Mexico. Alex goes through her worst experience yet (meaning she goes through a hellish physical ordeal). She encounters obstacles to the well-being of jaguars and other wildlife, anti-immigrant extremists, and a vile billionaire who won't let anything or anyone get in the way of his goal. The anti-immigrant extremists and the plight and resourcefulness of the people they are targeting made this novel feel very timely.

Henderson’s books are suspense novels and will appeal to readers who enjoy mystery/thrillers and adventure stories. At the end of each book, she offers resources on how to support the species she’s written about and other ways to help support environmental efforts.

Though they're definitely over the top, I enjoy Alice Henderson's environmental thrillers for their fascinating settings, constant action, and insights into different endangered species. Previous episodes focused on wolverines, polar bears and caribou. This time, it's all about jaguars.

Wildlife biologist Alex Carter heads to a large desert sanctuary in New Mexico, near the Gila National Forest, a prime jaguar habitat to do a 'species presence survey'.

She has to deal withanti-immigrant vigilantes and a wealthy man's ruthless quest for archeological artefacts, culminating in a long desert hunt, in which Alex is the prey.

Thank you William Morrow, #partner for the advanced copy of The Vanishing Kind in exchange for my honest review.

This series, what I would terms eco-thrillers, has just completely fascinated me and this latest one is no exception. We follow wildlife biologist and conservationist Alex Carter to New Mexico where she is looking for the elusive jaguar. Along the way, she encounters many dangers, including some of the humankind. I love how much I end up learning from these books about endangered species in general and the animal Alex is hunting in specific.

This is the fourth book in a series about wildlife biologist Alex Carter, and I didn't realize it was a series until about halfway through the book, because it read like a stand-alone. Alex has been sent to New Mexico to try to track jaguars and see if they have returned to New Mexico. Along the way she encounters bad guys, some of whom mean the jaguars harm, and some whom are out to terrorize anyone trying to cross the Mexico-US border or aid those crossing the border.

The author does a good job of painting a picture of the remoteness of this location but also its beauty and historical fascination. Reading made me want to go visit the sites described. There was a lot of action and in fact these bad guys were bad, really bad. Maybe it was a little over the top but it was interesting reading and super suspenseful!

I love books based in the National and State Parks and have read many starting with Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series, then C.J. Box's Joe Pickett, and more recently Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch. Having a protagonist directly involved in animal welfare is a new twist and the author is knowledgeable on the subject. This subject is near to my heart, as I lived in Borneo in the early 90's for a couple of years, and witnessed first hand the destruction of the rainforest and how that decimated the wildlife, in particular, the orangutans. I could see some readers not appreciating the conservation message, but they are probably the ones that need to read it most.

All in all this was a quick and enjoyable read, and I can see myself going back to read the first three in the series that I missed!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alice Henderson, and William Morrow Group for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wildlife biologist, Alex Carter, is on a mission to document rarely sighted jaguars that cross borders between Mexico, and southern New Mexico (also Arizona). This would be a very significant accomplishment for her as it would possibly garner support of jaguar habitat and chronicle a possible existence of these animals in these areas. The area is hard to traverse with scant trails and resources. There are also ranchers, a vicious group intent upon stopping migrants, and a wealthy man financing an archeological dig with his own personal agenda. This stew of competing goals does not bode well for Alex. Best part of the book was learning about the jaguars and their challenges. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing this title.

The Vanishing Kind is the fourth novel in the Alex Carter series. I have not read the previous novels in this series, but I do think readers might want to read these novels in order, given the many references to those earlier adventures/novels in The Vanishing Kind. This novel is situated in a wildlife refuge in New Mexico. There is a good deal of information about the Jaguar, which is the purpose of Carter's work in N.M. Author Alice Henderson provides a great deal of research into the history, habitant, diet, appearance, evolution, range, etc., of the Jaguar as part of Alex's effort to track the Jaguar and to detail the differences between the Jaguar and the other big cats, who are part of the same refuge.

White supremacy and the associated beliefs in the supremacy of white males are large themes of The Vanishing Kind. The Vanishing Kind includes a great deal of hatred of immigrants and Hispanics N.M. This novel is fiction, but as a reader, I found this depiction completely inaccurate. While there is white supremacy in N.M., there is actually far less than in other states. Henderson depicts murder, property destruction, and fear as techniques used to try to force Hispanic citizens out of N.M. However, New Mexico is a multi-cultural state, in which caucasian citizens are actually the minority population. The Vanishing Kind includes murder, torture, and a great deal of violence, all of which occurs in the final third of The Vanishing Kind. The level of violence at the end of this novel felt more like fantasy than fiction. I could easily see this violence in a TV movie.

While I was not offended by the obvious political slant, I suspect many readers will find The Vanishing Kind preachy. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. The above comments are my honest review.

3 stars

4.5 I was enthralled with this story featuring Alex Carter on another preservation adventure. My second of the series, you can easily read as a stand-alone. But you won't want to because the series is just that good . action packed and timely, Alex fights off white supremacists while tracking the jaguar in New Mexico. a nearly
5 star read barring a bit of overload towards the end. These stories are as informative as they are entertaining. A fast read that will satisfy your love of nature and kick ass female characters.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Alex Carter, wildlife biologist, is offered the job of jaguar spotting in New Mexico by her friend, Ben Hathaway. Alex is excited at this chance and is soon off to begin her quest. She has a small cabin at the sanctuary, that she can bed down at night and during the days she is setting up cameras and hoping to spot the elusive cat. On her walks around, she comes across an archaeological dig. The group is looking for treasures that a Spanish conquistador hid on a rich landowners property. There is also a small town where Alex goes to for supplies but on one occasion a group of masked men threw fire bombs into non-white business .
As Alex tracks the jaguar, more violence follows, first at the dig site and then against herself, until a murder occurs .
A slow start that sets up the background and history of the jaguar but a thrilling climax as Alex, along with an unforeseen rescuer, solve the attacks and murder but most importantly, the sighting of her jaguar.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this e-galley of "The Vanishing Kind".

This was a story about a vanishing of jaguars.

This book was the perfect, quick ecological thriller. I loved getting more time with a mysterious side character & felt super invested in the environment- the author does an excellent job of making the setting the other character you care about.

Thank you so much @netgalley & @williammorrowbooks for this e arc!

I love this series. The mysteries are fun but the nature and ecology information is the high point for me. I love how the author uses real science in her stories. You can google something and it is something true. For example in this book the author mentioned two jaguars who had been found in the US about 10 years ago. The story of El Jefe's sighting was a fun side tangent to read.

The author did include some current events in the story which some may not like but I'd expect people interested in this type of story, what I've nicknamed cli-fi mystery, would be okay with those inclusions. Note, I am not talking about ecological policies and such which have been part of all of these books.

Dr. Alex Carter has tracked caribou in Washington, studied polar bears in the Canadian Arctic and trailed wolverines in Montana. She is a wildlife biologist who has put herself in danger working for the Land Trust for Wildlife Conservation. Her latest assignment takes her to New Mexico to survey a prime habitat for jaguars, hoping to detect their presence. While visiting a nearby town for supplies, several of the buildings are fire bombed by white supremecists. She encounters them again when they threaten an archeological dig headed by Dr. Espinoza. His team is looking for artifacts and the grave of a 16th century conquistador on the property of a wealthy patron. The vigilantes also turn their attention to Alex. If she finds the endangered jaguar at the sanctuary it could affect the wall between the U.S. and Mexico, allowing the jaguars to travel the border and leaving vulnerable spots for immigrant crossings. Alex finds herself being hunted and fighting to survive.

Alice Henderson’s series takes you on a tour of the mountains and desert areas of New Mexico while also providing well researched lessons in conservation. Her descriptions of the flora and fauna of the area will have you wanting to personally visit New Mexico. Alex is a strong character who grew up with a love of nature, while the threat of the vigilantes is all too real in today’s society. This is a thriller, a murder mystery and a story that makes you stop and think about the world around you. Henderson has written a wonderful series and I can not wait to see where she takes Alex on her next assignment. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for providing this book.

Another excellent addition to the Alex Carter series. I am not a big series reader- but I absolutely love this one!

Each book explores a different endangered animal species and I learn so much. And it is an engaging and interesting way to learn about each animal. Alex is such an excellent main character. She is human and fallible, but is so smart and kind and resourceful.

Every book in this series has been engaging with great pacing. This book looks at jaguars and has a back story mystery. I could not recommend this series and each book individually higher.

Start this series now!!

I am loving this series featuring wildlife biologist Alex Carter who is working to research and save endangered species in their natural habitat. In book four, Alex travels to New Mexico to determine whether Jaguars are living on protected land and traveling between the US and Mexico. Along the way, she encounters anti-immigrant vigilantes, rugged terrain, and threatening intruders also in search of the sleek and powerful jaguar. Throw in a murder and the reappearance of an old friend, and Alex has her hands full!

The story is written with great atmosphere and a fair amount of suspense. It's action packed and compelling, which kept me turning the pages as the dangers around Alex grew. I really enjoy Alex's character. She's smart, resourceful, passionate and supremely competent while maintaining her compassion for others.

In addition to the action and adventure, I loved the messages about conservation and the protection of endangered species. The author's background as a wildlife researcher is evident, and I was intrigued to learn that numerous species such as the jaguar travel across the US and Mexico border. If a wall or permanent structure is ever constructed that blocks these corridors, it would severely hamper that migration and greatly endanger both animals and their habitat.

I heard Alice Henderson on a podcast a couple of years ago, and she is as passionate about the environment as her heroine Alex. Henderson's notes and references at the end of the book are equally enlightening. Round up to 4.5 stars.

Initial Thoughts:
This book had me at "eco-thriller"!!! I'm a sucker for a good eco-thriller, and while I haven't read any of the previous Alex Carter books, I will likely be picking them up in the near future, because this was such an action packed- fun time! I didn't feel confused during any point of this story, so I think that this one is safe to be read as an interconnected stand-alone.

The story was set in New Mexico where Alex was sent to study the elusive jaguar. While there she encounters several different groups, from students on an archaeological dig, to an anti-immigrant group set on eliminating anyone in their way. Alex must figure out how to interact with the students, and their benefactor while maintaining her goal of tracking and studying the jaguar, but this proves difficult when attacks start happening closer and closer to the site. Alex finds herself fighting for her own life when she's captured by the anti-immigrant group, and she must rely on her survival instincts in order to survive. There were SOOOO many twists and turns throughout this entire story, and I absolutely devoured every second! I also really appreciated how Alex being captured and hunted, was symbolic of what is happening daily to endangered species around the world. It was a very powerful story!

(3.5, rounded up to 4)

Alice Henderson's "The Vanishing Kind," the fourth installment in the Alex Carter series, offers a fast-paced, suspenseful adventure but falls slightly short of the excellence seen in its predecessors.

Once again we are following Alex Carter, a determined wildlife conservationist, as she embarks on a mission to track jaguars in a New Mexico desert preserve. What begins as a straightforward ecological task quickly escalates into a high-stakes confrontation with anti-immigrant vigilantes and an ominous archaeological mystery. While the story is filled with thrilling moments and environmental intrigue, the pacing occasionally slows, with certain subplots feeling underdeveloped.

The strength of "The Vanishing Kind" lies in its protagonist, Alex Carter. Her unwavering dedication to wildlife conservation, combined with her resourcefulness and bravery, makes her a standout character throughout the entirety of the series. However, some of the supporting characters - the antagonists, in particular - lack depth, which weakens the emotional impact of the narrative. The archaeological subplot adds an interesting twist but ultimately feels underutilized, leaving readers eager for more exploration in that area.

Despite these drawbacks, this is still an enjoyable read that will captivate fans of the series. While this installment may not reach the heights of earlier books in the series, it is an enjoyable follow-up with an engaging blend of suspense, ecological awareness, and adventure that will appeal to readers who enjoy stories of high-stakes drama and environmental themes.

On her own in a remote wildlife preserve in New Mexico, is just how wildlife biologist Alex Carter likes it.  She enjoys the natural environment, with local floral and fauna, various desert biomes, quiet, and stunning views.  She has been hired to, hopefully, document the presence of jaguars in order to be able to better protect the wild animals.  The author’s frequent descriptions of the New Mexico environment are full of the kind of detail that exhibit true knowledge of the subject and an appreciation of wildlife conservation.

As with any effort to protect an endangered species, there are always segments of the population who would just as soon shoot the animals.  Whether they believe big cats are killing their cattle or just want another trophy.  Or, in this case, the presence of a protected species so close to the southern border might mean solid border walls will not happen.

In this 4th book of the series, Alex goes up against the most dangerous foes ever.  The anti-immigration white supremacists are the worst of the lot, though there are one or two others that are nearly as vile.  Since the story takes place in a remote setting, the fact that assistance is hard to call in means Alex will need to rely on her strength, knowledge and wits to survive. 

Like the previous books, this book is part adventure and part wildlife conservation education.  In addition, particularly timely and pertinent politics are a vital part of the story.  Alex Carter is a great heroine.  The author adds her knowledge of various disciplines (biology, geology, geography, climatology) to bring this exciting story to life.  I recommend the entire Alex Carter series.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Loved this book! What a timely, fast paced and thrilling book! Alice Henderson has written another amazing book that is well researched and so informative about the natural world, and the dangers wildlife face from humans more concerned with profit than the future of the environment and the preservation of endangered species. The character she has created for this book series, Alex Carter is quite a strong, adventurous, and inspirational female heroine! This book follows Alex on a quest to track and obtain photos and information on the elusive, endangered Jaguar in New Mexico and the dangers it faces in the wild, mostly from humankind. The plot is a gripping page turner, full of twists, that kept me completely engrossed from beginning to end. I literally could not put the book down while reading the last half! Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advanced copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

First off a big thank you to the publisher, the author and to Netgalley for the invite as well as letting me continue on with a series that I love , even though this is book Book 4 of Alex Carter and I somehow missed out on book 3 , I had no trouble getting into this story at all. And either way I plan on get copies of the books either on my kindle or as physical books themselves. So there's Definitely going to a re read of this series, one of the things I love about this series is not one the main character but also how the author takes you to remote areas of different places and you get to see the location come to live before your very eyes , as well as the animals that the main character Alex Carter is supposed to be studying as well as finding out there is other dangerous besides the wildlife or location the story takes place in, which makes this series a none stop actin packed from the very start to the last page ,With that said if your lookup for a book series that a combination of mystery, nature, the environment, action adventure, and survival then this is for you .

If you enjoy a crime thriller set in remote areas with events that feel all too real, look no further than Alice Henderson’s Dr. Alex Carter series. The Vanishing Kind is the fourth book featuring Alex, a wilderness area, and an endangered species. But the book is so much more than that.

Henderson has become my favorite author who emphasizes different facets of nature in a mystery thriller. After a chilling prologue in New Hampshire and some downtime in Los Angeles, Alex is called by Ben Hathaway, the regional director of the Land Trust for Wildlife Conservation. The rest of the book is set in New Mexico after she accepts a job to survey their Mogollon Wildlife Sanctuary near Azulejo. They believe they have some prime habitat for endangered jaguars and want her to do a species presence survey using remote cameras and hair snares, and if possible, collar a jaguar to get video and GPS information.

While Alex gets started on her survey, an archaeological team led by Dr. Enrique Espinoza is excavating a site believed to have buried treasure by a sixteenth-century Spaniard on a neighboring piece of land. She meets the team and learns what they have discovered.

A dangerous group of individuals wearing skull masks and who are very anti-immigrant are threatening both the dig and some businesses in town. It’s not long until Alex is threatened as well. The group is afraid that concessions will be made to the border wall allowing immigrants as well as endangered wildlife to cross the border.

Alex is a likeable character who is three-dimensional and had depth. She is a skilled wildlife biologist, adept at Jeet Kune Do style of martial arts, and is an expert shooter. She enjoys solitude, but has a few very good friends. She’s also polite, curious, determined to make a difference, has strong beliefs and ideals, and she enjoys meaningful connections and communication. She’s supported by an array of secondary characters that enhanced the story, but were not as fully developed. However, the relationships seemed believable and not contrived and provided the needed support or conflict.

The world-building was fabulous. I felt like I was transported to New Mexico with Alex as she carried out her research and encountered some tough and scary situations. The story was compelling, shocking at times, intense, and a great addition to the series. While there are some twists, I thought two of the main antagonists were too easily discerned and some of the action was over-the-top. However, this did not reduce my enjoyment of or enthusiasm for the book. Themes include wildlife sanctuaries, border protection, immigration, racism, chauvinism, murder, poaching, and endangered species.

The afterward has more information on jaguars, wildlife corridors, genetic isolation, wildlife overpasses and underpasses to avoid roads, and much more. There’s also a list of ways to engage, as well as books and videos about the jaguar. The author’s experience as a wildlife researcher and surveyor gives authenticity to the science and research methods used in the novels.

Overall, this combined mystery, nature, the environment, action adventure, and survival into one fantastic crime novel. It’s entertaining, compelling, and kept me rapidly turning the pages. Not only was this a fascinating mystery that kept me fully engaged, but I learned a lot about the jaguars historically as well as in current times. If you enjoy action-packed crime thrillers with an environmental and threatened wildlife theme, then this is a series to consider reading. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

William Morrow and Alice Henderson provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for March 4, 2025. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

The next chapter in th Alex Carter wildlife series takes us to New Mexico where jaguars have recently been spotted.Alet soon finds herself mixed up with the local white supremacy group that is terrorizing the ranches and towns in the area. It's only a matter of time before her " guardian angel " Casey appears on the scene. Informative about nature and timely with the social climate, this is a pleasant way to spend some time.