Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, where, in the first stage of a potential global disaster, a team of scientists has gone missing. In Florida’s Everglades National Park, FBI special investigator Gina Delgado traces the murder of an environmental science intern back to another U.S. Geological Survey team’s ongoing experiments that are decimating the fragile ecosystem. That is before she’s dispatched to the scene of a sunken U.S. nuclear submarine, where the entire crew of which has been killed.The connection between these investigations lies in a deadly prehistoric organism, frozen for thousands of years in the ice until global warming brings it back to life. What is this deadly prehistoric organism? An organism that a rogue billionaire sees as the ultimate fuel source and a Russian strongman views as the ultimate weapon that can shift the global balance of power forever. Against that backdrop, Walker and Delgado find themselves doing battle across multiple fronts against an ancient, unstoppable enemy. Will they succeed?

The author’s have written an investigative thriller and climate science fiction novel. This is the second book in their National Park Series. (You can read this novel as a standalone.). It is an action-packed novel. The novel is focused on the action than the parks. Terrorism, politics, military operations, and corruption are in the novel. I enjoyed reading this novel as I found myself wondering at times how this book would end. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Special Agent of the National Park Service, Michael Walker is in Alaska tracking down the multiple thefts of Tlingit artifacts but is pulled off the assignment when a U.S. Geological Survey team has gone missing after an avalanche in Sitka, Alaska. He’s sent to help find them, but the Tlingit tribe settled in the area may not cooperate as there have been strained relations between them and the government.

Meanwhile, Gina Delgado, now working directly under the White House, is sent to investigate the murder of a man found in the Everglades. Her case ends up being connected to another U.S. Geological Survey team, but she is also called away to Alaska on a separate disaster involving a submarine.

There was an Elon Musk type of character, as well. This guy felt like his riches and intelligence put him above others and the law and didn’t care who he stepped on to get what he wanted.

The story was fast paced with chapters alternating between Michael and Gina’s investigations, and I wasn't sure when or even if the mysteries would connect. There was a lot going on and all of it interesting! With cutting edge science, nefarious characters and world ending possibilities!

Cold Burn was an exciting and satisfying thriller! I look forward to Michael and Gina’s next mystery!

Cold Burn is book two in the new National Parks Thriller series by A. J. Landau; Jon Land; Jeff Ayers.
This was a fast-paced, action-packed read with an intense story.
Landau’s descriptions are particularly picturesque and entertaining
He skillfully and sensitively draws the reader in and hooks them with an interesting cast of characters. His wonderful prose and masterful storytelling caused me to read the entire book over 2 days, slowly savoring every word.
I’m ready for the next title.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A murder in Everglades National Park, the smuggling of stolen Alaskan artifacts, the death of a submarine’s crew and the disappearance of a study team from the U.S. Geological Survey seem unrelated, but there is a threat that ties them together. The first indication is when National Park Agent Michael Walker discovers that the artifacts carry a dark crystallized substance that he is unable to identify. He is called off his investigation to search for the missing USGS team, which occurred on Tlingit land. He is aided by Amka, a tribal representative and her tracker brother. In exchange for their help, Amka takes Walker to a vast field of dead fish that have literally frozen to death from the inside. Their death has been caused by a pre-historic microbe that has been dormant but has emerged after global warming. In the Everglades, FBI agent Gina Delgado is investigating the murder of a USGS intern who was working on a project called Cold Burn. The objective is to alter the water’s temperature to effect climate change, but it is also providing the perfect environment for the microbe. When the fate of the submarine crew is also tied to the microbe it is a race against time to prevent a possible extinction event.

Michael Walker is a widower who lost his wife, a fellow agent, in a case that also resulted in the loss of a foot. Rather than settle for a desk job he pushed himself to overcome his disability. This same determination is evident when he and Amka come under attack during their search for the team and later when Amka’s village comes under attack. He has worked with Delgado in the past and they continue to work well with each other.
A.J. Landau, the psusonym for John Land and Jeff Ayers, has presented a chilling tale of global warming. It is also a story of greed and political corruption. The possibility that the discovery could be weaponized leads to an attack by Russian forces as a billionaire conspires with their leader for access to Alaska’s resources. With non-stop action, Cold Burn will keep you glued to the pages. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur for providing this book.

Cold Burn is as much ripped from the headlines as any book I’ve ever read. It has extinct animal revivals, detrimental climate change effects, an unknown fatal disease killing everyone in its path, a malevolent rogue billionaire, and Russian hoods. The plot feels like a mix of the series written by Clive Custer, Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy. The pace is exhilarating, while also being a bit exhausting. Does every chapter have to end with a cliffhanger?

I read the previous book in the series, Leave No Trace, and liked its pacing better. It had the slower speed of a police procedural, while Cold Burn is obviously chasing the thriller market. Pulse pounding thriller fans will adore this book. Straight mystery fans, like myself, will enjoy it too but perhaps not as much. 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced review copy.

Cold Burn by A.J. Landau, the second installment in the National Parks Thriller series, delivers a high-octane, action-packed narrative that intertwines climate change, global conspiracies, and gripping suspense. National Park Service investigator Michael Walker and FBI special investigator Gina Delgado tackle seemingly disparate cases—missing scientists in Alaska’s Glacier Bay, a murdered intern in Florida’s Everglades, and a submarine crew frozen to death—that converge around a prehistoric microbe unleashed by melting ice, threatening global catastrophe. Landau (the pseudonym for Jon Land and Jeff Ayers) excels in crafting a fast-paced plot with vivid settings and intricate scientific details, though the technical jargon might be a little much for the casual reader. Fans of high-stakes thrillers like those by James Rollins or Clive Cussler will enjoy this wild ride, enriched by Tlingit cultural elements and environmental themes, despite some overwritten descriptions. I am looking forward to what the author writes next!

National Parks Investigative Agent Michael Walker and FBI Special Investigator Gina Delgado are working their own assignments in very different locations and situations, but certain details tie their cases together. The work locations are in the Everglades and in Alaska.

Although this thriller takes a while to get going, it becomes action packed as well as containing a lot of scientific and cultural information.

This is the second book in the series but the reader does not need to have read the previous book to enjoy this one.

Cold Burn is an intense, fast-paced thriller that combines action, intrigue, science fiction, and an appreciation of Native American culture amid the breathtaking backdrop of national parks in Alaska and Florida. National Park Service ISB special agent Michael Walker is undercover in Alaska tracking smugglers of Native artifacts when he is reassigned to find and rescue a U.S. Geological Survey team that was caught in an avalanche. The site requires gaining permission from and working with a Tlingit tribe on Lester Island that has a long and not always friendly relationship with the Park Service. Meanwhile, the White House has assigned FBI Special Agent Gina Delgado (who worked with Walker in the first book in the series) a murder investigation in the Florida Everglades but, just as she starts to make headway on the case, she is asked to fly to Alaska to investigate the strange and sudden death of a submarine crew. As you might imagine, Walker and Delgado's investigations ultimately overlap and they work together to solve their cases and, basically, save the planet. Although I haven't read the first book in the series and there is a small carryover from that story into this one, it didn't affect my ability to follow what was happening or my enjoyment of the story. I liked the factoids on national parks at the start of each chapter. Walker and Delgado are three dimensional, likeable characters, principled and capable. The premise borders on sci-fi but is so well done that it is believable.

Wow, what a ride! This thriller, which I received as an eARC thanks to Netgalley, A. J. Landau, Jon Land, Jeff Ayers, and St. Martin's Press, is a real page-turner. It throws you right into the heart of our national forests and doesn't shy away from the scary realities of politics, climate change, and some seriously bad people. Definitely a great read!

This book took a bit to get into. It starts out with events that are interesting, but then I felt it got bogged down with a lot of technical information that slowed the flow of the story. The action does pick up in the last third of the book as the threads of the two investigations are woven together. The series focus on national parks along with a bit of their history that is interwoven with current murder, terrorism and corruption, is an interesting premise. It’s evident that a lot of research has gone into the development of the storyline and it does make an interesting story, but this one was just a little too slow.

DNF around the 20% mark. I wasn’t aware this is part of a series, but even if it weren’t this wasn’t my cup of Tea. I found it a bit of a slow burn and couldn’t get into it

This was a fascinating book with thrilling adventure that was extremely interesting and entertaining. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from NetGalley and jumped in with both feet to gobble it up! You are initially following along with National Park Service agent Michael Walker as he is sent after smugglers and FBI Special Investigator Gina Delgado as she tries to track down the culprits of a murder in the Florida Everglades. There are many twists and turns as they are led to a thrilling conclusion. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the ARC to read! Out now!
I loved the first National Parks Thriller by this author duo so I was excited to get to read Michael and Gina's next story.

This book is packed with knowledge! So while you get a fictional mystery storyline you also get to learn some things along the way, lol

This story gets wild so buckle in folks. The seemingly unrelated characters and investigations will all converge into an explosive conclusion that left my jaw on the floor. I loved Michael & Gina's characters in the first book and I loved them in this story too. We also get to meet a great cast of new characters, including one of my favorites: Amka.

Well-researched, thrilling moments, multi-POV, PACKED with action, plotting on point: these are all things I love in books and this one made them all work very well!

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy.

I initially struggled getting into this book which was a big disappointment after really enjoying the first book in this series. I think my issues had to do with the multiple POVs with a lot of information and different settings coming to the reader. The chapters are very short which I generally enjoy, but in this case, I felt like I was just settling into one storyline and setting when we switched again. I found the information the authors were providing about Alaska, climate change, the tribe, etc. was very interesting, but it was a lot to absorb and I found it to take me out of the narrative a bit. I wound up initially putting this book down.

When the book was released, I picked up the audiobook from the library and finished it that way and in the second half of the book I was much more engaged as the story lines begin to weave closer together. We get a lot more fast paced later in the book and I generally had a good time with it.

A futuristic story that could possibly happen. National Park ranger turned investigator tries to figure out a smuggling operation of native artifacts from Alaska. A body shows up in the Everglades after scientists have released a microbe to lower the water temperature to prevent global warming. Somehow these events tie together to create a story that is filled with realistic possibilities. An interesting read that shows the depravity of humanity. It takes a bit to get into the story but once you do, it's hard to put down.

As I started reading this book I was of the opinion that it would be the best of the series. It jumps right in with some mysterious deaths somehow connected even though they occur a continent apart. As the plot goes on, however, it just gets more and more unbelievable, At the risk of spoiling, a former park ranger and former FBI agent solve the murders, stop a global environmental catastrophe which originated in the past, and defend Alaska against a Russian invasion with the help of local natives who summon an ice storm. And there are friendly crocodiles. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the next in the National Parks Thriller series by AJ Landau. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

We connect back with National Park Service special Agent Michael Walker who is called in to investigate a missing geological survey team in Alaska. In the Florida Everglades, FBI special investigator Gina Delgado is investigating the murder of an environmental science intern. Add in a frozen wooly mammoth and a strange contagion causing people to freeze from the inside out and you have the markings of a thriller!

I enjoyed reading about the latest adventures of this duo, even though they were working in separate areas. There's a lot going on here, but Landau skillfully weaves everything together, including themes of climate control and conspiracy. As in the first book, I like the snippets of National Park trivia between chapters. The story is fast-paced and tense, and you'll be rooting for the good guys. Hope there's more to come in this series!

National Park Service Investigator Michael Walker has a major case on his hands as he’s sent to Alaska to contend with the disappearance on a U.S. Geological Survey team who had been studying the melting permafrost and got caught in an avalanche. Turns out they went missing on native American territory, and Michael needs to negotiate access with the government-hostile Tlingit people. Michael’s also assigned to investigate that tribe’s increasingly stolen artifacts and the killing of his lead suspect in the thefts by an assassin. Add on top of this, there’s the sudden massive death of native fish in the Alaskan waters surrounding the tribe’s home.

Simultaneously FBI Agent Gina Delgado, who’s teamed up with Michael in the past, has two intense cases of her own: a best-in-class stealth new military submarine that has sunk to the bottom on Alaska’s Icy Strait, with all the crew on board found mysteriously dead. Gina’s also investigating the death of a crew member in the Florida Everglades who had been working on a team experimenting with changing the water temperatures.

All these complex cases start to converge and tie directly into climate change and a threat that could imperil all life on Earth. There’s also a wonderful satire of a character just like Elon Musk, a billionaire intent to find a new fuel source that will enable a human-led mission to Mars. The investigations prove compelling, Michael and Gina both intrepid and insightful, and the larger concept of what may be lying under the permafrost chilling.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Well, this was a fast read. so much going on. This is an interesting story that you will read in just one sitting. I look forward to more books in this series!

I found the premise of Cold Burn by A.J. Landau to be intriguing, which is why I added it to my TBR pile. I began reading Cold Burn and I wanted to quit before I finished the first chapter. The writing is overly technical (helpful for insomnia). It reminds me of the notes a ship’s captain might write in his log (or submit to the Navy) about a mission. There are two investigations to follow plus so much more (there is a lot going on). Once the story gets started (it takes a while), there is plenty of action. There seems to be one violent episode after another. I guess the author decided the story needed another component, because they added supernatural/science fiction elements for which the reader needs to suspend their disbelief or not think about too hard (I could not do either). The Tlingit tribe with the overabundance of supernatural abilities was too much (enough was enough). The multiple settings, characters, POVs, scientific jargon, and subplots made the story seem disjointed. It is difficult keeping track of all of it. I can tell that A.J. Landau did their research for this story. The pacing is on the slow side until the last quarter. I found the ending to be lackluster. Cold Burn is a book that could have used another round or two of edits. Cold Burn is the second A National Parks Thriller and it can be read as a standalone. Cold Burn was not my cup of tea.