If you admire Adam Shoalts and are impressed by his expeditions, you’ll be amazed by the story of his hero—an extraordinary pioneer you've probably never heard of.

In his latest book, Shoalts takes readers on a journey not only through the wild, barren lands but also through history. It is the result of his many years investigating the century-old disappearance of Hubert Darrell, a prospector, guide, trapper, and explorer who was praised during his lifetime by none other than Roald Amundsen.

Fascinating and fast-paced as all Shoalts books.

Thanks to the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada | Allen Lane, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book

Known as Canada’s greatest modern-day explorer, Adam Shoalts headed into the Arctic wilderness in an attempt to retrace the route of legendary lost explorer Hubert Darrell and solve a mystery more than 100 years old.

In November 1910, Darrel was exploring and filling in blanks on existing maps alone in the western Arctic near the Anderson River when he mysteriously vanished. After more than a decade of research in the wilderness, Shoalts is still inconclusive about the cause of Darrell’s death.

As strange as the circumstances surrounding his death are, the reasons for Darrell’s desire to stay in the wilderness are equally unexplainable. Darrell came north for the Klondike gold rush and remained, even choosing this isolated life over life with his fiancée and his brother back home.

Despite not knowing definitive answers, I appreciated (1) Shoalts' storytelling and (2) learning about a man I'd never heard of who was so dedicated to exploring and contributed so much to what we know about the Arctic wilderness. I can’t imagine living during this time without modern technologies. Nor can I even begin to understand how he learned Cree, Athabascan, and Inuktitut to communicate with the indigenous peoples he encountered!

This is my first book by this author, and I’ve already added more of his books to my list! If you enjoy a well-written book that combines adventure, detective work and biography, this is one you’ll enjoy.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Vanished Beyond the Map introduced me to an historical figure that I'd never heard of. This account of Hubert Darrell was very interesting, suspenseful, and will be added to my stack of wilderness adventure books. Shoalts is a great storyteller and it was interesting to read about his own experiences following Darrell's routes.