Celine has worn many hats in her lifetime. She was raised by a socialite mother, went to private schools, graduated from Sarah Lawrence…She is an artist who for much of her life moonlighted as a private investigator. She claims she is retired from all of that now, trying to live a quiet life. All is such until a lovely young woman named Gabriela comes into her life.
Gabriela weaves quite a tale, a missing father presumed dead by bear attack in Yellowstone National Park. A father with a complex past and details which never added up…and Celine is drawn in. She offers to help the young woman and sets out on an adventure into the wilderness of Wyoming, meeting various interesting characters along the way.
As the secrets begin to unravel, the path grows increasingly more dangerous. Can Celine learn the truth about the photographer’s disappearance before she comes to harm herself? Is the young girl Gabriela safe with the knowledge of her father?
Celine, by Peter Heller, was an unexpectedly enjoyable read for me. The first of his works which I have personally read, the novel sucked me right in. If you enjoy mysteries which are ripe with cover-ups and intrigue, you should definitely give Celine a chance. I will warn you, though, all I’ve wanted to do since I started the novel was pack up my camping gear and drive into Wyoming! I spent a summer working at Grand Teton National Park when I was a college coed, and the descriptions in the novel took me right back there. The fresh air, the vegetation, the animals… The interesting city folk.
All in all, terrific novel which can appeal to all mystery-loving readers, male or female alike.
