Authors Jeff Ayers and Jon Land, writing as A.J. Landau, start a new, contemporary series with a literal bang: an explosion that topples the Statue of Liberty. As Liberty Island is a National Park, a major crime there is investigated by the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch, and Special Agent Michael Walker soon finds himself leaving the tranquility of Shenandoah National Park for the chaos of a bombed island (as a foot amputee, Michael is a welcome disabled main character). Also sent to investigate is Gina Delgado of the FBI’s New York field office. Soon the political dance is on as the agencies clash in their fight for dominance and information. Further attacks aren’t far behind as a mysterious figure, who readers know only as Jeremiah, targets the federal government and bomb disposal skills are in high demand. Both thriller and history fans will watch the pages fly as the authors keep the hair-raising moments coming (a rattlesnake-vs.-bad-guy moment sticks out) and provide plenty of national park-related facts (did you know that construction of St. Louis’s Gateway Arch was estimated to require 5,000 workers but fewer than 100 were hired?). A breakneck-paced story with characters whom readers will be excited to see more of.
Leave No Trace author Jeff Ayers is a Contributing Editor to firstCLUE
