The killings on Isle Royale have left Anna drained and
haunted, her memories of her time with the wolf study group
forever marred by the carnage on the island. Diagnosed with
post-traumatic stress disorder, she is on administrative
leave, per her superintendent’s urging. Anna wonders if the
leave might not be permanent, either by her own choice or
that of the National Park Service. The one bright spot in Anna’s life is Paul, her husband of
less than a year. Hoping the warmth and the adventure of a
raft trip in Big Bend National Park will lift her spirits,
Paul takes Anna to southwest Texas, where the sun is hot
and the Rio Grande is running high. The sheer beauty of the
Chihuahuan Desert and the power of the river work their
magic — until the raft is lost in the rapids and a young
college student falls overboard, resulting in an even more
grisly discovery. Caught in a strainer between two boulders
and more dead than alive, is a pregnant woman, hair and
arms tangled in the downed branches. Instead of the soul-soothing experience they’d longed for,
Anna and Paul find themselves sucked into a labyrinth of
intrigue that leads from the Mexican desert to the steps of
the Governor’s Mansion in Austin, Texas.
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