Backcountry: A Novel

by James W. Clarke

A Novel is a story of love, murder, and high adventure set in Montana's Glacier National Park. Beth Blanchard, a recently divorced, burnt-out former prosecutor from Tucson, Arizona has quit the law, under extenuating circumstances, and has moved to West Glacier, Montana to get away from things, relax and write a book. At first the getaway works as she meets Harry Dawkins, a retired Marine officer who introduces her to the beauty and adventure found in Glacier Nationa Park. But that changes when the body of a young Indian woman is found, reminding her of the unsolved murders of several Indian women near Grand Canyon National Park. She decides to investigate. Meanwhile the killer has become fixated on a beautiful young college student, a seasonal worker in the park. Backcountry is a thriller that blends a captivating combination of outdoor adventure and high-stakes suspense involving Beth and Harry, a sadistic killer and a terrified young woman, a marauding grizzly bear, and a grieving father with Blackfeet warrior traditions and revenge on his mind.

328 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2013

Reviews

[ELDEE]

I enjoyed this book and author. It wasn't the fastest book I've read as one can get bogged down in all the words. I would read him again.

[Kayla Alvarez]

This book deserved more attention, great thriller!

[D.H. Jonathan]

I found this book while on a vacation to Montana. We had just spent three days and two nights tent camping in Glacier National Park. While in The Book Exchange in Missoula, I picked Backcountry up and saw that it was set in that same national park. I couldn't resist and bought a copy.

Reading the author's descriptions of the settings made me wish I could go back to Glacier and spend a few more days. The story was both thrilling and harrowing and has a very satisfying ending. The reader is taken into the mind of a serial killer, and the author seems to have a keen insight into how such people think.

The weakness of the book lies in the dialogue between some of the characters, especially Beth and Harry. Too many times, I felt as if they were talking to the reader, telling us important plot points, rather than talking to each other in a natural-sounding way. But the story is strong enough that I could overlook that...

[Sally Schueler]

Backcountry was a very entertaining read! Jim Clarke wove the beauty and natural danger of Glacier National Park, Indian culture, the locals of this touristy area and a twisted serial killer into this page turning thriller! This type of book is not usually my cup of tea but I really enjoyed the story. It is very well written, the characters are beautifully developed and it was hard to put down and detach when I actually had to. A warning: this book is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. The serial killer is perverse and detached, his language is atrocious and his mind, thought processes and actions are highly disturbing. Jim Clarke is versed in the criminal mind (author of Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison and American Assassins: The Darker Side of Politics just to name a couple) and it’s clear of his expertise on the subject in this realistic thriller.

[Mary Stenvall]

Not my normal fare, and not for the squeamish. Still a good story.