Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to
be diving in again. So imagine this. You stumble
onto like a desperate theft in progress. Right.
And suddenly, boom, you're sucked into this whirlwind
of violence, ancient secrets, and a real fight
for survival out in the New Mexico wilderness.
Wow. Okay. That's quite the hook. Sounds intense.
It really is. We're talking about Alice Henderson's
The Vanishing Kind today. Ah, right. It definitely
falls into that thriller mystery category, but
with a strong conservation angle, too, wouldn't
you say? Absolutely. It's central. So the basic
setup is wildlife researcher Alex Carter, she
heads to New Mexico. Her goal, setting jaguars.
Simple enough, right? You'd think so. But it
gets complicated fast. Yeah, her work gets totally
overshadowed. She finds herself tangled up in,
well, a dangerous mix of stuff. Archaeological
mysteries, anti -immigrant extremism. It's all
there. And this relentless hunt for some kind
of mythical artifact ties it all together. Exactly.
We're talking stolen artifacts turning up deadly
booby traps out in the wild. Seriously dangerous
stuff. And then this harrowing confrontation
with violent extremists. Alex is basically fighting
to protect the wildlife, sure, but also herself
and, you know, innocent bystanders caught in
the middle. It's a lot for one person to handle.
What really works, I think, is how Henderson
weaves the action, the thriller part, with all
this detailed info about jaguars and their habitat.
It's not just background noise. You actually
learn stuff, feel the importance of the conservation
work. Totally agree. And for me, no spoilers.
Promise. What stood out was Alex herself, the
protagonist. She's great. Yeah. She's strong,
resourceful. She's facing threats from humans
and, you know, the dangers of the wild itself.
But she's not just reacting. Right. She uses
her skills. Her knowledge as a researcher becomes
like her weapon almost. Exactly. Her understanding
of the environment, animal behavior. It's crucial
for how she survives, how she tries to outwit
people. It felt really grounded. Yeah. It makes
her believable, doesn't it? You're rooting for
her because her expertise feels real. It's refreshing
compared to some action heroes. Definitely. Now,
we both really enjoyed it, but was there anything
that maybe didn't quite land perfectly for you?
Well, if I had to pick something, maybe the number
of bad guys. Huh. Okay. Yeah. I was thinking
the same thing. There are quite a few different
antagonists, different groups with their own
agendas. Sometimes it was a little tricky keeping
track of exactly who was who and why they were
after the artifact. Yeah, you kind of had to
pay close attention to the different factions
and motivations. It got a bit complex there.
Right. That web of opposition she faces is pretty
intricate. And maybe, just maybe, some of the
plot resolutions towards the end felt a little...
quick hmm i see what you mean given how much
tension builds up and it really does build effectively
oh yeah edgy seed stuff right so after all that
a few threads tied up maybe a bit um abruptly
yeah swiftly that's a good word but you know
maybe that's just the nature of trying to wrap
up so many moving parts in a thriller you got
to bring it home true overall though seriously
compelling book kept us totally hooked definitely
thought -provoking too Yeah, that blend of action
and the real ecological stuff, plus a protagonist
you really care about. For me, solid four out
of five stars. What about you? I'd go with that,
too. A strong four. It really makes you think
about conservation, you know, and the hidden
dangers, human dangers, even in these remote
places. Absolutely. So if this deep dive into
the vanishing kind sounds like you're kind of
read thrilling, smart with that conservation
edge, you can find a link to grab the book on
Amazon. It's right down there in the description.
And please do the like and subscribe thing if
you enjoyed this. We love bringing you these
kinds of explorations of stories you guys suggest.
Yeah. Thanks so much for joining us for this
deep dive. We're always curious to hear your
take. What part grabbed you the most reading
it or listening to this? Let us know. Share your
favorite moment or maybe the most gripping bit
for you down in the comments. And yeah, if you
know someone who'd like this kind of story, please
share the deep dive with them. Definitely. Spread
the word. Until next time. See you soon.