WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.720 Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to 00:00:01.720 --> 00:00:06.120 be diving in again. So imagine this. You stumble 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:09.220 onto like a desperate theft in progress. Right. 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:13.039 And suddenly, boom, you're sucked into this whirlwind 00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:16.640 of violence, ancient secrets, and a real fight 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:18.719 for survival out in the New Mexico wilderness. 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:22.059 Wow. Okay. That's quite the hook. Sounds intense. 00:00:22.339 --> 00:00:24.300 It really is. We're talking about Alice Henderson's 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:26.879 The Vanishing Kind today. Ah, right. It definitely 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:29.260 falls into that thriller mystery category, but 00:00:29.260 --> 00:00:33.259 with a strong conservation angle, too, wouldn't 00:00:33.259 --> 00:00:35.759 you say? Absolutely. It's central. So the basic 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:38.939 setup is wildlife researcher Alex Carter, she 00:00:38.939 --> 00:00:42.079 heads to New Mexico. Her goal, setting jaguars. 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.009 Simple enough, right? You'd think so. But it 00:00:45.009 --> 00:00:47.189 gets complicated fast. Yeah, her work gets totally 00:00:47.189 --> 00:00:49.189 overshadowed. She finds herself tangled up in, 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:51.750 well, a dangerous mix of stuff. Archaeological 00:00:51.750 --> 00:00:54.369 mysteries, anti -immigrant extremism. It's all 00:00:54.369 --> 00:00:56.869 there. And this relentless hunt for some kind 00:00:56.869 --> 00:01:00.009 of mythical artifact ties it all together. Exactly. 00:01:00.009 --> 00:01:03.549 We're talking stolen artifacts turning up deadly 00:01:03.549 --> 00:01:05.670 booby traps out in the wild. Seriously dangerous 00:01:05.670 --> 00:01:09.180 stuff. And then this harrowing confrontation 00:01:09.180 --> 00:01:12.579 with violent extremists. Alex is basically fighting 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:15.599 to protect the wildlife, sure, but also herself 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:18.359 and, you know, innocent bystanders caught in 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:20.719 the middle. It's a lot for one person to handle. 00:01:20.859 --> 00:01:23.400 What really works, I think, is how Henderson 00:01:23.400 --> 00:01:26.739 weaves the action, the thriller part, with all 00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:29.900 this detailed info about jaguars and their habitat. 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:32.040 It's not just background noise. You actually 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:34.599 learn stuff, feel the importance of the conservation 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:37.230 work. Totally agree. And for me, no spoilers. 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:41.890 Promise. What stood out was Alex herself, the 00:01:41.890 --> 00:01:44.030 protagonist. She's great. Yeah. She's strong, 00:01:44.090 --> 00:01:46.790 resourceful. She's facing threats from humans 00:01:46.790 --> 00:01:48.829 and, you know, the dangers of the wild itself. 00:01:49.069 --> 00:01:51.629 But she's not just reacting. Right. She uses 00:01:51.629 --> 00:01:53.870 her skills. Her knowledge as a researcher becomes 00:01:53.870 --> 00:01:56.250 like her weapon almost. Exactly. Her understanding 00:01:56.250 --> 00:01:58.590 of the environment, animal behavior. It's crucial 00:01:58.590 --> 00:02:01.269 for how she survives, how she tries to outwit 00:02:01.269 --> 00:02:04.079 people. It felt really grounded. Yeah. It makes 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:05.780 her believable, doesn't it? You're rooting for 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:08.639 her because her expertise feels real. It's refreshing 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:11.259 compared to some action heroes. Definitely. Now, 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:15.360 we both really enjoyed it, but was there anything 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:18.759 that maybe didn't quite land perfectly for you? 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:21.979 Well, if I had to pick something, maybe the number 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:26.090 of bad guys. Huh. Okay. Yeah. I was thinking 00:02:26.090 --> 00:02:28.669 the same thing. There are quite a few different 00:02:28.669 --> 00:02:30.909 antagonists, different groups with their own 00:02:30.909 --> 00:02:34.990 agendas. Sometimes it was a little tricky keeping 00:02:34.990 --> 00:02:37.389 track of exactly who was who and why they were 00:02:37.389 --> 00:02:39.069 after the artifact. Yeah, you kind of had to 00:02:39.069 --> 00:02:40.729 pay close attention to the different factions 00:02:40.729 --> 00:02:43.590 and motivations. It got a bit complex there. 00:02:43.669 --> 00:02:47.490 Right. That web of opposition she faces is pretty 00:02:47.490 --> 00:02:50.210 intricate. And maybe, just maybe, some of the 00:02:50.210 --> 00:02:52.509 plot resolutions towards the end felt a little... 00:02:52.759 --> 00:02:55.199 quick hmm i see what you mean given how much 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:57.520 tension builds up and it really does build effectively 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:00.639 oh yeah edgy seed stuff right so after all that 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:04.000 a few threads tied up maybe a bit um abruptly 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:06.939 yeah swiftly that's a good word but you know 00:03:06.939 --> 00:03:08.599 maybe that's just the nature of trying to wrap 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:10.620 up so many moving parts in a thriller you got 00:03:10.620 --> 00:03:13.139 to bring it home true overall though seriously 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:15.740 compelling book kept us totally hooked definitely 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:18.729 thought -provoking too Yeah, that blend of action 00:03:18.729 --> 00:03:21.870 and the real ecological stuff, plus a protagonist 00:03:21.870 --> 00:03:23.930 you really care about. For me, solid four out 00:03:23.930 --> 00:03:26.189 of five stars. What about you? I'd go with that, 00:03:26.229 --> 00:03:28.650 too. A strong four. It really makes you think 00:03:28.650 --> 00:03:30.629 about conservation, you know, and the hidden 00:03:30.629 --> 00:03:33.250 dangers, human dangers, even in these remote 00:03:33.250 --> 00:03:36.530 places. Absolutely. So if this deep dive into 00:03:36.530 --> 00:03:39.310 the vanishing kind sounds like you're kind of 00:03:39.310 --> 00:03:42.370 read thrilling, smart with that conservation 00:03:42.370 --> 00:03:46.430 edge, you can find a link to grab the book on 00:03:46.430 --> 00:03:48.219 Amazon. It's right down there in the description. 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.340 And please do the like and subscribe thing if 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:53.139 you enjoyed this. We love bringing you these 00:03:53.139 --> 00:03:55.360 kinds of explorations of stories you guys suggest. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:57.539 Yeah. Thanks so much for joining us for this 00:03:57.539 --> 00:03:59.400 deep dive. We're always curious to hear your 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.780 take. What part grabbed you the most reading 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:05.319 it or listening to this? Let us know. Share your 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:07.639 favorite moment or maybe the most gripping bit 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:09.439 for you down in the comments. And yeah, if you 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:11.139 know someone who'd like this kind of story, please 00:04:11.139 --> 00:04:13.360 share the deep dive with them. Definitely. Spread 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:15.639 the word. Until next time. See you soon.