Breaking Wild
By Diane Les Becquets
ISBN # 9780425283783
http://www.lesbecquets.com/
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer jerjen
Synopsis: 
In captivating prose, Diane Les Becquets tells the story of one woman missing in the Colorado wilderness and another bent on discovering the missing woman’s whereabouts, in an unforgettably moving and thrilling literary debut.
It is the last weekend of the season for Amy Raye Latour to get away. Driven to spend days alone in the wilderness, Amy Raye, mother of two, is compelled by the quiet and the rush of nature. But this time, her venture into a remote area presents a different set of dangers than Amy Raye has planned for and she finds herself on the verge of the precarious edge that she’s flirted with her entire life.
When Amy Raye doesn’t return to camp, ranger Pru Hathaway and her dog respond to the missing person’s call. After an unexpected snowfall and few leads, the operation turns into a search and recovery. Pru, though, is not resigned to that. The more she learns about the woman for whom she is searching, and about Amy Raye’s past, the more she suspects that Amy Raye might yet be alive. Pru’s own search becomes an obsession for a woman whose life is just as mysterious as the clues she has left behind.
As the novel follows Amy Raye and Pru in alternating threads, Breaking Wild assumes the white-knuckled pace of a thriller laying bare Amy Raye’s ultimate reckoning with the secrets of her life, and Pru’s dogged pursuit of the woman who, against all odds, she believes she can find. (Goodreads)
Review:
Amy Raye has gone on a hunting trip with two male friends. Her husband has stayed behind, because although he supports Amy Raye’s love of the sport, it is not something he wants any part of. Amy Raye is a bowhunter and is an experienced one. She is sure that she is well prepared to go off on her own to find the kill she has been searching for. But like the saying goes “The best laid plans of mice and men…” and things quickly take a turn for the worse and Amy Raye finds herself lost in the vast wilderness.
Pru Hathaway is a park ranger who is involved in search and rescue. Along with her dog, Kona, she is called in to help search for Amy Raye. When other are ready to give up and feel there is no hope for Amy Raye, Pru will not give up. She is determined to find her, at all costs.
The characters are well developed and well rounded. Amy Raye is not a weak person and she does know many tricks for surviving in the wilderness. She is tough and strong. So is Pru. Pru is determined and is not willing to take no for an answer. She just has a feeling that Amy Raye is still alive and cannot give up that hope. And although neither knows the other, there is a lot of similarities in their past and they have both had to learn to be survivors.
The writing style flows smoothly. I enjoyed the fact that the book was written in alternating points of view, I thought this was very clever and added another layer to the book. The author is extremely talented in descriptive writing and I was transported to the wilderness while I was reading. I could feel the cold temperatures and see the rough terrain. I could feel the despair and the determination of both Amy Raye and Pru. But if I’m being honest, I thought that there was a little too much time spent with the descriptions. I felt that the beginning of the book was a little tiresome and I wanted more action. Which I did get the second half of the book. Then the action picked up and the suspense continued to build.
Fictional search and rescue books are some of my favorites to read. And this one was very good and I am glad that I read it. The author expertly weaved together suspense, loss, grief, determination and finding one’s way in life. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted wilderness mystery suspense. But be forewarned it is a book about hunting, so be sure that you can handle that fact.
