The Last Ranger

A novel

By: Peter Heller

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

The best-selling author of The River returns with a vibrant, lyrical novel about an enforcement ranger in Yellowstone National Park who likes wolves better than most people. When a clandestine range war threatens his closest friend, he must shake off his own losses and act swiftly to discover the truth and stay alive.

“A good story that’s intertwined like leaves afloat in a river with the current of Heller’s descriptive powers… Filled with Heller’s lush writing… Powerful.” –Denver Post

Officer Ren Hopper is an enforcement ranger with the National Park Service, tasked with duties both mundane and thrilling: Breaking up fights at campgrounds, saving clueless tourists from moose attacks, and attempting to broker an uneasy peace between the wealthy vacationers who tromp through the park with cameras, and the residents of hardscrabble Cooke City who want to carve out a meaningful living.

When Ren, hiking through the backcountry on his day off, encounters a tall man with a dog and a gun chasing a small black bear up a hill, his hackles are raised. But what begins as an investigation into the background of a local poacher soon opens into something far murkier: A shattered windshield, a series of red ribbons tied to traps, the discovery of a frightening conspiracy, and a story of heroism gone awry.

Populated by a cast of extraordinary characters—famous scientists, tattooed bartenders, wildlife guides in slick Airstreams—and bursting with unexpected humor and grace, Peter Heller masterfully unveils a portrait of the American west where our very human impulses—for greed, love, family, and community—play out amidst the stunning beauty of the natural world.

Another great Peter Heller book

Enjoyed it. If you like his other books such as The River, The Guide, The Painter, or The Dog Stars you will probably like this one as well.

Anticlimactic

This has been my least favorite of Peter Keller’s books that I’ve read. Slow with lots of filler characters. Excellent descriptions of nature though, I could picture the park perfectly.

Serious Hiaasen vibes....

Felt like a Carl Hiaasen novel, set in Yellowstone instead of the everglades. And not as funny. Seriously, I kept expecting the former governor of Florida er....Montana to show up! Wolf obsessed, misanthropic girlfriend, fucked up violent antagonists AND protagonists, heavy handed environmental advocacy....it had it all! I fell in love with Peter Heller's prose reading The Dog Stars but his wounded alpha male trope is starting to wear thin. Overall I would give this book a MEH....

Right at home in the mountains and wilds of the great Yellowstone park

From the start of The Last Ranger you can feel the chill of mountain air blowing through the aspens, smell the aroma of the pines and hear the haunting cry of a wolf. It’s not easy writing in the place of such a well storied, iconic place as Yellowstone with all its complexities and drama but Heller weaves all these intricacies into a great story. It doesn’t pale in the grandeur of the place but rather the story itself sits at home in the place.

Beautiful and engaging

A terrific descriptive novel, sometimes bordering on poetry. Great character development, and a seamless connection between the characters and their natural setting.