From Publishers Weekly
U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent Rachel Porter transfers from New Orleans to Las Vegas following her first outing in Gator Aide. Investigating the disappearance of 350 desert tortoises from a research center, the junk-food-munching Rachel lands in the midst of disputes involving environmentalists, developers and ranchers. But she suspects something more is going on after someone kills an elderly woman rancher and helicopters are reported flying over the desert at night. Rachel's personal life also gets a workout; she's torn between a handsome mine manager and her long-distance boyfriend, a New Orleans police detective. Speart's need to situate Rachel as a loner leads to some credibility gaps: Her office?a federal facility?is bombed, but there's no FBI investigation; a police investigator agrees to Rachel's request to delay reporting a discovery that could have major public health implications. But still the author portrays the stark atmosphere of Nevada as vividly as she did the lusher one of New Orleans and once again there are plenty of appealingly eccentric characters not the least of which is Rachel herself. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Having transferred from steamy New Orleans, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Rachel Porter learns her new assignment in the Nevada desert is no picnic, either: three hundred and fifty endangered tortoises have disappeared from a federal hatching site. Rachel finds no shortage of suspects in the tort-napping: a trio of eco-nuts living in an ark, who fear the creatures are about to die off; trigger-happy ranchers who hate the new government restrictions on ther grazng lands; and developers whose greedy land grab has been forced to halt.
When Rachel discovers the decaying skeleton of a reclusive landowner and her home and office are bombed, her instincts tell her that the missing tortoises are at the center of all the mayhem. And as the deception, dirty dealing and fatal secrets escalate, Rachel finds herself deep in desert danger--from critters two-legged and otherwise!
About the Author
Jessica Speart has been published in The New York Times Magazine, Omni, Travel & Leisure, Audubon, National Wildlife, Mother Jones, Wildlife Conservation, Earth Journal and any other publications. She lives in Easton, Conneticut.
Tortoise Soup FROM THE PUBLISHER
Having transferred from steamy New Orleans, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Rachel Porter learns her new assignment in the Nevada desert is no picnic, either: three hundred and fifty endangered tortoises have disappeared from a federal hatching site. Rachel finds no shortage of suspects in the tort-napping: a trio of eco-nuts living in an ark, who fear the creatures are about to die off; trigger-happy ranchers who hate the new government restrictions on ther grazng lands; and developers whose greedy land grab has been forced to halt.
When Rachel discovers the decaying skeleton of a reclusive landowner and her home and office are bombed, her instincts tell her that the missing tortoises are at the center of all the mayhem. And as the deception, dirty dealing and fatal secrets escalate, Rachel finds herself deep in desert danger—from critters two-legged and otherwise!
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent Rachel Porter transfers from New Orleans to Las Vegas following her first outing in Gator Aide. Investigating the disappearance of 350 desert tortoises from a research center, the junk-food-munching Rachel lands in the midst of disputes involving environmentalists, developers and ranchers. But she suspects something more is going on after someone kills an elderly woman rancher and helicopters are reported flying over the desert at night. Rachel's personal life also gets a workout; she's torn between a handsome mine manager and her long-distance boyfriend, a New Orleans police detective. Speart's need to situate Rachel as a loner leads to some credibility gaps: Her officea federal facilityis bombed, but there's no FBI investigation; a police investigator agrees to Rachel's request to delay reporting a discovery that could have major public health implications. But still the author portrays the stark atmosphere of Nevada as vividly as she did the lusher one of New Orleans and once again there are plenty of appealingly eccentric characters not the least of which is Rachel herself. (June)
Art & Photography
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