Breaking Wild is the first adult novel by Diane Les Becquets, author of highly praised young adult novels including Season of Ice and The Stones of Mourning Creek. Carefully crafted characters and measured pacing define this tale of two women's parallel personal journeys in the wilderness of northwestern Colorado.
Amy Raye Latour is a wife and mother, an accomplished outdoorswoman and a strong personality. She sneaks away from her hunting companions on the last morning of their trip to find the stillness and quiet required to get close enough to her prey to use her compound bow. When she doesn't show up again that night, her friends call authorities.
Pru Hathaway, an archeological law enforcement ranger, lives in the nearby town of Rio Mesa with her teenaged son, Joseph, and her dog, Kona, who is certified for search-and-rescue. When the local sheriff gets the call about Amy Raye, he turns to Pru.
The personalities of the two women shape the novel: they are both more complicated than they seem on first meeting. One of Les Becquets's triumphs is the tantalizingly paced release of new information: about Pru's personal history, about Amy Raye's troubles and the tangled web of her life, any strand of which may be implicated in her disappearance.
Les Becquets portrays a credible and compelling cast of characters, especially the strong women at its center. Breaking Wild is a rare novel in its mastery of both plot and character, with deliberate rhythm, thrilling suspense and a striking backdrop. Its breathless momentum carries through to a dramatic conclusion. --Julia Jenkins, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia