RUSA SRC – Region #1 West – Wyoming
4.15/5 Alongside reading books set in certain places, I set a number of unannounced goals. In 2023, I aimed to read books by “new to me” authors as well as books set in specific states within each region. While I met Peter Heller at a book event nearly ten years ago, I never opened one of his books until now. Also, the idea of Celine, an older protagonist appealed to me. Thus, I selected Peter Heller’s Celine as my first West Region book, designating it as a book set in Wyoming.
Check out the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour by clicking here.
“From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars and The Painter, a luminous, masterful novel of suspense–the story of Celine, an elegant, aristocratic private eye who specializes in reuniting families, trying to make amends for a loss in her own past… Working out of her jewel box of an apartment at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, Celine has made a career of tracking down missing persons, and she has a better record at it than the FBI. But when a young woman, Gabriela, asks for her help, a world of mystery and sorrow opens up. Gabriela’s father was a photographer who went missing on the border of Montana and Wyoming. He was assumed to have died from a grizzly mauling, but his body was never found. Now, as Celine and her partner head to Yellowstone National Park, investigating a trail gone cold, it becomes clear that they are being followed–that this is a case someone desperately wants to keep closed… Combining the exquisite plotting and gorgeous evocation of nature that have become his hallmark, with a wildly engrossing story of family, privilege, and childhood loss, Peter Heller gives us his finest work to date.”
I found Celine a sparkling novel and a nice way to kick off my RUSA Tour experience. The eponymous character fascinated me. Celine paints a rich, detailed portrait of Celine Watkins, and to some extent, other players in Celine. I also liked reading about Celine and her husband, Pete, traveling to Yellowstone National Park in order to help a young woman named Gabriela discover what happened to her father, Paul. This helped me gain a sense of place. While I enjoyed Celine, I still wanted a little more in the end of this book. Some readers might argue that this quality makes the book even more stellar but it altered my rating somewhat on this book.
Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.
Starry Night Elf 
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