Like Mark Twain and Toni Morrison, Heller has a rare talent that hooks both literary and commercial readers. The book's irresistible suspense springs from the dynamic between his elegant, visionary imagination as it immerses you in the wilderness of the American West and its sleek-and-scruffy small towns, and his unerring instinct for writing classy, edge-of-your-seat, page-turning whodunits ... Heller handles scenes and scenarios that guide and haunt Celine's interior life with masterful, emotional, and action-packed strokes, making her one of this year's most unforgettable characters. It's as if Heller took the tender yet tough-as-nails personality of writer Annie Proulx and cast her on the page, in all her plainspoken, intellectually impeccable, deeply wise—and wise-ass—glory ... Heller creates a breathtaking canvas against which his taut, twisting storytelling unfolds. There is a shimmering quality to his sentences when his characters are out in the elements, exercising their human ingenuity alongside the inscrutable workings of the natural world, in all its beauty and danger.
...what's difficult is swallowing the whole thing in full: believing that Celine not only became a detective, but became so good at it (with a clearance rate on her cases of 96 percent) that she had to turn down offers from the FBI ... But (deep breath), I'm not sure if any of this matters. First because Heller is a gifted writer uniquely capable of describing both the play of Colorado aspen leaves in the last week of September and the strange melancholy that can trigger in the heart of someone who has already seen more autumns than are left ahead of them. And second because I'm not sure how much weight of reality ought to be given to any detective story ... It is a romp, is what I'm saying. Beautifully written, fun if you don't look too close, and touched with just enough heartbreak to make it feel heavier than it actually is. It's a book for anyone who ever wondered what happened to Nancy Drew after she grew up
At times Heller portrays Celine as the female counterpart to the Dos Equis World's Most Interesting Man mythic figure ... At times one is struck by just how American Heller's novel is: it's a paean to our national parks, celebrity worship, Ivy League universities and gun obsession ... The novel's final act and political revelation turns upon the disquieting power used by such an American aristocrat, and Heller's ultimate implication hints that — for the very rich and well-born — the secrets stay hidden.
The mystery is complex and compelling, and original in its fresh combination of clichés. Much of the book is disconcerting in its combinations, which add up to a balanced whole that is jangling in its parts ... The narrative slides back and forth between characters’ points of view in any given paragraph, then continues as if recounted by an omniscient observer ... Characters are well drawn, concisely, save for Celine, who is featured in depth because it’s her story. Here again, though, enjoyment gets interrupted ...Celine is the portrait of a remarkable woman: a plausible super-granny with endearing panache who helps heal broken hearts and wounded souls.
At its heart, this book is a character study, with elements of a private detective mystery and pretensions of a political thriller. But it is more concerned with the story of its protagonist, who is wonderfully wrought... The result is a tale that stays with you long after the final page has been turned ... The investigation meanders throughout the American northwest, as the reader comes to know the intriguingly complicated Celine and, yes, her husband as well... Celine is a complex work that makes some demands –– not the least of which is a major suspension of disbelief with respect to the MacGuffin of the piece –– but is shot through with beautiful, addictive prose while creating a multi-dimensional and accessible character.
These scenes of sleuthing set against the Wyoming wilderness are beautifully rendered ... Celine herself is a delight, and seeing grizzled men ranging from bikers to gun salesmen to Bruce Willis repeatedly underestimate this tough little old lady is one of the novel's biggest joys. But Heller's authorial presence is so strong that his characters' own voices suffer. When his characters withhold information from each other, it seems to happen for no reason other than to generate suspense, and their dialogue, while at times quite witty, is never recognizably distinct from Heller's narration ... An imperfect but largely satisfying detective novel anchored by a charming and unforgettable heroine.
Despite its intriguing premise, Heller’s third novel is a missing persons mystery that never quite finds its mark ... The majesties and dangers of Yellowstone supply a compelling backdrop against which to set a story about 'how easily parents can disappear and families fall apart,' and Heller, a gifted nature writer as well as novelist, handles certain set pieces well. But too often the novel seems lost in the wilderness.
