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Cary J. Griffith

Goodreads Author

Born

in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, The United States

Website

http://www.carygriffith.com

Twitter

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Genre

Nonfiction, Thriller, Suspense

Influences

Ernest Hemingway, Father, ...more

Member Since

March 2010

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Award-winning author Cary J. Griffith grew up among the woods, fields, and emerald waters of eastern Iowa. His childhood fostered a lifelong love of wild places.

He earned a B.A. in English from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in library science from the University of Minnesota.

Griffith’s books explore the natural world. In nonfiction, he covers the borderlands between civilization and wild places. In fiction, he focuses on the ways some people use flora and fauna to commit crimes, while others with more reverence and understanding of the natural world leverage their knowledge to bring criminals to justice.

He lives with his family in a suburb of Minnesota’s Twin Cities.

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Cary J. Griffith’s books

Average rating: 4.03 · 4,081 ratings · 555 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Lost in the Wild: Danger and Survival in the North Woods 4.09 avg rating — 2,183 ratings — published 2006 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wolf Kill (Sam Rivers #1) 3.92 avg rating — 452 ratings — published 2013 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gunflint Burning: Fire in the Boundary Waters 3.92 avg rating — 421 ratings — published 2018 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gunflint Falling: Blowdown in the Boundary Waters 3.86 avg rating — 283 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cougar Claw (Sam Rivers #2) 3.98 avg rating — 233 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rattlesnake Bluff (Sam Rivers, #5) 4.27 avg rating — 142 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Killing Monarchs (Sam Rivers Mystery #3) 4.08 avg rating — 139 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dead Catch (Sam Rivers Mystery #4) 4.32 avg rating — 96 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Savage Minnesota 3.73 avg rating — 71 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Opening Goliath: Danger and Discovery in Caving 3.89 avg rating — 61 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by Cary J. Griffith

Sam Rivers (6 books)
by

Cary J. Griffith (Goodreads Author)

4.04 avg rating — 1,062 ratings

Cary is Currently Reading

Cary Griffith is currently reading

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

by John E. Sarno

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Apr 29, 2025 07:29PM

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Cary’s Recent Updates

Cary Griffith rated a book it was amazing Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 14, 2025 12:28PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cary Griffith rated a book it was amazing Leave No Trace (National Parks Thriller, #1) by A.J. Landau	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Wow. Katy bar the door. As soon as you begin this rip roaring read through several of our national parks (and other interesting venues) you won't want to put it down. There's a reason it's an Editor's Choice. I liked much about this book. The charact ...more
Nov 14, 2025 12:22PM · like · see review
Cary Griffith made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians Group — Merging two records for the same book and consolidating reviews under the one entr topic " Greetings. My latest mystery novel - Rattlesnake Bluff - has two entries on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... (has 67 reviews), and ...more "
Sep 15, 2025 08:26AM
Cary Griffith rated a book liked it Charlie Martz and Other Stories: The Unpublished Stories by Elmore Leonard	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Again, uneven stories. I guess there was a reason many of them were unpublished.
Sep 04, 2025 05:33AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Charlie Martz and Other Stories by Elmore Leonard. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Charlie Martz and Other Stories by Elmore Leonard <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cary Griffith rated a book really liked it Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Lots of kudos for another winner from Weir. That said, at times I bogged down in all the science. I know that's what a Weir book is known for, but in this instance it made the book way too long. ...more
Sep 04, 2025 05:32AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cary Griffith rated a book really liked it Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Lots of kudos for another winner from Weir. That said, at times I bogged down in all the science. I know that's what a Weir book is known for, but in this instance it made the book way too long. ...more
Sep 04, 2025 05:31AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cary Griffith rated a book really liked it A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
An incredible survival story. But also an incredible story about marriage.
Sep 04, 2025 05:30AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cary Griffith rated a book really liked it A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
An incredible survival story. But also an incredible story about marriage.
Sep 04, 2025 05:29AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cary Griffith rated a book really liked it Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
What's not to like? While I really enjoyed Austen's book (not the first time I've read it), I sometimes had to read the convoluted, aged English twice to be sure I understood. I'm not sure that's a criticism as much as a reader inadequacy. Also, at m ...more
Sep 04, 2025 05:25AM · like · see review
Cary Griffith rated a book liked it Comfort to the Enemy and Other Carl Webster Stories by Elmore Leonard	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Gotta love Elmore. But I thought these stories were uneven.
Sep 04, 2025 05:23AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Comfort to the Enemy and Other Carl Webster Stories by Elmore Leonard. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Comfort to the Enemy and Other Carl Webster Stories by Elmore Leonard <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Nothing But Readi...: New 2 U Authors 2021	113	611	May 23, 2022 09:14AM
Goodreads Librari...: GR authors	117	85	Jan 14, 2025 04:06PM
Hooked on Books : 2025 Book Carnival Circuit: Team Magics & Mystics	357	65	Jun 30, 2025 05:26AM
Nothing But Readi...: Team Lotus Tower	2187	189	Aug 22, 2025 12:21AM
Wanderlust Challe...: Riding the Highways: Vermont Scenic Byway 100	102	48	Sep 20, 2025 09:58AM
Wanderlust Challe...: Riding the Highways: WA Olympic Loop Highway 101	80	45	Sep 20, 2025 10:05AM

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Cary’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-2) post a comment »

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message 2: by Dorothy

Dec 25, 2012 03:54PM

Thanks for friendship. :D

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message 1: by Nicholas

Oct 07, 2012 09:21AM

Padre! You should be exploiting Goodreads! Seriously! It's your friend. Look up Cary J Griffith and they've already made a profile for you because you're an author, but there's nothing listed. Social Media is the future.

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Cary’s Year In Books

Cary J. Griffith’s Followers (142)

Cary’s Bookshelves

Cary’s Friends (17)

Cary J. Griffith

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Preview — Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer

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Preview — Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

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Preview — A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst

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Preview — Comfort to the Enemy and Other Carl Webster Stories by Elmore Leonard

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Cary J. Griffith’s Followers (142)

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See a Problem?

Preview — Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer

See a Problem?

Preview — Charlie Martz and Other Stories by Elmore Leonard

See a Problem?

Preview — Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

See a Problem?

Preview — Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

See a Problem?

Preview — A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst

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Preview — A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst

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Preview — Comfort to the Enemy and Other Carl Webster Stories by Elmore Leonard

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