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National Park Mystery #3
Yellowstone Standoff
7 hours, 49 minutes
Book three in the National Park Mystery Series, Yellowstone Standoff takes readers deep into the backcountry of a wildly popular national park. When Yellowstone National Park's grizzly bears and gray wolves suddenly and inexplicably go rogue, archaeologist Chuck Bender teams with his old friend, Yellowstone Chief Ranger Lex Hancock, to defend the suspect members of a group scientific expedition. Soon, Chuck finds himself defending the lives of his family as an unforeseen danger threatens in the storied national park's remote wilderness.
Book three in the National Park Mystery Series, Yellowstone Standoff takes readers deep into the backcountry of a wildly popular national park. When Yellowstone National Park's grizzly bears and gray wolves suddenly and inexplicably go rogue, archaeologist Chuck Bender teams with his old friend, Yellowstone Chief Ranger Lex Hancock, to defend the suspect members of a group scientific expedition. Soon, Chuck finds himself defending the lives of his family as an unforeseen danger threatens in the storied national park's remote wilderness.
8 pages, Audiobook
First published June 7, 2016
103 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
Scott Graham
100 books73 followersScott Graham is author of Canyon Sacrifice: A National Park Mystery and Extreme Kids (winner of the National Outdoor Book Award). He is an avid outdoorsman and amateur archaeologist who enjoys hunting, rock climbing, skiing, backpacking, mountaineering, river rafting, and whitewater kayaking with his wife, an emergency physician, and their two sons. Graham lives in Durango, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 13, 2019
This is an entertaining story, but it's becoming harder and harder for me to read a book based in Yellowstone without picking it apart.
P35: The author says that members of the Lewis & Clark expedition provided official reports on Yellowstone. Nope.
P58: Our hero, Chuck, dives into the icy waters of Yellowstone Lake and is able to save a woman from drowning. That's not possible without suffering hypothermia himself.
P79: Researchers take food from the mess tent back to their sleeping tents. No bear-aware person would even think about doing that.
P167: The wolf researcher says that wolves don't kill other wolves very often. Actually, that's the most common cause of death for a wolf.
P170: With a grizzly bear just yards away from them, a group of researchers steps toward a carcass. WTF?
P203: They say that Wolf #217 has never been collared. The only way a wolf would get a number is if it's collared.
If you don't care about all that, it's still a good story.
P35: The author says that members of the Lewis & Clark expedition provided official reports on Yellowstone. Nope.
P58: Our hero, Chuck, dives into the icy waters of Yellowstone Lake and is able to save a woman from drowning. That's not possible without suffering hypothermia himself.
P79: Researchers take food from the mess tent back to their sleeping tents. No bear-aware person would even think about doing that.
P167: The wolf researcher says that wolves don't kill other wolves very often. Actually, that's the most common cause of death for a wolf.
P170: With a grizzly bear just yards away from them, a group of researchers steps toward a carcass. WTF?
P203: They say that Wolf #217 has never been collared. The only way a wolf would get a number is if it's collared.
If you don't care about all that, it's still a good story.
June 10, 2021
A great story about old time refrigeration. Yellowstone Standoff is the third book about archeologist Chuck Bender by Scott Graham. This is the best one in the series in my opinion. Sadly I have read them out of order, I started with book 1 then book 6 then 2 and now 3. I have the seventh as an advance copy but sadly I don't have books 4 and 5. I hate it when this happens. This is a story of a sensational find in Yellowstone, a gathering of baskets has been seen at the edge of a glacier. Who has left them and what where the purpose? I really would have liked to learn more about them. But the side story about wolves and grizzlies are really good.
June 21, 2025
Engaging and intriguing. I kept thinking, "what is going on here??". Clues abound in the midst of action and heartfelt human connections.
It kept me guessing (I guessed right just before the reveal!)
My wife and I listened to the audiobook while we were visiting Yellowstone and that improved both the book and the visit!
It kept me guessing (I guessed right just before the reveal!)
My wife and I listened to the audiobook while we were visiting Yellowstone and that improved both the book and the visit!
May 29, 2016
well done. I had not read the first two books in this series but that wasn't an impediment to enjoying this well written mystery adventure story. I liked the setting (note that this year is the 100th anniversary of the National Park system) and enjoyed the characters (well, not all of them !) Thanks to Edelweiss for the arc- I'd like to see more from Graham.
January 4, 2024
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I decided to try this National Park Mystery series because I would enjoy a national park setting and a mystery is always another layer to the plot. The main character is an archeologist who does work at parThe characters are becoming familiar to me now and I continue to enjoy the National Park settings. The family is coming together better. Janelle wasn't even annoying in Yellowstone Standoff. Clarence may always be a problem.
Chuck has a new contract which he and Clarence can do on a short wilderness trip. He's told he can bring the family. From the start, he gets a bad feeling about it with a grizzly who seems to be stalking humans. But the normal behavior of both the grizzlies and wolves that are being studied at this wilderness camp are they are more likely to run when confronted with a small group. So they plan to stick together. Really everybody does well with the plan except Chuck and Clarence. They get involved with finding people who are lost or missing.
Chuck gets a good start on his project and then takes a day to go with the scientists for studying grizzly and wolf because they are not behaving normally. The scientists are filming and trying to observe as the bear and wolf seem to be traveling together. Eventually a whole wolf pack shows up and the scientists hustle back to camp.
Things go downhill from there as the satellite phone goes missing, a group member goes missing and there are more grizzly and wolf attacks. Of course, Chuck is at the head of the search for the phone, and people, and in trying to keep people, especially his family safe. He is comfortable in the wilderness and has knowledge of the wild animals.
Narration:
I've enjoyed this narrator previously. The primary voice and thoughts were Chuck and he certainly became Chuck for me. The other voices were all comfortably appropriate. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I decided to try this National Park Mystery series because I would enjoy a national park setting and a mystery is always another layer to the plot. The main character is an archeologist who does work at parThe characters are becoming familiar to me now and I continue to enjoy the National Park settings. The family is coming together better. Janelle wasn't even annoying in Yellowstone Standoff. Clarence may always be a problem.
Chuck has a new contract which he and Clarence can do on a short wilderness trip. He's told he can bring the family. From the start, he gets a bad feeling about it with a grizzly who seems to be stalking humans. But the normal behavior of both the grizzlies and wolves that are being studied at this wilderness camp are they are more likely to run when confronted with a small group. So they plan to stick together. Really everybody does well with the plan except Chuck and Clarence. They get involved with finding people who are lost or missing.
Chuck gets a good start on his project and then takes a day to go with the scientists for studying grizzly and wolf because they are not behaving normally. The scientists are filming and trying to observe as the bear and wolf seem to be traveling together. Eventually a whole wolf pack shows up and the scientists hustle back to camp.
Things go downhill from there as the satellite phone goes missing, a group member goes missing and there are more grizzly and wolf attacks. Of course, Chuck is at the head of the search for the phone, and people, and in trying to keep people, especially his family safe. He is comfortable in the wilderness and has knowledge of the wild animals.
Narration:
I've enjoyed this narrator previously. The primary voice and thoughts were Chuck and he certainly became Chuck for me. The other voices were all comfortably appropriate. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
December 28, 2025
Yellowstone Standoff is number three in the National Park Mystery Series. Book one took place in the Grand Canyon and book two was set in Rocky Mountain National Park. Chuck Bender is an archaeologist, and his friend Lex Hancock invites Chuck and his family to accompany a group of researchers to a remote area of Yellowstone beyond Yellowstone Lake. I actually read about this area near Thorofare Creek, as it is a critical study area for restoring cutthroat trout to close to their historical numbers, after lake trout caused a population crash. Lex Hancock is the Yellowstone National Park Chief Science Ranger, and he is leading an aggregation of researchers to a remote camp. The group includes a grizzly bear study group, a wolf study group, a ranger and an expert tracking dog, two drone experts, and the archaeology group that includes Chuck's wife Janelle and step daughters Carmelita and Rosie and brother-in-law Clarence. There is a bit of archaeology exploration and discovery, but for the most part the book revolves around the irregular behavior of bears and wolves and a murder. The novel was a fun read, and it moved along at a smart pace. I like the Chuck character and his family. Lex is developed a bit more than the other characters, and he shoulders quite a bit of responsibility. A bear attacked and killed two wolf researchers during the previous summer season, so Lex is especially cautious about straying from camp, and the discovery of the dead body of one of their group, adds to his fears. I loved the descriptions of the wildlife and vegetation of the remote Yellowstone area. I felt that the reason for the erratic wildlife behavior was a bit of a stretch, but it is fiction after all. I am signed on for book four in the series.
November 2, 2018
This author keeps getting better and better. His vivid descriptions of Yellowstone and the bears and wolves, their behavior and vulnerability show a deep familiarity and caring for this country. Into this environment and its multiple environmental issues he has woven a creative story that moves quickly and builds to a terrifying suspense. I also find the ongoing characters sympathetic and likable in their flaws, the characters specific to this book believable. It is ironic that just this month in the news, the issue of the reintroduction of the wolves into the park and its success has presented new issues about hunting and conflict with ranchers. In each of his installments of this series in different national parks, Graham provides a wealth of factual information about relevant problems, the factors that endanger our environment and its inhabitants and the history of America's peoples. Simply a fascinating and compelling read.
September 23, 2022
Fast-paced journey in the the extreme backcountry of southeast Yellowstone Park with several teams of researchers to study bears, wolves and the new discovery of large ancient baskets exposed by a retreating glacier. The archeologist Chuck has brought new wife and two daughters to experience the wilderness, while sleeping on a tent platform for several weeks.
As we follow the researchers into the wilderness, strange bear and wolves interactions begin to occur. Barely has the research begun for each team than one researcher is found dead. Having spent a 35 year career in the US Forest Service with numerous wilderness trips, I found the why more understandable than the how the murders occurred. Protecting and managing the wildlife and natural resources of a park or forest can only be accomplished with clear understanding of how all aspects work together, so had a little trouble comprehending the plot twist at the end.
As we follow the researchers into the wilderness, strange bear and wolves interactions begin to occur. Barely has the research begun for each team than one researcher is found dead. Having spent a 35 year career in the US Forest Service with numerous wilderness trips, I found the why more understandable than the how the murders occurred. Protecting and managing the wildlife and natural resources of a park or forest can only be accomplished with clear understanding of how all aspects work together, so had a little trouble comprehending the plot twist at the end.
February 12, 2024
In this third installment of the series, the author has matured a bit as a writer and compared to Mountain Rampage, has a plausible plot that isn’t so far from reality to be laughable, as I found in that second installment. As other reviewers have noted, there are implausible elements, such as pretensions about technology that is not yet possible, and some behaviors that are inconsistent with what skilled outdoorsmen would exhibit. That said, it’s a work of fiction and those elements serve to advance the story.
I do wish the ending was more complete- there were loose ends that needed to be tied up but left open. That might be okay if they created suspense around what would be resolved in the next installment, but I know that these are rather standalone in approach, other than character development around the protagonist and his entourage.
Four stars… a more resolving ending would have earned it a fifth.
I do wish the ending was more complete- there were loose ends that needed to be tied up but left open. That might be okay if they created suspense around what would be resolved in the next installment, but I know that these are rather standalone in approach, other than character development around the protagonist and his entourage.
Four stars… a more resolving ending would have earned it a fifth.
July 23, 2024
I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I love the premise, the integration of wonderful settings, and good plots. This one was particularly fun, in part because the awful disobedient children and dreadful brother-in-law has less presence. Those girls would try the patience of saints, and I keep wondering why the main character would drag them into dangerous situations. Hasn't he figured out that if anything could go wrong, it would? I raised 3 children and that was our family rule, despite never dragging our kids into dangerous places in the first place!!! I suspect he knows, because he writes them into peril in every book. And then there's the brother in law. I keep hoping for more archaeology, less family angst. This audiobook kept me annoyed because the otherwise excellent narrator kept mispronouncing important words like Absoroka and Shoshone--correct pronunciations available on Google or Wikipedia, so no excuse.
January 3, 2021
Spent the day reading Scott Graham's Yellowstone Standoff.
This involves bear researchers and wolf researchers going into a base camp for the summer despite recordings of a bear attack on two wolf scientists two summers ago. They go in as a group to avoid risking another attack by Notch, who was captured on camera.
The writing is so smooth, I just couldn't put it down until I finished it.
I am unsure of the science in this, but enjoyed his use of the drone. I also questioned the violence at the end of the book with the attack on these characters and their subsequent survivability.
I own a copy and have ordered books four and five.
This involves bear researchers and wolf researchers going into a base camp for the summer despite recordings of a bear attack on two wolf scientists two summers ago. They go in as a group to avoid risking another attack by Notch, who was captured on camera.
The writing is so smooth, I just couldn't put it down until I finished it.
I am unsure of the science in this, but enjoyed his use of the drone. I also questioned the violence at the end of the book with the attack on these characters and their subsequent survivability.
I own a copy and have ordered books four and five.
February 14, 2023
Yellowstone standoff: a National Park mystery by Scott Graham
Such an interesting subject, preserving animals at Yellowstone. We find a group of people in all areas of expertise and they are setting up a campsite.
Some will study the bears, others the wolves and yet others the vegtation and so much more.
Lots of action and adventure and mysteries. Love hearing how the wolves and bears are friends and how one man controls them remotely.
I can't even fathom this, but wih chips I think anything is possible.
More in the series, wish I had started from #1 but definitely a good read.
Such an interesting subject, preserving animals at Yellowstone. We find a group of people in all areas of expertise and they are setting up a campsite.
Some will study the bears, others the wolves and yet others the vegtation and so much more.
Lots of action and adventure and mysteries. Love hearing how the wolves and bears are friends and how one man controls them remotely.
I can't even fathom this, but wih chips I think anything is possible.
More in the series, wish I had started from #1 but definitely a good read.
January 24, 2017
This is the third in a series of National Park mysteries. It started so well with rangers going into the Yellowstone backcountry to study grizzly bears and wolves. The information about climate change there and its effects on the wildlife was most interesting, but I thought the plot went way downhill the last quarter of the book and was most unbelievable.
December 24, 2017
I am an avid reader but seldom write reviews lest I hurt an author's feelings.
I found this book an excellent book. It is exciting from the first page. Keeps you guessing until the end. It's hard to find books where the villains are animals (like CUJO) I will most certainly read all the books in this series and most probably more than once.
I found this book an excellent book. It is exciting from the first page. Keeps you guessing until the end. It's hard to find books where the villains are animals (like CUJO) I will most certainly read all the books in this series and most probably more than once.
September 30, 2019
Better Than Previous Stories, But...
Better story than his others, but the author drops the story line about the archeological investigation and fixates on the animal behavior story line...the main character is an archeologist! Anyway, story isn't very believable (spoiler alert: park service allowing minor children on field work involving grizzly bears and wolves).
Better story than his others, but the author drops the story line about the archeological investigation and fixates on the animal behavior story line...the main character is an archeologist! Anyway, story isn't very believable (spoiler alert: park service allowing minor children on field work involving grizzly bears and wolves).
July 19, 2021
I read this book because I’m going to Yellowstone this summer. It was not what I was expecting! Although it wasn’t a great book, I still learned a lot about the park. So I’m glad I read it. I’m not sure I’ll continue reading the other books in the series unless I’m planning on visiting a specific National Park.
April 11, 2024
I appreciate the NP setting and the thrill of doing science. Wonder if the baskets in the story are based at all on truths (same with the archeological finds in the first book (Grand Canyon). The mysteries are rather unbelievable, though. I think this author gets a bit more plausible in later books.
May 10, 2020
This so far is probably the best one yet. The most annoying characters were not as annoying this time. It was easier to predict who did it. Either that or I have been reading too many mysteries lately.
July 5, 2020
I am not sure how Wildlife biologists view the accuracy of this Mystery. Scott Graham has much to say about the technology used to track grizzlies and wolves. There is much suspense to keep the reader Interested. I just found the plot to be very improbable.
January 5, 2021
Liked the setting in the southeastern corner of Yellowstone and the creepy atmosphere; however, there was a distinct air of disbelief for the cause of the problem. Also, the main character’s reason for being there totally disappeared.
May 12, 2021
This book was way better than the first one. I love Yellowstone and I agree that us humans are destroying the wildlife and the planet. We need to let nature be to restore balance, otherwise there will be nothing left for our children and their children.
June 30, 2025
This was a fun book to read while on was on Road Scholar's Grandparent trip with Parker to Yellowstone. It's a mystery set in a remote part of Yellowstone park where the bears and wolves are not acting like themselves and people are dieing. Not much depth but a fun light read.
May 30, 2017
Great quick read (should have been done sooner)!! I can't wait to read the first 2 in the series !
July 24, 2018
OMG! This is the best one yet! I loved Graham's first two mysteries in this series, but this one starts off with roar and doesn't let up. Can't wait to start the next one.
September 24, 2018
Just ok
The title sounded interesting but there were too many characters. The plot was under developed. I was not surprised at the conclusion. A bummer read at best.
The title sounded interesting but there were too many characters. The plot was under developed. I was not surprised at the conclusion. A bummer read at best.
November 22, 2018
Standoff
It was definitely exciting and suspenseful. A thriller that encourages a second reading. I had a hard time putting it down. It was that good! Can't wait for the next one.
It was definitely exciting and suspenseful. A thriller that encourages a second reading. I had a hard time putting it down. It was that good! Can't wait for the next one.
December 11, 2020
Simple mystery f4oma national park mystery series. Been indulging in Yellowwstone books lately.
May 11, 2021
A fast-paced mystery that keeps you guessing- my favorite of the National Park series so far. This one would make a good movie!
May 23, 2021
I used to work in Yellowstone so I LOVE this book.
August 26, 2021
I love that the National Park mystery series has so much good information about antiquities and archaeology in practice. I look forward to the rest of this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews