Lost in Yellowstone: A National Park Mystery

National Park Mysteries #2

by Nicole Maggi

A foot in a geyser. A school in the wild. A truth no one saw coming.

When a human foot is ejected from a geyser in Yellowstone National Park, Special Agent Emme Helliwell of the National Park Service is assigned the chilling case.


Tasked with identifying the victim and uncovering what led to such a grisly end, Emme is drawn into the park's vast, unforgiving wilderness—and into the orbit of a private school for at-risk teens where extreme backcountry excursions are part of the curriculum. As disturbing truths begin to surface, Emme must also confront personal fault lines, including the unresolved tension with an ex-boyfriend who's suddenly back in her life and assigned to the same case.


In a place where danger hides behind natural beauty and good intentions can mask darker motives, Emme must navigate both treacherous terrain and emotional landmines to solve a mystery that could cost her everything.

Perfect for readers of C. J. Box and Lisa Gardner

While the novels in the Agent Emme Helliwell National Park Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence

A Murder in Zion

Lost in Yellowstone

Genres: Mystery

360 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

Nicole was born in the suburban farm country of upstate New York, and began writing at a very early age. Of course, her early works consisted mainly of poems about rainbows and unicorns, although one of them was good enough to win honorable mention in a national poetry contest! (Perhaps one of the judges was a ten-year-old girl.) Throughout high school, her creative writing was always nurtured and encouraged.

Nicole attended Emerson College as an acting major, and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Post-college, she worked as an actress in New York City for over a decade, focusing mainly on Shakespeare and the classics.

Now living in Los Angeles, Nicole balances writing full-time with motherhood. WINTER FALLS, the first in her TWIN WILLOWS TRILOGY (Medallion Press, 2014) is her debut novel. She has a stand-alone novel, HEARTLINES, coming out in February 2015 with SourceBooks Fire, as well as the second and third novels in the TWIN WILLOWS TRILOGY in 2015 and 2016.

Reviews

[Just Blue Through Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss and to Oceanview Publishing for the ARC of Lost in Yellowstone by Nicole Maggi.

I happily stumbled upon the first book in this series, A Murder in Zion, this past Fall and loved how it reminded me of Claire Kells' National Parks Mystery series and Alice Henderson's Alex Carter series. Emme is another strong female character who wants to protect nature and people, even if it means her own life is more nomadic and less mainstream. She's smart and capable with a few sharp edges, but she's dedicated to her mission, even when they don't go as planned or they stay with her during and after they're done in ways that are harder to process.

This story picks up very shortly after the end of the first book as Emme takes on a new case of a discovered foot from a geyser in Yellowstone National Park. It also leads to Emme once again having to take on the confrontation of another relationship from her past, and the way another past unsolved case haunts her. It's a story with both physical and emotional pushes for Emme, all while also confronting a time period where the politicization of national parks puts the jobs of many who protect and serve our national parks at risk. While some may not care for that level of politics being brought into a story, I do agree with Nicole Maggi's intent behind it - our national lands and parks are a huge part of what make America great and any awareness brought to protecting them is incredibly valuable on both sides of the political spectrum.

I really like this series for the beautiful national park settings and the plots based around hiking and nature the strange things that happen in the woods - that on its own is an easy sell to me. I'm a really big hiker and these settings just speak to me - I love it and I love reading about the boring parts of being on a trail, making a fire, dealing with wildlife, etc.

It also seems like Nicole Maggi is potentially building a bigger overarching plot, or at least one with some very interesting common themes, and I'm super excited to see how she builds that out in the next mystery in Death Valley.

I also really like that Emme is imperfect in many ways as a lead character, and she is trying to be more introspective on those matters, though not always successfully. We definitely see more growth from her in this book with her relationship with her sister and with a potential growing relationship with Finn. We see her wanting to grow in the way she interacts with Holden and the teenagers from Higher Purpose - thinking about the way her dad treated her mother, how it led her to be angry, etc., but I wish her introspection came out verbally in her conversations with Holden instead of her seeming to feel she got closure so she doesn't owe him a real apology or actions, but they can still be friends -- I wouldn't mind if he was stone cold and didn't want to be his friend or apologize, but sometimes the way we see her internal monologue vs how she treats other people makes her seem like she's trying too hard to be a victim when she needs to own her behavior internally and externally.

The mystery in this book was really engaging - there was a show in the early 2000s called Higher Ground that this book also reminded me of (wilderness school for troubled teens) in a very positive nostalgic way. While aspects of it were predictable or were a bit implausible, it was still 10,000% entertaining and worth rolling with. Again, it seems like maybe there could be an overarching story or theme, so I'm more than willing to wait on how that develops and to just be happy with being able to engage with such a fun story in the first place.

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real Rating: 4.25* of five

The Publisher Says: A foot in a geyser. A school in the wild. A truth no one saw coming.

When a human foot is ejected from a geyser in Yellowstone National Park, Special Agent Emme Helliwell of the National Park Service is assigned the chilling case.

Tasked with identifying the victim and uncovering what led to such a grisly end, Emme is drawn into the park's vast, unforgiving wilderness—and into the orbit of a private school for at-risk teens where extreme backcountry excursions are part of the curriculum. As disturbing truths begin to surface, Emme must also confront personal fault lines, including the unresolved tension with an ex-boyfriend who's suddenly back in her life and assigned to the same case.

In a place where danger hides behind natural beauty and good intentions can mask darker motives, Emme must navigate both treacherous terrain and emotional landmines to solve a mystery that could cost her everything.

Perfect for readers of C. J. Box, Paul Doiron, and Lisa Gardner

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: In the course of doing my due diligence, I looked for published book reviews of this second Emme Helliwell mystery (after A Murder in Zion ) and ran across a depressing reality of our time: They were mostly book reports. I think that's a shame because opinions are helpful in deciding on the suitability of a read for one's own TBR shelf. If you read my reviews, I'll give you an opinion about a book's merits. Of course you might end up disagreeing, or might not like my way of expressing my opinion; but you will know more than a restatement of the blurb can tell you.

So, here I go:

Another really weird case death under unusual circumstances brings Emme to Yellowstone in order to poke her nose into the situation. Her still-smarting ex, whom I called "Thrush" throughout because it's the best name for him...smarting because Emme just ghosted him with not so much as fuck-you in explanation...and the dude she met last book who's really perfect for her, Finn, are involved in this weird case. Thrush and Emme *have* to be, they work for the National Parks Service's Investigative Services Bureau, but Finn chooses to be. The unattached foot and its mysterious companion object, a red pocket knife spotted by the informant of the probable crime's commission, cost both Emme and Thrush actual skin in the form of burns suffered while retrieving them as the "game" takes shape.

Emme is, as in the last book which ended mere days before this one starts, still processing her mother's death, her uneasy relationship with her younger sister, and now her awfulness to Thrush needs mending too. It's not only about the restoration of Ma'at in this story. It's about Emme becoming aware of how true the truism "hurt people hurt people" really is. It's all internal in this story, as her trail of devastation through genuinely good guy Thrush's heart is never shown to lead to her making any sort of adult apology to him, never acknowledging the hurt and harm she's caused, seeking forgiveness, promising to change her ways towards him. It's like Author Maggi decided her inner awareness of her unkindness was enough.

It ain't.

The case brings these two together, and if I'm honest, I sorta hoped Thrush would brush off Emme's halfassed request to be friends. With great unkindness. I'm all about FMCs being as complicated in their emotional lives as males have always been allowed to be. Look at Harry Hole: Popular novels, popular TV show, miserable nasty guy, so bring it Author Maggi!

The investigation leads to an outdoor program developed to rehabilitate teen offenders. To no one's surprise it's not run in such a way as to make the families sending their kids there feel good about it. Emme is a representative of law enforcement, so automatically suspect to the young offenders; winning their trust to get information she needs taxes Emme to the utmost. Her character is developed as the story delves into some dark and violent territory (in retrospect, not immediate and present until the ending). The manner she comes into possession of information to resolve this case harkens back to her Zion National Park case, unsolved in the legal sense....

I like the storytelling as well as the story told here. It's a series with developing promise. I'm glad Oceanview brings these stories from debut and early-career authors out. Conglomerates only want hits, not to make careers for authors who might, or might not, throw a hit out one day. I predict Author Maggi will be one who does.

[Ray Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Engaging Murder Mystery Set In Yellowstone

A family is on a kayaking tour on Yellowstone Lake. The guide takes them to a geyser on the lake's shore. They observe a spectacular geyser erupting. Something plops into the water near one kayak. A woman uses her paddle to lift it from the water. It looks like a sneaker. She wonders how a sneaker got into a geyser. She then realizes that a human foot is in it. Special Agent Emmeline Helliwell from the National Parks Service (NPS) Investigative Services Bureau (ISB) is sent to investigate. A difficult investigation starts.

The investigation into the foot and how it ended up in the geyser is the only thread in the main storyline. This thread has several phases. The DNA from the foot is determined, but no hits were found in the CODIS. The discovery of a key piece of evidence leads back to where the teenager came from. The last phase takes place in a very remote section of Yellowstone to confirm the victim's identity, who killed him, and why. Besides, trying to solve a case with so few clues is compounded by the fact that the district ranger assigns a ranger with whom Helliwell had a significant relationship three years ago. It did not end well, and Helliwell is dreading working with him again. To confirm the victim's identity and who killed him, she must gain the trust of a group of teenagers who believe that helping authorities is a very low priority. One of the teenagers has a problem that made the ending more difficult. The last issue causing problems is that her boss, the head of the ISB, kept a secret that, when revealed, would affect the entire NPS. Helliwell narrates all the chapters, so the story is seen solely from her perspective. The twists and turns are constant problems throughout the investigation. Overcoming all these obstacles captured my interest.

The relationship between SA Helliwell and Ranger Holden Thrush is the B-storyline in the novel. This thread has a considerable effect on the main storyline. The issue is that two years ago, she was in a long relationship with Thrush that she broke by leaving for a new assignment and ghosting him. Her handling of Thrush's rough edges provides much insight into her character. The next significant insight into her character was how she worked to gain the trust of some very leery teenagers. I enjoyed this aspect of this novel.

The most significant aspect that may discourage readers is the noticeable level of objectionable language. While there are no intimate scenes, there are references to their occurrences. All violence is described after the fact until the novel's end, during which it is described as it occurs. A large male bear almost adds to the violence. None of these should discourage most readers. This novel is the second in this series. There are references to events in that novel, but, for me, they are adequately explained, so I did not feel that I missed anything. I found reading this novel on my e-reader advantageous because I am not familiar with Yellowstone. Much of the action in the novel occurred in remote areas. Easy access to the Internet by highlighting the text and clicking the search in the browser icon solved that problem for me.

I always enjoy a mystery that is difficult to solve because it requires perseverance from the investigators. This novel provides much of this. Also, I liked how the author introduced the location of the next novel in the very last sentence. There wasn't much on the downside of this novel. All the loose ends were tied up by the end. Only Helliwell's new relationship appears to continue into the next novel.

As this is the first novel by this author I have read, she is in my Pending category, but I am sure she will be in one of my reading categories. I highly recommend reading this novel. I will be reading the first novel in the series soon. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and rate it with five stars.

I received the free, pre-publication e-book version of this novel from Oceanview Publishing through NetGalley. My review is based solely on my own reading experience. Thank you, Oceanview Publishing, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing mystery in a beautiful setting with believable characters

The prologue to Lost in Yellowstone introduces the reader to a beautiful setting and some interesting people and ends with a tourist picking up a sneaker with the paddle from her kayak and finding a foot inside the shoe! I had the feeling I was going to enjoy this book, and I was right!
Yellowstone National Park is nicely described and provides a great background picture without interfering with the course of the story. It made me want to go there, although I would hope to have a more peaceful visit!
The characters were well drawn, believable and (for the most part!) sympathetic. The dialogue was well done.
The writing was very good. I even picked up some new vocabulary, a “touron”, a term that refers to visitors who behave with excessive stupidity or disregard for safety and wildlife rules. I can envision what a challenge such visitors must be for park rangers! The forensic aspects were also nicely described and interesting, as were the fun odd bits of information such as the fact that Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter had a pet snake she liked to startle people with at the White House. My Kindle has a good number of “ha ha”s from remarks by the characters, too, which I always appreciate.
Although this book is part of a “mystery” series, I would describe it a bit more broadly than that. The mystery is the biggest aspect, but the characters’ lives are also significant, especially Emme’s concern about her attraction to two different men. The romance aspects of the book were probably the least enjoyable parts of the book for me, but they did not interfere with the rest of the book and many readers will enjoy them.
What about the plot, the most important part of any fiction? Since this is a thriller, I will not say much about that, but I will say that about halfway through the book I commented that the longer I read the better the book gets! This continued to an interesting ending.
This is the second book in the National Park Mysteries series. There were some references to Emme’s previous cases, but I do not think they will be spoilers. I had not read the first but certainly plan to do so.
I received an advance review copy of Lost in Yellowstone from Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing.

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking a page from Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, Nicole Maggi follows A MURDER IN ZION, her 2025 series launch, with LOST IN YELLOWSTONE. The book is set in America’s first national park of 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone, “the most remote place in the continental United States.” Compare that to Rhode Island’s 665,000 land acres.

Combining environmental advocacy with a police procedural surrounded by astounding natural radiance, this intriguing mystery features Special Agent Emme Helliwell of the National Park Service as the gun-toting top cop. “But the ghosts of Yellowstone still haunted her.” She never solved the case of missing ranger David Finch.

Mystifying a family kayaking on Yellowstone Lake, a geothermal geyser spews a boot-clad foot near them. “Steam hissed out of the geyser, dangerous as a cobra ready to strike.” Emme is summoned to investigate. A coroner identifies the foot as belonging to a malnourished teenager. Emme goes into analytical mode. The shoe is a $185 Merrell Moab hiking boot, which an ill-fed teen would not likely wear. But the strong GORE-TEX material prevented acidic geothermic water from dissolving flesh.

A kayaking family member recalls seeing something red at the foot-spewing geyser. Emme and her ex-boyfriend, park ranger Holden Thrush, risk their lives to find a corroded pocketknife at the geyser rim, which they learn came from Higher Purpose. This “tough love” school forces attitude change through punitive interventions, with parental consent, although such programs face allegations regarding psychological harm and horrific treatment.

It turns out that a group of teens from Higher Purpose had entered Yellowstone a few weeks before. Emme’s gut rumbles not from hunger but from telling her that something is wrong with the scenario portrayed by Higher Purpose’s “counselor,” Papa Bear.

Emotional tension ratchets when Holden attempts to reignite a flame that warmed them both. Emme had jilted their relationship three years ago, perhaps due to not solving the Finch case.

Hairpin plot twists rival Yellowstone’s switchback pathways. Emme seasons this stew with clues from mysteries past and present. Such a tease. Pack your bags; you’re going to Yellowstone National Park!

Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 solid stars for a mystery set in Yellowstone NP. This is book 2 in the series, but this book would work as a stand alone. I have read book 1 in the series and enjoyed it enough that I decided to continue reading books in this series.
This book opens with tourists kayaking in a Yellowstone lake near a geyser. The geyser erupts and ejects a sneaker with a human foot inside. Special Agent Emme Helliwell of the ISB(Investigative Services Branch) of the National Park service is called in from her home base of Yosemite NP to investigate. She does determine that a murder took place, but the killer is not revealed until the end. I did suspect the killer about 2/3rds in, but was not sure until the end.
Emme is paired with Park Ranger Holden Thrush, who she was in a relationship with. She left him abruptly without an explanation. They have some difficult moments as they sort through their issues. Holden gives her crucial assistance in solving the case.
This book was written during the devastating personnel cutbacks among NPS employees by DOGE, a foolish attempt at government efficiency.
One quote by the Chief ranger at Yellowstone NP: "Don't you understand Emme? This administration has been gunning for the parks since they got into office." He blew out a furious breath. "And if they get their way, we can kiss Yellowstone goodbye."
Trigger issues:
Language: There is some profanity, but in context.
Sex: none
Violence: No graphic violence
Thank You Oceanview Publishing for sending me this eARC through Edelweiss+.

Pub. Date May 5, 2026

[Toni Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A National Park Mystery #2

Set against the beauty and danger of Yellowstone National Park this story follows Special Agent Emme Helliwell of the national Park Service while on a gruesome case of a sneaker-clad foot ejected from a geyser and uncovering what led this person to such a grisly end……The case draws Emme into the orbit of a private school for at risk-teens where radical backcountry excursions are part of the curriculum. Park Ranger, Holden Thrush, Emme’s ex-boyfriend, will assist her with the investigation.

“A foot in a geyser. A school in the wild. A truth no one saw coming.”

My expertise as an armchair sleuth was not very helpful, I kept guessing from start to finish and what a finish Ms. Maggi had in store for her readers. I didn’t have the slightest idea the whodunit was this person…. maybe you will, good luck.

I loved how Emme and Holden went about their investigation into the wilderness school and how the interacted with the teens and their councilors. The cast was wonderfully entertaining. How Emme confronted her personal issues including the unresolved tension with Holden was particularly sweet…..

In whole, this story is a gripping and an engaging one said in a prose that is effortless and very dynamic. The imagery leaves you with the beauty and dangers of Yellowstone. Maybe a chill or two…

This story is well-said and well done and one I enjoyed quite a bit.

My thanks to Oceanview Publishing for this ARC

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of this novel pulled me in. The descriptions of the park had me thinking I should go visit. However, the characters were flat, one-dimensional. Emme was annoying (to me), Holden was just a whiner, and the editing was a disaster. In one scene, we have 2 horses and a mule. In the next scene, we have 3 horses and a mule? Why was there even a hint of romance? It was not needed, and the inner dialogueing about it went on longer than the mystery.

The politics took the cake and were not needed at this juncture. It gave nothing to the story other than pushing an agenda.

The murder, well, what can I say? It was quite easy to figure out who-dunn-it. The why of it,


This is the second book this month that I've read about wilderness camps (jails) like this one. This one just happened to be a little less believable...if you read this, you'll see what I mean. Any parent sticking their child in a place like this should have done a bit more research. I'm just sayin'.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Oceanview Publishing, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to Maggi's Zion book, this one is notably better. The characters are interesting. The story unfolds well. The straight-forward mystery is entertaining. There were a couple of twists that were clever, but without any foreshadowing they fell flat for me. Her descriptions of being in the park and exploring the wilderness were spot on.

The dialog is still unrealistic (here's what I wrote about that in my Zion review: "It was almost like Maggi learned to write dialog by reading dialog in novels written by authors that weren't that great at writing dialog."). And while Maggi didn't change the landscape of Yellowstone to serve her needs like she did in Zion, there is one huge, glaring, mountains sized plot hole -- some people can walk on geyser crust without falling through while others are susceptible to the laws of physics and nature.

[Andy Krahling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.

I liked this: I didn't love it. Having read the first of the series, I pretty much knew what I was getting into: a moderately interesting suspense story in a beautiful setting. And that's what I got. I didn't really care about any of the main characters, and the villains were pretty obvious and simplistic.

I did really like the cover.

Will I read more from the author? Probably. She writes a good story -- I'd just like to see a different villain.

[Terry M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written with good characters and an easy, enjoyable read. The pace was steady with plenty to keep your interest. I liked the setting and the storyline which includes an outdoor training school for wayward teens, a murder and a difficult case. Recommended. I received an ARC from Ocean View Publishing and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Barbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enojyed the setting of the book. The characters were interesting and I'll have to go back and read the 1st book in the series. Looking forward to future books in this series.

Thanks for the ARC Edelweiss.

[McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won an advanced copy. I was intrigued from the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! I liked the sprinkle of national park facts. The killer reveal was a surprise to me. The only reason I rated it 3 stars is because most of the book was pretty predictable.

[Kelley Dykes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery set in the beauty of Yellowstone. The imagery was gorgeous and you really feel the vibe of the parks. The ending was pretty predictable, but it was still enjoyable!